[Warning: blood]


Ding, dong, ding, dong.

"Rise and shine, everybody! It is now eight o'clock a.m. Breakfast will be served in the hotel's food court on the first floor. Let's make today the best it can be!"

Morning came before Nicholas knew it, having been awoken by an announcement from Monokuma himself. It was both a disappointment, and though he should've expected it, a surprise to wake up in the hotel. He was hoping it'd all be a dream, and he could wake back up home, and none of this would ever have happened. He never would have joined Hope's Peak Academy, he never would have been kidnapped. But the more he mulled on it, the worse he felt. It really wasn't the biggest problem right now. The Ultimate Commander felt as if he was forced into a position of authority, and that badge of his proved it. It was time to use it.

Time passes. Nicholas had freshened up, taking a long shower. He'd realized there was a small TV on the wall opposite of his bed, near the desk. A remote was on said desk. Nicholas tries turning it on, and to his surprise, the first thing he sees is- a weather channel? Indeed, the week's forecast was shown on screen, with the temperature in Celsius. We must still be in Japan, Nicholas thought. Monokuma was there as well, dressed in a blue suit.

"Looks like today we'll be having cloudy skies with some showers later, a chilly day today, nya! I hope those showers will be of blood—it is a perfect day for murder! Nyahahaha!" he laughs, sadistically.

"That doesn't even make any sense," Nicholas murmurs to himself. "If it's going to be chilly…"

Sighing, he begins dressing for the occasion. Looking into his closet, Nicholas takes out a charcoal grey suit, white shirt, and maroon red tie. He'd kept the map from the hotel, and he puts it in inside jacket pocket.

Breakfast passes.

Lunch.

It's midday before he knows it.

The day has been quiet, so far. Socializing with the others a bit. Exploring town. At the very least, what the group has been given. Right now, Nicholas and a few others were on the main street, looking around. So far they've seen a classy fashion store for both men and women, a more casual one, an electronics store, and they were about to enter a sports bar.

"Hey, I used to go to these all the time. My brother Logan and I'd go for a cheeseburger." Nicholas says. I'm talking about it like it was so long ago already.

"Ha, same," Hibiki agrees, grinning. "But I love the spicy wings."

Durion Pazuru nods in agreement. He wasn't the most social person.

-DURION PAZURU-

ULTIMATE ?

A well-dressed male with an average body. Durion wears a grey suit and blue tie, over a white shirt. Thick black hair goes to around halfway down his neck, most of it residing on the top of his head—or in his sideburns. Durion has a pair of brown eyes. Oddly enough, there's a scar on his cheek.

"Why not pizza?" the final member of the quartet, William Tricher, says.

-WILLIAM TRICHER-

ULTIMATE CHEATER

An older male with some decent muscle definition. He wears a pair of blue jeans with a black t-shirt and open white hoodie, accompanied by white sneakers and black fingerless gloves. Headphones are in his ears. An antique pen is on a necklace around his, well, neck. William's curly hair a vibrant red. A contrast from his hair, his eyes are blue.

"All of the above are good," Nicholas chuckles. The four enter the sports bar.

And are immediately greeted by Monokuma.

"Why hello!" the bear exclaims, standing on top of boxes behind a podium at the front of the entrance, for waiters/waitresses to seat people. "Table for four?"

"Whaaa? Hey, you're that bear, you can't serve us!" Hibiki blurts out, pointing at the bear.

"What do you want?" William asks, arms crossed.

"I'm bored." Monokuma replies bluntly. "How you boys doin'? Stoppin' by the bar to get a drink? Eh? What can I get you? C'mon Nicky boy, you look like a beer person."

"Actually just stopping by to get a look at the place." Nicholas blinks.

Nonetheless, Monokuma dashes off into the kitchen at fast speeds. Each of the young men look at each other, puzzled. Next thing they know, he's back, and a bottle of beer is in each of their hands.

"C'mon! Let's go sit down!" Monokuma says, going over to the actual bar part of the restaurant, off to the left side. The rest were booths and tables, and taking up the entire right wall was a giant screen for watching sports events.

Durion sighs. "Should we just leave?"

"Doesn't sound like too bad of an idea…" William agrees.

"Oh c'mon guys! He doesn't wanna kill us or anything! At least I don't think so." Hibiki says, waving it off. "I mean, if it gets bad, we can just whack him over the head with these bottles."

"Hold on. This is a chance to talk with the ringleader, you know? Maybe get some information?" Nicholas says. He wasn't all excited about hanging out with Monokuma, but hey, it was a good opportunity in his eyes.

"Well, guess you guys have a point. Let's just be careful." William scratches his neck.

"You people…" Durion facepalms. Then he realizes he doesn't have much else to do. "Fine."

Nice. Having a drink with the guys. And, well, Monokuma. No biggie. Nicholas quietly laughs at the absurdity.

Wait, aren't we all underage?


Of course, they aren't the only ones out right now. Three girls were in an entertainment store of sorts. From video games to comic books, pool tables to foosball tables, the students were sure to at least never be bored. There were tables and chairs set up around for people to hang out, and that's precisely where the trio were. Four leather chairs circled a coffee table, in which a deck of cards lay.

"This is a deck of tarot cards. I'm sure you've all seen one before, yes?" Zéphyrine Giroux says, referring to the cards on the table.

-ZÉPHYRINE GIROUX-

ULTIMATE CARD GAMER

A foreigner who is fairly tall, but otherwise has a rather unspectacular build. Zéphyrine wears dark blue skinny jeans with a brown leather belt, a white blouse, and a baggy grey jacket. It seemed too big for her. The jacket had numerous pockets. Over her green eyes is a pair of rectangular glasses, with a thin brown frame. Her hair is light brown, and tied into a ponytail.

Kinzoku Mitsuko was silent, waiting for her to continue.

-KINZOKU MITSUKO-

ULTIMATE ROBOTICIST

Kinzoku was a unique case. She sat in a wheelchair, seemingly there permanently. Kinzoku had a tall and thin build, as well as rather wiry. She wore a plaid button down shirt with the sleeves rolled up, and messy, wrinkled jeans. On her feet is a pair of sandals. Her eyes were a soft grey. Black hair on her head was tied into a messy bun.

"Yes, of course!" Rina says, eyes lighting up. "The tarot card deck was first seen in Northern Italy in the fifteenth century. But, it wasn't until 1780 when they began to be used for fortune telling, mostly by the Roma." She raised a finger in the air as she spoke, seemingly knowing her history.

"And, that is what I am going to do right now." Zéphyrine turns to Rina, smiling—seemingly, she was pleased with the girl's knowledge.

"What?" Rina asks, confused, finger still up.

"Take the deck." Zéphyrine requests.

"Uh, okay." Rina agrees. She leans over to the table, taking the large deck of tarot cards in her hands. "Heavy."

"Well, there are seventy-eight cards. Shuffle the deck, and cut it." Zéphyrine continues.

By this point, Kinzoku had already lost interest. She leaned back in the wheelchair she resided in, studying her fingernails. Rina follows the Ultimate Card Gamer's instruction, shuffling the deck, cutting it right after. The tarot cards became two halves. Rina's next instruction was to take three cards and place three of them next to each other. A 'past, present, and future' spread, Zéphyrine explained. One for each.

First was a card of a man in green, standing at the edge of a cliff looking up to the skies, bright sunlight behind him. A number 0 was atop the drawing, and below read the words 'THE FOOL'.

Next represented a soldier wearing a tunic, sitting in a chariot. A canopy adorned with six-pointed stars lay above him. This time the number was VII, and the words were 'THE CHARIOT'.

Finally, riding a white horse was a skeleton, clad in armor. He held a black flag in his hand. In front of him is a man, woman, and child. XIII was this card's number, and the title was "DEATH".

"Three Major Arcana cards in a row," Zéphyrine comments. "Interesting."

"Soooo…" Rina blinks, looking at the cards. "What do they mean? Tell me 'death' isn't what I think it is."

"The Fool represents your past. How you got into your current situation." Zéphyrine explains, staring into Rina's eyes. "The card means new beginnings. You're about to enter a new stage in your life. Every day from here on will be an adventure."

"Wow. Doesn't feel like it." Rina winces.

"Perhaps it is talking about our current situation. Each day will be an opportunity—and you need to take advantage of these opportunities." Zéphyrine replies.

"…right."

"The Chariot is your present. Where you are right now. In order to come out of your current predicament, you're going to need strength. Willpower. To overcome your obstacles, you will need to be determined, disciplined, and hard-working." Zéphyrine continues.

"Huh…" Rina goes quiet for a moment, mulling her words over. "That makes more sense. I think I can do that."

"Very good." Zéphyrine smiles.

Meanwhile, Kinzoku had been watching in full. She rolls her eyes, scoffing. Obviously, she wasn't a faithful believer of fortune telling. Zéphyrine noticed this, but did not make any comments, instead going to finish her reading.

"Death is not a bad thing. Death is the end of a major chapter in your life, and the beginning of another. This next chapter may be even more important and valuable than the one you're leaving. But, it may be difficult to simply move on. You must embrace the past. You have to put it behind you, and continue with your life. Otherwise, you will experience emotional and possibly physical pain." Zéphyrine says. She goes silent, waiting for Rina's thoughts.

"Weeelll then." Rina says, laughing. "So, death doesn't mean I'm gonna die?"

"No."

"Someone else is gonna die?"

"Maybe."

"Oh."

"Indeed."

"Was any of that even real?"

"Indeed."

"Oh."

"I'm with her on this," Kinzoku finally speaks up, having been silent for the entirety of the reading. She leans forward in her wheelchair, looking up to the fortune teller in her taller leather chair. "Was that real?"

"Of course," Zéphyrine says sharply. "Do you doubt destiny?"

"I doubt you just told hers." Kinzoku deadpans.

"I don't think you understand." she shakes her head. "Destiny is on my side. My readings are guaranteed true."

"Really?" Kinzoku sighs. "Sounds like bullcrap to me."

"Tch. How dare you doubt my readings?" Zéphyrine asks, voice slightly raising in volume. "This will all come true. Watch."

"Um, guys…" Rina says.

"You sound crazy." Kinzoku facepalms.

"And on what basis do you make this claim?" Zéphyrine's calm eyes turned into a glare in Kinzoku's direction.

"You just 'told her fortune'," Kinzoku replies, making air quotes with her fingers on the last few words. She then shrugs. "Meh." The handicapped girl goes back to looking at her fingernails. She was disinterested once again.

"Hmph." Zéphyrine took her cards back, putting them all back into one pile and putting them into the box they came in.

Rina was quiet, now feeling uncomfortable after what was almost an argument. The trio sat in awkward silence, until a certain ringing of a bell broke it.


"…eventually, they gave me a job at the place."

The four males at the sports bar had been accepting of the bear's company, and the drinks. His morals told Nicholas not to drink, and not to let anyone else have any either, but he gave that up quick. He's still a teenager, after all. Nicholas wasn't the biggest fan of alcohol, yet he found himself working on a second bottle. He certainly wasn't getting any information out of Monokuma any time soon. Hibiki was about halfway through his fourth, according to the empty bottles around him. Durion and William had two bottles each. Probably the most confusing was the fact that Monokuma had six empty bottles in front of him.

"I- I cut the hell out of some hair. Like really good. And then I- *hic*- got an Ultimate for it! But I don't really talk to—" Hibiki was in the middle of a story, but Monokuma cut him off.

"Oh, would you look at the- *hic*- time!" he exclaims, speech slurred. As if the robot were drunk. "Hey, meet me at the square. Kay? Kay."

With that, Monokuma climbed off the bar stool, and waddled off somewhere unknown. After looking at one another in confusion, the group's attention would turn to the television screen in front of them.

Ding, dong, ding, dong.

"Hey, you bastards!" Monokuma was on screen. Oddly enough, he wasn't at the sports bar, that's for sure. Rather, he sat leisurely on a bench, with a streetlight next to a fenced-off lake behind him. Clouds began to cover the sun, causing the streetlight to give off light. Wind crashed against the water. "Can y'all do me a favor and meet me at the square? This is extreeeeemely important! Deathly important! I can't even bear how important this is! See what I did there? Haha. Anyway, come to the square, dammit!"

"Huh." William raises a brow. "Think we should go?" The others would notice that William seemed to hold his alcohol pretty well—no signs of intoxication at all.

"I'd rather not." Durion murmurs.

"You *hic* really wanna disobey?" Nicholas says, scratching his neck. "I mean… naw, he won't do anything, but…"

"What if he kills us!?" Hibiki yells, suddenly slamming a fist down on the bar. "And who cares, it'll be *hic* fun!"

"Tch. Quiet down." Durion mutters, shooting a glare in Hibiki's direction.

"Oh, leave him alone. He's just drunk." William shrugs. "We should probably go… but let's be careful."

With that, they finally get up, and are on their way. Nicholas takes the map he grabbed earlier out of his jacket, unfolding it and taking a look at it. He finds a place titled Despair Square, which he assumed rhymed on purpose, with a lake under a bridge nearby. The bridge led to another part of the city, but the contents of it were blacked out. Two roads with a river between them much like the streets of Venice were the only entrances to Despair Square, and past them was the water cutting off that part of the city from whatever was past the bridge. It seemed like it'd be a long walk, but…

Parked in front of the sports bar was a simple grey civilian car. Keys were on the hood. And according to a note, the car was for them. A little doodle of Monokuma's face was on said note, and it was signed 'love, Monokuma'.

It wasn't long before everyone was in the car. William was behind the wheel, Nicholas rode shotgun, while Hibiki and Durion sat in the back. William seemed to know what he was doing, as he began driving to the square.

"I got my license early," William explained. "Just another perk of an Ultimate Cheater. More experience."

"You realize under different circumstances I could probably arrest you for that, right?" Nicholas was in for a long drive.


Meanwhile, people began piling up at the square. Everyone heard the announcement, it seems. Hoshiko, Ryoko, Shiori, and Gabriel were the only ones currently.

"So, what do you guys think this is about?" Hoshiko asks.

"I'm unsure." Ryoko replies, worried. "I have a bad feeling about it, however."

"Maybe Monokuma will tell us this was all a joke and we can go home?" Shiori suggests.

"D… Do you really think so?" Gabriel asks innocently, looking at Shiori with hopeful eyes.

"I doubt it." Shiori replies.

"Oh…" Gabriel mutters.

"We should be thinking realistically," Ryoko crosses her arms. "We're likely here for good…"

"What? No, don't say that!" Hoshiko says, frowning.

"How do you plan on leaving?" Ryoko asks. "I do hope you aren't planning on falling to Monokuma's game?"

"Of course not!" Hoshiko exclaims, "I mean, I'm sure someone's coming to save us…"

"Mm. Let's hope so…" Ryoko quietly agrees.

"S-s-so w-wait, wh-what are you trying t-to say?" Gabriel meekly asks Ryoko.

"I'm simply looking at this from a realistic standpoint. I question how likely our escape is." Ryoko replies.

"A-a-a-are you saying we w-won't e-escape?"

"No."

"O-Oh…"

Soon enough, everybody showed up. The seventeen students arrived, in wait of Monokuma. Clouds were above, and a light rain began to fall. A slight breeze came as well. Nicholas and his group weren't the only ones with a car, others found vehicles as well. It was noticed along the way that cars appeared on the street, plus public transportation—buses. Surprisingly enough, when everyone's cars were parked, they were seen only with a few scratches. Miraculously, no one crashed.

"Upupu."

There was one large building in the square, across from the bridge. A billboard on it lit up with Monokuma's evil red eye, as his laughter could be heard from all around. Chills ran down many spines.

"Hello everybody! How nice of you to show up!"

Monokuma appeared in front of everyone. Oddly enough, he carried a box in his hands. Nicholas made his way to the front of the group, joined by Seymour. Seymour had a camera in his hand, pointed in Monokuma's direction. Just behind Nicholas was Tennoyama, who tapped Nicholas on the shoulder to give a hello. Behind Seymour was Annie. Her full concentration was directed on Monokuma.

"What do you… *hic* want?" Nicholas asks. He was still a little buzzed from the sports bar.

"Wha- wow! How rude, Nick! Not even a hi, nothing!?" Monokuma frowns, giving a dejected look to the gravel below him. "Puuu… well, I have a present for y'all."

"A present?" Nicholas raised a brow.

"What the hell's in there, huh!?" Tennoyama yells, fists ready to start swinging.

"So loud." Daiki sighs. "Relax, it's probably nothing." Tennoyama shoots a glare that could kill in the aloof teenager's direction.

The box of Monokuma's was wrapped up like a Christmas gift. Just like before, Nicholas thinks. The bear sets it down, and just the last meeting, swings wildly at it. Seymour zooms in, making sure to catch this on his camera. The box is torn apart, and left is a pile of manila folders.

"Did you know that bears are the most intelligent animal in North America?" Monokuma asks. "That applies to me too, y'know! I'm not dumb. I knew y'all wouldn't start killing right off the bat. Thought I'd give you a little push, go check them folders out."

Each folder is marked with a name, written in both Japanese and English characters. Monokuma goes silent, and waits for everyone to take their folders. Uneasy looks are given to one another, before they slowly break off and find their own. The square is dead quiet, aside from the rain hitting the ground. Nicholas takes his folder, examining it for anything suspicious, going as far as even sniffing it.

By the time he makes his decision that it's safe, a scream suddenly rings out from the crowd.

Oh shit. Nicholas swiftly looks over, and it's Rina. The folder had dropped to the ground, and in her hands were a few pictures. Everyone rushed to open their folders, including Nicholas.

More screams, and gasps.

Nicholas' folder contained four photos. Each one had a member of his family, except for the fourth, which had all of them together. His brother, mother, and father.

Chained to a wall, bleeding out of every visible orifice.

Unspeakable things had been done to them. Nicholas' brother Logan had blood-soaked bandages wrapped around his right eye, and numerous cuts covered his body. Seemingly done with a blade, a crude drawing of Monokuma's face is on his bare chest. His mother's clothes were ripped, cuts all on her legs. His father sat with his own teeth around him, accompanied by his own fingers. If Nicholas hadn't sobered up yet, he was now.

"These pictures were taken about… what, an hour or two ago?" Monokuma says, thoughtfully. He shrugs. "Somewhere around there. Doesn't matter."

"What is this?" Annie asks, a scared tone in her voice. "Our families…?"

"Yeah, good observation, girlie." Monokuma rolls his eyes.

William scoffed. He didn't look too miffed by the pictures, and so he crumped them up and threw them to the ground. But not many others could be as apathetic as he.

Daiki, possibly the most apathetic so far, he was visibly shaken. He grits his teeth. "It's fake," he concludes. "Who are you trying to fool?"

"Well, you're a dumbass." Monokuma says bluntly.

"Tch. Insulting me? At least I showed up. You, on the other hand, are too cowardly to show your damned face." Daiki advances toward Monokuma. "I suppose you're just hiding behind a computer right now, aren't you? Safe? Trying to terrorize minors? Have you nothing better to do with your life?"

"Upupu… you're even more of a dumbass than I thought." Monokuma replies, with an air of confidence.

Daiki scowls.

"Enough. What is the point of showing us this?" Seymour asks, keeping the camera trained on Monokuma.

"Motive number one." Monokuma grins. "Here's the deal. Y'all have twenty-four hours. You remember our game, right? Well, I want it to start already! If no one's dead by twenty-four hours, then y'all families are dead! By the way, they're being tortured right now."

Silence falls on the square like a curtain. In one form or another, everyone expressed their displeasure with the situation. There was no solid proof their families were really in the photos, but none was needed to send a large chunk of the students into hysterics.

"Oh, how did I not see this coming!?" Bert exclaimed. "Is my inspiration not the key to success? No… it just means I'm not Bert-lieving enough. That's it."

Kinzoku had a death glare in her eyes, as she tore her pictures and folder apart.

Tennoyama had already left. The sound of a car engine could be heard driving off into the distance.

As for Nicholas, it appeared to be high time he got used to migraines. Once again, pain shot through his head. How many times is that now? he thought, rubbing his temples in hopes to eradicate the pain.

"You're dismissed, kiddos. Twenty-four hours. Upupu." Monokuma says, before disappearing.

There it is again, Nicholas thought. That feeling.

Despair.


[A/N: Surprise, bet you thought you saw the last of me. Nope. I'm just really fucking lazy. You guys are okay with the two-three month wait for updates right? Right. But uh, sorry for taking so long. I'm a really slow writer. Anyways, reviews:

JokersMaze: Thank you, thank you

PSISomething: Thank you, and uh, yeah, those authors that disappear after a few chapters? I've totally never done that hahahahhah

Integras: Important role? Looks to me like he's just annoying the shit out of everyone. But yes, he is great

ShadedLyht: Nicholas is weak

ApexUtopia: 1. For realism, I strongly doubt irl everybody'd just be like "HEY LET'S BE FRIENDS" right off the bat 2. My only excuse here is lazy/rushed writing, I'm not a big fan of the last chapter either, my apologies. You are right there. 3. AND NOW YOU DO. Thanks for the criticism!

I predict the next chapter will come out around the same time Half Life 3 does.]