A/N: Welcome back to DanganronpaV3 AU version~ :) Just as a notice, updates will probably be weekly, since I have university to deal with. Reviews and criticisms are always welcomed. I hope you guys enjoy this one too!
[Chapter 1: Surprises]
They say that life is filled with surprises.
Well, whoever said that made a huge understatement.
Either that or they just didn't live long enough to see the crap that life can really throw your way. For example, they probably never got forcefully hauled into a black van filled with creepy hooded men before. They also probably never had to run a whole goddamn kilometer without rest before. And most certainly, they probably never got beat up till they fainted before.
Oh, and, not to mention, waking up in a locker in the middle of nowhere.
"What the hell is going on?" I muttered to myself as I kicked the locker door open with my foot, the hinges almost falling apart from the sudden impact.
Sliding myself out of the narrow space, I took a good look around the room. My eyes darted around in a frenzy as I stared at the rows of desks, the buzzing green screen in front, and the two other closed lockers inside the room. With a frown plastered on my face, I walked over to the windows and squinted my eyes, trying to look past all the red-barbed wires that covered the entirety of the glass panels.
...Nope, can't see a damn thing.
*rattle rattle*
I yelped as I whirled around, trying to identify the source of the noise. My eyes landed on the locker opposite from the one I came out from. The door slowly opened with a creak, and a body stumbled out in an unorganized fashion. The person tripped over their own feet and face planted the ground with an 'oomph', groaning as they lied there on the ground.
I sweatdropped before I quietly made my way towards them. Peering down at the motionless body from above, I asked in a soft voice. "Uh...are you okay there?"
Their head immediately snapped up from the ground, and I took a step back in surprise at the sudden movement. A sheepish smile was plastered on their face as they let loose a small embarrassed laugh. Finally collecting themselves together, they stood up from the ground and brushed off the dirt with their hands before turning to me with a now pleasant smile.
"My apologies, that was not quite the first impression I wanted to make," he rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.
"Oh, uh, no worries. Just wondering if you were fine," I answered back, hoping to dismiss their worries and concerns.
"I'm fine. Sorry that you had to witness that unpleasant fall. Uh, if I may ask...where are we right now?" He asked as soon as he had the chance to glance around the room.
It was clear from his confused demeanor that he was as clueless as I was about the situation. My heart sank as I sighed while scratching my head. "If only I knew the answer to that question...your guess is as good as mine."
The pleasant smile on his face immediately disappeared. "Oh, well...that is quite unfortunate then," he frowned, voice dejected.
"Indeed," I agreed with a nod. "All I can see is that we are trapped in what seems to be a classroom of some sort."
He raised his eyebrows. "Trapped? Are we locked inside this room?"
"I think so, though I haven't checked whether the doors are locked yet," I started as I walked over to the classroom door and attempted to open it.
*click*
.
.
.
.
.
"Uh, I guess maybe we're not locked in here after all...?" I spun around to face him, rubbing the back of my head sheepishly.
He chuckled as I felt the heat rushing up my face in embarrassment.
Note to self. Always check the door first whenever you wake up in an unknown place.
"Perhaps it would do you good to check the doors first next time. Shall we make our way out then?" he gestured towards the door with his hand, and I nodded in response.
"Sounds good to me, but can you tell me your name first? So I know what to call my comrade here," I asked as he blinked.
"Oh right, I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Amami Rantaro," he replied with a smile. "And you are...?" he trailed off, waiting for me to pick up the conversation.
"The name's Aida Shirayuki," I answered as he nodded back. "By the way, I'm the Ultimate Figure Skater. What's your special talent?"
At my question, he grimaced and tousled the light green strands of his hair in a frustrated manner. "As much as I want to answer that, I simply can't remember anything about my talent."
"Huh?" I jolted back, not expecting his answer. "You...have amnesia?"
"I'm not quite sure..." Rantaro sighed, placing his hands on his hips. "It's not like I have a headache, but for some reason, I can't seem to remember by talent, no matter what."
"...You know, that sounds seriously fishy," I narrowed my eyes at him as I backed away towards the exit.
He sweat-dropped at my cautious actions. "Wait, I really am not a suspicious person," Rantaro held his hands out in front of him to proclaim his innocence. "I know I seem to be quite the dubious character, but please believe me when I say do not remember what my talent is."
"And how exactly am I supposed to believe you?" I took another step back towards the door. "For all I know, you could be the kidnapper."
"If I was the kidnapper, why would I be lying to you about my identity? Since I would have kidnapped you for a reason, I could just confess to you outright that I was the kidnapper," Rantaro reasoned, taking a daring step towards me, eyes pleading for me to believe him.
"Well that...does...sort of make sense," I lifted my hand and placed it on my chin, thoughtfully considering his logic. "If you were really the kidnapper, you would be wearing a mask or something to hide your identity."
"Exactly," Rantaro agreed.
"...Alright, for now, I'll believe you," I replied back after much consideration, though my shoulders were still tense. "But that doesn't mean I completely trust you, okay?" I pointed a finger at him.
"That's fine by me," Rantaro nodded. "Besides, there's also the slim chance that you're the one who kidnapped me, right?" I felt Rantaro's scrutinizing gaze on me.
"Fair enough," I motioned my head towards the door. "Now, it's up to you but we can stand here having this psychological battle forever or actually plan to get the hell out of here."
"Well, the choice is obvious, isn't it?" Rantaro stifled a laugh at my blunt choice of vocabulary, clearly amused.
Sensing that our introduction had come to an end, I slowly made my way out the classroom with Rantaro following after my steps. At first glance, it seemed like we were currently standing on the second floor of the building. Towards my left, I saw a bright neon pink colored staircase. There was another classroom aside the one I came out of. The opposite end of the hallway had another unknown room with intricate designs on the front door.
The fact that this place has a staircase means that it is a fairly large compound. Time to investigate...but before that...
"Should we walk together or separate?" I posed Rantaro with a sudden question.
Rantaro hummed as he walked towards the staircase, peering down to the lower floor. Then, he turned back toward me. "I'd say separate to cover more distance. We don't know how long we've been here or, even worse, how long we have before something else happens. I hope you'll be fine on your own...?" Rantaro replied, trailing off at the end as if to judge my reaction to his words.
I gave him an understanding smile and nodded. "I'll be fine. Let's meet up somewhere later on to share our findings."
"Ah, wait," Rantaro suddenly interjected.
"Yes? What's wrong?" I asked, concerned at the way his eyebrows were scrunched up together as if he were deep in thought.
"My apologies if this ends up sounding very...weird," Rantaro slowly started, eyes scanning me from head to toe.
"I highly doubt you can be more suspicious than you appear now," I blankly retorted. "I mean, seriously, memory loss? That's a danger flag right there, or at least that's what my experience with games tell me."
Rantaro sweatdropped. "Please, give me a chance."
I watched in silence and patience as Rantaro opened his mouth, only to close it again. He repeated this process several times as if he were reluctant to bring up his point. He clenched his hands into fists before he finally spoke up, voice shivering due to a mixture of confusion and anxiety.
"Have we...met before?"
At his words, I froze. In my head, I knew immediately the answer to that question. Of course, I had never met him before. I had no recollection of meeting this man, that I was sure of. But despite my memories telling me so, every cell in my body told me that something was very wrong with this situation. Even though the answer should have been clear, an empty and unknown feeling was lurking in the pit of my stomach.
Without warning, I felt a sudden wave of nausea.
Gasping, I clutched my head, leaning back towards the classroom door in an attempt to stabilize myself.
"A-Are you alright?" Rantaro was immediately by my side, hands lightly placed on my shoulders.
"I-I'm fine. Sorry, I was just feeling a little light-headed," I stammered out, pinching my forehead as I felt a rising headache. "It's nothing to worry about. I was just thinking too much about your question."
"Ah, I must apologize, then. I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable," Rantaro frowned as he offered a curt bow.
I immediately waved my hands in front of him in a frantic motion. "No, no. I wasn't offended at all. I was just surprised."
"Surprised?" Rantaro repeated as he watched me step away from the classroom door, eyes still wary for any signs of my worsening complexion.
"To answer your question, no I don't think we've met before," I mildly spoke up, brushing the dust off my back. "At least I have no recollection of it."
"I see," Rantaro quietly said, crossing his arms together on his chest as he glanced to the side, pondering. "But for some reason..."
"Let me guess. You're feeling a sense of Deja Vu?" I brought up, cutting his words off.
Rantaro snapped his head towards me, eyes wide with bewilderment. "Don't tell me, you too?"
"I guess," I rubbed the back of my head, flinching at the pain from the remnants of my headache. "I mean, even though I should be panicking like hell, I'm surprisingly taking this situation in fairly well."
Rantaro raised a dubious eyebrow at my proclamation. "You say fairly well, but you were stumbling in pain just now."
I winced at the truth behind his words. "Good point, but I mean that I'm feeling somewhat calmer than usual."
Rantaro only stared at me with disbelief in his eyes. He shook his head lightly and sighed. "Well...if you say so."
"Anyways, I think we should go search around now," I changed the topic, hoping that he would drop the subject regarding my sudden wave of illness. "We have no idea how much time we have left to roam around freely."
"Agreed. I shall see you later, then," Rantaro curtly nodded before he turned around and made his way down the staircase.
As soon as Rantaro's figure disappeared from the second floor, I sighed loudly and leaned back against the classroom door, crossing my arms.
If this is just a dream, then I sure hope I wake up soon.
After I stood there moping in silence for a while, I decided to search through the rest of the classrooms first. There was a chance that Rantaro and I were not the only two victims of this bizarre situation. I made my way over to the classroom opposite of the one I was locked in.
As if confirming my suspicions, I heard noises coming from inside. Taking a deep breath, I slid open the door...
Only to come face to face with a giant crying robot looming over me.
"HOLY SHI-" I clasped a hand over my mouth before I finished the profanity as the giant robot jumped back in shock from the volume of my scream.
"GAAAAH!" the robot screeched in surprise as he fell backward onto the floor with a loud, echoing thud. I winced as I watch his eyes turn to swirls, spinning as he mumbled incoherent words.
"Sorry about that, I didn't mean to surprise you," I immediately apologized and silently shut the door behind me. Before I could bend down and help him back up, someone else spoke up.
"Nishishishi, that was so lame Robo-kun~" a mischievous voice rung through the air that sent shivers down my spine.
I peered at the opposite corner of the room and spotted a young boy who was slightly shorter than me. He had dark purple unkempt hair that stuck out towards the side of his head. A white and black checkered scarf was tied around his neck as he stood there with a childish grin, eyes sparkling brightly as if stars were scattered inside of those large orbs. The white outfit that he was wearing gave him an angelic feel that contrasted with the impish qualities that he possessed. For a split second, his eyes met mine, and I immediately glanced away to the side.
Even though this was the first time we've met, my instincts told me that this boy was dangerous - that he could quite literally end up being the death of me.
From the corners of my eyes, I saw his grin warp into a small smirk; his eyes narrowed as he dissected me with his eyesight. I gulped, fingers twitching in discomfiture as I looked at everything in the room but him.
"Wha- I told you to call me by name! It's Kiibo, okay?!" the humanoid-like robot suddenly snapped, immediately bringing me out of the daze I was in. He stood up from his spot on the floor and turned to me with an apologetic look on his face. "I guess I scared you too. Sorry!"
"O-Oh, uh, no worries," I stammered out and mentally slapped myself.
Keep your calm, Shirayuki. He literally only spoke one sentence, and you're already a huge mess.
"Of course she'd be freaked out! Anybody would be scared out of their wits if they had to come face to face with a giant robot like you," the purple haired boy spoke up with a teasing laugh as Kiibo immediately spun back towards him.
"What did you just say?! Stop being robophobic!" Kiibo lashed out at the purple haired boy and ran forward to grab him, only to miss when the purple haired boy simply stepped to the side.
The boy let loose his signature laugh as he slowly made his way over to me with a huge grin on his face. I froze as I watched him quickly run behind me. He grabbed my waist and stuck his head out from behind me. His eyes suddenly started to water, much to my dismay.
"W-why did you raise your voice at me? I was just stating the obvious...w...w...w-w...WAHHHHHHHHHHHH!" the boy suddenly started bawling as crocodile tears flowed down rapidly. Completely baffled at the situation unraveling in front of my eyes, I panicked while Kiibo was struck dumbfounded. As I felt the back of my outfit grow damp with his tears, I quickly spun around to face him and awkwardly placed a hand on top of his head.
He promptly stopped crying and looked up at me in confusion. Not knowing how to deal with the situation, I just started to pat and rub his head in a caring manner. I watched as his expression turned blank for a split second before it returned to its original devilish grin.
"Wow, thanks for comforting me, mom!" he exclaimed as he suddenly hugged me.
I choked at his words and started sputtering nonsense in embarrassment. "W-what did you just call me? M-mom?! Are you kidding me- wait did you just stop crying that quickly?" I questioned as soon as I calmed myself down.
"Hm? Oh, those were fake so whatever," he bluntly confessed with a dismissal wave of his hands. I felt my jaws drop as I gaped at the boy in front of me. I stared blankly at the boy in a stupefied state.
He just blinked, ignoring how stunned I was, and smiled brightly as if nothing peculiar had just occurred. "Huh? Didn't you know they were fake? And here I thought you were just playing along with my whims. Aw, you're so kind to comfort a total stranger like me~" his tone was teasing as I started to feel another rising headache.
"W-Why would you do that?" I stuttered back, still in a daze as he just scoffed and rolled his eyes.
"Because I'm me, that's why," the boy replied and flipped his hair.
Oh, you fucking little twat-
"Just ignore him. He's been messing with me for the past hour now," Kiibo suddenly spoke up, voice filled with annoyance. He let loose a loud exasperated groan. "Even I, the Ultimate Robot could not handle him."
As if on cue, the boy's eyes filled to the brim with tears again. With a loud sniff, he cried out. "Y-you're so mean, you stupid robot!"
"SAYS YOU, YOU ROBOPHOBE-"
"WAHHHHHHHH-"
As I watched the two continue to bicker and "cry," I ground my teeth together in an attempt to prevent myself from lashing out in aggravation. I pinched the bridge of my nose in displeasure.
At this rate, he's going to become the death of me in less than a day.
"WAHHH- okay, that felt good. Any more than this and my ears will start bleeding," the boy suddenly stopped crying once again, a blank look plastered on his face. Kiibo's eyebrows twitched in obvious annoyance as he stepped forward, coming closer to the boy with a furious look on his face.
Realizing that I had not been able to gain clues for the past fifteen minutes because of the two in front of me, I immediately stepped myself between the two, preventing their argument from escalating any further.
"Ok guys, stop. Let's calm down first okay? I have some important questions I want to ask both of you, and I may be in a hurry," I spoke up with an irritated sigh. Kiibo gave me a sheepish bow as an apology for losing his cool.
The purple-haired boy immediately shot his hand up into the air, waving it around as if trying to catch my attention. I raised an eyebrow and motioned for him to speak up.
"Yeah, so I have an important question I want to ask too! Can I ask away?" the boy turned towards me with a pleading look in his eyes. I sighed and nodded despite knowing that he was probably faking the desperation in his eyes.
"Yay, okay so Kiibo, do robots have dicks?" his blunt question completely caught Kiibo and me off-guard as we both choked on air. I started blushing at the implications of the question and unconsciously turned to stare at Kiibo. Kiibo's eyes met mine, and he immediately started to sweat in dread.
"I-I...that is such an inappropriate question, Kokichi!" Kiibo replied, obviously flustered as the boy, who I now knew was named Kokichi, just continued to snicker.
"I was just curious~ so do they? Do they? DO THEY?!" he crept closer to Kiibo with a wide grin on his face, eyes twinkling, both hands in tight fists in front of him. I facepalmed at the situation and let loose another sigh as I watched in exasperation.
Will I ever get to investigate somewhere else...?
"Guys, please stop," I repeated as things started to calm down once again.
"Ok, if mom says so," the boy chimed as I glared at him.
"I'm not your mom nor do I want to be your mom," I retorted back.
"Oh, so you want to be something else? Why not join my group then?" he proposed as I stared blankly at him.
"Uh, what?" I cocked my head to the side in inquiry.
"Oh, we haven't introduced each other yet, right? I'm Ouma and Kokichi is my first name. I'm the Ultimate Supreme Leader~!" Kokichi exclaimed as he made a thumbs-up sign with his left hand.
"...What is that title supposed to mean?" I questioned immediately after his introduction.
"Huh? Can't you even understand something this simple? I take my invitation back then. I don't need an imbecile in the team," he changed his stance almost immediately and started pouting.
My eyes twitched at his rude remarks, but I collected myself before I lashed out, knowing that I would only be playing right into his hands if I gave him a satisfying reaction. "Unfortunately, I'm not a mind reader. I'm Aida Shirayuki, the Ultimate Figure Skater."
He perked up at my response. "Figure skater...? Wow, that really fits your name and outfit. Shirayuki means white snow in Japanese, right? And you have those snowflakes on your sweater too."
At his remark, I took the chance to skim over my outfit. I was wearing a light, baby-blue knitted sweater with small snowflakes scattered throughout. To match it was a ruffling black skirt that was slightly above my knee. My sneakers were the same color as my sweater, but with icicle designs on the side. Part of my black colored hair was tied in a side braid with a snowflake clip to keep it in shape. The rest hung loosely down my shoulders. My hair only reached the middle of my back. The whole outfit seemed to compliment my deep blue eyes very well.
"Uh, I guess, thanks...?" I mumbled out awkwardly, not quite sure how to respond to his words.
"No problem~ Anyways I'll tell you all about the organization later. Let's get out of here!" Kokichi changed the topic and slowly made his way out the door.
"Wha— did you just completely ignore me even though I kept you company for who knows how long?!" Kiibo, obviously offended, yelled at Kokichi who only brushed him off.
"Shiro-chan, let's go!" Kokichi ignored Kiibo completely, grabbed my wrists and yanked me out the doorway.
I yelped at the sudden movement and almost tripped over my own feet as I wobbled out the door, much to Kokichi's amusement. "Shiro-chan, for an athlete you really don't walk properly."
"That's because you pulled me out of nowhere and what's with that dumb nickname?" I replied with an annoyed look plastered on my face.
"Hm? Oh, Shiro means white in Japanese, and it's shorter, so I just used it. Why, you don't like it?" He let my wrists go and looked up at me with an innocent gleam to his expression.
"It's not that I don't like it, but it sounds weird," I answered his question honestly.
"Really? I think it's adorable," his words made me flush for a split second. "It kind of sounds like a pet name."
...I'm going to kill him someday.
"Right, whatever. So where are we going?" I asked, feeling another headache creeping up.
"Nowhere! I just wanted to have a private talk with you," Kokichi beamed as I facepalmed.
"Seriously? Don't you want to understand your situation more? You've been locked up here for no reason too, right?" I questioned as he shrugged.
"Yeah, but I'm just going to enjoy every moment of it," his nonchalant innocent attitude to this horrifying situation only made me gape in disbelief.
"But don't you want to leave this place and go back home?" I asked out of curiosity.
His expression immediately turned blank as he tilted his head to the side, an unreadable emotion swirling in his eyes. "Where's that?"
I froze and stared at Kokichi. A moment of silence swept through us. Although no one was moving or speaking, the air permeating around us was somewhat tense. The question was innocent, but the hidden implication behind it made something inside me ache.
"...Are you serious?" I spoke out, partially in disbelief.
He didn't reply for a full minute before a small smile graced his features. "Just kidding. I was messing with you."
"...Alright," I replied, skepticism leaking through my sullen tone. As if he knew I didn't believe him, his smile only grew wider.
"Nishishi, someone's being a little too overly cautious. Be careful. If you stress out too much you'll go bald before you reach fifty," Kokichi chimed, smirking.
My eyebrow twitched. "Why, thank you for the kind warning."
"I appreciate the sarcasm, Shiro-chan. No one ever talks back to me like that," Kokichi's eyes narrowed, a lop-sided grin on his face. It was clear that there was amusement swirling in his eyes. "Everyone who spoke back to me like that is either missing or dead, after all."
My shoulders tensed up and I took a small step back. "Is that a threat, I'm hearing?" I pressed my lips tightly together, waiting impatiently for his answer.
"Nishishi, well it was just a lie though," Kokichi laughed nonchalantly as if he had done nothing wrong. "You know, since you're here and all, can I ask you something?"
"I don't think robots have dicks," I replied almost instantly, a blank look on my face.
"Aw, really? What a shame," Kokichi ignored the obvious sarcasm in my words this time and shrugged. "But that wasn't what I wanted to ask you about. Thanks for the input, though!"
"Spit it out already, Kokichi," I felt him pressing the tips of my patience. "I don't have all the time in the world to spend with you."
Kokichi pouted, a frown on his face. "Alright, alright. Geez, talk about being so uncooperative."
I rolled my eyes. "I don't think anyone would be so cooperative with a complete stranger."
Kokichi hummed lightly, musing my words. "Fair point. Well, I was just wondering about something," Kokichi faced away from me and walked dramatically towards the center of the second floor, spreading his arms out wide. "What do you think is the opposite of boredom?"
I tilted my head to the side, my eyebrows furrowing. "Excuse me? Where did that come from?" I asked, completely confused with how our conversation was headed.
"Just humor with an answer, Shiro-chan," Kokichi waggled his index finger.
I eyed him skeptically from my spot next to the wall. "Okay...I guess...pleasure? Or like stimulation?"
Kokichi spun around to face me again, a satisfied look on his face. "Bingo! Stimulation works just fine, but I was thinking of excitement."
"Sure, but where on earth are you going with this?" I frowned.
"Someone I know once told me this," Kokichi started. "People will seek out any kind of excitement. Even pain."
"And that has exactly what to do with our situation?" I questioned.
"Wouldn't it be funny if some people just decided to kidnap us for the thrill of it?" Kokichi suddenly exclaimed, laughing out loud.
"...What?!" I shouted out, shaking my head lightly in disbelief as I took another step back away from him.
What the hell is this bastard talking about?!
"Aw, don't be scared, Shiro-chan. I was just thinking to myself," Kokichi grinned as he twirled around in a circle before running over to the staircase. "Anyways, I'm just going to enjoy this situation as much as I can."
"Enjoy?" I sputtered out, staring at Kokichi with shock.
"Yep! Besides..." Kokichi trailed off, a sly smirk making its way onto his face. He placed an index finger on his chin, eyes narrowing as he spoke out in a sultry voice. "I hate boredom more than anything, so a little pain won't hurt."
And then he left.
I stood there still, mind whirling with confusion. My headache grew worse, and I groaned, clasping a hand over my face in exasperation.
Life is filled with surprises.
And meeting Kokichi may be the worst one yet.