I hate the word 'fate'.
We are born, we meet others, we part ways, have failures and successes, experience fortune and adversity.
If all Is predetermined by fate, then why are we born?
If I was fated to experience this despair, why did I experience hope?
...
Chiaki opened her eyes to the light coming through the window and shining on the red pendent she wore around her neck. She could smell the sweet scent of her mother's cooking drifting through the air. Once she breathed her first conscious breathe upon awakening, Chiaki got up from her soft warm bed and walked into the dinning room. There she saw her father sitting at the table and reading something as usual.
"Morning dad" Chiaki smiled.
"Good morning" Munakata said.
"Is that smell?" Chiaki asked.
"Freshly cut apples" Chisa said as she placed a plate on the table.
"My favorite" Chiaki smiled.
"You better hurry and eat fast if you don't want to be late" Munakata said.
"But if I eat it too fast I can't enjoy it completely" Chiaki complained.
"I'll save some for later then" Chisa said," take your time enjoying what you can"
"Thanks Mom" Chiaki said.
"You're going to spoil her" Munakata said," also don't forget to bring an umbrella"
"Is it going to rain today?" Chiaki asked.
"Yes" Munakata said," and I don't want either of you getting caught off guard"
"I hope the clouds aren't dark and gloomy" Chiaki said.
"Considering the season they just might" Chisa said," but dark clouds mean they're are filled with lots of water. Lots of water means brighter rainbows"
"That would be nice to see" Chiaki said as she munched on an apple slice.
"You just find a silver lining for everything" Munakata smiled.
"Of course" Chisa said," that's how I found you"
"You're going to be late" Munakata said.
"Ah, right" Chisa said," come on Chiaki"
"Right behind you" Chiaki said after rushing into her room and grabbing her signature pink kitty backpack.
"Have fun" Munakata said before Chisa and Chiaki left.
...
Chiaki walked to class and as usual she was greeted by the joy of her peers company. While Chisa prepared to teach, Chiaki was able to chat with some of her friends.
"Morning Chiaki" Sonia said," you're looking well"
"Thanks, I guess I owe it to all the sleep I've been getting" Chiaki said.
"Sleep is a very important key to living" Sonia said.
"I'd hate to imagine a world without sleep" Chiaki said," but it's a bit scary if you think about it"
"Why is that?" Sonia asked
"Alright class" Chisa interrupted," today we are going to be learning about an extraordinary animal, but first our class rep will lead us in our morning procedures"
As told, Chiaki led the class like she always did. When the class was finished, Chisa began to draw an animal on the chalkboard.
"Is that a dog?" Ibuki asked.
"It's got to be a wolf" Souda said.
"Both mortals are wrong" gundam said," the beast depicted before you all is the notorious trickster"
"A fox?" Chiaki asked.
"Correct" Chisa said," today I decided to teach you all about the fox"
"What does it say?" Ibuki asked.
"Foxes have a variety of unique sounds they make" Chisa said," about 40 to be precise"
"It's fur is red like mahiru" hiyoko said.
"This isn't the only color that foxes are limited to" Chisa said," What other coats can a fox have?"
"Foxes can be black or white" Sonia said," I remember seeing them at the fox village"
"Can't they be grey too?" Chiaki asked.
"That grey coat is actually silver" Chisa said," silver foxes are often bred and farmed for their special coats, but all fox coats are beautiful"
"Such zealous humans" gundam grumbled.
"I bet one of those coats would look great on you, Sonia" Souda said.
"I would never wear the skin of another living creature" Sonia snapped.
"Of course you wouldn't" Souda said," I was kidding."
"Now the greatest thing about the fox, at least in my opinion, is their ability to change themselves and their surroundings with ease" Chisa said," that is the heart of the fox's survival tactic"
"What does that mean?" Akane asked.
"The fox is adaptable" Chisa explained," for instance foxes had adapted to growing industrialization by making their homes within it"
"How come I've never seen a fox in the city?" Sonia asked.
"You probably have, you just didn't know it was right in front of you" Chisa said," another one of the fox's many survival tactics"
"Heh, sounds a lot like someone I know" hiyoko snickered.
"Oh" Nagito said," you mean me, that's pretty funny"
"Thinking about it" souda began," komaeda is pretty sneaky like a fox"
"What if he's a kitsune in disguise?!" Ibuki asked.
"Come on, kitsunes don't exist" Mahiru said," they're just legends"
"Ahem" Chisa coughed before speaking,"While I enjoy hearing all of you voice your opinions, we need to get back on the subject"
...
During lunch, Chiaki rushed to the fountain outside of hopes peak to meet up with her friend. In that time, the rain began to fall from the heavens, but she wasn't deterred. When she arrived at the fountain early, she admired how beautiful the water looked even in the rain. A cold October breeze blew through as she continued to stare at the fountain, until she felt a chill she had never felt before.
In an instant, Chiaki felt her body numb as an unknown chill wrapped around her like a cloak. Her vision began to blur as she felt she could see a shadowed figure standing before her. Before she could cry out, Chiaki fell into darkness.
"The reason I'm afraid of sleep...it's because it is so similar to death"
...
Chisa returned to the classroom to find Chiaki wasn't there. She tried to call her on the phone, but to no avail. Desperate, Chisa ran outside and searched for her daughter. When she looked at the fountain, she saw a group of people, including her students, gathering at the fountain. Her heart beat ever swifter as she ran to the crowd. She pushed through those that were in her way only to reveal her worst fear.
"Chiaki!" Chisa screamed as she ran to her unconscious child.
...
Junko Enoshima was on her way back to school with some store bought lunch when she decided to call her friend. Unfortunately, her friend didn't answer.
"That's strange" Junko said as she looked at her phone," what could she be doing. Probably gaming away again"
Junko continued to walk until she heard an ambulance. She stopped dead in her tracks, upon hearing the blaring sirens.
"She couldn't be" Junko said to herself as the ambulance drove past her," I have to go see"
...
At the hospital, things looked grim as Chiaki wasn't breathing and her skin was turning a sickly white. The doctors tried, but no amount of drugs or oxygen could make Chiaki open her eyes. As the doctors made their desperate attempts to save Chiaki, Chisa watched in horror from the observation window. Time halted with the sound of a long ringing sound. With no other choice, the doctors had to stop their futile attempts.
"Please, you have to keep trying" Chisa begged.
"I'm sorry" the doctor said," but we've done everything we can"
"No, there has to be something, anything" Chisa cried.
"We'll leave you alone for some time" the doctor said.
The doctors and nurses exited the room, while Chisa could only cry over her dead child. Tears descended from Chisas eyes and fell onto chiakis dead body. Now that her only daughter was dead, Chisa had no strength to do anything but cry.
'Why?' Chisa thought,' why did this happen to such a kind an innocent girl who only wanted to be with the people she loved?'
"It's a shame this had to happen so soon"
While Chisa cried, the room was engulfed in blue as a woman in a red lab coat entered. The woman had long brown hair and wore black leather gloves and boots. Accompanying her was a young girl with white hair and a young boy with black hair.
"Is this how you want it to end?" The woman asked.
"No" Chisa cried.
"Do you wish to change fate?" The woman asked.
"Yes" Chisa cried.
"What would you give to do this?" The woman asked.
"Anything" Chisa said.
"Very well" the woman said as an apple appeared in her hand," I'll use th
Using a knife, the woman cut out a piece of the apple. As she did this, Chisa winced and felt a sharp pain in her chest. The woman picked up the small piece of apple and crushed it into juice that she placed in a vaccine.
"Now let us wake up the sleeping maiden" the woman said.
...
Chiaki opened her eyes to see the blurry image of her mother crying on her bedside.
"M..mom" Chiaki weakly said," where am I?"
"Chiaki" Chisa said before embracing her and cried tears of joy," you're okay"
"What...happened?" Chiaki asked.
"A miracle" Chisa said.
The sunlight pierced through the clouded sky, into the windows, and reflected onto the red pendent around chiakis neck.
...
An hour later, Junko arrived at the hospital and demanded to see Chiaki
"What happened?" Junko panted as she looked at Chiaki in the hospital bed.
"The doctors said that I collapsed" Chiaki said," but no one knows why"
"At least you're safe" Junko said," that's all that matters"
"Junko" Chiaki smiled warmly," thank you for coming to see me"
"Of course" Junko said," you're my best friend in the whole wide world"
"You're mine too" Chiaki smiled.
"Here" Junko said as she offered her boxed lunch," I was going to share this with you today"
"Aww Junko, you're so sweet" chiaki said," let's eat it together, right now"
"Alright" Junko said," you're the boss"
"The rice looks like a fox" Chiaki pointed out.
"That's why I picked it out" Junko said.
"It's practically a symbol of our friendship" Chiaki said," thank you for being so thoughtful"
"You're welcome" Junko blushed," Now, let's eat!"
...
The next day, Nagito visited Chiaki in the hospital, with a bouquet of daisies. He was a bit hesitant to enter her room, but he sucked it up and entered. Inside, Chiaki's room was full of flowers and gifts, no doubt from the rest of the class that visited her. Nagito stayed silent as he forgot what he was going to say.
"It's nice to see you, Nagito" Chiaki smiled," Are those pretty flowers for me?"
"Uh..yes" Nagito stuttered," They reminded me of you"
"That's very thoughtful of you" Chiaki said," Thank you"
"You're welcome" Nagito said before he noticed something shining around Chiaki's neck," Where did you get that pendant?"
"Oh this?" Chiaki asked as she held the pendent," someone gave it to me...I think"
"It looks beautiful on you" Nagito said.
"Thank you" Chiaki smiled before closing her eyes," Nagito? Could I ask you a favor?"
"Yes, anything" Nagito said.
"Excellent" Chiaki said as she opened her eyes to reveal shining emerald irises," Survival Tactic!"
With those words, Chiaki's pendant glowed bright red. In a second, Nagito found himself whisked away onto some sort of giant moving contraption that looked like a wolf moving through space. Across from him was a contraption that looked like a dog. There Chiaki stood, but she was wearing a strange red dress that made her look like a fox along with long black gloves and boots and a fluffy white scarf. Other then that was the hat that looked like a red fox head wearing a golden crown.
"Finally, I have found you" Chiaki said in an oddly strong voice," my servant"
"What?" Nagito asked nervously," Is this a dream?"
"This is no dream mortal" Chiaki said," and before you ask, I am not Chiaki rather I am simply controlling her"
"Okay..." Nagito processed," but why?"
"I am a being of great power, but there are rules even I must abide by" Chiaki said," I have extended this girl's life, however I require more to sustain her"
"Do you know why Chiaki collapsed yesterday?" Nagito asked.
"Yes, but I am not in a position to tell you" Chiaki said," all you need to know is that this girl's life now depends on you"
"Me?" Nagito asked.
"Yes, for only you could accept my existence and resolve to save this girl in the name of hope" Chiaki said," thus you will find the vixendrum"
"Vixen...drum?" Nagito asked.
"That is what can save this girl" Chiaki said," will you do it?"
"I guess I have to, for Chiaki's sake" Nagito said," I'll do it"
"Excellent" Chiaki said," now go!"
Nagito blinked to find himself and Chiaki back in the hospital room just like before. When he looked at Chiaki, he saw her eyes were their normal pink and she was back in her regular clothes.
"Is something wrong?" Chiaki asked.
"No" Nagito said," it's nothing"
The door opened to reveal a woman with a dinner tray.
"Your dinner is ready miss Munakata" the woman said.
"Thank you" Chiaki said," do you want some Nagito"
"I'm fine" Nagito said," I need to go now"
"See you tomorrow" Chiaki smiled before Nagito walked away.
'I have to find the vixendrum, whatever it is' Nagito thought,' For Chiaki'
...
In a dark room only lightened by X-ray panels, the woman from earlier was looking through a monotone notebook. As she did, she stroked two kittens, a white one and a black one, in her lap. She looked through the notebook before closing it with a dissatisfied look.
"The web is wrapped much tighter around this butterfly than I thought" the woman said," how bothersome, but I'm sure we can move the strings of fate elsewhere"
"What are you going to do?" The white haired girl asked," it has to be fixed"
"It can't be fixed" the black haired boy said.
"Now, now, you two, have some faith in us" the woman said as she stroked both riled kittens behind the head," we will succeed to fulfill their wishes"