Note: The climax of the aborted Danganronpa Crossover, where the ninja finally find the pianist they've been searching for this entire past year in-story.

Trigger Warnings for implied Suicide Ideation.

Sparkle 25: Failed Execution

It wasn't supposed to be like this. I wasn't supposed to be running for my life, in a maze, all alone with nothing but the school uniform on my body and my Wayfinder necklace, clutched in my hand like it was the only lifeline I had.

I wasn't even a ninja. I wasn't even anything. I was just a civilian.

So then why was Enoshima Junko, the so-called Ultimate Fashionista, saying—

"Struggle, struggle, worthless human! Make your life useful with your own death and bring despair upon your classmates!"

All that on the nearby television screens with the biggest smile on her face? With a crown on her blonde head? After this past year…

'Tomoko-chan~! Come over here and let me do your hair! It's so boring as is, you need a makeover!'

Was it all a lie?

I didn't have time to think about it because a saw was coming at my head. From mere instinct alone, I was already ducking and channeling as much chakra as I could into my Wayfinder, and the familiar blue blade was something I couldn't help but inwardly smile at. It was useful in cutting through the saw like butter, and then I could keep running.

I didn't know where I was going. What I was doing. All I wanted to do was help…I wanted to make up for things.

I failed Kei. I failed everyone back home.

So then, why—

A spear was already coming in at 5 o'clock, so I tried to duck. The faint trickle of blood was already something I had to get used to now, because the amount of times I made a close call was starting to run past the fingers I had. It was more than 10, I can tell you that much.

The slash of my hair was nothing to laugh at, and even with the pain and blood dripping down onto my right eye, I pushed myself forward.

This maze wanted me dead. Junko wanted me dead. But I couldn't let Junko win. I couldn't die…Not again…

But…but I…

Did I deserve to live? To keep living?

I don't even know how long I was running anymore. Or even when Junko's voice started becoming white noise, in spite of her gloating turning into angry yelling. My knees hurt, my lungs ached, and everything in me wanted to keel over and fall asleep. Maybe even disappear into sparkles like those old Disney movies, if I was lucky enough. Avoid all the blood, too. Maybe even fade into rose petals, like Ruby could with her semblance, and just die without giving Junko any satisfaction.

But…But.

My heart beat hard against my ribs as I puffed to try calming my nerves. The phlegm in my throat was hard to ignore, but I couldn't stop.

I wanted to be back home, back at Nagareboshi Cafe again, back at home with Mama and Papa again.

I wanted to see my friends again. I wanted to see Kei again.

The tears were already blurring my vision, but I kept moving forward. I couldn't think about Kei and everyone else back home now. All that mattered was this ridiculous maze. Iron balls, spears, boomerangs, even a random swinging spike. Like, what the heck. My hands were sweaty, shaking while holding onto my Wayfinder, but it was my only weapon. My only sword.

'Remember your form, Tomoko-chan. Do not falter.'

Miyako-bachan. Would she be proud of me? Would…would Papa even be proud of me? Even though I broke our promise of never fighting?

The blood was drying on my face from all the adrenaline, but I kept going. I closed my right eye for the sake of not letting any more blood get into it, and one eye was enough to maneuver around. Chakra could do a lot anyways.

Still, I couldn't run as much anymore. The bruises, the blood, it was all too much. A civilian could only match her ninja friends by so much before collapsing. I could only wish I had trained more in the way Kei and the others did, but what then? With the way my feet dragged, all I could do was jump. Jump, evade, slash at any obstacle coming at me. Metal shrapnel from all the weapons in the maze was starting to stick to my clothes, but I didn't know what else to do.

How long was this going to go…?

How long was Junko going to keep me in here and leave me to die?

I kept going. There was no point in questioning that person anymore. She wasn't even worth it if she was just going to keep screaming things I could barely hear anymore. A single door with the yellow letters of 'GOAL' loomed in front of me, but with how the television screens still blared Junko's voice, carbon dioxide left me in a huff.

There was no goddamn way I was taking that door handle if I knew what Junko was thinking.

"Another trap," I ended up voicing aloud, and didn't even move towards touching the door. It was too obvious, and Junko did want me dead. Knowing her true self now… "Nice job, Junko-san. You're too obvious."

I took another breath, wiping the sweat off of my face with my uninjured left hand, taking some blood off my cheek, and clutched my Wayfinder. The chakra blade was still pulsing strongly, so I decided to lean against a nearby wall after touching it for any traps. Junko wanted a despair-like, 'amazing' execution, so what would happen if I did nothing…?

Hisako might've been proud. Maybe.

"What—what the fuck are you doing?!" Junko's voice was finally starting to reach my ears, but even with the palpable anger, I ignored her. "You're at the GOAL! You can go now! You realize I have a despairingly bad temper, right?!"

"But you wanted me to die, right?" I spoke aloud, looking towards the ceiling with what I hoped was the best smirk I had. "Well, I can tell you that I am. But hey. The least I can do is that I'm not going to let you enjoy it."

I could've sworn I heard Hisako's approving cackle before something shook. I wasn't even sure if it was me or something else, but the maze was definitely moving. The door had disappeared like a Rubix Cube for a hallway, and that was all I saw before something was rushing me.

I was already pulling up my Wayfinder before something hit my wrist. The cry of pain couldn't be held back this time, because that blinded me, and then something was holding up my arms.

"Wellllll, aren't you a smart-ass." Junko's voice. Fuck. I opened my eye, only to realize that my Wayfinder wasn't in my hand anymore, and I looked up only to see dark blue and a frown. "You're too goddamn stubborn and boring for your own good, Tomoko-chan."

I tried not to flinch. Hearing my old nickname like that didn't help my thoughts. Hell, wiggling didn't do anything, because it was obvious that someone was holding me up and away from my Wayfinder. My first guess was Mukuro, because who fucking else would support such a deranged sister? "Aaaaaaanyways~" the old friendly sparkle of hers was back in Junko's eyes, and I tried not to gag at the exaggerated kindness in her voice. "You've been a really big thorn in my side by not listening and doing your own goddamn thing, so, Mukuro-chaaaaaan?"

"Here, Junko-chan," went Mukuro behind me, and I tried not to tense at the glint of a big silver knife being passed between them.

"Thank you, Sis! You're the best, despite your ugly looks!" Junko cooed, and the urge to gag was certainly getting stronger now if not for the grip on my arms tightening and the knife suddenly being in front of my face. Like, what the heck. "Anyways…for such a meddling brat like you, who can't even stop carving shapes into my heart…" Junko lightly pressed the blade to my right cheek, smiling all the while like it was another goddamn school day, and my heart was already catching in my throat once it pricked the skin and let out a drop of blood. Was she even sparkling?! "It's more than enough despair to get back at you with shapes of my own on the real you, right?"

"Wh-What the fuck?" I squeaked out, and didn't even find myself flinching at the curse. "Junko, wh—"

"You annoy me!" she continued in that same sweet tone, and once the knife traveled down my cheek, creating a line of blood in its wake, bile was definitely building up in my mouth. "So, for an annoyance like you…" Junko reared her hand back, red nails glittering in the dim light.

"Die in despair for all I goddamn care, you bitch!"

I couldn't help it. I shut my eyes, whimpering while trying to wiggle again, thinking only one thing.

I don't want to die!

I wasn't expecting to hear wind and the sudden SLICK of something wet.

"Wh-what?" Junko went, and I kept my eyes closed. Something dark had just came in, and I didn't know what, but there was suddenly a new pair of footsteps, and—

"Mountain Cutter."

"Junko-chan!" Mukuro cried out loudly, almost desperately from behind my head.

Junko gasped once, and then something made a loud THUD noise, accompanied by the cold feeling of the knife leaving the immediate area. Then, I could hear the skidding of…of sandals?

No…no, it can't be… I tentatively opened one eye to get a glimpse of messy black hair and a positively red chakra cloak.

"S-Stay back!" Mukuro was panicking now, and I didn't even have time to react before the grip on my arms tightened and something cold was pressing against both my waist and left cheek. I tried to wiggle again, only to feel the dread creep up at the feeling of a gun barrel brushing my school blazer. "Don't come any closer. Or I'll kill her like you did Junko-chan! Junko-chan didn't even do anything to you! She was innocent!"

I closed my eyes from the fear.

"Innocent, my ass," that same voice went, and even with the weight bearing on me, my heart beat hard. It had only been a year, but there was only one person I knew who spoke like that.

…Kei?

"Kakashi?" The voice continued, sounding almost like the person was rolling their eyes from the sarcasm. "Go ahead."

That was all the signal I had before there was another SLICK of something, and Mukuro only gasped like a fish choking on air before the pressures against me dropped. From her last whimpers, it was as if she was choking on…on blood. It only took a few extra moments before there was another THUD, and I tried to keep my eyes closed. I didn't want to look up. I didn't want to see the scene.

There's no way…there's no way…!

My heart started beating hard again against my chest, feeling almost like it could burst through my ribs at any moment.

A hand that clearly wasn't Mukuro's was now gripping my shoulders, and I tried to hold my stomach. I was somehow being carried now, my feet left dangling in the air, and the wind whooshed past my ears, making the blood stick to my face, before there was a gentle landing. "Tomo-chan! Tomo-chan!" Another voice went, worried, and I tried not to get my hopes up. There was no way. No one should be worried about me…

Instead of replying, I opened my eyes, slowly, only to make eye contact with a red-turning-black eye, sparkling while looking at me, and—

"O-Obito…?"

My Uchiha friend, the Phantom that I hadn't seen for a year was now beaming like it was his birthday. "Tomo-chan! We found you!" he screamed dorkily, and then he was hugging me, and ow. Every single part of me agreed on how my pain receptors were really being a huge pain in the ass right now.

"O-Obi…" The nickname left me instinctively as black dots were starting to flood my vision. "Y-You…"

He pulled away, and then I was seeing two other green Konoha flak jackets and the glitter of a sword…! "Where have you been?!" Obito yelled, and I tried not to wince. The feeling of ow was really flooding everything right now to where his voice even started to hurt. "We were looking all over—"

"Obito." It was really Kei's voice, and I looked up through the blood streaming down my head to meet yellow eyes, and even with the visible rage, it was still— "Get going. Tomo's hurt."

It's…it's really… I didn't even realize my vision was blacking out until someone was shouting.

There's…there's no way, huh. I tried not to smile at the irony. Even if I'm dying, this is too sick of a joke to play. There's no way…

Kei's voice again. "T-Tomo?!"

Something was squeezing my shoulders again, but my hands were already falling limp. "Tomo-chan!"

"Obito, we need to call Rin over here now. Use Kamui, dammit!"

God, you really know how to play a good prank. But…it's good to see Kei and Team Minato in the end if I'm dying again. This…

"Tomo-chan, don't faint on us!"

This is a good way of dying, God.

Thanks.

The last thing I remember was more shouts before the darkness took me over completely.