Based off the Danganronpa series, this is a collection of shorts where Cheren bonds with the various members of each of his sectors. I won't really go into too much detail, it's just an exercise to stretch my brain out. X) Canonically speaking, this takes place in December of 2035, before the World Rings Arc.

Free Time – Sector V

I found Aurora sitting on her bed and reading a magazine. When I walked in, she looked up and asked, "Hey Bro! Something you wanted to ask me?"

"Oh, not in particular. Actually, I was wondering if you wanted to do something. I kinda had nothing to do today, hehe." I blushed.

"In that case, how 'bout we hit the mall?! It's been awhile since I took you shopping."

"Oh, great! Hehe…"

Aurora and I rushed to the mall, trying out a bunch of clothes on her. In the end, she ended up not buying anything. …I suddenly remember not enjoying this activity.

It seems Aurora and I grew a little closer. Despite my boredom, it felt nice bonding with my sister again. I decided to give her a present I secretly bought from the mall: a bracelet with white and red jewels.

"Oh gosh, Bro, you shouldn't have!" Aurora beamed. "This totally goes with me!"

"Ha ha ha! Glad to hear it. I mean, the colors match your elements, don't they?"

"Yeah, I guess so. But you know, whenever I'm not practicing my fire or icebending, I think my real element is fashion and clothing. But like, I never get to do any of that stuff because I'm always on missions, you know?"

"I get what you mean. It's nice to just sit back and goof around, playing videogames or… whatever."

"What about you? You have any dream jobs after you get tired of the KND?"

"I wanna say that I do, but… at the moment, the KND is my life." I reply with a sweatdrop. "I wanna lead it 'til I get too old, and when I have a kid, I may get them into it."

"Well, don't plan too far ahead! You're only 10 years old, sort of. But I tell you one thing that could help: a change in wardrobe!" She perked up. "You always wear the same thing every day. Even Link changes his clothes every era."

"W-Well, I make sure to wash my…"

"Oh gosh, we totally shoulda bought you something! C'mon, let's go back!"

"H-Hey, hey!" Before I knew it, I was being dragged back to the mall. Despite my attempts to buy the first three things she picked out, she insisted we try everything. Ugh…

…

After that little ordeal, I went to my brother, Chris's room, which formerly belonged to Mr. Beatles. He was furiously punching his fireproof punching bag when I climbed up. "Oh, Cheren." He stopped. "Ya need somethin'?"

"I was thinking we could hang out for a little while."

"Okay. I was planning to go swing at the park."

"Really?" I was a little confused why he picked such a calm activity. "Okay."

We swung at the park for 30 minutes, not really saying much. When it was over, I decided to give Chris a present: a bottle of Coolly Coolly Lotion. "Lotion?"

"Yeah, it's meant to cool your hands if they get too hot. I know you're a firebender, but…"

"Nah, I appreciate it! My hands get real hard lately. Like they're made outta dry rock."

"Heh, I knew you'd like it!"

"Hmm…" At that moment, he bore a somber look. "Hey, do you think it's safe for firebenders to smoke?"

"Why are you asking that?!"

"Well like, I mean… I just feel super stressed lately, y'know? I get occasional headaches that feel like Malladus scratching inside my brain."

"You were training pretty hard when I found you. Maybe it'd help if you slow down?"

"What if I slow down too much? I may not be ready for the next crisis."

"Sigh… It's a shame that's all you can think about. Then again, I guess I'm no different. Still, I think smoking would slow you down either way. Plus, you're frickin' too young for it!"

"People still say we're too young to be savin' worlds, too." he said with a smirk.

"Th-That's completely different! I mean, we don't ENJOY crises, right?"

"Chill out, Bro. I was just joking."

"You were?"

"Yeah…"

That somber look told me differently. Chris was no doubt feeling as stressed as I was about everything. "Well, don't forget Aurora can cool you down, too. And try to enjoy yourself when you're not on missions! Training isn't everything."

"Yeah, tell that to the raging bull inside me." He smirked again. "But don't worry, this new lotion should make me feel a lot better!" He gave a thumbs-up.

…

I found Sheila Frantic sitting on the railing of the balcony, swinging her feet. I asked her, "Hey Sheila, you up to anything?"

"No, but Oi'm about to be!" Sheila jumped and whirled around, setting foot on the floor. "If you're up for a little adventuring!"

"Eh… sure, why not?" I grinned.

"Great! Then it's time to see what beauties we can find on the seafloor!"

We went to the beach and swam several miles away from shore. We found a few treasures, but I was quickly losing my breath. Geez, how could she swim for this long?! I think her lightbending gives her extra breath, but that don't mean she's a waterbender.

We squeezed the water out of our clothes when we returned to shore. Sheila's clothes were even more torn than before, so to partially help with the fact, I bought her a new pair of golden sandals. "Oi, these look so shiny! And they feel so soft! I'll be sure to wear these when this old pair snaps."

"What if they snap while you're on a mission? Don't you wanna wear 'em now?"

"'ey, you don't just open a new soda without finishing the old one."

"That doesn't even make… Never mind." I suddenly remembered another conversation about clothes.

"Strewth, it's nice ya finally decided ta open your eyes and see the beauty of adventure with me." She smirked. "After all, ya been on your share of explorations, ain't ya?"

"Yeah, I guess you're right."

"Sure I am! In fact, I reckon you an' me are soul mates, but not the romantic kind." She folded her arms in a sure fashion. "We both know how ta totally overdo it with our chi. You went all flashy with them golden flames, and Oi got all neon with Big Mum's cake, eh?"

"Yeah, but YOU still have your chi."

"Oi have a real pain in me muscles is what I have. But hey, get enough sleep and sunshine, your firebending will grow back too now, won't it?"

"I don't think it'll be that easy…"

"Yes it will! Just live each day with excitement—climb a mountain, swim in the sky, fly underwater!"

"Believe me, I really want to, but… I just don't have your personality, Sheila. It's hard to make myself be happy, no matter what."

Sheila seemed to frown. "…Yeh, you aren't the only one."

"I'm not?"

"Me mum and dad fight a lot." She looked away, sighing. "'Cause of my bad grades and no money and… stuff like that."

"Oh… sorry to hear about that."

"Yeh, but not loike I can show that to me mates. I'm practically their leader. The Light who guides them, eh?"

"I think they would appreciate it if you could open up to them."

"Yeh, but emotional crud like that just hurts me. Makes me feel weak. That's what I like about you though!" She grinned and thumbed-up. "You don't got a problem with letting your feelings out!"

Well, actually, I feel the same… but I blushed and thanked her.

…

Mason Dimalanta was drinking a soda on the couch. He glanced at me in mid-drink, took a breath, and asked, "Hi, Cheren. You want one?"

"Um, sure! And I was wondering if you… had some free time?"

He seemed confused by the request. "Well, I was gonna catch this new episode of Avatar, so if you're interested…"

"Sure! Toss me a soda."

We watched a new episode of Avatar: Third Generation. I finished my soda, but he went through five. To be honest, he kinda looked like a kind of dad that just sat on the couch and drank. We kind of bonded over the show a little bit, but I feel like I paid more attention to his drinking. So, the present I decided to give him was a new toothpaste.

"Chip Skylark Toothpaste? What, you think I rot my teeth so much I need this?"

"Uh—I'll take it back if you want…"

"Haha, just kidding! I'm sure Haruka would get me something like this, anyway. Sometimes, she insists on brushing my teeth with her bending."

"Really? Wow… Say, between you two, which of you is stronger?"

"That's easy: me." He smiled proudly. "It's true that Haruka's specialty is medicines and mine is sodas and junk food, but pit us against each other and my poisonbending is stronger. Don't put me up on Sheila's level, of course." He blushed.

"Oh, never." I chuckled.

"You know, I think I would make a great worker at the Pawtucket Brewery."

"The who?"

"They're the biggest beer conglomerate in the world. They make all kinds of beer and wine."

"But you only drink sodas!"

"But soon I'll be legal age." He winked. Geez, first Chris and now you? "Heh, as if." He joked afterward. "Actually, I'd really like a job with the Flurp Factory. But I hear Pawtucket's trying to buy them out."

"Why? They tryin' ta sell beer to kids?"

"Who knows?" Mason shrugged. "We seen some twisted adults in our day. If it comes to that, I might end up kicking Pawtucket's ass. Old man with a cane doesn't look that tough. Hey, maybe you can send us on a mission there!"

"Heh heh! I'll consider it… I mean, if you're really set on working at Flurp Factory."

"Well, only if pirating with Sheila doesn't work out."

…

Mason's sister, Haruka was in her room, combing the hair on a Gothic Lolita doll. She saw me and said, "Hey, Cheren. I heard you were around. Need a checkup?"

"No, I was wondering if you wanted to do something."

"Well, if you're into collecting mushrooms in the forest."

"Why don't we just visit Mushroom Kingdom?"

"Those mushrooms are a little too advanced for me!"

We went to the Virginian Forest to pick mushrooms. My hands got dirty and some of them made me a tad itchy, but Haruka assured me none of them were deadly. After we returned to the treehouse, I gave Haru a pair of Falcon's Eye Glasses for a present.

"Ooo, these things are the best! They're magic, so they won't hurt you like normal X-rays would. I was definitely thinking of getting some when I eventually became a doctor."

"That's great!" 'Cause they costed a lot.

"You know, Cheren, I've been developing a new formula. A medicine that accelerates a person's growth."

"R-Really?"

"Yeah, I thought you would like the sound of that! Since you're technically 13, I thought you would like your height and age to match. But it's not ready for testing; you might wind up as an old man. And when I try to fix you, you might transform into a toddler!"

"Heh heh heh! To be honest, I'm fine with having to grow up normally. I may be shorter than everyone else, but extra years are always a plus."

"That's fair. To be honest, I was planning on using this on myself. I'm supposed to be older than Mason, but he's still taller than me! Grrrr, it must be all that soda!"

"I didn't take you for the height complex type."

"I mean, it's not that, but… hmmmm, Mason's always been better than me at poisonbending." She puffed her cheeks and flushed. "But I've always been more mature, so I should at least be taller."

"But don't you brush his teeth?"

"What?! Why would you get an idea like that?!" She outbursted, startling me.

"Whuh?! Uh, er, I-"

"Oh, for the love of… MASOOOOOON!" And she stormed out of the room in a fury. …Did I just befriend two opposing sides of a feud?

…

Kirie Beatles was playing with Rainbow Monkeys in her room, as usual. Yay, Chereeeen! She signed with a smile. I had Fi translate for me. You're just in time! Would you like to join us?

"Sure, Kirie!" I kind of had a thing for Rainbow Monkeys as well.

Great! Let's go put fruit flies in all the teachers' desks!

"W-Wait, what?!"

We ended up playing a prank at Gallagher middle school. We would get in so much trouble if they found us out. But I had fun with Kirie, whose smile was innocent the whole time. I gave her some Rainbow Monkey nail polish as a present.

Wow, thank you, Cheren! This is just what Girly Pop Girl Rainbow Monkey needs to goof off in class and piss off the teacher.

"Hehe… good to know."

You know, a lot of people don't like my dad's new line of Rainbow Monkeys, but I love them! They finally feel like real individuals. They're dissing society and it's totally cool!

"Yeah…" I heard that Mr. Beatles took over the corporation after Kirie's mom died. "Do you ever miss… your mom's Rainbow Monkeys?"

Duh! Dad still makes the OLD ones, too! Otherwise Mom would get mad at him. Hmmm… I wish I could talk to my mom's spirit like I do the Rainbow Monkeys. She frowned for a moment, but then beamed, But Dad says if I sing to her grave, she can hear my voice all the way in Heaven! And I can't even hear my own voice! Mom is so lucky!

"She is…She really is." I smiled, my heart warmed by the notion.

…

Harry Gilligan was playing his DJ in the disco room that used to belong to his mom. He wore headphones, so I had to tap his shoulders for attention. "Yo, whaddup, Cheren." He tipped up his sunglasses. "What you doin'?"

"I was wondering if I could join you in whatever you're doin'."

"Makin' music. You got that li'l flute thing, don't you? Lessee if we can make some tunes with that."

I played the Spirit Flute in conjunction with his rapping. We made some nice music with it, I think. After we were done, I decided to give him a ring with black music notes as a gift.

"This ain't a marriage proposal, is it?!"

"N-No! I just bought it recently and thought it would… suit you?"

"Man, you weird." Harry laughed, putting the ring on. "Ah well, I like it. What's the occasion, anyway?"

"I'm doing bonding exercises with my sectors. Figured I would do you guys first."

"Ain't nothin' wrong with that. We are the 'best sector' after all. Even though part of me feels like I don't pull my weight. Yeah, I can shoot weapons and junk, but the only strong enemies I'm good with are musicbenders. And that's like, SUCH a specific situation that doesn't even happen much!"

"Yeah, but if you weren't there, your team might not-a survived!" I grinned.

"Yeah, yeah. I don't feel as bad as I used to, of course." Harry smiled. "Still, ya know how some martial artists can train to control elements without actually being benders? Well, I wonder if I can make music that actually energizes people like how musicbenders do."

"Maybe Sugar could teach you."

"Well, I was thinkin' The Rhymer would be a more suitable teacher."

"Isn't he a villain?"

"We had to stop him on a mission once and we kinda formed a bond. Y'know, like my mom and Stickybeard. That ain't a bad thing, is it?"

"Um… I guess not, but just be careful. The Brotherhood's been getting a bit more serious."

"I know, don't worry."

…

Artie Gilligan was fixing a device in the hangar. "Hiya, Cheren!" He greeted, lifting his welding mask. "I'm creating a Superrang: a boomerang that packs a wallop and could fly for miles. Say, you got a boomerang too, don't you? Wanna have a little boomerrace?"

"I'm up for that!"

We stood on the hangar's edge and threw our boomerangs. Unfortunately, his flew farther. And it kept going… and going… and going… and going… It wasn't coming back. But to make up for his loss, I gave him a piece of technology.

"A Hyperxolic Transfumatron?! Where did you find something so rare?!"

"At the dollar store?"

"WHAT?! HOW DARE THOSE HEATHENS TRY TO DOWNPLAY SUCH A BEAUTY!"

"Is it… that valuable?"

"Is it valuable?! You couldn't even FATHOM the destructive power this equipment possesses! If you even tried, your brain would rearrange its lobes!"

"Dude, we survived New Galaxia. Our technology has nothing on them, let's be real."

"That being said, Cheren… I would like to change sectors."

"To where?"

"To work with the trolls, of course."

"Just because of their technology?!"

"Lately, I've been thinking my brain is too evolved for this world. After seeing what the trolls have, I crave for something more. Technology to really test my brain!"

"What if I agree to send you and the tech is too advanced? The trolls will make you feel like an idiot and you'll come home crying. And by 'trolls,' I mean Karkat."

"OH GOD, YOU HAVE TO HELP ME?!"

"W-What?!" Suddenly, Artie clasped my shoulders, looking panickingly.

"It was Emily! She shot me with this Ego Beam the other day, and since then I've been acting like a smug jerk!"

"What the frick is this all of a sudden?!"

"Sh-She's in my head." Artie grabbed his head, shuddering. "I-I think my brain is… becoming hers. Wanting to make boomerangs that outfly all others, wanting to abandon my human species… What if this is only the beginning? What if she's planning to create an Emily army? I have to develop an antidote before it's too-" At that instant, the Superrang returned and bonked him in the head. "Ow. Eh… what was I talking about just now?"

"N…Nothing." I wasn't sure if I should be concerned, but I might speak with Emily later. I decided to leave Artie to himself for now.

…

Haylee was also in the hangar, sawing a wooden plank in half. "Hey, Hayl. You making something?"

"No, I'm just sawing wood and hoping an idea comes to me. Y'know, like how some writers just think as they write."

"Uh… Sarcasm?"

"Nope! Hundred-percent serious! Come to think of it, I'm almost out. Might have to visit the construction yard."

"Mind if I join you?"

"Sure, if you want. You can help me carry some."

We spent some time gathering wood from the construction yard. Afterwards, I helped Haylee cut them with my sword, even though she had no real plans or blueprints. Still, it was decent exercise for both of us. I noticed Haylee's saw was becoming rigged, so I gave her a new one I had bought.

"Ooooo, it's so shiny!" Haylee beamed. "This must be Haylee's lucky day!"

"I been getting that a lot lately!" Cheren laughed.

"I'll think about you from now on while I'm chopping wood!"

"Eh… great! You're very talented at what you do, Haylee. I bet with you, homelessness will be a thing of the past."

"If it's a problem, I can totes fix it! That's what Master Bob taught me."

"Master Bob? Wasn't he… your enemy?"

"When Bob fought me back at Enies Lobby, he wasn't just trying to assassinate me." She twirled her wrench proudly. "It was his own special way of sending me off into the world! His Final Exam, as it were! I could see the pride on his face for every moment before I kicked his head into the ocean!"

"That's one hell of an exam!"

"But y'know what I love building most of all? Ships! So, I'm actually thinking of studying under Sheila's mom. We could build all sorts of ships for pirates and I'll become totally wanted by the government!"

"You're starting to remind me of Kodama a little bit."

"I'll lock you up before you even have a chance to arrest me!" And using superhuman speed, Haylee took all the wood and whipped up a rectangular tower to trap me inside. "Hehehe! My speed rivals that of a Legoan!"

I split the tower up the middle with a Skyward Strike! "Here's a challenge for ya: make something the Master Sword can't cut."

"I'll get back to you on that."

…

I found Dillon York outside the Mission Prep Room, leaning with his foot propped on the wall. His hood up, he spared a glance at me. "Um… Hi, Dillon. You wanna hang out?"

"Sure, man. Let's go chill by the Turtle Rock."

"Okay?…"

We went to Gallagher Playground and hung out by the turtle statue. …Is this something "cool" kids did? Gotta say, I didn't really enjoy it. Every time I tried to speak, Dillon would shut me up. But since I knew Dillon liked superheroes, I gave him a Venom mask. "Ooo, Venom! Sweeeeet." I guess he likes it.

"Hehe… Hey, is something on your mind, Dillon? Why did you wanna stand by this turtle?"

"'Cause there's a shadow spirit inside it and I was letting Mario talk to it. Your own shadow got involved in the convo, too."

"Oh, really?"

"Yeah. Poor Shadle gets real lonely, so Mario likes to keep him company when we visit. Hehehe, your shadow had a lot to say about you."

I turned red at the idea. "I'll just assume he had nice things to say."

"Sure, whatever man."

"I was hoping we could talk too, though. I feel like we kinda have stuff in common."

"What, like dead parents? C'mon man, that stuff is boring. I mean, I get if you wanna sympathize, but I don't wanna waste time moping about it."

"I guess I see what you mean…"

"Still, I appreciate that you wanted to spend time with me. Lately, I don't feel like talking to people as much. No one but the shadows. I guess I'm really awakening my bending roots, ain't I? Say, Cheren… how are you so good at talking to people, anyway? I always wondered."

"Am I really so good at it? I guess it just… comes natural to me, I guess."

"Really? I guess my quietness is just natural to me, too. So, it's not really a bad thing, is it?"

"Er… That's really up to you to figure out."

"True. But thanks, man." Dillon cracked a smile, his eyes half-shaded by his hood. "I liked this."

…

I saw that the TV was on, along with the Nintendo NX console, yet no one was playing. I realized Vanellope was inside the Mario Kart game and called her out. "Hey, Cheren! I'm totally screwing up peoples' Mario Kart experience online! Wanna join me?!"

"Hehe, glad to!"

We spent an hour or so racing in Mario Kart, Vanellope using her glitch powers to screw up other racers, and me lending aid in my own way. I actually cracked up during the activity. Hehe, they ended up in so many funny positions that they all kind of melded together in my mind! When Vanellope came out, I gave her a chocolate statue that resembled Mario.

"Oh, sweet crackers! I've always WANTED to eat Mario!" She gobbled him up on the spot, her body glitching a little. "I am the superior character!" She smirked with pride.

"That explains why we've been screwing up his game. Hey Vanel, I always wanted to ask… are you immortal? I mean, you're able to reform yourself by possessing other Programs or machines."

"Eh, I guess from a certain point of view. Why do you ask? You miss being immortal?"

"Not really, I was just wondering. I mean, theoretically you can be a member of all future Sector V's."

"Hey, yeah! And because of my experience, I can be the leader next time! No one will ever surpass me."

"Well, that'll depend if…"

"Hey, I was a princess where I'm from, I'm a born leader. I should be leader NOW! I… should KILL YOU."

"WAIT A MINUTE!"

"Hahn hahn, you fell for it. Speaking of being immortal though, have you ever considered creating virtual replicas of all your operatives? Then you could all live with me in Cyberspace! It's no different from the Spirit World, right?"

"A matrix life? No way, sister."

"Then I'll just have to kill myself so I can join you up there!"

"Don't be crazy!"

"Hah, got you again! …But seriously." Vanellope frowned, lightly kicking the air and folding arms behind her back. "Until now, I never really thought about it. The fact that I can possibly live longer than all you. If I end up making friends with all your descendants and you're just gone… it would feel so weird."

"I bet it would. Wait, didn't you know my grandpa back when he was an operative? Why don't we go down and see him?"

"You mean Numbuh Zero?! Heck yeah, I wanna see how he's doing! Hehe, I'll be surprised if he hooked up with that Agatha chick."

"Er… you're in for a surprise, then." I chuckled awkwardly.