"Is that it?" Saya asked.
I looked into the horizon of the sky. It was sunset; a beautiful sunset that you only witness one every few years. The sky was painted with a magnificent blend of orange and pink, and the sun took up a quarter of the sky as it sank down the mountainside. Yet, here we are, about to walk out into a world of despair. Looking into the horizon, I saw a little light releasing out of the sun. It danced all the way across the sky, and began coming towards us ever so slowly.
"Looks like it," I said. "That must be the bomb."
Hideaki coughed up blood, and I ran to his side. He was struggling to stay alive as we spoke, yet there was no way to cure him. This "Monomono Poison," or whatever Enoshima called it, was absolutely terrifying.
"A-are you okay?" I asked nervously.
Hideaki didn't respond, and I could only lend my shoulders to his right arm as the seven of us trekked onwards. From the park, it would take a decent amount of time to reach the school entrance, and then get a safe distance away from the pond.
Carrying Hideaki was a challenge. He wasn't heavy; but he was holding us back. I didn't want to admit it, but we could barely leave the park in two minutes because he kept falling down and coughing up or throwing up blood.
"You're going to be okay," I said, as Hideaki coughed a new set of blood out. "We're going to find a cure outside, okay?"
Hideaki paused for a moment, and shook his head.
"I can't make it outside, Ayako," he said.
I lent my shoulders to Hideaki again, and we started walking.
"Don't be stupid," I scolded. "We're all going out together."
The others looked at me. Their faces were filled with sadness and sympathy mixed together, as if Hideaki would really day. As if. He couldn't die…
Six minutes passed. Four minutes left. We had just reached the cafeteria.
"We're almost there," I said to Hideaki. "Don't worry! We're going to make it!" As we continued walking, Hideaki weakly fell to the floor. As I leaned at his side, Hideaki coughed up even more blood. He placed his hands on his chest, and cringed.
"Y-you're going to be okay!" I said. "You aren't going to die!"
"No, Ayako," Hideaki said. "If you continue like this, we aren't going to make it. We might get out of the school but the shockwaves of the bomb would kill us anyways."
"Stop talking like that," I said. "Can you walk?"
Hideaki shook his head, and I picked up with my two arms. With help from Kichiro, we were carrying Hideaki out of the school. We couldn't run; that would kill Hideaki faster. We needed help from the outside.
Hideaki looked at the others, and closed his eyes.
"You're all being nice to me," Hideaki said. "Thank you."
"Idiot," Saya said. "We survived so many times because of you."
"And you're our friend," Suguru exclaimed. "We couldn't just leave you."
Hideaki opened his eyes just a little to smile, and he closed them again. He tugged at my sleeve, and I looked down.
"Please… leave me."
"W-what?!"
Kichiro had overheard and pinched Hideaki's nose.
"Shut up," Kichiro said. "We aren't going to do that."
"I'm going to kill all of you if you don't leave me," Hideaki said. "You won't make it out fast enough."
"We're almost there," Saya said. "We still have three minutes left."
"See?" I said. "We're going to be okay!"
Three minutes… Two minutes and fifty nine seconds… Two minutes and fifty eight seconds… Time was going by quickly and we had no time to waste.
But Hideaki insisted we left him.
"You could make it if you run," Hideaki said. "Just set me down somewhere… please."
"Why do you act like you want to die so bad," Kyouko sighed. "We aren't going to let you die like that!"
"Besides, didn't get to play with my bro for some time!" Rin said. Laughing crazily, she patted Hideaki's head."
"Two minutes," Saya called out. We still weren't at the entrance.
Hideaki's breaths were brief and strained. He was coughing, but no more blood came out; as if he ran out.
"Just… leave… me," Hideaki repeated, weakly.
"If we're going to die, I'm going to die with you," I said. "I'm not leaving your side."
"You have to," Hideaki said, letting out a tear. "I couldn't… bear to see… you die…"
"We're so close!" I said, choking back my tears.
"Just do it," he pleaded.
A few moments of silence followed, until Saya spoke up again.
"There's no way we can continue with Hideaki," Saya said. "We're nearly out of time."
"S-shut up!" I said. "We're going to make, it alright?
I looked at the others, who were looking down at their feet as they walked. It's as if they believed what Saya was saying too. I could read their minds crystal clear, and they were all thinking the same thing. It's not like they wanted to abandon Hideaki. But…
Live on.
Those were Hideaki's words to me. To all of us.
Live on.
"Do you guys think we should leave him too?" I asked, fiddling with my fingers.
Everyone slowly nodded in agreement, and I swallowed by breath. Hideaki smiled, as I took him up a hill.
When I entered this school, there was one particular thing I noticed. A small hill with a really big willow tree. The leaves were falling beautifully, and I lay Hideaki down under the tree, on the hill. Hideaki smiled at me, as tears dropped from my face, onto his.
"I…don't want to leave you," I said. "But we… we aren't –"
"I know," Hideaki said. "It was my idea." His voice was weak and brittle, but it was still Hideaki's voice. The last time I'd ever hear him. "Don't despair. You're Super Highschool Level Hope. You can't afford to despair."
"Hideaki…"
I lunged towards him, and gave him a long embrace. Hideaki used his strength and wrapped his arms around me. I wanted to stay like that forever – never leaving his side.
"Please, don't die," I said. "I want you to come with us!"
"…I lost the game," Hideaki said. "But you can still win."
"No!"
I was in denial.
I thought I was ready.
But could I leave Hideaki?
"Hideaki," I said, crying. "Y…you're the best friend I ever had… okay?"
Hideaki nodded. "You too," he whispered one last time.
Saya laid a hand on my shoulder, and I took out something from my pocket. It was a lollipop; Hideaki's favorite flavor. I placed it in his hands, and we walked away. I turned around, and I saw Hideaki waving a weak wave. While the tears were streaming down, Hideaki opened the lollipop wrapper, and placed it into his mouth.
That was the last time I'd ever see him.
Walking down the hill, Saya asked me if I'd be okay.
"Of course I will," I said through my tears. "I can't fall into despair. Hideaki would hate me otherwise."
…
"Live… on…"
I suppose you want to know what happened when we left the school. At the entrance, we were all in sorrow and heavy despair. Us being forced to leave Hideaki took a huge toll on all of us. Yukio had left a switch at his execution. Pressing it would open the heavily fortified gates. I could hear the missile with the bomb coming closer and closer. We'd have to make haste.
I pressed the switch, and the gates opened in front of us. Everyone was quiet. Everyone was sad.
"Do we really want to do this?" Kichiro asked.
"We have to," I said. "Hideaki wants us too."
"Well, if it's for my big bro," Rin sighed. The first time in her insanity, was she this quiet.
We took steps out of the gate… the missile was coming closer. We ran, and ran, and ran far away from the school.
It was finally freedom from Hope's Peak Academy. The end of our academic coliseum. But I felt like we were still held by its chains. We were walking out into a world of despair, and Hideaki's voice still kept me from full hope.
We left the school and ran around the town, avoiding contact with anybody and everybody. As we struggled to find shelter, we were found by an agent from the Future Foundation. I told the agent that Taisuke and Senji were killed. The agent, nodded, and while sad, said that the two would fight for hope. They rescued us, and we were taken to the Future Foundation.
Saya and Kichiro became higher-ups at the Future Foundation. While the two are the lowest branch, they still had some control over members, and they would use their power to bring hope to the world.
Suguru became a recruiter. She'd walk out into the streets every day with Roger and attempt to find some new members. She says that Roger would be a wonderful mascot and become radiant with hope.
Rin became the punishment official for traitors. Rin as the disciplinary coach didn't surprise me very much.
Kyouko became a messenger. Her fast typing skills allowed her to send messages to other people very quickly and rapidly.
What did I do?
I did join the Future Foundation, yes.
But how did I become their beacon of hope?
Am I their leader? No.
Am I an inspiration? No.
I refused both of those things, to be honest.
Instead, I act as an ordinary member. Sort of disappointing? Not for me. It's impossible for me to become full out hope. Because the truth was, there would always be a little despair stored away in my heart. That would come from Hideaki – and while I don't blame him, I wished that he would have come with us. We escaped because he sacrificed himself.
During the highschool Hideaki and I took a picture together. It was Hideaki's first casual picture.
I grabbed the locket I kept, holding the memory of Hideaki forever with me. I wrapped it around my neck, and I headed outside. The six of us were the survivors.
We survived our Highschool Life of Mutual Killing.
We kept on hoping.
For the future to come.
…
…
…
But you know…
…
…
…
It wouldn't be the story it was…
…
…
…
If it just ended there, right?
...
…
...
***
I looked at the sky, as Ayako laid me down on the hill. She had given me a lollipop. The last lollipop I could have. I popped it in my mouth, and weakly waved at the others.
What was I thinking this whole time? Of course I was sad, or how others would see it as despair. However, I was happy that Ayako went off with her friends. She'd find someone that hoped just as big as her. Maybe even better than me?
I looked at the sky. The light was coming closer, and closer, and closer.
Was it the bomb? Yeah, it was the bomb…
It came closer… and closer… and closer…
As it came into contact with the ground, I smiled. I could feel the shockwaves sending my body into death. But I was able to utter one last word. My final word before I died.
"Ayako…"
…
…
...
The game is now finished.
Six students escaped.
Keep the memory of the thirteen who died in your hearts.
Because despair's journey isn't over yet.
Far from it.
There was the first Highschool Life of Mutual Killings.
Then there was the Island Life of Mutual Killings.
What's coming next?
Is it perhaps… just a little more…
Despair?
THE END
(AN: I hope that Epilogue wasn't disappointing, besides from the fact that Hideaki "died." Why did I use quotation marks? Is there a little hope left?
Or is that impossible? Never mind.
Anyways, I want to take the time again to thank everyone. Like I said, I lighted up with delight when an e-mail notification from Fanfiction was in my inbox, and it said you have a New Review or something else. I want to talk about the future now and what I'm going to do.
I tried to end the Epilogue in a little cliffhanger… ish. I'm writing a sequel to this story which will take after SDR2, so keep a look out for that. It won't be an SYOC, but I might do an SYOC later since they appear to be pretty popular. I like creating my own OCs anyways, since I can develop them better. But anyways, yeah! A sequel! Cool!
Aside from Danganronpa, I'm thinking of writing some more OC stories in other fandoms. Maybe which is flooded with AllenxKanda fictions, lol. Or maybe something else. I don't know. I'm thinking.
Don't know what else to say now. The story has ended, and it felt like just yesterday when I wrote the first chapter. It's been about a month and it really has gone fast…
Anyways, I sincerely hoped you all enjoyed this story. This storyline isn't over yet, though. There's just a little more despair.
~Captain Pancakes
