Hey guys. This is a sequel to one of my other fanfictions - The Biggest Challenge Yet. And because of this, the prequel's ending is spoiled in this first chapter. Just thought I'd let you know :P
My eyes opened slowly, and all I saw was blue.
A blue plastic-like substance that floated above my head.
After a couple seconds, my eyes focused and I could see where I was.
I was in a containment cell. The cold, textured surface of metal surrounded my body.
And then I remembered.
I remembered what I did.
This is the Neo World Program. The program that the Future Foundation built to convert the Remnants of Despair back to the side of Hope.
I am a Remnant of Despair. Thus, I would have been subjected to that treatment.
However, I couldn't let them do that. Their goal wasn't noble enough for me.
No, it wasn't simply about the choice between Hope or Despair.
It was about which was stronger. Which could overpower the other.
I implanted Junko Enoshima as a virus into the Program, to see if the Hope of Chiaki Nanami could overcome it.
This goal was so important that I risked my own life for it. And the lives of fourteen others.
But their lives didn't matter much, anyways.
They were just Ultimates. Just human beings with one category of perfection. Whereas I possessed all categories of perfection.
They called me the Ultimate Hope, but I prefer just simply the Ultimate Ultimate.
I am a master of everything. This world exists for me to utilize it, and anything that stands in my way will not be there for long.
So when the Future Foundation painstakingly gathered all of the Remnants, when they used all that time and all those resources building the Neo World Program...
They were actually doing it for me. For me to use to my liking.
And, as I somewhat expected, with Chiaki's help, we defeated Junko Enoshima and regained our consciousnesses. For an Ultimate with just one ability, Chiaki Nanami did sufficiently.
And thus, the age-old question has been answered. Hope has prevailed over Despair.
However, learning this fact didn't feel like a large burden was shoved off my back.
It didn't feel like anything.
I heard the quiet hiss of escaping steam, and I noticed the blue cover was being lifted off my capsule. I quickly sat up and looked forward.
And then I saw her.
The back of a tall, slender woman was standing in the exitway of the capsule room. Her hair was a pinkish white, lusciously hanging behind her. Her figure was sleek and graceful, even down to her slender legs. Her heels clicked against the metal floor as she left the room, her thin arms moving side to side. My soul felt uplifted by the sight.
It was Kyoko Kirigiri. The woman with whom I spent the past week with.
She was sent on a mission to capture me by the Future Foundation. She was their best Detective.
Yet not even she posed a challenge to me. It was, in fact, a golden opportunity.
An opportunity to interact.
Kyoko Kirigiri is much like myself: emotionally secretive, a perfectionist, and longing for something more. So naturally, I was drawn to her. Even though she only had one talent.
The more time we spent together, the more our feelings grew for one another. They grew so much so that Kyoko even considered giving up Hope for me, as long as I gave up Despair.
However, that was not possible. Our connections to our respective movements were too strong, and something would surely get in the way of our life together. I offered to kidnap her forever, but she had a different plan in mind.
She thought that the Neo World Program would save me from Despair, so that we could be together. So she captured me, knowing nothing of my plan to start a Killing Game inside the program...
I'm not going to say I let it happen, but it was a surprise. Her personality grew, and I commended her for it, by letting her have her chance.
And that's how I ended up here.
My eyes followed Kyoko's back as she walked out of the building with two other men. One of them was a tall, slender man with a full head of tan hair. He was wearing a Future Foundation suit, and he walked with poise and confidence. That could only be Byakuya Togami, one of Kyoko's classmates who survived the Killing School Life with her.
And the other was a much shorter man, with a smaller head of brown hair. He didn't so much walk with confidence as he did with satisfaction, his hair bobbing up and down slightly. He was wearing the same suit.
Makoto Naegi. The Ultimate Hope. The one who defeated Junko Enoshima. The one who keeps moving forward, even when there is nowhere to go. He, much like Chiaki, has proven to me that Hope can indeed defeat Despair.
The three of them walked out into the sunlight, and eventually left my sight. My hand reached over the capsule and felt alongside it, until my hand hit a flash drive. The flash drive that I used to implant Junko Enoshima into the Program.
I pulled the drive out of its slot, and stared at it for a bit. The flash drive was half black and half white, with a red jagged button on the top. I gripped the flash drive in my hand as I pulled myself out of the capsule.
My feet hit the ground with a satisfying tap. As I stood up, I began looking around the room.
The room wasn't very well lit, and it was almost entirely covered in metal. In the back, there was the large, complicated computer that managed the Neo World Program. I could tell just from looking at it that it wasn't optimally built. It was too big; something that size could easily be built using half as much material. Also, it was very susceptible to viruses.
But other than that, there wasn't anything else noticeable in this room. I turned my head around and began to walk towards the entrance and-
Hm... What's that?
Near the entrance, propped up against the wall, was a book. A notebook, to be precise. It seemed very out of place.
I walked over to the notebook and leaned down slowly. My eyes focused in on the inscription on the cover.
'Hajime'
Hajime Hinata is who I used to be. What could this mean...
I picked up the book cautiously, stood up, and opened the cover. On the first page was a letter.
...
It's because I love you. It's because I need to be with you. Because there is no one else in the world that makes me feel the way you do.
...
I discovered that if you wouldn't remember on your own, I would remember for you. Written in this book is an entire account of our time spent together.
...
You're getting a second chance at love as well. But you're also getting a second chance at life. A life without Despair. A life that you can build up yourself.
...
You need to come to terms with who you really were before we can begin again together. But I'll have you know as soon as you're ready, we can go away together and leave everything else behind.
...
I wish very much to start that future now, but I understand that these things take time.
So I'll be waiting...
It was from Kyoko Kirigiri. My heart ached more and more as I read every word.
Even though it technically wasn't directed towards me.
Kyoko knew about the machine. If it converted me to the side of Hope, I would turn back into Hajime Hinata, and forget all of my experiences with her.
To her, it was a second chance at love. She fully believed that my Despair could be defeated, so that we could be together.
In fact, it was very similar to Chiaki's thoughts...
But I wasn't converted, and my thoughts weren't erased. I fully remember everything that happened in the past couple days that involved Kyoko Kirigiri...
Perhaps I remember everything too well...
I let out a short sigh and tucked the book into my jacket. Even though I know what happened, it should be good to relive those experiences.
But Kyoko was right about one thing: that it would indeed take some time before we could be together. The Future Foundation is still skeptical about us Remnants, because the Neo World Program did not go as planned. So I would surely be under their radar, especially because I am the Ultimate Ultimate.
Before I could take another step towards the entrance, however, I heard the hiss of steam again. This time, it was louder.
I turned my head towards the capsules, and I saw four other capsule covers slowly rising.
It seems I wasn't the only one who survived...
Out of the first capsule popped a short man with short blond hair. He was wearing some sort of suit as well, and he seemed very confused as to what happened. After he looked around for a bit, his eyes widened and fell on one of the closed capsules.
"Peko... What the hell did they do..."
That man is Fuyuhiko Kuzuryuu. The Ultimate Yazuka. He's all bark, and no bite. Especially when cut off from the rest of the Kuzuryuu clan...
A light scream interrupted my observations, as my head turned to a tall woman with long, white-blond hair. Her dress was very antiquated, and she was wearing a tiara on her head. She was also looking at a closed capsule.
"Oh, Gundham... Please say something..."
She is Sonia Nevermind. The Ultimate Princess. She may seem very formal, but she is actually interested in pop culture and horror stories.
I observed enough of this, so I turned my head to leave. As I began leaving the area, I heard loud banging, which sounded like someone was trying to break the blue plastic container on a capsule.
"Just hold on... I'll get you out, Nekomaru..."
My face turned back, laying eyes on a tall, beefy, tan-skinned woman with dark brown hair. Her fists were continuously punching the capsule's cover, with no avail, and the anger on her face growing with every futile hit.
It was Akane Owari. A very strong woman and the Ultimate Gymnast. However, she's very vulnerable to food. Any kind of food.
The Remnants' futility was getting quite boring, so I turned my head before the fourth person could walk out of their capsule.
"Miss Sonia? You're awake too?"
I could hear very quick footsteps that got increasingly louder, and stopped almost as soon as they began.
Ah, yes. Kazuichi Soda. No point turning around now...
He is a tall man with uniquely pink, greasy hair. The Ultimate Mechanic, and his weakness is quite apparent, if I do say so myself.
Underneath my shoes, I felt the softness of the grass as I took my first step outside. I was standing on a grassy mountain, on an island, exactly as I expected. It was somewhat bright out, the sun decently high in the sky, signaling that it was around ten in the morning. The sky was a smoggy dull red, caused by all the air pollution that came about because of Junko's Despair movement. The deep red sea reflected the sky, rippling slowly without much interference. The area was mostly devoid. About a hundred feet down the mountain, the golden sand on the beach began, a couple seagulls squawking in the air above it.
And walking through that sand were the same three figures that I saw earlier.
They were heading over to the small, yet lengthy wooden docks. Parked at the end of the docks was a large freight ship, owned by the Future Foundation. You could tell by the large crew walking around on deck.
My eyes slowly converged back on Kyoko Kirigiri, and I watched her as she walked down the dock. However, her steps slowed as she approached the ship.
She then slowly turned around, and looked back up the mountain. In my direction.
Even though I couldn't see her eyes from this distance, I knew they were looking straight into mine. A slight breeze blew my hair in front of my eyes as they locked with hers.
I could sense her longing, her desire, but there was no way this could work. At least, not now.
If the Neo World Program changed me, then I'd have to catch up on everything I forgot.
And if it didn't, well... There was a reason it didn't work out before...
But that's not saying it won't happen eventually. I watched as she turned around and started walking to get on the ship.
I pulled out the flash drive that I was holding, and examined it closer. This flash drive represented the last remains of Junko Enoshima. Her legacy was fully contained in this small piece of metal.
What of her legacy? Her plan took years to set up, only to be defeated by the lucky Makoto Naegi. Even though her impact can be felt in the Despair movements in the rest of the world, there isn't much backing that now. Now that most of the Remnants are disabled. And that only happened because Chiaki Nanami's Hope overcame the Despair of my virus.
Yes, Hope is by far less predictable...
Maybe it was time...
With one swift movement, I crushed the flash drive in my hand.
Kyoko... This is for you...
I will change.
I heard loud, swift footsteps behind me. I turned around slightly to see Fuyuhiko rushing outside of the building. He stopped right next to me, but his eyes were focused on the freight ship on the docks. He was visibly angry, and his right fist was waving viciously in the air.
"Those bastards! Don't mess with me! I'll destroy the Future Foundation!"
Fuyuhiko started running down the mountain quickly, just as the other three Remnants exited the building. Sonia was the first out, and she looked concerned.
"Fuyuhiko, please wait! There is no way you will catch that ship!"
However, Fuyuhiko didn't respond.
Hmpf. Assertiveness does not come naturally, it seems...
Well, someone has to talk some sense into him...
"Stop"
With one forceful word, Fuyuhiko's steps halted abruptly. He turned around reluctantly, and gave me a look of disgust.
"They fuckin' killed Peko!" Fuyuhiko screamed, pointing at the ship.
"What the hell am I supposed to do? Just let them get away with it?"
I sighed. Clearly he isn't thinking straight... Peko's entrapment must've got to him.
"What are you going to do? What can you do?"
Fuyuhiko's anger seemed to cool off a bit, and then he turned back towards the ship.
"I'll... I'll kill them..."
His words seemed to trail off.
"The Future Foundation is a very large organization. You have no chance by yourself."
"But..." Fuyuhiko looked disheartened.
His look reminded me that I was being too aggressive. If I was changing who I was, then I needed to fully embrace that fact. I decided to lighten my speech a bit.
"Peko isn't dead. She's in a coma. If you want to get revenge on the Future Foundation, then you should probably find a way to revive the Remnants before planning your attack."
Fuyuhiko was at a loss for words at this point, breathing heavily.
"Yeah, I guess you're right."
Fuyuhiko's look turned to one of curiosity.
"Hey... What was your name again?"
Ah, yes. My name... I'm different from them, so it's only reasonable that they don't remember my name...
I opened my mouth to speak, but then I stopped myself.
I'm not who I was before. I've made the decision to change.
I might as well abandon that name entirely...
"Hajime Hinata." I said.
"Well, Hajime... To revive Peko... And the rest of them... What do we do?"
"Yeah! Tell us what we gotta do to save 'em! That computer looks super complicated..." Akane spoke up from behind, approaching me.
Fuyuhiko started walking back towards me as well, and I turned slightly so I could see both of them.
"I'm honestly not sure. We'd need to look at the machine more."
"You mean, like, take a look at the insides?" Kazuichi asked, eyes glowing.
"Well, yeah, but-"
Instantly Kazuichi started running back into the room, before I could finish my sentence. I spoke up quickly, as we shouldn't be spending time on this now.
"Kazuichi, come back. There are more important things we have to worry about."
"Like what?" Kazuichi turned around to face me.
"We're stranded on this island. If we don't find food and shelter, we'll likely die."
Sonia understood me and responded, "Hajime is right. We need to prepare to live here for as long as it takes."
Akane butted in as well, "Yeah, let's go find some food!"
Fuyuhiko felt the need to respond to that, "We shouldn't all go lookin' for food. We should split up."
Kazuichi's eyes lit up, "Great idea! Miss Sonia and I can go find shelter, while you guys find some food."
Sonia's eyes, however, seemed to widen for a different reason, "Um... I believe that there is a better way to split up this group..."
Fuyuhiko assertively agreed, "Yeah, I'll help Kazuichi and Sonia."
He pulled out a pocketknife from his jacket, "This'll help us build a couple huts."
Seeing Fuyuhiko's pocketknife gave me an idea.
Akane said, "So it's me an' Hajime, then."
She instantly started running away from the group, yelling at us, "If you find more food than me, I'll let you feel-"
"Akane, wait one second." I didn't want her getting lost on the island if she ran ahead.
She turned back at me and yelled, "Huh? But I'm hungry!"
I ignored her response and turned to Fuyuhiko, "Can I borrow that knife?"
"You're not gonna kill anyone, are ya?"
I gave him a glazed look, and then answered, "No."
He reluctantly gave me the knife, and then I instantly gave it to Sonia.
"Sonia, would you cut my hair?"
She seemed surprised at my question, "Hajime, that is a... rather odd request considering the circumstances... But I would be happy to do it."
Kazuichi's face scrunched up at her answer, "M-miss Sonia, can you cut my hair afterwards?"
"Um... I do not think this knife can cut through such greasy hair..."
"Hey, hey! It's not that greasy!"
Fuyuhiko tried to calm him down, "Kazuichi, let's go scout out the area in the meantime."
Kazuichi reluctantly agreed, and they started on their way.
Akane managed to walk back up to us, with a slight scowl on her face, "Well, I guess I'm goin' with them for now..."
She started following the two of them, leaving only Sonia and I on the mountain.
We looked around, and found a smooth rock that I could sit on. Quietly, I sat, and Sonia stood behind me. She grabbed my long, dark hair and pulled it all behind my back.
I could feel my hair pressing against my back, something I mostly ignored before.
I kept my head very still, as Sonia pressed the cold knife blade against the side of my head. Relatively quickly, she cut off the first lock of hair, and moved on.
I could feel my head getting slightly lighter with each lock removed, and as I closed my eyes, I could feel a bit of my old self dropping to the ground with each strand of hair.
I was given a second chance... A second chance at life and love...
I wasn't going to waste it.
We were about halfway through, when Sonia spoke sheepishly.
"U-um"
My eyes opened, and looked to my side where the voice came from.
"I-if you do not mind... why does your hair need to be cut?"
"Because it holds memories. Memories that I want to forget."
"Um... I believe memories are not contained in hair strands."
"Well, to truly forget something, you have to get rid of everything that reminds you of it. Right?"
"Y-yes, that does make sense..."
She silently continued cutting my hair, but then asked another question.
"What is it that you wish to forget?"
"Myself."
I then closed my eyes, signaling the end of the conversation. Sonia paused for a couple seconds, but after that, the knife was cutting my hair again.
After a couple minutes, I felt the last strand of hair fall to the ground.
"Done! Easy as pie!"
I cautiously got up from the rock I was sitting on, and grabbed the hand that Sonia held the knife in. I tilted her hand so that I could see my face's reflection in the knife.
The haircut wasn't perfect, because Sonia wasn't the Ultimate Barber.
But that's the reason why it looked so much like Hajime Hinata's haircut. Because it wasn't perfect. Which is why I liked it.
I couldn't help but force a smile, "Thank you."
"It was nothing, really." Sonia responded.
I took a second to look at the hair on the ground next to the rock. In it, I could see my entire Despair-filled life. Every single second of every single day after that fateful encounter with Junko Enoshima.
I displayed a confident look on my face as I turned away. We both started walking in the direction of the other three Remnants.
Kyoko, you're the only thing I'll willingly remember... Otherwise, I'd be bald...
Thanks for reading again, and any and all feedback is appreciated. If you liked this and didn't check out the prequel 'The Biggest Challenge Yet', you should give that a read.