"Wh...where..am I"

The voice of a teenage boy softly muttered.

He groaned as he felt his hand on his forehead, his shaky palm spread out over it. His whole body felt as if it was hovering above the surface, though he could feel his arms and legs starting to slowly move around. His fingers wiggled as he opened on of his eyes to look at his surroundings.

"..Huh?"

The boy's vision was a bit blurry, but then he saw that he was laying down on a dirt-ridden landscape. It looked as if it was a massive cave or a secret-hide away. there was gigantic walls covered in debris and rocks.

Everywhere, the ground was layered with dark flowers and pale green grass, a few tall pillars of stone that could reach the heavens were huddled around, decorated with dark green vines and dangling moss like a magnificent palace.

He wondered if this was all a dream..but he felt very much awake.

Long ago. two races ruled over Earth:

HUMANS and MONSTERS...

A pair of green eyes looked up, turning his heavy head to the sky.

But all that he could see was a enormous hole above him that had a blue hue and clouds floating above it.

This is completely some sort of strange cave, he thought.

It was like he had fallen down, though he knew he was somewhere still.

The boy looked and saw streams of light scattered from the hole, sprinkling small specks of dust onto his light brown hair. He wiped some of the blur in his eyes, his fingers resting between his bangs with his arm. He felt the top of his head and the bent spike of his hair curled around his index finger. He laid his arm finally back down on the ground. his hand was greeted by the soil and grass that scattered around it.

One day, war broke out between the two races..

After a long battle, the humans were victorious. They sealed the monsters underground with a magic spell.

The boy slowly moved his arms and with all his strength, pushed himself up and he was sitting up in the strange place he had found. Looking down, he noticed that he was sitting in a small patch of beautiful golden flowers surrounding him.

"Huh?"

He was somehow surprised.

His body still felt like nothing happened it. There were no cuts or bruises he could find except for the dust on his blazer jacket. His jacket was over his red and green hoodie, but he didn't feel any warmer or hotter in the midst of the area.

A while ago, he remembered it felt as if a thousand pains had stuck in instantly but it somehow vanished completely. He didn't know where he was and yet he knew that he had to be someplace or so.

But then he thought of something that made him suddenly leap up to his feet. His body felt like a magic had healed him. He remembered that for one moment he was gazing down at the mountain's plains..but the next, he had now found himself many feet below the whole Earth.

"..MT Ebbot.." He said, "I've..been here before I think." He said to himself

"Legends say that those who climb the mountain never return.."

The boy looked at the great hole above his head. But he then smiled.

"Maybe there's somebody here who can help me." Makoto said,"I may not be sure..but I will try."

He then chuckled to himself a little bit. He was very much know on earth for his optimistic ways. Often, he gets very flattered about it. But now he decided it was time to look for help. He took a moment to look around the strange cave as he walked around, finally looking down at the golden flower patch.

With a soft smile, he reached down and carefully took one of the flowers. It's petals felt like silk in his hand and it's fragrance had a spicy yet warm smell that made Makoto smile as he placed the flower in one of the pockets of his hoodie.

Then he tucked his hands into his pockets and began walking, red sneakers covered in bits of dirt crunched on the ground as he went. The crisp air swirled around him like a summer breeze. As he made his way, he could see that walls of stone were placed around him, broken patterns and crumbling edges.

"What is this place about? Who could be here? What am I doing here at all? Do they know a way out?" He wondered.

"I'm sure I can ask someone here..if anyone is here."

He suddenly stopped when he found himself walking down a hallway-looking part of the cave and he was heading for some sort of stone gate or arch that led into some sort of darkness.

Makoto hesitated for a small moment, staring at the gap of pitch black in front of him.

Chills treaded down his spine. It gave an unsettling welcome when he laid eyes upon it. The feeling as if a ghost had whispered words of danger in a low voice that no one could notice except for himself.

But no matter how much worry came to mind, he still smiled softly.

Makoto thought,"Could this lead to some strange place? I'm not very sure how strange it may be, but it's good enough to know what lies inside."

The boy suddenly stepped forward and he continued to enter the stone arch that stretched over his head as he stepped inside. Makoto turned his head around, he could see a golden ray of sunlight shining down across the flower patch before the scene before vanished when he turned his back once more.

He was soon covered in the darkness of yet another cold abandoned area but he could feel his feet touching the ground and the quiet echo of wind in the atmosphere was all that he could hear.

"...Hello?"

"...Hello..?" He repeated.

There was no answer...

Makoto looked left and right cautiously, though his only discovery was the darkness and the outline of rock and soil lined all over the surface. But he still was eager to search for at least something he could see.

Suddenly, Makoto saw something glow in the far corner of his eye.

He followed the glow and he had found something rather...unusual...as he might say in his own words.

In the middle of the darkness, he found a bright ray of light shining down on a patch of bright green grass. It was the only light he could see and he was more shocked by what stood among the grass itself.

"Why hello to you, too~! And most sincere greetings."A voice rang out. The voice has a melody of cheerfulness in its tone that made him rather amazed by it's shrill pitch.

Sitting there in the grass, Makoto found a small animal, a bear to be exact.

"Um...who are you?"

The bear however looked beyond the word bizarre. The small bear was no shorter than right below Makoto's knees and between his legs as he looked down upon it.

It's belly was a round white circle, like some sort of teddy bear. His fur on it's left side was nothing but snowy white and the other half had black fur that looked dark as a cold night.

One side of the bear's mouth had jagged teeth that looked as if half of a smile or a crooked grin, his right eye was a shaped in a large red zigzag mark that gave out a small warning towards Makoto. The bear's voice and strange appearance was so mystical, as if it had came from a world he never knew before.

"Who am I ?" replied the bear, hopping up to his feet.

He seemed to bounce with each word he spoke, his paws on his hips as he looked at the teenage boy, baffled and confused with a bit of curiosity.

"I am Monokuma! And I am your new best pal!"

"M-my pal?" Makoto asked the creature. Monokuma nodded his head to reply.

"That's right! Righty-O indeed!" He continued, "..Let me see..you must be a human, right?"

Makoto didn't even know what to say at first, yet he continued to listen to the bear. The bear suddenly jumped and his red eye seemed to glow a little bit.

"Why, of course ya are! Thinkin' I'm a liar?"

"Is..is this some sort of..dream?" Makoto said, his voice carrying a shaky tone.

"This ain't some fairy tale you're seeing here, mister! This is all true as the truth itself!" Shouted the bear.

Monokuma crossed his small arms as he tapped his foot impatiently while he continued to speak.

"Y'know kid, it's been quite a long time before we had humans like you here in the Underground." His jaw nearly dropped when he heard those words. It was like he never heard of such a world as of now. "The Underground?" Makoto softly muttered, scratching his head, "Is..this what this place is called?"

He had so many questions to ask of the bear.

Is there things that he should know of the "Underground" exactly? How did this creature even know he was there at all?

But that's where Makoto was caught off guard when he saw the bear's mismatched mouth forming a sly grin. His paws covered over his mouth as he chuckled.

"~Upupupupu! Well ain't this a fine howdy-doo?"

Makoto was bewildered by his laughter that took a step away from him in surprise.

Monukuma gave him a rather smart look as if to warn him.

"Listen up, you oughta learn a few things about this place. That's why I shall be your guide! Now if if you will pay attention, please."

The teddy bear-like creature put his paws on his hips again and he stood before him.

Makoto suddenly jumped when the world around him immediately disappear until he found himself in some sort of dark, empty void. All that could be seen was Monokuma still standing not too far away but by a few small feet from the distance between them.

He looked down and was shocked to notice that he was standing in the middle of a black square, twice his size, with white lines that connected from his left, right, front, and backside, forming a screen-like board around him.

It looked as if it were some bullet board of a game.

In front of the square was a small yellow bar that read:LV 1 |HP:20/20

Makoto's eyes were wide open when he suddenly saw a small red heart appear in front of his chest. Gently putting his hands in front of it, the heart glowed brightly with its red color shimmering like tiny pixels.

"You see that heart?" That's called your SOUL, it's what keeps you up and running." Monokuma said.

"My soul? That...sounds rather nice.." Makoto thought, gazing down at it's glow curiously.

The bear smiled, rubbing his paws together playfully.

"Allow me to explain, new kid. Each of us here in the Underground are wonderful bunch. We like to spend time giving LV to each other's SOULS."

Makoto looked at the bear, still feeling confused.

"What's LV?"

"My, my! You're very curious, ain't ya! That's what I'll call you, the Ultimate Wanderer."

"Wanderer? I..guess that's a good name.." Added Makoto,"But I'm sure it sounds nice too."

"Any-who, what's LV? It stands for LOVE. And your new friend and guide, Monokuma, would be happy to share some with you. Upupupu~"

Suddenly, a line of tiny white pellet-shapes hovered above the bear's head in a straight formation. Makoto had the feeling that something was off about them, but he didn't feel like judging him.

"For example, LOVE can be easily spread with a little something I call...friendship pellets."

Makoto looked down at the SOUL, then back at the pellets.

Something about his words still didn't seem right.

"You want some LOVE, don't you?" He added.

He nodded in quick response.

"C'mon, grab them all! Get as much as you can!" Monokuma continued, "It's on me!"

The pellets then soared above Monokuma and they floated towards him. Maybe he wasn't this bad, Makoto thought. This bear just might be no threat at all.

Starting to smile, his SOUL hovered gently as he reached out his hand to grab one of the pellets.

Each one completely passed his hand and they hit right into the SOUL with a massive hit.

LV 1|HP:01/20

Makoto's eyes shot open when a sudden wave of enormous pain shot right though his limbs as his SOUL was hit. His lips unleashed a loud cough as his throat burned inside like a fire. He could feel his body growing weak as the HP he saw showed him.

The little yellow bar was nothing but a red square with a single stripe of yellow that remained of what was left of his health.

His legs shook, causing him to drop to his knees which ached tremendously. Breathing heavily, he wrapped his arms around and clutched his aching stomach before lifting his head, throbbing in pain, slowly towards Monokuma.

Monokuma grinned once again but his strange eye was glowing a vibrant red, making Makoto gasp in pure shock.

"..You IDIOT!"

Those few words made him only look more discomforting. The bear raised his paw, like it was shaking a fist towards the week teenager, injured horribly.

"I can't believe you fell for that so easily! All of you are just the same damn thing! Nothing can get in your tiny little dust speck of a brain to see what's happening right now!"

"w-what...?"

Makoto's body continued to tremble. His mouth was traced with a small streak of blood, it's magenta color trickling down his cheek until it dissolves into tiny drops that became tiny puddles while some landed on one of his fingers. He was too scared to even say a word as the bear stood above him.

"Just look at you! Your face, crawling with despair! The despair-ridden look all over you! It's hysterical!"

His eyes narrowed with his dark smile as a small set of sharp claws poked up from his paw.

"You know..what I want?" Monokuma hissed, "Despair! That's what makes world go round! Soon, you will be filled to the tips of ya toes with despair as for each and every creature in this little world."

The boy couldn't understand. He had been tricked by a small bear and he was now too weak to stand up. It was a trap he didn't know he would ignore, after he trusted him.

He just found himself nothing but a mess of a broken body.

His SOUL glowed more faintly in front of him as his health grew lower.

"In this world, it's KILL or BE KILLED!"

Those few words me Maketo's eyes widen.

"Kill or be killed.." the words seemed to echo.

Why on earth would he say such a thing?

"Everything is just despair-inducing bait!I guess I'm gonna have to teach you this...by the hard way."

As Monokuma grinned, a ring of the white pellets that wounded him appeared. The pellets were tiny but now they were big as a large table. They big that it could squish him like a bug, splattering him on the ground.

Makoto used all the strength in his upper body to look around...there was no opening of the circle and each bullet form a circle around him inside the board he was stumbled upon.

There was no way out of the circle he could find.

"DIE! ~UPUPUPUPU!"

Monokuma belted out a roar of wild laughter as the pellets slowly darted towards him.

They towered over his body and were aiming straight for his fragile SOUL. All he could do was bend down, covering his head with shaking hands while the wild bear's laughter rang in his ears as loud as it can. He could feel the pellets ready to strike through him and dismember his body in great terror. He shut his eyes tightly and whimpered in desperation not to shed a single tear. All that he could do was stay there and waited for the pellets to hit him.

...

...

...

But he didn't feel anything.

LV 1|HP:20/20

He opened one eye as slow as he could...but he noticed that the yellow bar was restored to a full gold bar.

Feeling strength increase back in his arms and legs, he uncovered his head before soon sitting back on his knees. The stabbing pain in his organs were gone just like when he found himself in the Underground like some sort of deja vu.

Makoto was more surprised to look up and realize that the circle of giant "friendliness" pellets had all disappeared into nothing.

He wasn't in the void anymore and the tile underneath him also was gone. He suddenly noticed that he was sitting in front on the grassy patch from before.

Although the grass brushing against his legs felt like sweet relief on his kneecaps, that wasn't really important as of the look he saw on Monokuma's shocked face when he saw the vanishing pellets.

It looked almost alike as his own.

But suddenly, a small orb of bright red fire came hurdling out of nowhere.

He yelped when he saw in it rushing forth. The fireball hit smack into the bear before he was hurdling through the air and into the darkness with a loud shout.

Makoto could only star as he went flying off, a sweatdrop on the side of his face from being so speechless.

"What the heck was that?"

That's when he noticed a large shadow standing above his head.

He looked up and he saw a girl who looked much around his age standing right there.

She was a rather tall, slender figure that was postured like a large statue, a picture of a goddess to be fair.

Makoto was lost for words as he looked upon her again.

He could see that she had long locks of pale lavender hair that fell down in smooth streaks from her shoulders all the way to her elbows, one strand of hair tied up in a long ponytail with a small purple ribbon.

What amazed him was that she had the ears of a Nubian goat,that flopped at the sides of her cheeks and two small horns on her head, sticking up from her hair.

Her eyes were also purple as they gazed away into the distance. She wore a pair of dark gloves that fit her hands gracefully; a long white dress that covered her feet with long draping sleeves with a thin collar of folded fabric around her tall neck.

A strange symbol of a white winged orb with three small triangles was printed on the blouse of her flowing dress.

The girl was also wearing a sleeve-less purple tail coat vest trimmed with golden thread as it's tail of cloth slithered on the ground below the hem of her gown.

She turned her eyes onto Makoto, who was still laying in his knees.

"Do not worry." The girl said in a soft but sincere voice.

"I won't harm you, unlike that..disgusting creature who tried."

Makoto was a little shy to find the half-goat girl approach him like this all of a sudden.

"He would come at you if I didn't know sooner.." She said, "I'm quite surprised you were unharmed."

"Well..thank you very much." Makoto said, smiling. "I was worried I was about to be toast.."

He laughed a little bit but she could only look down on him

The girl looked back to him before she returned a smile back to him, just not as energetic.

"It's nothing, really."

Clasping her hands, she had a look on her face was still emotion, yet filled with comfort in Makoto's eyes. She offered him her gloved hand to help him off the ground.

"My name is Kirigiri, I am the Ultimate Care Taker of the Ruins. I've never known that last time I have encountered a human."

Makoto felt warm inside from Kirigiri's remark and smiled again.

Starting to feel less concerned, he took her hand as he lifted himself up off the ground. He brushed the blades og grass off his pants before looking at Kirigiri.

He said, "It's very nice to meet you, I'm the..er..Ultimate Wanderer."

Makoto remembered Monokuma saying those words loud and clear, but it didn't seem as important.

"That is a nice title, I suppose." Said Kirigiri.

"You're pretty nice as well."

Kirigiri paused at what he said before she smiled softly, a hint of pink dusting her cheeks that made Makoto's smile a little brighter.

But she suddenly shook her head, ears billowing gently before her face went back to its stoic state.

Makoto felt a bit stirred.

Maybe she's a little sensitive, he thought.

"It's not as safe as you think is it in the Ruins."

He jumped a bit after losing thought when Kirigiri spoke again. But he still smiled at her as well as he could for the moment.

She calmly took him by the hand and before he knew it, they ware walking together through a long stone hallway,

"Come, I will be your guide and take through the Ruins."

He smiled as the two passed through a stone arch and into a dark hallway.

It was quite dark in the hall as they walked.

Makoto didn't mind, he didn't know what will happen.

But he still knew that in the dark, he swore he had seen another smile on the girl's face.

Next Chapter: Through The Ruins


ToonAngelstar17: I know I haven't been active lately, but I will write stories. I'm just caught in a bunch of chores and summer stuff!

Review and *no* flames please:)