Note: Whoot! We reached 1000 watchers on both AO3 and Fanfiction last night! Go team! :3
For celebration, I'll also post chapter eight later today!
(Though it's also because chapter eight is pretty short, and I would feel bad about making people wait for it.)
Kamukura Izuru
Age: Early Twenties
Gender: Male
Height: Too damn tall
Notes: Apathetic, enjoys mind games for some reason. Does not like lunch. Apparently, he misses someone who tried to fix Ultimate Despair and ended up dying.
Makoto sighed, dropping his pen when he realized that he really didn't have enough information to write about the guy. He was just… Too mysterious . He didn't give enough away.
The notebook was very important to Makoto's cause at the moment, as it contained his secret plan, Operation: Make Ultimate Despair Not Despairful . At the moment, he was writing out profiles for all of the members and keeping track of his progress with everyone. He had actually been rather productive when snooping around.
His lunches spent with Tanaka, Nidai, and Soda had ended up becoming a regular thing. Hanamura also stopped by to chat after he handed out the food. It was rather easy to weasel information out of the guys when they had let their guard down.
The first thing he found out was that his theory was right, Ultimate Despair did, in fact, bring the world to its knees. History seemed to be a bit of a touchy subject for the all of the members, so other than knowing that some Hope's Peak Academy students had revolted and caused a riot, Makoto didn't fully understand how a group of teenagers had managed to take down Japan… Much less seemingly a majority of the planet.
Next, he learned the importance of all the members he had met (or heard of) so far. Kuzuryuu and some 'shitty-ass princess' became the head honchos after Enoshima had died. The princess, whoever she was, seemed to rule Europe, while Kuzuryuu's yakuza were spread across Japan and North America.
Saionji was on break from "slitting African throats" while Nidai and Owari were in charge of training and commanding troops. Mikan was, well, a nurse, personally in charge of caring for Ultimate Despair. Finally, Soda pretty much commanded the monokuma like his slaves (actually everyone except Makoto seemed to do that) and pretty much did everything that involved mechanics. Including keeping the prison-base up and running. They seemed like the next tier of power.
He really didn't know where Hanamura and Tanaka really fell within the power scheme… But the both of them seemed to be well respected in the group for their individual talents.
Finally was Nagito, he… Didn't seem well liked. No one had really said what his purpose in the organization was, other than just… Being a member.
Well, apparently all of the Remnants of Despair were in the class above him. Junko had decided to go after their generation specifically, and Nagito was sorta looped into the charade by association.
Jotting down that final note, Makoto sighed. He knew he had to be crafty with his book because Kuzuryuu would not be happy if he found it. Most of the Remnants of Despair would be upset, actually.
Especially considering how he had started hatching his escape plan within the book.
Humming, he flipped to the page which contained a few of his more escape-orientated notes. The best idea he had for escape so far was to hijack a keycard from someone as use that as his ticket to the first floor. The ground floor apparently was treated as a garage for vehicles and weaponry, meaning that he could easily steal a truck or a van and swipe his handy-dandy keycard at the gate before zooming off.
It was simple, but one of the best ideas he could come up with.
The major problem was who to get a card from, and how. Certainly, they wouldn't just give him one (at least not one will full access) so in all likelihood, he would have to steal one.
His most favourable targets were Mikan, Soda, or Owari. The latter two seemed to be the… Uh, spaciest, of the group, so if he swiped their card, they might just think they lost it. Mikan seemed to be clumsy and absent-minded, not to mention how she broke down almost every time she saw him, so he could see himself taking her card when she's distracted with… Well, crying .
Just as he nodded himself and decided it would be a good idea to jot down new thoughts, a stampede of angry footsteps platters just outside his door.
Acting quick, Makoto dove towards Enoshima's old bed (which he still hadn't slept on, and his shoulders were angry at him because of it) and stuffed the notepad and pen underneath the mattress. It was the safest place he could think of hiding it outside of his underwear drawer. Which he really didn't' want to do.
They wouldn't defile Enoshima's his bed, would they?
Wham !
The door slammed open with much more force than necessary, revealing an angry looking Kuzuryuu with his foot outstretched.
"I just got word that Nevermind will be arriving tomorrow, meaning that we gotta start whipping you into shape!"
Makoto gulped. He hoped that the yakuza meant whipping metaphorically.
The blond marched over to the trembling teen and wrapped his elbow around his neck, tightening a little more than necessary.
He leaned in real close, his single red eye gleaming with what Makoto could only hope was excitement. "Why don't the two of us take a lil walk?" he sneered.
With that, the older man started pulling the younger out into the hallway, and towards his own quarters. Their rooms were actually pretty close to each other, which meant that Makoto was being roughly shoved into Kuzuryuu's bedroom before he could fully register what was happening.
Kuzuryuu's room was similar to Junko's. It didn't have many personal items and seemed to only be here for when the man needed to sleep. There was a large black satin bed pushed against the wall, a mahogany desk messily covered in an assortment of papers…
And a glass case filled to the brim with weapons. Knives, swords, guns . Oh, the yakuza seemed to be especially fond of guns.
These things looked like they packed quite a lot of firepower - not that the teen knew much about weaponry. The knives and swords were all long and impossibly sharp. Katana's seemed to be popular, though there were a few curved blades that Makoto couldn't name.
"Okay Mr Successor, it's time to get started on your despair lessons. First rule: You're currently the underlying, so youes got to respect the higher members - like me." wow, obedience straight out of the gate, "Secondly, I know youes been thinking about ditching us. Let me tell you this now, you have absolutely no chance of getting out of here on your own."
All Makoto could do was helplessly nod. Though, he felt like his escape plan had a bit higher of a success rate than Kuzuryuu believed.
"Now," the suit-wearing man grinned, rubbing his hands together, "We get to the good stuff. Despair ."
A ringed finger was pointing directly at his nose as Kuzuryuu grinned, "Okay kid, what's the best way of inducing despair?"
"Uh," Makoto said, rather graceful might he add, "Killing people?"
"No! Or, uh, yes? God dammit Naegi! " Kuzuryuu snapped, stomping his foot somewhat indignantly, "You need to put more passion into it! If you want to create despair, then act like it! "
"But… I don't want to induce despair." the teen pouted.
Rolling his eyes, Kuzuryuu crossed his arms. "When are youes gonna accept the fact that you're her successor?!"
This time, Makoto rolled his eyes, suddenly feeling braver than he had ever been, "I'm not her successor! You guys kidnapped me! Why do you think I want to escape?! "
For a split second, Kuzuryuu looked, disappointed… In himself? Which was rather strange, seeing as he only ever had disappointment for everyone else around him - more specifically, Naegi. His face looked like it belonged on an entirely different person...
It almost looked like… He had never considered that Makoto had been kidnapped. Like he felt being brought here was the best thing that could ever happen to the nineteen-year-old.
Actually, a realization dawned over Makoto… Maybe that's exactly what he thought?
He suddenly remembered asking the others about despair over their first lunch together.
Despair is the enrichment of the human soul! It is the only proper way for a human being to live, thus are the words of Enoshima!
Only the highest quality of despair is befitting a demon of my standards.
A hope freak… Refusing to give into the greatness of despair.
Had these people been tricked?
Had they been… Manipulated by Enoshima?
But before the teen could express those thoughts, Kuzuryuu was making a disgruntled sound while his foot shot out to kick down a nearby end table.
"This isn't going to work!" he yelled.
The man huffed, throwing out a few curses that Makoto didn't even know existed, let alone being something he would willingly repeat. The yakuza threw his arms into the air and stormed out of the room. Which was a little awkward, considering that Makoto was now sitting alone in Kuzuryuu's bedroom .
Looking around the room that he was in, Makoto decided this was probably going to be his best chance to actually snoop.
Moving over to the desk, the Ultimate Hope peeked over his shoulder at the door just to be sure that Kuzuryuu wasn't going to be entering anytime soon. He could hear faint shouting from down the hallway - near Peko's room - and decided that it was probably as safe as it would ever be.
He was careful with the documents. If he moved them too much than the blond would most likely notice. Shivering, Makoto tried not to think about what that would entail
Deciding to read through the document titled Intel of the Future Foundation, Makoto quickly got to work scanning the pages.
An organization focused on bringing hope?
…
Who's Yukizome?
After what felt like hours, but it was really only minutes, the doorknob to the room turned. Makoto slid the document onto the desk and stepped away in a panicked flurry.
An exasperated Kuzuryuu stepped through the door, holding a hand to his head as if he had a headache. Peko was silently trailing behind him, as usual, and the boss sent Makoto a look that was between annoyance and hatred.
"Come on kid, we're gonna try an alternative method."
Huh? Alternative method?
Before the ahgoe owner could process what he had said, Kuzuryuu grabbed his left arm - Peko gripping his right - and the two shoved towards the comfortable armchair Kuzuryuu usually sat in. The chair was pushed up real close to the television, and Makoto was a little unsure how healthy this was for his eyes.
Y'know, and the fact that both of his shoulders were being held in a vice-grip by Kuzuryuu. The man's dull nails began to dig into his clothes, sending a shock of pain down his spine. Heart thumping, anxiety began to clog at Makoto's throat.
What the hell? What the hell?
Whats going on?!
"Peko, play it." the yakuza order sternly.
The rooms atmosphere suddenly got very dense.
The guard nodded, before slipping a (very outdated) VHS into a player. The TV's screen lit up as the lights suddenly dimmed out.
The hands on his shoulder suddenly got tighter, nails digging in deeper as Makoto tried to pull away. Kuzuryuu leaned down, creepily whispering in his ear, "Make sure you get a good view of this. It's gonna be great ."
The black TV screen flickers with static, flashing several times as a warped sound played softly. Just enough to barely he heard in the back of his mind.
A monokuma sat happily grinning away, surrounded by a friendly mixture of miscellaneous items. The screen warped and suddenly the items were coated with a blood that nearly looked bright pink in the lighting.
Static filled the screen. Flashing of light, red, white, black. It all began to swirl together as the hauntingly warped sound began to get louder - louder .
Makoto felt himself drift away from reality, his eyes wide and unblinking as the screen continued to warp. It flashed. Pink blood splattered at the screen.
It flashed.
A smiling Maizono was now on the screen, bright pink trails running down her cheeks like tears.
He couldn't decipher what was real or what was fake. His head was spinning.
A man lunged at another, plunging a knife into a chest. Pink filled the screen. A child's laughter played in the background, warped and distorted. More children joined in.
A man was slitting a woman's throat. A child helplessly cried in the background.
There was a disturbing wail that sounded oddly similar to Makoto's own voice.
R!
Makoto violently shook his head, pushing up against the hands of a now laughing Kuzuryuu.
His head spun. His stomach lurched violently.
A scream rang through the air. Makoto couldn't tell if it came for the video or his own throat.
The world swam.
G I V E
I N
T O
R!
Everything was a mixture of colours and TV static. The world tipped and swam. His feet felt no longer connected to the ground. He couldn't feel the weight of Kuzuryuu's hands on his shoulders.
There was a hollowing chant in his head.
Give in.
Give in.
Makoto felt himself collide with a door and pushed his body to fling himself into the room beyond.
Black tiles and red walls greeted him.
When had he made it to his room?
His cheeks were wet. His throat was hoarse. He vaguely heard his name being shouted from all sides.
His chest was caving in on itself. There was a horrible pulling pain at his scalp… Was he doing that? Were his fingers locked with his hair, pulling until the roots snapped?
Yes. Yes, they were.
Blood coated at his fingers.
"Makoto!"
Quivering knees brought him sailing forward into the… Whatever the hell this was. Vision twirling and mashing colours like a kaleidoscope, all Makoto could vaguely interpret was a field of black and white and the subtle smell of lavender.
"Makoto… You must not give into despair! You cannot !"
Taking one last breath, Makoto surrendered himself to the ocean of blackness.
Note:
After watching both the dr anime scenes where Yukizome watches the despair video, and Makoto watches the suicide video, I decided to combine the two a little bit.
Oh, and just to explain why the Despair Video didn't have a full effect on our little hopester, here a little quote:
"As the Ultimate Hope, Makoto proves to have an immunity to Junko's tactics, built to make people fall into despair." - Makoto's wiki page.
So if Kuzuryuu wanted something like the despair video to work, then he would have to shatter Naegi's hope and make him no longer the Ultimate Hope. ಠ⌣ಠ
I'll post the next chapter sometime tonight! Cya then.
Next time: Makoto starts up his spy mode with the help of an unlikely ally, and Sonia finally decided to join the party.
