AHHH

Okay, I know it's Saturday! I'm so sorry! I was actually invited out somewhere for once, so I was away from my computer almost all of Friday. I'm writing this note like, right after stepping in the door.

Ugh. I'm swamped.

OH YEAH, GUYS, IT'S THANKSGIVING WEEKEND!

I'M THANKFUL TO ALL OF MY VIEWERS AND COMMENTERS/REVIEWERS! I WISH YOU ALL A HAPPY THANKSGIVING! Whoot Whoot! :D

Hello(guest) - Hi! Uh, sorry I forgot to respond to your first review. I was a little tired after school and forgot about it.;; Anyways, yeah, Nagito is going to do something, er, something nobody will like. I'm glad you liked the chapter! I was trying to my best to get Nagito's character right. ;v;

Guest - Anything is okay as long as it's in the NaMe oP hOpE. Right? Right. Okay, pretty much all of my chapters end in cliffhangers. That's how I roll. *Sloppily puts on sunglasses)

Mitzuki118 - I'm late which makes you one time, so it's all good. We'll get out answers from Junko… Eventually. (Today, actually). Ugh, Komaeda is going to do what Komaeda does best: fuck with people.


Makoto stared down Junko. The girl did the same. The two of them were locked in some kind of staring contest, though it certainly wasn't child's play.

A bead of sweat rolled down Naegi's neck, causing him to shift uncomfortably. Junko, being the snake she was, grinned and latched onto his break in confidence.

"So you think you can handle learning the truth, huh?" she waited to see Makoto's nod before continuing, "I can't really guarantee that you'll like it… but I think you've come far enough to learn a few things. At the very least it'll make things more interesting."

Makoto didn't like the serious gleam in her eyes. Usually, at a time like this, the girl would be smirking or casually inspecting her nails. Instead, her attention was completely being given to Makoto, her icy blue stare sending chills down his spine.

She crossed her legs. Makoto fidgeted.

"First and foremost: I'm not going to tell you much about Nanami. I think it would be better if you heard about her straight from Kamukura. All I can say is that she is definitely dead. I remember that much."

Makoto, while a little upset that he wasn't giving the information he downright craved, could understand the sediment. Nanami seemed to be some kind of trigger to Kamakura, which signified that she is, or rather was, somebody important to him.

Thinking about it now, Makoto found he preferred this route. Getting Kamukura's trust probably wouldn't be an easy thing, but no doubt would it be rewarding.

Instead, Makoto should be asking Junko what only she can answer.

"Why did you name me your successor?" he narrowed his eyes.

Enoshima, surprisingly enough, sighed. "Like I said before, my memory had a lot of holes in it. While I remember physically writing the will, I can't actually remember my reasoning to do it… Though, I can say that I didn't feel particular despair at the time, so the written reason on the will is false."

The boy took in the information, his finger delicately sitting under his chin. If she couldn't answer his question then nobody could.

The girl perked up, "I bet it has something to do with this," she said, vaguely motioning her hands around the room, "I wouldn't have gone and killed myself without some kind of plan to follow after it. Me being able to talk to your now, and you being named my successor, are probably parts of that plan."

That… actually made a lot of sense.

"So what you're saying is… you anticipated that I would survive the killing game? So when you created a backup plan based on that. What if I ended up dying during the killing game? Wouldn't that have ruined all of your plans?" Makoto speculated.

Junko hummed, "I remember writing a few wills. One for the each of the most probable victors: you, Byakuya, Kyoko and Celest. I probably would've written one for Sayako, too, but she was already dead. Such is the way of despair," the girl shrugged impassive, contrasting with the joyous expression on her face, "You were always my favourite. I assume that's because you're easier to manipulate."

Makoto nearly pouted at that. Okay, he actually did pout, but who was counting?

Then, the realization hit him. If he wasn't the one who defeated (and he uses that term loosely) Enoshima… then somebody else would've been standing here. Somebody else would be juggling the Ultimate Despairs, somebody else would be tasked with solving this mystery…

Somebody else would be talking with Junko?

The girl's eyes lit up, and she hopped off of the bathroom counter and marched over to Makoto. There was an ecstatic grin on her face - one that Makoto wasn't sure he was comfortable with witnessing. Junko grinning usually meant something bad. For him.

"Looks like we just got the money shot!" she laughed.

Makoto stood a little straighter, "I'm right? So wait, if the helmet and Alter Ego can see you… then maybe other people can, too?"

Junko nodded, "The question is: what do we need to make somebody see me? Of course, that must mean that the soldiers can see me, but they can't act on what they see since they have no free will. We would have to get Kazuichi to modify a helmet to give the user freewill…"

"But we can't do that since I'm in big trouble," Makoto finished for her.

He blinked, "Wait, who was all of the people who designed the monokuma helmets? Maybe they would know something about this?"

Junko immediately answered, "Well I designed them, of course. The cross-dresser," she tilted her head towards Alter Ego's now shut-off phone, "Kazuichi and Kamukura did a lot of the building and programming. Then there was Monaca…"

She paused.

The entire room, even the air, bacteria, and atmos themselves, seemed to grow still.

Makoto could practically see the epiphany happening in Enoshima's brain… Even if he didn't quite know what exactly she was thinking about.

Then, she turned her head, ever so slowly. Her eyes locked with his, "We need to get you out of the base. Like, as soon as possible."

Makoto… words couldn't describe what was going through Makoto's find just then.

If words tried, they would have to use quite a few curse words.

"I… I can't do that!" the boy huffed, "I just got brainwashed because I wanted to get out of the base! There's… There no way they would willingly let me out for even a couple of minutes!"

Junko crossed her arms, "I thought we were in this together! Aren't we supposed to be a team?"

Makoto sneered, "Team? What team?"

"Uh, me, you, Kamukura, and the flip phone. Were a team. And don't worry about escaping, I can totally control the guards now!" she held up a peace sign, grinning cheerfully, "I mean, I could've let you escape a long time ago if I wanted to. Now I actually have a reason to!"

Makoto crossed his arms, "No." he said, feeling a sudden anger for the blonde, "I already risked my plans once already. I promised Kamukura that I would fulfil my purpose… And my purpose is to reform Ultimate Despair."

There was a mysterious twinkle of something scarily close to pleasure in Enoshima's eye. Makoto explained to himself that it must've been despair… But found that it didn't entirely satisfy him.

Junko crossed her arms and huffed, turning away from Makoto, effectively cutting him off from the strange look on her face.

"Fine," she practically growled, "But just know that you don't really have a choice in all this. So call me when you've changed your mind."

The next time Makoto blinked, she was gone.

He stuck his tongue out at the spot she had been standing on.


The halls were empty. It really wasn't much of a surprise, since they were usually empty. Today, though, it was eerily so. The entire base was far too silent for Makoto's liking.

No monokumas. No soldiers. No Ultimate Despair members.

It was just Makoto.

Really, he had expected there to be more robots lurking about. What with his half-confession about wanting to escape and all. He was sure that Ultimate Despair (or at least Kuzuryuu, who seemed to take it to heart the most) would demand an upgrade on his supervision… Not a downgrade.

Though, thinking about it rationally, the base was secure. There were really no escape routes that Makoto had access too, considering the barred, and now covered, windows, and the lack of exits on the only two floors we were allowed to live in.

He wasn't going anywhere… No matter what Junko had said to him.

She didn'controlol him. He was going to stay here and reform UltimatDespairir.

So, he walked through the halls. Alone.

He decided that the best destination would be the cafeteria. There was usually a despair or two lurking around that area. Despite his previous fear of their anger… Makoto was almost comforted by the thought of spending time with one of them.

Why would he be? They were all friends!

Even if they were going through some kind of a rough patch… though Makoto was sure that if he talked to them and tried to smoothings out then it'll get better! That was his purpose now. He promised Kamukura...

The cafeteria doors opened.

The room was… Well, it was empty. Ghost town - er, ghost cafeteria.

It was a little eeire, seeing a usually cheerful, packed place that was pretty much the bub of the base, as empty as the hallways. No monokumas or monokuma soldier here, either. The boy didn't know if he should be suspicious or frightened by the lack of guards. It didn't feel unsafe, per say… but the sudden lack of security was making him feel, well, vulnerable.

He shook his head and waddled into the room. This base was probably one of the safest buildings in the country! There was really no need to feel so shaken up over something like this!

He marched into the empty cafeteria, going straight towards the kitchen to grab something to eat. When he got closer, though, he realized he wasn't as alone as previously thought.

There was a rattle of metal on metal. A tingle of a spoon dropping to the floor.

Hanamura was looking at Makoto with an expression that could only be called shock.

"Ah, my, uh-" he paused, fidgeting slightly before correcting himself, "Young successor. What can I do for you?"

Makoto felt a little hurt. Usually, the man would be calling him a patron or guest. The obvious reduction of the familiar term felt icy, and the new one was bland and foreign… it didn't sound right coming out of the chef's mouth.

Makoto sagged slightly, but forced a smile on his face, "I'm just looking for something to eat… I'll grab something myself, though. No need to trouble yourself."

The chef nodded and went back to work cooking… Some kind of meat dish. He must've started fairly recently, considering the giant, raw-lump of beef sitting on the counter.

Makoto awkwardly manoeuvred the kitchen, whipping himself up a quick sandwich. When he was finished, he turned to leave.

The handle didn't turn. In fact, Makoto hadn't even put his hand on it.

Was it really okay to leave things like this? Hanamura, while Makoto hadn't gotten to know him very well, was still one of his friends! The two of them had lived together for what - three weeks? Surely that was enough time to bond… right?

"Hanamura-."

"Naegi-."

Both of them stopped.

Makoto blinked, awkwardly turning around. Apparently, he wasn't the only one unwilling to leave things the way they were, since the two of them had called out in unison.

The chef rung his hands together, taking a moment to gauge that it was him that needed to get first, he spoke, "What you said, while you were wearing the helmet… It was all true, wasn't it?"

Makoto nodded solemnly, "I didn't have any other choice then to tell the truth."

It was intentional, how he left out the apology that would have normally followed that sentence. Makoto, honestly, didn't think he needed to apologize for his actions. He didn't even see them as a bad thing.

The consequences were bad, but his actions - just his actions - weren't.

He felt justified in that.

It was just… The rest of Ultimate Despair didn't seem to think the same way.

"I should probably explain myself," he admitted, feeling an unwanted sense of guilt creep over him.

Everyone must've been worried about him. They didn't seem angry just… upset.

Betrayed.

"I think that would be for the best," Hanamura carefully said, an air of resignation (but… was that hope?) floating around him.

Makoto steeled himself, looking hard into the chef's eyes, "When I said that I don't want to escape anymore… I meant it. I, well, breaking into the security room was probably a mistake… But I would do it again if I had to."

Hanamura didn't say anything. That was a bad sign, or at least, that's how Makoto interpreted it. Still, the teen didn't think that what he did was wrong. If he hadn't uploaded Alter Ego into the security system… Then he would've been trapped in that USB. He would have been forgotten, and trapped, which is probably one of the closestthingsg to death that an AI could experience… other than being deleted, of course.

In a sense, he saved Alter Egos life. Makoto didn't regret that - he would never regret that. The AI, no matter how unconventional it seemed, was his friend.

Naegi Makoto didn't abandon his friends. Ever.

(Didn't he abandon Kirigiri? Togami? Everyone…?)

He just wished that saving Alter Ego wouldn't have caused his other friends to be hurt.

Hanamura sighed, taking off his chef hat and giving it a deflated look. Never before had the man looked so… tired. Like the entire world was propped on top of his shoulders, waiting for him to collapse so it could laugh in his face. Then he would get despair, and…

And what?

Makoto didn't understand despair in the slightest, and he highly doubted that he ever would. It had just become something that he lived with - something that he was used to.

The look on Hanamura's face… This wasn't a man trapped by despair. No man pleasured by despair had such a look of utter sadness on their face. A look of loss.

Makoto was vaguely reminded of Kamukura. The man plagued by the loss of somebody named Nanami.

Hanamura began to speak, and despite his suddenly small voice, Makoto found his attention thoroughly grabbed.

"I understand." is what he said, still unable to look away from his hat, "When mama died… I was a changed man. I did things that I never thought I would do before."

He paused.

His eyes slowly met Makoto's, and the boy sucked in a breath.

His eyes were devoid of despair swirls. They were a light brown colour.

"My mama had always been such a gentle woman. She taught me how to cook… She gave me my Ultimate talent. So when she died…" he almost looked like he was going to cry. He didn't, though. Instead, he smiled slightly, and the despair swirls…

They returned.

"Then I fell into despair. I allowed my emotions to rule me, just like Junko had said. It was beautiful!" he cackled, "That's why I understand. Emotions can make a man do even the most sinister things! So as long as you say you are loyal to Junko… I don't care what you do."

Makoto nodded. He didn't fully understand. He, at the very least, understood the parts where Hanamura was sane and normal. He didn't understand how he was like that… but the sediment was the same.

In a twisted way, the chef was saying how he had forgiven Makoto. For that reason, the Ultimate Hope began to grin.

He didn't feel awkward or angry when he left the kitchen, nor or didn't feel vulnerable when he left the cafeteria. Not even when he paced the hallways alone did he feel anxiety.

Then, when Makoto nearly ran into Komaeda when turning a corner, the boy didn't allow himself to feel frightened.

Komaeda had his usual tense aura, but this time, something was different. It wasn't the same excited-nervousness that the man often had, but it was… well, the only word Makoto could describe it was deadly.

Makoto remembered Hanamura's words.

When mama died… I was a changed man.

They were all like that, weren't they? They were all hurting people, unable to recover. Ultimate Despair… They did what they did to avoid being hurt again.

Junko when Ikusaba had left her. Hanamura when his mother had died. Kamukura and Nanami.

They had all been hurt by others before.

It was starting to make sense, why Ultimate Despair was so distraught by Makoto's apparent "betrayal".

That's why Makoto was here. He was going to help them... save them. He was going to fulfil his purpose - his way.

He wasn't going to do everything according to Junko's plan. Naegi Makoto was an individual, and as such, he could do things his way.

Right now, his way involved having a pleasant conversation with Komaeda Nagito.

"Ah, Naegi, such a lovely surprise to see you here!" the man chirped, the happiness sounding strained.

Makoto looked the man up and down. His head of cloudy looking hair shifted slightly. His clothes were lightly ratted, unlike that of Makoto and the other members, but strangely enough, he didn't look as small in them as usual. There was some sort of confident aura seeping off the man in buckets.

"Uh, I live here…?" Makoto blinked awkwardly, before remembering what he had been previously thinking about.

If he had been given Hanamura's forgiveness, then maybe he could get everyone else's, too?

Maybe Komaeda was a rough start, but the man was a bit slippery. So, figuring that it was no or never, Makoto decided to take the plunge.

"I, uh, have something I need to talk to you about," he said.

It was just then that Makoto noted the bracelet on the white-haired man's left arm. It lit up with red words: Komaeda Nagito.

Makoto blinked, squinting as the words disappeared as Komaeda jostled his arm and turned it away from Makoto's prying eyes. Wasn't that the same bracelet that he had? Makoto looked down at his own arm, and sure enough, the very same bracelet was snapped around his wrist.

"I see you noticed," Komaeda said, ignoring Makoto's previous statement, "It took me a while, but I finally modified it to be just. Like. Yours."

Was Makoto imagining it, or was Komaeda's grin going from friendly to downright dangerous…?

Instincts must have kicked in because there was a screaming urge to run.

Consequences be damned. Forgiveness, who cared about forgiveness?

All Makoto wanted was to get away.

"I know that you can see her, Naegi. I know that she's been corrupting you. Corrupting your hope."

Makoto stumbled backwards, eyes widening in fear. His mind immediately flashed back to the last conversation he had with Junko, remembering when they came to the conclusion that he wasn't the only human capable of seeing her.

Was Nagito able to see her, then?

Was it somehow related to the bracelet…?

Couldn't he hear Enoshima before he got the bracelet, though? That meant that this had to be some kind of trap, right? Komeda intentionally making him think one thing when in reality it was something else.

"Ahh, I can practically see the gears turning in your head. But you're wrong. I thought you were smarter than that," the man grinned, holding up the bracelet, "It is the bracelet. Without it, you won't be able to see her anymore. I can take it away if you want me to. I can take away her curse."

Makoto shook his head taking another wobbly step backwards. Unconsciously, he held the bracelet against his chest, protecting it from the man's gaze.

"No.. I… She's not a curse! She just…"

She was what, Makoto? A burden? A disgrace to all things hopeful?

Or was she your friend?

Makoto squeezed his eyes shut as if it would help him block out the voice in his head. His voice, he realized. This was Junko. This wasn't Alter Ego or Kamukura.

That was entirely him.

"Shes what?" Komaeda asked, perfectly mimicking a voice he couldn't even hear, "Don't you want her gone? Isn't her disgusting, filthy despair causing you pain? As the Ultimate Hope, you don't deserve to go through that. Right, Naegi?"

Makoto shook his head. Komaeda nearly laughed.

"Or is it the other way around? In order to create hope, you need to create despair. Only when despair is at its maximum point can hope come through and shine brightly!"

That time the man actually did laugh. It was a hysterical, wheezing thing. He almost sounded… sick. Physically, not mentally… though Makoto was sure he was mentally ill, too.

"That's right. Let the despair flood your senses! Let your hope overcome it!" the man laughed, holding his arms out as if he were awaiting a hug. A hug that Makoto definitely wouldn't provide.

Finally, after several minutes of a wheezy, air-deprived laugh, the man came to a halt. He took a few deep breaths, stabilizing himself before looking Makoto in the eye.

"You joined her side, huh? You let her fool you, and trick you… Now you're nothing more than a pawn to Junko. She chose you as her successor for a reason." he paused, grinning, "She choose you because of your hope! Because of how easily your hope can break!"

Makoto clutched at his bracelet, for once wishing Junko would show up and give him advice on what to do. From what he was saying, Komaeda must hate Junko. But… then how would he be a member of Ultimate Despair?

So many things just weren't adding up.

"You're just like her," Komaeda continued to speak, filling the void with his words, "She was the person before you. The person who tried to save everyone… To stop Junko. She died. She died in the name of hope… or… was it despair?"

"It doesn't matter. She's dead. She killed herself."

"Nanami..." Makoto finally managed to speak, his throat dry and uncomfortable, "Nanami committed suicide…?"

Black.

A groan tore from his throat. The back of his head ached horribly. His back almost felt like it had snapped from the force.

Just like this morning, he was pinned against the wall. Where Kamukura had been gentle, Komaeda was being downright murderous. He wanted for Makoto's back to break.

"Don't."

Makoto opened his eyes.

Komaeda's were swirling.

"Don't you ever mention her."

He was dropped. His head smacked against the wall (though not as badly as before) and his body slid down the wall to a sitting position. Dazed, but not seriously injured, Makoto looked up at the crazed man before him.

Actually, he couldn't see much of Komaeda anymore.

Since he was staring down the barrel of a gun.

He froze, muscles going completely tense at the sight of the very deadly weapon.

"You're going to die. Just like her. Just like both of them." he wheezed out, the despair swirls not leaving his eyes, "So I decided it would be better for your to die as hope, rather than as despair. You'll become a stepping stone for everyone else. They'll attain greater hope that you could have ever dreamed of!"

Makoto pushed himself back against the wall, squeezing his eyes shut and waiting-!

Then, the alarm went off.

Makoto opened his eyes, seeing Komaeda warily looking to the side.

His lips began to move. Only the slightest bit of sound leaving them and reaching Makoto's ears.

"The Future Foundation attack…"

Then, he ran off.


Wowie, look at all that edge. There's almost too much edge for one chapter.

Once more, I'm sorry for the late update… But at least this is a longer chapter? Yay.

Also, uh, Nagito just dropped a bomb. Actually, he kinda dropped multiple bombs. Have fun dealing with the fallout! :3c

Next time:

Kamukura comes back. Oh, and Junko gets proven right… Because Junko is always right.