Chapter 1-2: Goodbye, My Love

"Let's be friends, kay, Shiro?" Kazuhiko smiled at me. His smile was infectious, spreading some sort of hope to those who have seen it. Nothing was brighter than his grin, not even the Ultimate Hope himself, Matoko Kirigiri. It is the essence of my hope that is now gone forever.

"If you say so..."

Time seems to stop.

This makes no sense. Why is Kazuhiko dead? I knew there was something off about what the world told us about the third class, but this does not feel real. How long has the other Killing Game been going on? They have been missing for months now. More people should have found it weird that Hope's Peak accepted another class this early after the last one goes on a field trip.

But Kazuhiko? How did Kazuhiko die? This looks more like an execution than a murder, so why would Kazuhiko try to kill another person? This makes no sense. Where is Ayano in all of this? Did she really allow Kazuhiko to do something so idiotic again? And most of all...just why?

If I was younger, I would be crying, but this is not the time. Emotions should be truly felt after I somehow get everybody out of this situation by a means other than murder. I will not go through the path Kazuhiko decided to take. That lacks logic. Kazuhiko was not a logical person so he got himself manipulated by the mastermind. Having too severe of emotions in this game will only cause your death.

"Looks like my students love this motive! Remember to thank Jun after you kill somebody!" Monokuma exclaims. He then does a disappearing act. Even with the bear gone, the kitchen feels way too cramped.

"Well, that's certainly something! I'm gonna go now!" Etsuko herself is even somewhat shocked by Monokuma's motive. Her face is a crude mix of excitement and fear. However, she leaves the room before anyone can get a good look at her.

"...Wait! Etsuko! I don't want to chase after you like in all the anime. Oh no, I gotta do that now! BRB." Emilynn chases after her. It reminds me somewhat of the way Kazuhiko would chase after everybody. Especially Ayano and Akita.

"Death! Death! Death! It must be the new cat beanie my mother gave to her coworker for her new child! Cat beanies are cursed! I should've known!" Mizore is being...Mizore. I feel like Etsuko is someday going to get the idea of giving caffeine to Mizore.

Before I can experience the reactions of the rest of the group, I also leave. I expect that Asuka can take care of herself and the other girls in there. Now I just need to spend some time alone to think about a lot of things. The best way to spend this free time will be in my room.

I stare at the window leading into space in my bedroom. Honestly, it is the only thing of note. The stars give me some kind of comfort in these trying days. Nobody may be dead yet on this ship but I highly doubt it will be staying that way for a long time. There is also the issue of what all the other boys are doing on the opposite side of the ship. I may know why I was put here...and that somehow makes things worse. Calm down, Shiro. Becoming too emotional will get in the way to getting out of here alive. As the oldest member of this game, I should be an example.

Then again, Kazuhiko was most likely the oldest member of his game and he ended up dead. I should be more careful with that line of reasoning. There must be a more rational way to think about all of this. Kazuhiko would want me to live. If he felt pressured to kill, maybe it is because he thought he could save everybody and was wrong? And how is Ayano doing? She can take care of herself but she was extremely close to Kazuhiko. They were lovers, that is a given, yet they were also best friends. Who knew the horror of Kotori's experiments can bring people closer together? This is the closest I ever felt to jealousy in this context. Better check on those emotions.

The best thing to do now that I am calmed down is to see how the girls are doing. They might be worried about me and feeling those emotions is certainly not good in this context. Worry can easily be morphed into paranoia. Paranoia is the best way for Monokuma to force us to kill each other in this situation.

Pulling out my student handbook, I examine that all of the girls are in the hobby room. That strikes me as weird but maybe it took me more time than I thought to get into this state of mind.

Walking towards the hobby room, I stop near the room that Yuu and Yuuki are being held in. I try to open the door to see that it is locked. The boys must be communicating with them. This might be useful for getting to know them and the other side of the ship better.

Now outside the room to the hobby room, I take a deep breath before grabbing the door handle. Even I can accept that this group of girls can be hard to control, especially together. I would not want to be the teacher in charge of the whole class. I would not want to be a teacher at Hope's Peak in general since the classes usually have their fair share of eccentric characters and teachers have horrible pay compared to my job as a composer.

Then I open the door to see...

That all of the girls are together, playing some sort of video game. Paying closer attention reveals that it is some sort of game with cars. It would not surprise me to hear either Mei or Emilynn came up with this plan.

"Oh, Shiro!" Mei runs towards me, still playing the game. She is easily defeating the other girls which include Emilynn. Emilynn's luck does not seem to defeat Mei's skill. The four girls playing right now are Mei, Emilynn, Etsuko, and Mizore. Etsuko is in dead last but I could tell by her smirk she has something planned or is purposefully throwing the game. "You should play the next round with Asuka, Natsuki, Sachiko, and Ichiko. Which one of you wants out?"

"I d-don't know how to play v-video games. Can I be out?" Sachiko asks. Mei nods her head as she uses some sort of power to knock back a car that was getting too close to her liking. Mizore sighs.

"Those blue shells! I knew blue shells were the devil! The devil clearly picked up some blue shells after playing a game and losing against that one guy. Aw, that blows! Like in movies-"

"And people thought I was crazy," Emilynn interrupts, laughing. There is some pain behind that laugh though. They must be taken aback by what they saw but must not know anyone personally in the photos. That is strange, though, since I am sure that Mei has a sister in the third class. Could their relationship be so bad that Mei does not care about the fact that she is dead?

"And finished! Whoo!" Mei exclaims. She then hands her controller to me. "Make sure Princess Daisy keeps her winning streak, lover boy."

"Truly, the act of people playing video games is worth analyzing more. The pure mix of emotions everybody displays is so enthralling!" Etsuko says. She is not upset as Emilynn reaches second and Mizore third, leaving her dead last. "No wonder there were many video channels back in the old days dedicated to this simple act-"

"It is not a simple act!" Mei and Emilynn proclaim at the same time. They turn to face each other and start to laugh. It reminds me of the old days where I would do that with Ayano and Kazuhiko. Sometimes Ayano's friend, Kyoto, would come along too. I wonder how he's doing. "I will teach you!"

Instead of the scheduled next match, the two girls try to teach Etsuko how to play video games. It will not surprise me if she actually knows how and is testing or playing with the both of them. All of the other girls are off doing their own thing. Even though most of them wear smiles, or something similar, I could still tell that they are trying to hide their true emotions about the game. All but one of us are going to die. And I am sure that some of them just saw their first dead body. They should not repress their emotions like this, it will only make them more powerful and consume your being. Then again, I am not one to talk. Everybody has their moments of hypocrisy.

I feel out of place in this room. Not wanting to experience the negative feelings Monokuma desires me too, I make my way out of the room once I am sure nobody is watching. There is a pain in my chest that I need to get rid of. This...feeling of jealousy. I know where it comes from, I am mature enough to know myself, but this is something I should not be thinking about. Monokuma clearly wants me to.

Maybe it is the best to be with somebody else. Not expressing my true feelings but to stop this feeling. It is hard to relate to people who are younger and the opposite gender I am. Perhaps I should visit Yuu and Yuuki? Spending time with them will most likely improve their mental state as well.

This time the door is open. Walking inside, I see that Yuu and Yuki look the same that they did at the beginning of this all. The both of them, however, are down. Perhaps unlike the girls, they are allowing themselves to feel the true emotions of this game. They would be the only ones if this was the case, at least on this side. A part of me desires to know how the boys are doing and to finally meet them.

"Yuu, what's this commoner's name again. I desire to greet them as a princess should!" Yuki is still proud of herself. Seeing somebody like her is actually refreshing in a weird sort of way. Like a feeling of nostalgic deja vu.

"Shiro," Yu answers. He gives off the vibe of not wanting to talk. I am about to leave the room with my proper goodbyes before something stops me. Yuki is holding onto my hand.

"Shiro, I never said you could leave. I demand you to spend some of your time with us."

Do you want to free time with Yuu and Yuki Akimoto?

Yes/No

"Now think of something to talk about!" Yuki huffs like a small child. Although she must have gone through a lot, there is still the essence of a child inside Yuki. Yuu, on the other hand, is different. I cannot tell how and I do not like jumping to conclusions, especially based on a pure gut feeling.

"I was just checking on how the two of you were doing. I did not prepare anything to talk about," I reply.

"Music." Yuu's response catches the attention of Yuki and I. It is clear to see who is the brain and the heart in their relationship, just like it was for Kazuhiko and Ayano...That precious idiot was too kind for his own good. Maybe that is why I like him so much, he is...was so open to express himself unlike Ayano and I. It is true when they say that opposites attract. "Since my sister is too dumb to think about it."

"Aw, Yuu, I am smarter than you!" Even though the two of them are making fun of each other, I sense that it does not come from a place of malice. Yuki is smiling after all. Her brother must know how to cheer her up. Only if...this is no time to think about that. Calm.

"Music, Yuki."

"Well, as the more talented of the two of us, I'm the wonderful vocals! Yuu is pretty much good at any instrument...but people came to see us for an entirely different reason..." Yuki looks seldom for a moment. "Enough about that, my loyal subject Shiro! What's your favorite? You're like...a composer or something, right?" It strikes me as odd that Yuki remembers that but not my name.

"I compose music. My favorite song to compose would be Clair de Lune by Debussy."

"Debussy? That's how you say it!" Yuki exclaims while still pronouncing the name wrong. I have heard everybody mess up the pronunciation of old musical tracks, so I am definitely used to it by now.

"I've been telling you that for years-"

"Oh! Once we get out of here, we should perform a concert together! Be glad for this rare opportunity, Shiro Amari!" Yuki shouts. Now I am confused about how she remembers my last name. "Then we'll have the money to quit the Sakura Circus! It has never been the same since...oh...oops." She realizes that she has said too much and retreats back into herself. I would ask for more information, but the look in both of the twin's eyes tell me not to.

"..." The three of us sit in silence for a couple minutes. I go into a state of meditation to help control the emotions building up inside me.

"This is boring! Talk about something else!" Yuki puffs out her cheeks and places her hand on her hip. She tries to do the same for the other hand, but Yuu does not allow her too. He is trying to hide that his cheeks are puffed out too. I know that I am stuck with the role of breaking the silence.

"Um...Yuu and Yuki, are you dog or cat people?" I should have known the floodgates that would open by asking this question. Asking some of my siblings the same thing yield interesting results. I am neutral on both dogs and cats, finding them to be equal. Perhaps the pet that I am closest to is the rabbit since that was the only pet I was allowed to have as a child. She was a white rabbit so my parents named her Shiro like me.

"Dog!"

"Cat!"

It does not surprise me when the twins start to fight. Yuki is going on about cats while Yuu is trying to convince her on why dogs are better pets. This was not a good idea, so I will note that in the future. Maybe Etsuko will like this topic.

"Awwwwww...I need to pee!" Yuki cries out. That is the first time I realized that the two of them do not have any access to any sort of toilet. They also have to sit in the same chair all day so I do not want to imagine the pain they are in right now.

I do, however, do not want to ask personal questions. Monokuma, although he is sadistic, he does not wish to torture us in this way. He probably has something to gather up their waste and throws it out to outer space. That would be a good way to manage the amount of trash on this ship.

"I shall be going on my way then." I am about to leave the room again before I hear Yuki's voice call out to me. She clearly needs to go, and Yuu is trying to look cool as he holds the same waste in.

"The boys want to communicate through us...but here's the catch! We're gonna use the nicknames! Clearly, I'm Queen." That sounds like a good idea so I nod my head. "Can you be a good servant and tell the other commoners?"

"I will. Goodbye, Yuu and Yuki." When I reach the other side of the door, I take a deep breath and decide that I should go back to where the girls are. They probably are back to playing their game together and wondering where I am.

"Oh, Shiro-chan~" Monokuma then pops out of nowhere. If I was younger, I would be shocked, but I will not give Monokuma the reaction he wants. There is a low chance of survival so might as well not give the teddy bear what he wants.

"Excuse me, Monokuma, I will be taking my leave."

"How did you like my little gift? I'm sure you loved it! Puhuhuhu, seeing the boy of your dreams like that must crush your heart..." There is a silence. "Um...get it, Shiro-chan? Because he was crushed. Aw, forget it, stick in the mud, you're not fun!"

"I assure you I am not a stick in the mud, but I will make sure you will not win Monokuma," I tell him. I look down at the teddy bear. It is tempting to do something, anything, to Monokuma, yet that will only end up with you being killed. That is not a good course of action. No logic in attempting the escape the inevitable. Might as well make it so the mastermind will suffer along with us.

"Shiro-chan, you should know what happens to people who say things like that." Monokuma then uses a vent that is above us to make his escape. He is probably messing with the girls or boys.

"I know, but I will not be like them." There is no way I will allow the incident at the apartments to repeat itself. That is the wrong course to take for any person, so I will continue on this path. It is the logical thing to do. Being an adult comes with its advantages that Monokuma does not realize since he has only worked with teenagers and Yasuhiro. I take the first step down the path of the destiny I am choosing for myself.

I swear, Kazuhiko, I will not allow these children to go through what you have. The mastermind will pay for taking you away from this world, especially Ayano and I.

See, I said this chapter was almost finished! I've already explained everything in the latest FoD chapter. It is highly recommended that you read these stories at the same time (of course, you don't have to), so, if you are not reading FoD, then yeah. I don't want to write to the same thing that I just did yesterday because I'm lazy (says the girl working on three SYOCs the same time).

Reviews~

mayurie-Thanks. ^.^ Best ship. Shiro is just going with the flow. Mizore is...Mizore. Kazuhiko is the trash man once again. You should know me by now, everything is connected. ;) You gotta raise up em death flags first. Jun is my little shit. Yuu will tell us in the next chapter. It will be explained in due time. Thanks. Here's another free time event! And bonding moments before they all kill each other. SPPPPPPPPPAAAAAAAAACCCCCCCCCCEEEEEEEEEEE!

Scissor-Snipper-Kazuhiko has a bad habit of being dead. Revealing that info will reveal the time. Emilynn watching a show that shouldn't even exist in their reality because she breaks the rules of nature. RULES OF NNNNAAAAAATTTTTTTTUUUUUUUUREEEEEEEEEEEEE!

TheRoseShadow21-You're welcome, I love breaking all your hearts. The boys are being boys (and Shiro finally shows he has a stubborn side but shush, don't tell him that). All em protection squads. Shiro's parents had it going on. But he's not close with most of them! XD Thanks, here it is finally, after almost two months. Rachelle is rubbing off on me as I rub off on her. ;) ;) ;) Let's see if we can summon her in the reviews again.

(and I will eventually review...eventually...I keep forgetting...*reads the chapter* *doesn't review*...and this is why people get annoyed with me)

tobi-is-an-artist-too-Let's talk about it. Emilynn will break the rules of time for references! She and Akita would be friends that hate each other but love each other (or, hey, EmiEmi exists). Thanks. :)

YellowtheWriter-Yea! :D I'm gonna crush all your hopes and dreams! Every breath you take, Shiro, Yellow is watching. All you know for certain is that the FoD cast would kill to be inside that instead of the forest. Let the shipping commence! Asuka got left by Shiro to handle the madness herself. Jun is Jun...and that's Akemi. Puhuhuhu. Nah, I wouldn't put Akemi in this story...or would I? Thanks. There's always more going on than meets the eye. All these ships are amazing. Thanks. :)

SqualinaTralala-Sachiko is the Naoko of this story...*FoD fans internally scream*. That's how Etsuko rolls. Oh, that would fit. Thanks. Mizore got it from inside her. She and Mirabilis would be BFFs. Yea, that's good to hear. I love writing Mizore. All your questions will be answered...eventually. But this one right now. I'm a fan of all those works but that shouldn't surprise anyone. :P All the mystery! Damn, your characters have a bad habit of getting into space. :P Being Kaito is suffering. Thanks. :D