-This is made by Starrshard on Ao3 and Wattpad, please check them out. I have been given permission to upload this to, as they do not have an account on this website-
Yaomomo's eyes widened as she entered the auditorium.
"Shigaraki! Kurogiri!" Her stormy gray gaze flickered from villain to villain. There weren't that many; just Shigaraki, Kurogiri, Dabi, Toga, and Chisaki. But their presence, alone with the powerless students in an abandoned U.A., held a frightening kind of aura just by itself.
"You came." Shigaraki muttered, idly scratching his dry-ass neck. "I was beginning to wonder."
"Please explain what is happening!" Tenya yelled, his arms waving like a robot's.
Shigaraki sneered. "You're so impatient. Let us explain.
"We have brought you all here to play a little... game. As you all know from the announcements earlier, you're all to live here. And of course, you unappreciative brats probably all want to leave. So, we've made a little system. To leave, you have to graduate. And to graduate-"
"You have to kill someone!" Toga suddenly interrupted.
A stunned silence fell over the students as the villains waited for a response.
"Wh-what do you mean?!" Izuku yelped, his voice slicing through the quiet like a knife. "Kill someone?"
"Yes! Kill someone!" Toga sung. "Stab 'em, burn 'em, mutilate 'em! The gorier the better!" She danced around Dabi excitedly, who watched her with lazy blue eyes.
"And there you have it," Shigaraki groaned, waving a hand at Toga in what might've been a threatening gesture. The blonde didn't seem to care as she re-took her place beside Dabi. "Kill someone to graduate. Oh, and because we can't bother watching you idiots all day, and have better things to do than give lengthy explanations of this thing, we made a new toy for you. It's for the occasion. Kurogiri?"
The warp-gate man silently opened a portal, and out tumbled a short, white rodent.
"Principal Nedzu!" Yaomomo called out, a wave of relief washing over her. The principal was here! Maybe he could tell them what was happening.
But as he got up, all the joy in Yaomomo's heart froze, giving way to terror.
The left half of Nedzu's face was black-furred, the dark pelt sewn onto his head, as evident by the blood-speckled stitches. In place of his eye on the black side, there was a red, mechanical lens that flickered and glowed. The left side of his mouth was bent into an awkward smirk.
What scared Yaomomo the most was his right side, though. The right corner of his lips were curled down in a trembling frown, and his beady black eye was shiny with agony. His entire body seemed to be trembling, yet at the same time stiff; perfectly artificial.
"I am Monokuma!" Nedzu yelled. His voice was shrill, robotic, ragged. It was like a bad audio recording overlaid on top of static and glitches. It was as if Nedzu himself was trying to fight the robotic parasite leeched onto him, but failing and being swallowed by its dominant call. A frozen chill ran down Yaomomo's spine.
"Monokuma here will be watching you from the control room. He can also answer questions, talk to you, and enforce rules, that kinda thing. We'll also have one or two members on standby at all times as well, in case something happens," Shigaraki continued.
"Have fun," Dabi sneered. He jumped into the new portal as soon as Kurogiri opened it, waving his hand as he disappeared.
One by one, the villains all filed into the portal, Kurogiri leaving last and closing the portal behind him. This left the group of students staring, terrified, at Monokuma, who was now standing alone atop the podium.
Yaomomo still hadn't completely grasped the whole Killing Game concept. Kill each other? Who would be insane enough to do that? They were all friends. They were Class 1-A. They'd been through so much together. Besides, even if they weren't friends, nobody would have the heart to physically murder another human being.
And why? If the League wanted them dead, they could do the job themselves. As much as she hated it, Yaomomo knew that none of the 24 students would be able to defeat a single one of the villains in their current state.
So... why?
"Now, time for some housekeeping!" Monokuma continued brightly. "As Shigaraki said before, you will all be living your School Life of Mutual Killing here! Either you can all live under the League's rules, or you can be naughty and try to graduate! They even provided some basic weapons for you in your rooms, knowing you wannabe-heroes. Is that clear?"
"Um, N- Monokuma?" Yaomomo suddenly blurted out. A couple pairs of eyes flickered towards her in surprise, but she kept her gaze steady on the black and white creature.
"Yes, Yaoyorozu, Miss Ultimate Heir?" Monokuma asked, rocking back and forth on the podium. "What seems to be the matter?"
"Yes, about the Ultimate titles... what are they?"
"Oh!" Monokuma jumped up, ears pricked. "Well, we picked out your most memorable attribute and titled you it. I guess you could say, your personal 'ultimate' talent, aside from playing hero. It'll come in handy later, I'm sure!
"Good question! You get a gold star." Monokuma smiled, as if mocking her. "Any more?"
The room was dead silent, spare for the droning of the fan.
"In that case, it's time for the most important part of this whole thing-a-ma-jig! A little something for all of you, to get ya goin!" Monokuma ducked down behind the podium, before swiftly reappearing with a cardboard box.
"DVDs! Come and get the one with your name on it, and go up to the teacher's office to watch 'em on the computers!" He tossed the box at the students, and Yaomomo, who was near the front of the group, caught it.
Everyone grabbed their DVD. After a fair bit of yelling and Katsuki grabbing the box to chuck at Monokuma -who easily dodged before retorting with something about hurting the principal- they made their way up the stairs to the teachers' office. The glowing lights of the monitors were the only light sources in the room. Everyone sat down at a computer and slid the DVD into the media slot before putting on the provided earbuds.
Yaomomo clicked the play button, and the screen darkened. For a moment, nothing happened. And then...
A sunny image appeared on-screen. An image of her family, crowding around her and smiling. There was her younger sister, her mother and father, even Cynthia, her best friend, the maid she had grown fond of back at the mansion. Their bright faces lit a spark of hope in her heart. We were happy.
But then, the screen flashed to black once more, and a familiar, shrill voice rattled Yaomomo's eardrums.
"The Yaoyorozus: a rich, high-end, happy family. Their business was great, life comfortable, and wishes fulfilled. But then, something horrible happened!"
The screen flickered back to life. Yaomomo gasped, her hand coming up to cover her mouth.
There was her family. Hanging by their wrists against a wall, the four people were helpless, at the mercy of their captors. Yaomomo's sister's silver eyes shone with fear, a cut on her cheek caked with dry blood. Her gaze was fixed on the camera, piercing Yaomomo's with her own through the screen. Her mother's stare was directed at the ground, dull and submissive. There were scuff marks on on her face.
Her father appeared to be asleep or unconscious, from the light movement of his chest despite his closed eyes. His glasses were askew and dirtied. The maid, Cynthia, stared forlornly at the camera, her blue eyes hazy and dull. Yaomomo found herself trapped in her glossy gaze.
"The villains attacked, and this family was captured! What will their fates be?!" Monokuma's robotic voice blared into Yaomomo's ears once more. She barely heard him, her mind addled with fear for her family. I'm a hero! I'm supposed to protect people! And yet, somehow... my family...
The screen flickered to darkness once more. A message in bold red letters appeared.
'Find out the answer after Graduation!'
A light piano tune was playing in the background, completely unfitting of the images shown before it. Yaomomo tore off the earbuds, throwing them at the keyboard before her.
Around her, the others' reactions to their videos were becoming evident.
"AAAHHHH!" Izuku screamed, his fingers tugging at his curly green locks. "Wh- why?!"
"How..." Hitoshi stared, wide-eyed, at the screen. "How could they be..?"
"Wh-what's happening?!" Mina yelped, her gaze flitting fearfully from side to side. "Never before..!"
Amidst all the chaotic screams, Yaomomo's darting gaze landed on a couple people. Namely, Ochako and Fumikage.
Ochako's wide, chocolate eyes held a haunted, vacant kind of look. Her entire body seemed to be trembling as she stared into the screen. Fumikage stared indifferently at his monitor, his crimson eyes lazy and unfocused.
"Puhuhu!" Yaomomo jumped, whirling around to see Monokuma had re-appeared in the far corner of the room.
"AAAHH!" Nejire screeched. The Big Three member had obviously been unnerved by the video, judging by her jumpiness. "Where'd you come from?! How'd you get in?! The door's over there!" She jabbed a shaky finger at the closed door, which was on the other side of the room.
Monokuma waved his paws in an arc. "Maaagic!" He chuckled. "Anyways, there you have it! These discs are one-hundred percent authentic, for your information." He cheerfully began trotting around, walking by the students and ignoring their stunned expressions.
"Wh- how?!" Mei's usual merry expression had turned to one of terror. She glanced around the room. "H-heroes will be coming soon, I'm sure! The prisoners will be saved! We'll be saved!"
"Puhuhu!" There it was again, that creepy, little laugh. Monokuma stared up at Mei. "You're seriously going to rely on the heroes?! Wouldn't that mean you should be relying on yourself and your own wits to escape? Now how about that graduation rule, hmm?"
"A-are you serious?! We're Class One-A! We would never kill anyone, let alone our own friends!" Despite Izuku's claim, his eyes were wide, his gaze flitting from side to side, as if afraid of a sudden attack at any moment. Yaomomo felt dread fill her up from the inside, and an unnerving thought rose in her mind.
Would we? Would one of us really kill another for freedom, and the determination of our family's fates?
"Are you so sure about that? Do you know what everyone else's situations are?" Monokuma's red eye gleamed with malice, while his black one was still eternally pained. "You cannot judge others based on your own standards! How do you know... that none of the students here in this classroom are already planning a murder?"
A dark hush washed over the students. After a moment, everybody began to look at each other with suspicious glares. Yaomomo felt her heart sink. No... surely nobody is...
...planning to kill one of us?
Tenya felt a rush of rage race through him at Monokuma's words. How dare he..?
"Provoking us with those poisonous words? Convincing us that we're going to kill each other? Are you insane?!" Tenya jumped to his feet and yelled at Monokuma, waving his hand at the little rodent.
He looked around, red and blue eyes flickering from person to person. Everyone's suspicious mutterings had faltered, their attention now completely on him.
"We would never!" He boldly announced. He turned back to Monokuma. "You and the League of Villains, holding our teachers, families, and loved ones captive to try and convince us to succumb to your plans! We won't fall! You will!"
In an impulsive, adrenaline-driven moment, Tenya rushed forward at Monokuma, who was standing in the middle of an aisle between the computers, at the very center of the group.
He never regretted his choice.
Tenya lunged at Monokuma, and a moment later, the rodent was laying on the ground. Tenya's foot was planted on top of his chest, effectively pinning him.
"Villains, listen up!" Tenya glared directly into the surveillance camera next to the TV screen on the ceiling, which stared right back down at him. "Let go of your captives, before we beat you and your... your Monokuma to a pulp!"
Around him, Tenya could hear his friends' surprised gasps. I won't let the villains hurt them... I am Tenya Iida, class representative of 1-A! I will protect them until my dying breath!
"I'll protect my friends and family! I refuse to let you hurt them!" Tenya confidently announced to the ears behind the cameras.
That's when the TV screen lit up. There was Shigaraki, sitting cross-legged on a red-leather wheeled chair. One of his red eyes was visible, observing Tenya with cruel amusement.
"Um, intention of injury to the principal is strictly forbidden!" Monokuma suddenly began talking again, waving his little paws, and everyone's eyes returned to him. "Kurogiri! Spinner!"
A multitude of dark portals suddenly appeared around the room in a loose half-dome over Tenya, their entrances all pointed at the direction of the class representative. Katanas and spears flew out of them with a zing, their blades glinting in the artificial light of the computers for a fraction of a second before impaling themselves deep in Tenya's flesh. Several of the spears' tips had even gone through the other side of his body. Blood blossomed from the many wounds, painting his blue suit-jacket magenta in a breath's time.
For a moment, he was so shocked he forgot about the pain.
"Wh..."
He was beginning to go numb, his vision blurring. Did my glasses fall off?
He was getting dizzy, as if the world were tilting. Or am I swaying?
"Class One-A..."
His limbs were growing unresponsive as blood rapidly flowed from the wounds, although he couldn't even feel the warmth of the liquid against his skin. He forced air into his lungs, despite how each breath felt like a thousand more daggers to his chest. He made a choked coughing sound, blood spurting out his mouth and dripping down his chin.
"Remember... who you wanted to become..."
His breath caught in his chest, and suddenly his body went from frosty numbness to feeling as if he were on fire. The heat and the flames licked his skin, sending prickles of needles and burns throughout his limbs as another wave of blood gushed from the impalement points, the blades holding steady in his body.
His eyes were growing heavy. He was sleepy. So tired...
The spears and katanas jerked as he swayed and fell, sending a fresh spout of blood bursting from the wounds. His vision went dark, and he let the vestiges of sleep take him one final time.
Tenya Iida was dead.
In one explosion of blades, he was gone.
Tenya Iida. Our class representative.
Everyone could only stare at the body on the ground, spears and katanas impaled all over his body. And the blood, the blood. There was so much blood.
Thick, dark pink fluid dripped from the wounds, trickling in a steady river onto the floor, flowing into the seams between tiles, entirely soaking through Tenya's blue suit and blotting it a permanent indigo. The growing puddle of gore rippled around the corpse with every new drop.
Despite the magenta mess before him, Monokuma stared down at his corpse, brushing himself off. He'd evidently slipped out from under Tenya's foot at one point or another, as he was unscathed and clean. "Well, that's that."
"THAT'S THAT?!" Ochako suddenly screamed. About a dozen other students jumped at the brunette's sudden outburst. "WHAT DO YOU M-MEAN?!"
Her eyes were wide and brimming with tears. Her face was painted with terror and rage. Her hands were clenched in fists, and the small bow in her hair seemed to droop, mirroring her expression.
"You just killed him!" the brunette screeched, her face red with pent-up emotion. "And all you can say is- is THAT'S THAT?!"
Monokuma shrugged. "He's dead now, isn't he? This is real life, not some hero manga!"
Ochako opened her mouth to say something when Tsuyu tapped her on the shoulder. Meanwhile, Eijirou was trembling, huddled between Mina and Katsuki. His usual courageous spirit had been shattered. "Why are you doing this? What do you want?"
A strange pause, filled by the mechanical beeping of the room's gadgets.
"Oh, that's simple," Monokuma suddenly said. He grinned.
"Despair. That's all."
Another beat of silence. Then...
"Despair?" Denki asked softly.
"Yes, despair!" Monokuma laughed, the noise robotic, mechanical, unnatural. "That's all we want from you! Now, before I accidentally say too much, it's time for me to leave! Sayonara! Puhuhu..."
Monokuma waddled out the door. Nobody tried to stop him. Nearly everyone's eyes were locked on Tenya's broken body.
Above, the TV screen had long flickered to darkness.
So this is it.
What despair. What agony, what pain... it's so evident in their faces, their eyes, their posture, their voices.
Welcome to the Killing Game, they told us.
Welcome to your new life, we were told.
Prologue : The End | Surviving Students : 23 | To Be Continued
Item obtained: Bloody Pair of Glasses