Karasu Kanashimi
Chapter 7
Disclaimer: This is not profit and I do not own Harry Potter or Danganronpa (games, animes, or mangas). They belong to their respective owners. Some or Most of the lines of the danganronpa characters were taken or based on lines in Danganronpa Animation English Dub, Danganronpa Trigger Happy Havoc, or the Harry Potter movies.
"Sorry, I'm late…" Makoto apologized as he walked into Cafeteria; where everyone, except Karasu, Hina, and Sakura, was waiting.
"You sure took your sweet time! I was just about to go get you and drag you back here!" Taka shouted.
"S-Sorry…"
"So? What happened? Was your room fixed up like he said? I imagine it would be pretty hard to sleep with a rotting corpse in your bathroom!" Taka laughed.
"Jesus, that's fucked up, man. Why would you say something like that?" Mondo demanded.
"My room was… spotless. There wasn't anything left," Makoto paused, "Like the whole thing… never happened."
"It must be tough staying there, knowing what happened. Why don't you just stay in Sayaka's room?" Sakura asked as she walked in.
"Well… staying there, with her scent still hanging in the air… That would hurt just as much. Plus, I've decided that I can't turn away from her death," Makoto explained, "How is Karasu?"
"She's in her room; she won't come out though. Hina is trying to coax her out," Sakura replied, "I'm worried about her."
"I am too. She took this harder than I did," Makoto said sadly, "But we have to stick together and be there for each other!"
"Hmph. How naive," Byakuya countered.
"Huh?" was Makoto's intelligent reply.
"We were already 'working together' and yet someone was still murdered. Anyone could betray us at this point. Now that it's happened once, it's a question of when, not if, the next one takes place." Byakuya explained.
"Yeah, because S-Sayaka made the first move…" Toko agreed.
"But if we don't work together against the mastermind-," Makoto began.
"Keep telling yourself that. I'll be over here in the real world," Byakuya cut in rudely, "Working together, fighting a common enemy… Like it or not, it's not that simple."
Hifumi hesitated, "What do you mean?"
"The mastermind seems to be much more powerful than we ever suspected. They took over Hope's Peak, which was supposed to be well defended, and then modified it to fit their desire. They created Monokuma, which seems to be incredibly advanced, and they're providing for our every need. And the cherry on top is the execution we witnessed. Everything has been planned down to the last excruciating detail," Celeste explained, "This is not the work of your everyday psychopath. Defying them may be too great of a risk…"
"Then… what are we supposed to do?" Sakura asked.
"Anyone who truly does want to escape… will just have to follow the rules. In which case, the only option is to deceive those around you, and win the game," Byakuya answered simply.
"N-No…" Chihiro cut in shyly.
"No what?" Byakuya demanded angrily.
"I don't want to live… if it means killing someone else to do it. I don't want to kill anyone else…! Chihiro cried out.
"Anyone… else? What do you mean?" Hiro asked.
"H-Hey, come one…! You expect me to just accept my death!?" Leon demanded.
"No, we don't!" Karasu shouted, "We don't… but at least you don't have to live with the guilt of killing us all. That would be worse than death… We will have to live with the guilt of condemning you to death! So don't go around expecting sympathy!"
"Karasu is right. Leon died because we all voted for him." Chihiro stated tearfully, "It's no different from us killing him ourselves!
"But…" Hiro said uncomfortably.
"If you heap that blame on yourself, you'll turn into a full-fledged masochist," Hifumi tried to comfort her-and failed.
"Chihiro, listen… You're not to blame. Not you, not Leon, and not Sayaka. The mastermind is responsible for everything that's happened. We had no choice but to vote. I can't even imagine what would've happened to us if we'd refused… And in the end, it was Monokuma who ultimately killed Leon…! So don't waste your anger on yourself...Instead, direct it at the mastermind!"
*Ding dong, bing bong*
"Mm, ahem, this is a school announcement. It is now 10 p.m. As such, it is officially night time. Soon the doors to the dining hall will be locked, and entry at that point is strictly prohibited," Monokuma said from the monitor, "Oh, and one other thing…"
~Dorms~
"...It was totally obvious before that you were trying to make yourselves feel better and justify what you did."
Karasu's golden eyes widened and her tears weld up tenfold. She buried her face into her folded arms and sobbed. Her door pulsed behind her as if someone was pounding on it with their fist.
"Don't listen to him!" Hina screamed at Karasu as she pounded on the door, "Don't listen to…" the fight suddenly left Hina and she collapsed to the floor, crying.
Karasu, needless to say, never heard Hina's comforting words or sobs. The room was soundproof. Both girls sat on either side of the door, crying.
"See you, see you, don't see you, see you! That's about how much I can see you, even when you try to hide! Now pay attention and remember this well! The burden of judging others is a heavy one to bear. So be well aware of your actions! Order and stability rely on the sacrifice and responsibility of everyone!" Monokuma continued with his nightly announcement.
~Cafeteria~
"...Okay then...sweet dreams, everyone! Good night, sleep tight, don't let the bedbugs bite…"
"What w-was that about just n-now…?" Toko demanded irritably.
"Was he saying it's our fault that happened? That's pretty cruel, man…" Hiro muttered, depressed.
"That piece of shit! Who does he think he is!?" Mondo yelled angrily.
And with that, all of Makoto's efforts to keep everyone together fell through. Everyone headed to their respective dorms for the night. Hina stayed outside of Karasu's room until she could barely keep her eyes open; she collapsed on her bed and didn't bother to change into her pajamas.
"It's all your fault you know," said a mysterious voice. Karasu opened her eyes to find herself surrounded by total darkness. She had a funny feeling she'd been there before. As her eyes adjusted, she realized there was someone in front of her. The figure had their back to what Karasu assumed was a door; from the edges, a trickle of light illuminated the room just enough to cast faint shadows.
"What is? Who are you?" Karasu asked.
"Call me Nevermore," the mysterious, feminine voice said casually, "We failed."
"Failed what?"
Nevermore opened her eyes; they glowed bright green. "The world."
Karasu was confused. How did she fail the world? Before she could ask, Nevermore changed the subject.
"Funny how things are all fun and games until someone dies. We were young, putting ourselves and our friends into danger for the sense of adventure."
"What do you mean?"
"That is until Cedric was murdered."
Karasu paled. "H-How do you know that name!" she demanded fearfully.
"You don't understand? Fine, I guess that's understandable…"
"Answer me! Let me out of here!" Karasu lunged for the door. It rattled.
"It's locked. We'll have to be let out."
Karasu was hysterical. Where was she? What was going on? From above her, it sounded like someone was walking down...stairs? Dust fell from the ceiling along with a spider-Nevermore calmly plucked it off her shoulder.
Suddenly a voice screeched, "Up! Get up!" And the door rattled as someone knocked rapidly.
"Looks like this is where we part ways. Good luck."
Karasu awoke with a start, her glasses dug painfully into her skin. She found her back against the door; she fell asleep crying by the door. The door rattled behind her. 'Hina!' Karasu thought as she wrenched the door open.
"YOU'RE LATE!" Taka bellowed and she jumped back, startled, "WE WERE SUMMONED TO THE GYM AND YOU DIDN'T SHOW UP! WE'RE ALL WAITING ON YOU!
"What's he gonna do now?" Karasu groaned as she left the room, shutting the door behind her.
Calm, classical music echoed around the gym. "Okay! Lift your arms up, and down!" Monokuma, "One, two, three, four!"
"ONE, TWO, THREE, FOUR!" Taka chanted.
"Now reach waaay up, and bend waaay down! Tighten those muscles! Let's add a little strength, a little speed to those young bodies of yours!" the bear commanded, "Ahh, doesn't this feel just great!? Being stuck inside like this, you gotta make sure to stay healthy!"
"You're the o-one keeping us 'stuck inside'..." Toko pointed out.
"Don't sweat the small stuff! That's my motto," Monokuma huffed, "Whoa, I sounded pretty cool just now, doncha think?"
"Don't sweat the small stuff? That'll kill us all," Karasu scoffed. Monokuma just turned and stared at her. 'Okay, this is a little unnerving but I'm not about to let that bear know it,' she thought and she glared back.
"So...why did you call us here? Certainly, it wasn't just to make us exercise…" Sakura said ominously. Clearly, she wasn't amused.
"'Just' to make you exercise? JUST to make you exercise!?" Monokuma spluttered, "If exercise makes you laugh, exercise will make you cry! Now, if you keep doing these exercise, you will uncover the secret of the Assassin's Fist! Passed down from generation to generation in the empire of darkness… The power can be yours!"
"That sounds like the kind of junk a middle schooler would come up with…" Hifumi muttered.
"Quit goofing off!" Karasu demanded irritably, agreeing with Hifumi.
"It doesn't matter! Just get to the point. Did you really call us down here just to exercise?" Makoto asked.
"Of course not! You think I have that kind of free time on my hands!?" Monokuma snarled.
"Okay, so then…" Makoto prompted.
"Ahh, I'd like to make an announcement! Every time you overcome a class trial here at Hope's Peak, a whole new world will open up to you!"
"A whole new world…?" Hiro asked, confused.
"It'd really suck if you had to live here forever with nothing to stimulate you! Besides, I know how you kids get these days with your ADD and ADHD. I gotta keep you motivated! So go ahead, look around all you want! Enjoy the brand new post-trial world til you explode!" after the bear said that bit, he vanished again.
"A new world…?" Makoto muttered.
"Is he talking about… a way to get outside?" Hina asked excitedly.
"That seems… unlikely," Celeste commented.
"Well, we don't know til we look!" Mondo shouted.
"Whatever he meant, it seems we'll have to search the school one more time," Sakura pointed out.
"Okay, then let's split up and start investigating!" Taka announced, "When you're done, everyone meet back up at the dining hall and we'll share what we found!"
"You're basically a one-trick pony, you know that?" Byakuya snarked.
"More like a stable food source! Now let's get moving!" Taka commanded.
"Ha! Stables!" Karasu giggled madly, clutching her stomach as she ran out and up the stair. She turned sharply to the left and ran down that hallway. She skidded to a halt before a pinkish-purple door with an anchor decal labeled 'Pool'. She heaved the door open and slipped inside.
"Gahh!" Karasu gasped, "Why is there a gun!?"
Her mind whirled until she came to the conclusion that attempting to go into the changing room of the opposite sex would be rewarded with gunfire. She decided that she would play it safe and stay on the left side of the room. On the girls' side. As close to the wall as possible.
Karasu walked up to the door labeled 'Girls' and turned the handle.
*Rattle rattle*
It was locked. However, there was what appeared to be a card reader on the wall beside the door. Absentmindedly, Karasu reached into her bag and swiped her Handbook across the scanner. There was a small flash of green light and the click of a lock and she dropped her handbook-it slid under a nearby kickboard shelf.
She fell forward, hitting the floor with a soft whoosh. She clicked her beak and pushed herself up with her black wings. '...wings?' Karasu thought idly.
"Look guys! There's a pool! POOL POOL POOL POOL POOL!" a familiar voice chanted excitedly.
'Crap…' Karasu cursed before the door flew open and Hina, Chihiro, and Celeste walked in. They all stared at each other for what felt like forever, before Hina darted over and scooped her up off the ground.
"Aw, how did you get in here?" Hina cooed sweetly. As Chihiro and Celeste rushed over.
"Look at those eyes! Such a lovely shade of green…" Chihiro murmured.
"You do realize what this means, yes?" Celeste asked. Karasu cocked her head and stared at Celeste. She could see her thirst, her desire to escape this 'god forsaken place'. She froze, shocked. It wasn't that Celeste had avoided eye contact with her at all, she merely never tried to see what she was thinking. 'Suddenly turning into a bird would shake anyone's composure I suppose…' Karasu thought idly. Her mind-reading ability was the first and only a bit of magic she had complete control over, it almost instinctively responded to her will.
"Hey, guys! Makoto greeted, "Why is there a bird here?"
"We found it sitting over there!" Hina gestured to the Girl's Locker Room.
"You realize that if a bird is able to get in then there may be a way out, right?" Celeste asked exasperatedly.
"Caw Caw," Karasu said as she tried to say, "No, I've been here since this game started-gah!"
Hina had started running. She was soon followed by Makoto, Celeste, and Chihiro. Together they burst into the library, where they found Kyoko, Hifumi, Toko, and Byakuya searching.
"Secrets of the Darkest Art? Magical Creature Encyclopedia? Moste Potente Potions? The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts? Common Magical Ailments and Afflictions?" Byakuya read aloud incredulously. He dropped the books back onto the dusty table, "Ridiculous."
"Everyone! Look at this!" Hina shouted into Karasu's ear and she squawked in protest. Suddenly, all eyes were focused on her. Karasu ruffled her feathers nervously.
"Get everyone together," someone commanded but Karasu wasn't paying attention. She was not going to parade around with everyone as a bird. Now just when to make her escape…
She didn't have to wait long. Everyone exited the library and into the hallway. She pushed off and flapped her wings.
She may have lost her memories, but she was certain she was born to fly.
She flew back towards the first-floor stairway and spotted the blocked off stairwell to the third floor. The tip of her left wing gently brushed the wall as she turned sharply to the right.
"After it!" Hifumi announced in a deep voice. Heavy footsteps followed but she was almost there. She could slip through the gate and escape. Karasu dove for the gap in the gate, tucking her wings close to her body. She slipped through and spread her wings. She made it. She did a little loop-de-loop in her euphoria.
She landed on the third floor with a little hop. 'Huh, so I can jump but not walk without falling on my face… That's right I'm a bird now… How do I change back?' Karasu wondered idly.
She lifted up one foot and placed it a centimeter in front of her; she wobbled but stayed upright. Then her other foot. She didn't wobble that time-she had bobbed her head instinctively.
She took a few more steps forward before she bumped into a wall. Karasu shook her head and tried to walk backward, failed and ended up on her back. She scrambled to her feet. 'That's right… I can't see anything in front of me,' Karasu realized-mentally wincing at her oversight, 'But overall, I see more as a bird…'
Out of her left eye, she spotted a door with a round, blue window. She flew up to the handle and stretched out her neck-she suddenly got the vision of a woman that reminded her of a horse do the say to peek over a fence. By the looks of it, it was a rec room; it had a pool table, a game of darts, a locker, a magazine rack, a couple chairs, a loveseat, a display case, and a small table.
'I need to get a better look, how do I open this door… as a bird?' Karasu asked herself. Inspiration struck and she hopped up and down repeatedly, trying to turn the handle. It didn't budge. She turned around and hung upside-down like a bat, flapping her wings. She managed to rotate it slightly, but it wasn't worth the effort. Even if she did manage to turn the handle completely, the door swung in and she doubted her small bird body would be able to push it open. She let go and flew back up to the handle.
She glowered at her reflection in the glass through her left eye. She was a small bird covered in black feathers and had unusually bright green eyes. 'Celeste was right… my eyes are unusual… I don't think I've heard of a bird with eyes this green even with my memories removed,' Karasu thought to herself, 'Wait a minute… I could just break the glass and fly in!' Why didn't she think of it sooner? She turned her head and lunged.
TAP
Karasu stumbled back-her wings flew up to her beak-and fell to the floor, landing on her back. She had forgotten she was perched on a handle. Her brain felt like it was rattling in her skull. 'Why do I get the feeling someone's laughing at me?' she wondered.
~Elsewhere~
"Ah haha hahaha ha!" a certain someone behind the scenes laughed hysterically.
'No matter. I need to become human again!' Karasu thought desperately. Her red dress. Her bag. Her shoes. Her glasses. Her long, unruly hair. Her golden eyes. Her lightning-bolt scar.
She spread her wings on the floor beside her-as if she were about to make a snow angel. She could picture her original, human form clearly in her mind.
"Ouch!" Karasu yelped and jumped to her feet. Her feet had been pressed against the door and her hair was pinned beneath her so that when her legs grew longer, her hair was pulled.
But that didn't matter. She could open doors again. The doorknob was no match for her human hands. "Yes!" Karasu cheered gleefully, jumping up and down.
After she was satisfied with her investigation of the Rec Room, she checked both classrooms and them made her way to the Art Room. The back wall was covered in a variety of art-there was also a door leading to another room. There were four desks, eight stools, five statues, six canvases, and six lockers. The highest quality statue was the one depicting Monokuma.
She ignored that statue and walked swiftly to the door-even as a shiver ran down her spine. 'It just looks so much like the real thing…' Karasu noticed. She opened the door and walked into what appeared to be a storage room specifically for art supplies. Various art supplies, like paint brushes, mallets, chisels, etc. lined the opposite wall. Along the right wall were canvases of many different sizes and some easels. Along the left, however, was a shelf filled with paper and a shelf filled with kickboards.
'I'd expect more stuff is organized within the cabinet… what's that?' Karasu thought as she noticed a piece of paper on the ground. As she walked over to pick it up, she realized that it wasn't a piece of paper but a photo. A photo of Mondo, Leon, and Chihiro.
She stumbled back, shocked.
"That's mine!" Monokuma growled and made to snatch it up. Karasu, however, got to it first. "Give it back!" Monokuma demanded, waving his little arms around, "And you shouldn't be up here!"
"Why not? I thought I could explore at my own discretion," Karasu asked.
"With minimal restriction!" Monokuma reminded her.
"Oh, they were definitely minimal. They were so easy to bypass," Karasu snarked at the bear.
"I… You...Graah!" the bear snarled before he disappeared, leaving Karasu alone in the repository. She carefully placed the photo in her bag then placed her fists on her hips proudly. She practically skipped out into the hallway and down to a room labeled Physics Lab with a rather large machine inside.
"What is that?" Karasu asked aloud, 'I probably shouldn't touch it…'
She then tried to make sense of the monitors next to the machine. 'It says… stuff…' Needless to say, she had no idea where to begin and decided to move on. She spotted a digital camera out of the corner of her eye.
'I think I'll just leave it here… I can't think of any reason I would want it. Plus I don't think I will be able to show it to my classmates without any awkward questions.' Karasu thought as she headed towards the adjacent room, 'But I can easily pass the photo along without raising suspicion.'
The adjacent room appeared to be a storage room. It was rather messy, but there was plenty of room to walk.
Suddenly, she realized with a jolt, she was supposed to be meeting with the other once she finished exploring. Panicked, she ran from the room, down the hallway, and down the stairs; she skidded to a halt before the security gate. There was no one in sight. 'They must be in the cafeteria… for my plan to work I am going to need to get to the cafeteria as a bird… but that's not going to happen if I am stuck up here.' Karasu analyzed her situation carefully then closed her eyes.
She pictured she was looking in a mirror. She imagined that instead of looking at her own reflection that she was looking at the bird's reflection. She felt like she was getting lighter, more fragile, and covered in pitch black feathers. 'I did it. I probably should practice this transformation though… it could help me stay sane in this place; I feel less complex somehow…' Karasu noted as she squeezed through the bars then focused on her human form.
She thought happily, that the transformation was becoming second nature to her and she trotted happily back to the pool; she hoped to recover her handbook. Luckily for her, it was still hidden beneath the shelves. She slid it into her bag and left the room.
Now she just needed to fly into the cafeteria before nighttime.
She quickly morphed into a bird and soared through the hallways. When she approached the cafeteria entrance, by a stroke of pure luck, Mondo opened the door just in time to soar into the room.
"What the hell!" Mondo shouted, startled as he ducked.
"Mondo! Watch your language, this is a school environment!" Taka scolded.
"Is this the bird you were talking about?" Kyoko asked as she stared at the bird.
"It is," Hina replied instantly.
"But when I checked the windows, there was no spot that I noticed that a bird of that size could fit through. There were no holes. Period," Sakura reported.
"Perhaps there is a hole on the 3rd floor?" Celeste put forth.
"Maybe," Kyoko responded, "But for now we should head to back to our dorms. Nighttime is almost upon us."
No one argued and Karasu watched as everyone filed out of the cafeteria. She didn't have to wait long.
*Ding dong, bing bong*
"Mm, ahem, this is a school announcement. It is now 10 PM. As such, it is officially night time. Soon the doors to the cafeteria will be locked, and entry at that point is strictly prohibited," Monokuma announced. 'That could potentially be a problem… but he never said anything about exiting the cafeteria,' Karasu thought as she smirked-well as much as a bird could anyway.
"Okay then...sweet dreams, everyone! Good night, sleep tight, don't let the bedbugs bite…" Monokuma finished and as soon as the announcement ended, the cafeteria door's lock clicked.
She circled around the ground close to the kitchen and landed, shifting back into a young girl the instant her feet touched the ground. She ran into the kitchen, snatching up anything she could find that was long, thin, and green.
Once she felt like she had enough, she began to weave it into a makeshift nest. Once finished-it was still a bit flimsy-she scanned the room for somewhere to place the nest.
'There!' Karasu thought as she stared at the camera mounted on the ceiling. She climbed on top of a nearby counter and gently placed the nest atop the camera.
"It's perfect," she exclaimed excitedly. This was going to work beautifully. Everyone would unite to uncover the mysteries of this school. There would be no more murders. She couldn't help it; she hopped off the counter and did a little jig.
Preparations complete, Karasu skipped out of the kitchen and up to the locked door. Unfortunately, the door did not lock from the inside but rather electronically.
'Damn it, how am I supposed to get out!?' Karasu cursed.
*Click*
Karasu furrowed her eyebrows and reach out and pulled. The door swung open easily. "HEY," Monokuma shouted as she appeared in front of her.
Karasu gave him an unimpressed look. "What is it?" she asked in a bored tone.
"The cafeteria is off limits at nighttime!" Monokuma ranted furiously.
"I was under the impression that entering the cafeteria during night time was forbidden. You said nothing about what happened if you left the cafeteria or stayed in the cafeteria," Karasu rushed on before Monokuma could get a word in, "Besides a little demon like you should realize what this means."
The bear seemed to ponder her words. "Mean what?"
Karasu smirked, he had taken the bait. "Why that means that if someone was dumb enough to try to get something to eat would find that they could enter. And say they just happen to be foolish enough to enter; you would get to punish the poor sap. Wouldn't that make a little death-loving demon like you happy?" Karasu asked mockingly.
"Are you sure about that?" Monokuma's red eye glowed ominously.
"Yes," Karasu said confidently. Grasping at straws, she replied slowly, "By your own rules, I would technically be an accomplice to murder as I didn't actually do the killing myself."
Apparently, that was the right thing to say, because the bear grinned maliciously (It was always grinning), "I can't wait to see how you use these loopholes to murder!"
The bear ran off, his last bit said, and Karasu path was clear. She let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. She walked to her dorm and unlocked it. Closing it behind her, she locked it and didn't bother to take her bag off.
Tomorrow she would carry out Phase 2 of her plan.
Author's Note: First update of two this month! I wonder what Karasu is planning… if you PM me with what Phase 2 is and get it correct. Guess what? You'll get a shout out! Needless to say, I would appreciate it if possible theories stay out of the reviews. I will not message you back however if you decide to participate, you'll just have to wait until the next update to see if you got the shout-out! Also, while this is a crossover and while I will need to change a few things, I would appreciate it if you PM me if notice any inaccurate detail. And one that note, I would like to wish you a good day and remind you to favorite, follow, and review!
