A/N: Alright, here's Chapter One of Despair Arc: Execution Failed, commissioned by Stealth Photographer. Please read and review, and enjoy!

Despair Arc: Execution Failed?

Chapter One: Danganronpa Zero Deadly Life

Nobody noticed as a purple blur stealthily moved through the barren halls of the Hope's Peak Academy dormitories. It wasn't long before she reached the main entrance hall.

Alright, all I have to do is step outside undetected and I can…

"Kyoko, wait up!"

Of course, it had to be him who found me… Kyoko sighed and turned around to face the brown-haired boy who was running up to her. "Makoto, what are you doing here?"

"Ano…I was just coming back from the dining hall for a snack when I saw you running for the entrance hall, and I got worried, so I followed you."

…Ever the considerate one… Kyoko mused with a sigh.

"So…what are you doing, Kyoko…"

…There's no point in lying; I might as well come clean. "…I'm going to investigate the grounds."

"Ano…didn't your dad…" Kyoko glared at Makoto, causing him to apologize "Sorry, the Headmaster, didn't he order you off the case?"

Kyoko's eyes softened as she nodded and affirmed "…He did. I'm simply choosing to ignore his demand."

Makoto's eyes widened in shock as he protested "Huh? But, Kyoko, he took you off the case to protect you, you know that! Besides, you saw the riots out there! It's really dangerous; people could die and…"

"That's why I'm going to investigate." Makoto shut up as Kyoko sighed and admitted "I can hear them, you know. The footsteps of the God of Death. It's a talent unique to Kirigiri detectives; it draws us to cases. And I…I can hear them right now, Makoto." Kyoko gave a determined glare as she told him "Whether the Headmaster chooses to use my talent is his business, but I will not allow another classmate to end up in the morgue when I can hear the Grim Reaper coming for them."

Kyoko…you're…so cool! Makoto thought as he listened to her uncharacteristically passionate speech. I wish I had a talent, so I could be useful like you are right now.

Kyoko sighed and turned away from him before she requested "Anyway, I'm just going to do a quick investigation, then I'll be right back and the Headmaster will be none the wiser. So please, just keep this information to yourself for now."

"…I'm coming with you."

"What…?" Kyoko gasped in surprise as she turned around to see Makoto's determined face. "Makoto, it's like you said, this is very dangerous. You're not a fighter; you could die if things go awry, and I don't want to risk your life on my hunch." You're…too important to me… Kyoko admitted to herself as she held back the blush threatening to paint her cheeks rose.

Makoto shook his head and rejected "I don't care about that! Sure, I might be scared, but if I don't come and watch your back, then who will?" Makoto took her hands in his own and told her "You're important to me, Kiri, and I don't want this to be our final goodbye! Sure, I know that I'm not exactly talented or useful, but if having an extra set of eyes will help, I'll gladly provide mine!"

Makoto… Kyoko thought, simultaneously shocked and not surprised by his devotion and generosity. As she felt him squeeze her hands, she sighed and acquiesced "Shikata wa nai…alright, you can come. Just promise not to let go of my hand once we get outside, alright?"

"Yes, Mom." Makoto joked, allowing Kyoko to show a small smile.

"Good. Now then, shall we go?" She suggested as she turned around and continued walking towards the entrance.

"Coming!" Makoto called as he caught up with her.

"Alright, here's the entrance. Remember your promise not to let go of my hand." As Makoto nodded, Kyoko asked "Oh, and Makoto?"

"Yes, Kyoko?"

Kyoko turned to glare at him as she instructed "Never call yourself useless or untalented ever again." You're anything but that, Makoto!

Makoto gulped and agreed "Y…yes, ma'am."

"Good. Now, let's go." Kyoko instructed as she threaded their fingers, squeezing his hand as they stepped into the chaotic grounds of Hope's Peak Academy.

XXX

"At least…we haven't run into any Reserve Course students…" Makoto panted as Kyoko dragged him along.

Kyoko nodded and agreed "Indeed, it seems your Ultimate Lucky Student talent is proving beneficial for us. Well, this just makes our investigation easier."

At last they came to a stop, allowing Makoto to catch his breath. He and Kyoko looked up at the tall, stone statue surrounded by grass in front of them.

"Hey, what's that?" Makoto asked.

Kyoko furrowed her brow before she remembered "I think…this is a statue of the school's founder, Izuru Kamukura, if I remember correctly." Kyoko tugged gently on his wrist and urged "Come on, help me inspect this statue. We haven't found any clues on the grounds themselves, so we need to consider alternative possibilities."

"Wait, are you saying there might be some kind of secret passageway?" Makoto questioned.

"It's possible, though I won't know for sure until I can properly investigate." Makoto nodded and allowed Kyoko to tug him up to the statue before she instructed "Just place your palm against the stone and feel for any indentations that shouldn't be there."

"Okay…" Makoto agreed as he placed his hand against the stone surface and gently applied pressure as he walked. As they walked partway around it, Makoto's eyes focused on a wet handprint as he exclaimed "Hey, Kyoko! I think I see a handprint right here…whoa!"

Kyoko turned her head, then quietly sighed in relief as she saw that his hand had pressed a part of the stone surface further towards the center than the rest of the structure. She looked down and her eyes widened in surprise as she saw that the ground where Makoto's foot was resting had partially caved in. A series of dull thuds echoed in their ears, causing them to turn their heads in curiosity. As Kyoko wordlessly dragged Makoto towards the noise, their eyes widened in shock as they saw part of the ground had retracted to reveal a secret staircase.

"Wow…you were right Kyoko; there was a hidden staircase."

"Indeed, though I have no idea where it leads." She turned to face Makoto and suggested "So, shall we go? Remember what I said."

Makoto nodded "Yeah, let's go."

Satisfied, Kyoko nodded as the two cautiously walked down the stairway, steeling themselves for whatever awaited them.

XXX

"I can't believe there was an elevator down here." Makoto mused as they rode said elevator, the grinding gears echoing in their ears as it descended into the passageway's cavernous depths.

Kyoko nodded and commented "Indeed. This appears to be quite the elaborate setup, and the tidiness of this facility implies that it was used fairly recently. We'd best be on our guard."

"Yeah, you're right." Makoto agreed as the gears came to a stop and the elevator doors opened. "Alright let's go." Makoto suggested before Kyoko nodded and squeezed his hand before they stepped out into the corridor. "What the…" Makoto gasped as his eyes widened at the sight before him.

Although the corridor was dark, the splotches of crimson blood contrasted the grey walls like neon.

Kyoko narrowed her eyes and observed "Blood, and by the looks of its texture, I'd say it was fairly recent."

"Then…whoever was down here could still be alive?" Makoto asked hopefully.

"Perhaps." Kyoko nodded before she reached into her pocket and pulled out a small plastic ball. "Before we progress, we should test this corridor for traps. Look, I see multiple holes in the middle of the blood splatter."

"R…right…" Makoto nodded before Kyoko tossed the ball in front of her. She waited for a few seconds, then determined "It seems that whatever traps were are already deactivated. It should be safe to traverse, but be careful all the same."

Makoto nodded before Kyoko tugged him along, each step of her boots taken with extreme caution as they traversed the corridor.

XXX

"What the hell kind of torture chamber was this?!" Makoto exclaimed as they reached the doors at the end of the corridor. "Bladed pendulums, metal balls on chains, and those spears back there…" Makoto shuddered as he lamented "…so much blood…"

Kyoko nodded and agreed "Indeed, and those monitors on the walls imply that their operator was actively watching. A torture chamber may be the perfect descriptor for this facility…" Perhaps there's some footage of what happened stored in the central computer system those monitors are linked to, though I don't have the technical knowledge to hack into it.

She filed the thought away for later and turned to Makoto as they placed a palm on each door.

"Anyway, there's no telling what's behind this door. Remember to be on your guard as we investigate."

Makoto nodded before he bit his lip and turned back to the door and together with Kyoko pushed against it, causing them to swing open before they walked into a circular room with a checkered floor.

"What…what is this place?" Makoto wondered?

Kyoko bit her lip as she admitted "I…I'm not sure…but I feel the God of Death's footsteps strongest in this room. We need to…"

"Kyoko, look!" Makoto exclaimed as he ran towards the center, pulling Kyoko along with surprising strength.

"Ma…Makoto, slow down!" Kyoko protested until they reached the center point.

Makoto stopped, allowing the two students to catch their breath.

"Makoto, what did you see that caused you to be so…reckless…" Kyoko trailed off as she looked to Makoto's stunned, horrified face.

She turned her head, following Makoto's gaze until her eyes widened in shock and she just barely held back the urge to gasp. Time seemed to stop as their very souls seemed to scream in horror at the sight of a young teenage girl, dressed in a Hope's Peak Academy uniform, lying facedown in a pool of her own blood.

"AAAAAHHHHHHH!" Makoto screamed as he exclaimed "We're too late! She…she…"

"Makoto…calm yourself." Kyoko took a deep breath and kneeled before the body as she pointed out "She's obviously gravely injured, but we don't know if she's dead yet."

"So…she might be…" Makoto started hopefully.

"It's a possibility. I need to check for signs of life." Kyoko told him before she asked "Could you please…look away for a minute?"

"Sure, just let me know when it's okay to look." Anything to not have to stare at all that blood! Makoto thought as he turned away.

Kyoko pushed away her thoughts of gratitude and swiftly removed a glove from her hand, exposing her scarred fingers before she gripped the girl's hand with her gloved counterpart. She placed two fingers against the girl's wrist and closed her eyes for a few seconds. She breathed out a sigh of relief as she let go of the girl's wrist before she replaced her glove.

"Makoto, I've got a pulse. It's faint, but it's there." Makoto breathed a sigh of relief before Kyoko continued "She probably won't survive the trip back to the medical ward though. Her only chance is for me to bandage her wounds to stop further blood loss to maximize her chances of survival until we can get her proper medical treatment."

"G…got it…" Makoto asked "Do you…need my help with anything, or…?"

"Your concern is appreciated, but I can do this by myself." Kyoko took out a roll of gauze from her jacket and pointed out "Besides, to get at her wounds, I'll likely have to…"

Makoto blushed and agreed "Got…got it…just let me know when she's decent…"

Kyoko nodded and discreetly undressed the girl before she expertly wrapped gauze around the still bleeding wounds. Once she was done, she put away the gauze and redressed the victim.

"Makoto, it's safe to look now." Makoto sighed in relief as he turned back around to face Kyoko and the unconscious girl. "I'll need your help, Makoto. Can you help me get her on my back? Once she's slumped against me and I can get a supporting grip on her legs, I can carry her back to campus."

"Sure, on it." Makoto nodded before he gently hooked his arms around her torso and hoisted her body until she was resting against Kyoko's back. "Alright she's in position, Kyoko."

Kyoko nodded before she gripped the girl's thighs with her hands and stood up gingerly.

"Alright, let's go, and remember to stay close." Kyoko ordered.

Makoto nodded before they both jogged back the way they came, rushing to make sure the victim didn't succumb to death.