Gamer4 in. Breaking news- even in this endeavor, I am not the first! On my usual combing of the Danganronpa fanfic archives, I discovered a title called Darling, Don't Fear the Reaper, for Despair is Just a Disease by LizzyLovesPink. Yup, even this has been done before. Thankfully, she opted to not only not sic a horde of angry lawyers on me, she even gave me her blessing to continue this story- so that's what we're gonna do! That said, if you like what you see here, but want to see what happens next, or just a different take on these events, her story is already complete. Until then, let's dive in- what? Hiatus? I don't know what you're talking about- what hiatus?
Disclaimer: Don't fear the reaper- we'll be able to fly! Don't fear the reaper- baby, I'm your man!
Chapter IV
Don't Fear the Reaper
Sayaka had an unusual bounce in her step as she made her way down the street towards Leon's house. The source of her joy was simple- she'd spent the last hour or so discussing current events with a former member of her idol group, Ayaka Haneyama, who had assured her that, in the event she needed to leave home due to these unforeseen circumstances, she'd be welcome in the Haneyama household.
During her time as an idol, Ayaka was the bandmate Sayaka had grown closest to- in the wake of her sudden pregnancy, it seemed only natural that she be the first of her old team that she tell, let alone ask for assistance. Her heart, which had sunk down into her lower stomach when she'd first begun to suspect what was happening, had risen substantially- she still had people around her who cared for her, who would support her through this difficult time.
"Hey! Watch where you're going!"
And then, of course, was Toko Fukawa.
"What are you, following me now?" the slightly shorter girl accused, brandishing her index finger dramatically.
"I promise I'm not," Sayaka assured her. "I guess we just... end up going to the same places."
"Sure,:" Toko scoffed. "Where are you going?"
"To meet with Leon- something important's happened, and-"
"Oh, right... your *boyfriend,*" Toko scoffed, a great deal of venom injected into the word. "He'll probably abandon you at the first sign of trouble, you know."
Sayaka eyed the other girl up- she prided herself on her intuition, to the point of often describing herself as a psychic. Her intuition was telling her Toko wasn't really mad at her, specifically- she was moreso angry and frustrated for anger and frustration's sake, simply taking it out on the nearest person.
"I don't think he will," she responded at last. "He's shown me that he's very loyal." She didn't go into exact details- she'd been uncomfortable enough speaking to her father, Ayaka, and Leon himself about the subject, let alone Toko.
"Yeah... well, think what you want," Toko grumbled as she circled around Sayaka and began shuffling away, still muttering unintelligibly to herself.
Sayaka glanced sadly after her- all this time, and she still didn't know how to reach out to that girl, though she obviously needed it.
Finally, she turned back and continued on her way.
Her knock at Leon's door was met by a flurry of coughing- when the door finally opened, he was wearing a facemask, covering his nose and mouth. "Ah- Sayaka!" he brightened when he saw her. "Probably shouldn't come in right now, I think I caught that new flu everyone's talking about..."
"Captain Trips?" Sayaka asked- news of a new flu strain had spread very quickly, though she hadn't paid too much attention to the news cycle. "I hear it's pretty nasty."
"Yeah... I really feel like shit right now," Leon admitted, pausing to cough violently into his arm. "They say they're working on a cure, though- can't do it fast enough, if you ask me."
Sayaka nodded, hesitating in her original mission. "So... Leon... about... about the baby..."
"You change your mind?" Leon asked.
"About what?"
"Any of it- getting rid of it, marrying me, not marrying me... you decide on what you're going to do?"
Sayaka paused. "I... still don't think marriage is the best option," she said. "I just got off the phone with Ayaka- one of my old bandmates- and it sounds like I'll be moving in with her once the baby comes."
"Ayaka?" Leon thought long and hard. "Ayaka..."
"I don't think you've met," Sayaka spared him the trouble. "She moved to Shibuya after school- sounds like I'll be heading to the big city soon."
"Shibuya, huh?" Leon's eyes glimmered. "Heck of a change of pace, isn't it?"
"Yes, but... what else can I do?"
"Well, I don't know," Leon started. He paused to let off a series of hacking coughs and sneezes. "Ugh... gonna haveta change my mask soon... I think anything I can do, I've already suggested. Maybe... maybe I could come with you? Marriage or no marriage, I'll come with you to Shibuya, make sure you keep my support."
"That's very thoughtful," Sayaka admitted, "but... I think I'll be okay."
"Are- are you sure?" Leon asked, clearly taken aback. "I mean- *COUGH HACK COUGH!* it's not like Shibuya's known for being the easiest place to live in all Japan- just say the word, and I'll-"
"We... we can talk about this later," Sayaka cut him off. "When you're not... you know..."
"When I can actually- *A-CHOO!* talk, yeah, I *HACK WHEEZE COUGH*- get it," Leon admitted, nodding slowly. "Alright, then- take ca-*COUGH COUGH COUGH COUGH*"
He waved her off, unable to keep his coughing at bay any longer. Sayaka accepted the dismissal, turning and walking back down the street.
She didn't say it to Leon, but there was another reason she was concerned- her own father had come down with this awful disease, and while he was in about the same condition as Leon, she was far more concerned for him. Leon was still young, and had never really been sick before- regardless of what his school record might say. Her father, however, was climbing up in years, and was already battling several other health conditions.
It was the biggest reason she was putting her trip to Shibuya off as long as she was- she wouldn't leave her father in this weakened, vulnerable state- not after everything he'd done for her. She couldn't just leave him alone.
The walk home seemed a lot shorter than the walk there, especially as it was absent of run-ins with Toko. She didn't bother knocking this time as she entered. "I'm home," she declared.
Silence.
"D...Daddy?" she asked as the house remained silent. "...Father?"
She looked through the rooms, and finally found him laying down on the couch. Her heart practically stopped when she saw the state he was in- his face was red, his breathing was shallow, his eyes empty as he stared up at the ceiling. The worst was around his neck, where the skin had begun to bulge and contort, as unsightly as it was no doubt painful.
"Father!" she screamed, rushing over and looking him over intently. "Father, can you hear me?!"
"Sss...ka..." he muttered in delirium.
Sayaka reached for her phone and rapidly tapped in 119. "Hello, hello? My father is sick, he's having a ... a stroke or something- my address is 22- what do you mean? What do you mean you're full?! My father is dying!"
Sayaka looked at her phone in shock and horror- apparently, the nearest hospitals were already full of patients. "Then send somebody here!" she demanded. "He is dying!"
She listened intently for a response, nodding and hanging up before rushing back to her father's side. "Father- stay with me- Daddy, please, stay with me, everything's going to be okay, I promise, everything's going to be okay!"
XXXX
Mukuro lay in her bed, looking up at the roof of her cell. It was more spartan than her own room, though only by a little.
She hadn't found much difference between her life in that sterile apartment and her life in this cell, waiting for her trial for the assault of that girl in the park. If one were to ask her if she regretted it, she'd be able to definitively answer that she didn't, though she did wish she wasn't looking at prison time for it.
She had no knowledge of the Japanese legal system- such knowledge would have been superfluous in her line of work. Based on what she'd been told, since she didn't exactly have a lawyer, she was going to be provided with one, unless, of course, she wanted to represent herself.
"Ikusaba."
She raised her head enough to look out of her cell and spy a large police officer glaring down at her, his arms crossed. "You have a visitor."
Mukuro tilted her head ever so slightly. A visitor? Who would be visiting her? She didn't exactly have any friends- the only person in Japan she could say she knew was Makoto Naegi. For a moment, she allowed herself to entertain a fantasy that it was him, but logic and reason swiftly took over- assuming Naegi still remembered her at all, a big 'if' in its own right, there was no possible way for him to know about her current predicament.
"Who is it?" she finally asked out loud.
The man glared at her silently.
Finally, she conceded, rising to her feet. The officer opened the door and roughly shoved her against the wall, not bothering with gentleness as he slapped a pair of handcuffs onto her wrists before throwing her out into the hallway. She wished she could say this took her aback, but this was very much in line with how she'd been treated since her arrest.
The man roughly pushed her down the halls to the visitor's center, forcing her into a chair, her arms still pinned behind her back. In front of her was a window with just enough holes for sound to pass through adequately. "You have ten minutes," the man grunted before stepping back.
The door on the other side of the window opened, and a tall woman appeared, with blond hair falling down to the middle of her back. There were several pins keeping it in place- looking quickly, Mukuro thought that a couple of them might have been in the shape of music notes. She sat in the chair across from her, placed her hands on the desk the window sat upon, and smiled. "So, you must be the Mukuro Ikusaba I've heard so much about!"
"I didn't realize people knew me," Mukuro admitted.
"It's not every day someone stands up to Asuka Tendou like that." She gave an odd sort of chuckle. "You must not follow the news, if you don't know who she is. Let's just say there's a reason people are out for your blood."
"Including you?" Mukuro guessed.
"Me?" The woman looked taken aback, then laughed again. "Oh, no, no, no! Sorry, I forgot to introduce myself- my name's Kaede Akamatsu, and I'll be your defense attorney for this case!"
Mukuro looked more closely. "You're... a defense attorney?"
"On the newer side, I'll admit," Kaede chuckled awkwardly, "but don't worry, I already know everything that happened. That boy you saved was Shuichi Saihara- a friend of mine. He told me everything."
"I... see." Mukuro struggled to think of anything else to say.
"Consider this a favor," Kaede told her. "You save my friend, I save you. Besides, anyone who stands up to someone like Asuka Tendou like that is alright in my book."
"It doesn't sound like other people will see it that way," Mukuro pointed out.
Kaede's eyes flicked down to the arms that were still pinned behind the chair. "They've been rough with you?"
"Putting it lightly."
"I wish I could say I was surprised," Kaede sighed. "But don't worry- I hear this case is being overseen by Judge Kiyotaka Ishimaru."
"...Who?"
"Someone who's tough on crime, but very fair- I'm sure he'll hear us out," Kaede smiled. "Good thing the trial got delayed, I had to put through all sorts of paperwork to get this case. I guess, if there's any upside at all to this Trips business..."
"Trips?" Mukuro asked, nonplussed.
"You haven't even heard of that?" Kaede asked, taken aback. "Well... then again, I guess you *have* been in jail... there's a nasty flu going around, people are calling it Captain Trips. People are calling in sick left and right- no wonder your trial got delayed a bit. But don't worry!" Kaede flashed her brightest smile and a thumbs-up. "I took the defense attorney's oath- I'll put my absolute trust in you, so just put your absolute trust in me!"
Mukuro looked her over again. There was something in her visage that was familiar- that bright smile, that hopeful glimmer in her eye. There was even a stray antenna of hair arching over her head. There was something about this woman so much like her old friend that she couldn't help smiling and saying something she hadn't expected to ever say again.
"I trust you."
XXXX
*"And finally, we are getting word from Prime Minister Toranosuke Yoshida- Mr. Yoshida, you must have heard about the outbreak of this Captain Trips- why haven't you done more to stop it?"
"I am afraid this is quite the unprecedented scenario- we are acting as swiftly as we can in search of a cure for this dreadful disease. I have organized a task force of scientists who are working around the clock to find a cure- or, at the very least, preventative measures- for this outbreak. I have it on good confidence that things will return to normal within a few months-"*
Makoto turned off the tv broadcasting Prime Minister Tora's address. He wanted to believe that- with every fiber of his being, he wanted to believe that this was just a passing thing, and in a few months, he'd be back at Emiri's Bowling Alley with his sister and girlfriend, laughing about what had once seemed so frightening. But even as hopeful as he liked to be, he just couldn't.
Tora was putting on a good show of optimism for his people, but there was a shadow lurking behind his eyes speaking of far more fear than he was willing to confess. Even worse, he'd had to stop between every other sentence for a fit of coughing or sneezing- something that had never chilled Makoto to the bone as much as it did now.
He was shaken out of his revery when the door slid open and a new man appeared- a man bearing the look of someone who had seen better days. His white hair was matted and untidy, his matching suit disheveled and unwashed. He was sporting unkempt facial hair, his eyes were bloodshot, and his hands were shaking- from nicotine withdrawal, if the smell of smoke that clung to him was anything to go by.
Nevertheless, he kept his gaze on Makoto as he pulled up a chair. "Kyosuke... Munakata," he introduced himself. "Do you know who I am?"
Makoto shook his head.
"I am- or was- the head of the Future Foundation. I assume you've heard of them, at least?"
"The Foundation looking to build the future," Makoto nodded. "Working with the government and military to create a brighter future for Japan- and the world."
Kyosuke gave a cynical chuckle. "Yeah, that was the idea, wasn't it? I suppose there's no point hiding it anymore- you're in a Future Foundation facility right now." He paused, struggling to maintain eye contact with the brown-haired boy. "I'm told you've been difficult with some of my...employees. Refused to talk until you knew the truth."
"I just want to know that my friends and family are okay," Makoto insisted.
"Well... there's no point keeping secrets anymore," Kyosuke decided. "So... where shall I begin?"
Makoto had no trouble maintaining eye contact with him. "I hear the beginning is usually a good place to start."
Kyosuke gave another dry, humorless chuckle. "Juzo was right- you've got quite the mouth on you, kid." Another pause. "This... all of this..." He waved a hand at the television, clearly knowing what Makoto had been watching before he entered. "It's all our fault. I'm sure you've figured it out already- Captain Trips isn't an ordinary disease- it's a deadly, mutating strain of flu designed and engineered to kill- something it is very efficient at. When it broke out at Location 99, it killed almost everyone there within minutes."
"Designed... and engineered?" Makoto repeated, horror entering his eyes. "The Future Foundation-"
"We were studying it very closely," Kyosuke nodded. "Where it came from, I couldn't tell you- I don't know if we found it, were given it, or created it from scratch. What we planned on doing with it, I know even less. Even as the Foundation's head, there are things I don't know."
He paused, hand trembling violently as he reached towards his pocket before seemingly thinking better of his actions and returning his gaze to Makoto.
"Not that it matters anymore, I suppose. It got out. Somehow, despite being in the most secure ward of the most secure location available to the Future Foundation, it got out. Every last failsafe went down at the exact right time, and within minutes, everyone there was dead before they even knew what was happening."
Makoto was starting to get a picture of what was really happening. "But... there were survivors, weren't there?"
"Two," Kyosuke nodded. "Against some impossible odds, Nagito Komaeda and Rantaro Amami managed to escape the site and carry this fucking disease through God alone knows how many towns and cities before their little odyssey finally ended in the parking lot of a bowling alley out in the middle of nowhere."
"But... now they're dead, too," Makoto pointed out.
Kyosuke shrugged. "I guess the virus was already mutating when it got to them- killed them slower, used them as incubators to spread to more people." He paused, and reached for his pocket again- this time, he didn't hesitate in breaking out a cigarette and lighting it up. "So... I'm guessing you've worked out by now why we picked up you and your sister?"
Makoto thought of everything he'd been told, by Kyosuke, Juzo, and Gekkogahara. "Because... we weren't showing any symptoms..."
Kyosuke nodded. "As far as we can tell, you and your sister are among a lucky few to be completely immune to this disease- and as you can imagine, that's something very valuable to us right now. We've been running tests in an effort to discover what it is that makes you immune- and more importantly, if it can be replicated."
"And... what have you found?" Makoto was almost scared to ask.
"Nothing," Kyosuke muttered. "Not a fucking thing. By all accounts, you should already be dead, yet you haven't shown any symptoms whatsoever."
"But that means Komaru's okay, right?" Makoto asked pleadingly. "She'll be okay?"
"Your sister is fine," Kyosuke confirmed. "Giving some of my nurses quite a bit of trouble complaining about her boredom, but health-wise, she's just as good as you."
Makoto felt relief... then his heart sank. "But... but Kirigiri..."
Kyosuke shook his head. "I don't know the exact status of anyone back in your town, but I wouldn't get my hopes up. Most likely, she's already dead."
Makoto's heart nearly stopped. "No... Kyoko..."
Kyosuke didn't spare him another look as he rose to his feet. "Well, there you go- now you know everything. In the coming days, I ask only that you cooperate with us as we search for a cure. It may be too late to save your friends- but it might not be to save everyone else, understand?"
Makoto maintained a haunted look as he nodded mutely.
Kyosuke turned to go, then added, without looking back- "I'm sure this will be all over soon. Once it is, you have my permission to leave. Once it's all over..."
He left on one last ominous note. "One way or another."
XXXX
The first place Kyosuke went after his conversation with the Naegi boy was back to his office, where only he had dared tread over the past week or so. Practically every paper within reach of his desk had been scribbled over by the same word, over and over.
GUILTYGUILTYGUILTYGUILTYGUILTYGUILTYGUILTYGUILTYGUILTYGUILTYGUILTYGUILTYGUILTYGUILTYGUILTYGUILTYGUILTYGUILTYGUILTYGUILTYGUILTYGUILTYGUILTYGUILTYGUILTYGUILTYGUILTYGUILTYGUILTYGUILTYGUILTYGUILTYGUILTYGUILTYGUILTYGUILTYGUILTYGUILTYGUILTYGUILTYGUILTYGUILTYGUILTYGUILTYGUILTYGUILTYGUILTYGUILTYGUILTYGUILTYGUILTYGUILTYGUILTYGUILTYGUILTY
Why he'd chosen to relate the full story at all, let alone to that boy in particular, he wasn't entirely certain. Perhaps he just needed to confess his sins to somebody. And that boy... something had drawn him to that boy, as if he, above all, deserved to know the full truth.
Either way, it had been very cathartic- he felt as though a heavy weight had been lifted off of his shoulders.
He looked at the one report he hadn't covered in graffiti-it informed him that the Japanese government had initiated his last orders to block off international travel, but according to reports from America, China, and their surrounding countries, it was too late- Trips had already found its way abroad.
Perhaps he had alleviated himself of his own personal guilt, but he still felt the need to take responsibility. Looking up, he could almost see the face of Chisa Yukizome, smiling pleasantly at him.
*It's all over, Kyosuke... come and rest.*
"I'm on my way."
He reached into his drawer, picking up the gun it contained. He made sure the safety was off before pressing the barrel to the roof of his mouth. There was no hesitation in him as he pulled the trigger.
XXXX
The roads were packed as Kaito struggled to make his way through the crowd. Even the paths through Osaka that were usually empty were near impassable today, as the entire city seemed to empty out onto the streets out of panic and fear at the ongoing epidemic.
Kaito wasn't one to care too much about such things, however. His goal had been to go bar hopping again, this time taking care not to get so drunk that he woke up in a random woman's bed. He shuddered at the idea of what Mahiru would say if she ever found out about that incident.
"Oof!"
"Oh- sorry, sir!"
The man he'd just run into was... generously proportioned. His hair arched above his head in an odd spike- honestly, Kaito had no idea how he was doing it. His eyes were hidden behind a small pair of glasses, and he wore a tie with an arrow pointing both up and down.
"No- no problem," Kaito grunted as he attempted to pick himself off the ground.
"Oh, please, allow me," the other man knelt as low as he could, given his... generous proportions, extending a hand and assisting Kaito to his feet. "We must be careful in these dangerous times, you know!"
"You're afraid of Trips, too?" Kaito asked, brushing himself off.
"Well, of course I don't want to get sick!" the man shook his head, "but no, there's something far worse afoot, my friend! I should know! I saw her- the Dark Woman is coming!"
"The... Dark Woman?"
At last, Kaito noticed that the man was wearing a backpack- a backpack that he had just slung off his back and was now rummaging through, finally producing a stack of pamphlets.
"Oh, yes, Mr..."
"...Momota," Kaito finally answered. "Kaito Momota."
"Mr. Momota," the man tested the name. "My name is Hifumi Yamada, and I am on a mission from the golden goddess herself!"
"The... golden goddess?" Kaito asked, nonplussed, already scouting out the crowd in hopes of a suitable escape route.
"Yes, indeedy!" Hifumi nodded fervently. "She came to me in a dream- she called herself Mother Otonashi, and she told me that the worst is yet to come! This disease is only the beginning, my friend- soon, the Dark Woman will be on the move!"
"...Dark Woman."
"She goes by many names! The Dark Woman, the Walking Gal, and plenty of others, I would wager- if I were a betting man!" Hifumi rattled off, looking more and more unnerved with each name he dispensed. "She came from and will return to nothing- and she wants to take us all with her! Here, take one!"
Kaito found one of the pamphlets being roughly shoved into his hand. He looked at it and found the image of a woman printed there. It was a fine drawing, if he did say so himself- the face was pale, free of imperfection. Red lips fell below a pair of blue eyes that sent a shiver down his spine- even on paper, they felt as though they were penetrating him, piercing into his very soul. He wondered if that thought had anything to do with how soulless the eyes felt otherwise.
Her hair was blond, pulled into two pigtails on either side of her head, kept in place by a pair of pins in the shape of bears- one white and innocent looking, the other black and wicked. The lips were pulled into a grin both slight and cruel.
"That's... quite the picture," Kaito admitted.
"That is the Dark Woman!" Hifumi insisted. "She'll be coming soon, Mr. Momota- that's why I'll be leaving tomorrow! Only the golden goddess can offer us safety in these dark times! I'll be leaving Osaka tomorrow- best to get an early start! I'd have left already, but Mother Otonashi wants as many people to come to her as possible! I thought I'd stay and tell as many people as I could."
"Good... good for you," Kaito fumbled. Suddenly, some music began playing from his pocket.
The man in me will do almost any task-
As for compensation, there's so little he would ask!
Relief flowed through him when he recognized his ringtone. "Sorry- gotta take that. Nice talking to ya!"
"Oh- of course! It was pleasant talking to you as well, Mr. Momota!" Hifumi waved as Kaito began pushing through the crowd again, raising his phone to his ear.
"Hello?"
"Kaito- this is Kaito, right?!"
Kaito was shocked- though not altogether displeased- when he recognized the voice of his savior. "Oh- Mahiru! Man, it's- it's been a while, hasn't it! Man, you just pulled my butt out of the fire, you should hear-"
"Sorry, Kaito, but I don't have time for small talk," Mahiru cut him off. The smile started to disappear from his face- now that he was listening, he could hear the panic in her voice- she sounded harried, as though she was constantly looking over her shoulder. "Listen- you must have heard about Captain Trips by now, right?"
"Well, yeah, everyone's talking about it- it's in all the news-"
"The news isn't telling the whole truth," Mahiru cut him off again. "Yes, it's dangerous, but... they're more interested in slinging blame than telling people just how dangerous it is. Kaito, people are dying! The things I've seen..." Her voice was wavering, as if it were on the verge of tears. "Kaito... people are dying left and right! They- they're trying to keep it quiet, but it can't last-"
"Who?" Kaito asked, taken aback. "Who're you saying's trying to keep this all-"
"No time, no time, no time!" Mahiru insisted- Kaito was getting the sense that she really was looking over her shoulder every few seconds. "Kaito-I can't tell everybody, but I want to tell as many people as I can. Pass it on- things are much worse than we're allowed to say- much worse than- shit!"
With a sudden, uncharacteristic curse, Mahiru hung up, leaving Kaito standing, baffled, in the street.
Slowly, a creeping dread began to well up in his heart as he recalled his grandmother, whom he'd seen just earlier that morning. She'd been just a little green herself- surely, it was nothing, but if Mahiru was to be believed, even the slightest signs should be taken seriously.
He dialed quickly and crossed his fingers as the dial tone went off. *Please, please, pleasepleasepleasepleaseplease...
"Oh, Kaito?"
"Oh, thank God!" he gasped as he heard his grandmother's voice. "Gran, are you feeling alright?"
"A little faint, I'm afraid- I'm laying myself down for the day, I think this cold might be worse than I-"
Kaito barely heard anything she said past that- his heart had suddenly turned to ice. "Stay there- I'm on my way back."
"Kaito, is something wrong?"
"I'll explain everything when I get back!" he said hurriedly as he turned and began pushing his way through the crowd in the opposite direction. "Stick to bed, don't get up- I'll be right back!"
"Oh, dear, you don't have to-"
"Yes," he insisted. "Yes, I do. I'll be right back."
He quickly hung up so he could focus more on fighting his way through these absurd crowds. Fear was swiftly overtaking him as he imagined what terrible things might happen to his grandmother even in the time it took him to get back home.
A small, evil part of him, which he despised with all his might, simply lamented that this really threw his own plans into disarray, but he fought to squash that nasty voice and focus entirely on his fight through downtown Osaka.
XXXX
Kyoko Kirigiri knew she was dying. Knew, and had come to terms with it.
She didn't know how long she'd known- time had become nearly meaningless in the wake of this horrible disease she'd contracted. Her only contact with the outside world was the strange battalion of men and women in hazard suits who seemed to have overtaken this small town. They told her little, but she was a detective, after all- she could put together a great deal of what was going on herself.
As she lay in her bed, staring at the ceiling, it was becoming more and more difficult to breathe through a neck that had swelled up like a tube. The exact deformation that both Nagito and Rantaro had suffered before passing on themselves. When she had first realized that she was going to die, she'd been gripped by panic- but by now, with nothing but time to think it over, she had come to accept it.
Somehow, she was reminded of her time in America, studying under her grandfather, Fuhito Kirigiri. Her feelings towards the old man were... complicated. He had practically abducted her from her crib, seizing her from her father, Jin, with dreams of fashioning her into the perfect detective, taking her all around the world to study different countries and their legal systems. For a long time, she had believed his story about Jin abandoning her altogether- if there was anything she could rest easy about, it was knowing that she had managed to repair their relationship before passing away.
She recalled sneaking away from her grandfather one night, eager to feel like a normal teenager, if only for one night- she had found her way to a concert venue where a band was playing covers of several pre-existing songs. She'd arrived just as they'd been ending one, and beginning another- and the song they had begun next was now returning to her, more poignant now than ever before.
All our times have come...
Here, but now they're gone...
Seasons don't fear the Reaper,
Nor do the wind, the sun, and the rain-
(We can be like they are!)
Come on, baby, don't fear the Reaper-
Baby take my hand!
Don't fear the Reaper-
We'll be able to fly!
Don't fear the Reaper-
Baby, I'm your man!
They had seemed like such grim lyrics at the time- and to an extent, they still did, but lying here with nothing to do other than contemplate her own mortality, she was able to finally see the wisdom in them. Death itself was nothing to fear.
Her thoughts turned to the only regret she could truly say she had- she was never going to see Makoto Naegi again. That did cause a tight pain in her chest. The kind young man who had entered her life and repaired her relationship with her father... and now she was forced to leave him behind.
Valentine is done...
Here, but now they're gone...
Romeo and Juliet
Are together in eternity!
Was it true? Would she and Makoto be together again in eternity? She'd never really thought much one way or the other about an afterlife. She had adopted the old Kirigiri adage, If it cannot be proven with evidence, it is not worthy of discussion. With no proof for or against any world religion, she had safely filed the concept away under 'Doesn't matter, not worth thinking about.' But here, on what she had come to accept as her deathbed, it suddenly seemed very important indeed.
Romeo and Juliet-
Forty thousand men and women every day-
Like Romeo and Juliet
Forty thousand men and women everyday-
Redefine happiness,
Another forty thousand coming every day-
We can be like they are!
If there was an afterlife, then would they be together again once he died as well?
Come on, baby, don't fear the Reaper-
Baby, take my hand!
Don't fear the Reaper-
We'll be able to fly!
Don't fear the Reaper-
Baby, I'm your man!
No. She wouldn't wish for his death. If what was happening in this town was in any way reflective of the rest of the world, then Makoto's brand of hope was still needed here. He would never give in to the same despair that others would.
She leaned back, closing her eyes and struggling to get some sleep.
Love of two is one...
Here, but now they're gone...
Came the last night of sadness,
It was clear that she couldn't go on...
Kyoko's eyes opened when she heard a creak. She looked across her room to see
The door was open and the wind appeared-
The candles blew, then disappeared-
The curtains flew, and then he appeared-
-A figure in a black cloak, stepping over the threshold and coming to stand by her side-
Saying, 'Don't be afraid!'
He raised his hands and lowered his hood, revealing none other than Makoto Naegi's face, looking sadly down at her.
"I'm not," she whispered. "This...isn't real..."
The figure stood back, extending his hand in invitation.
Come on, baby,
And she had no fear!
Finding herself suddenly lighter than ever before, she rose to her feet
And she ran to him-
And they started to fly!
They looked backward and said goodbye,
She had become like they are-
Come on baby, don't fear the Reaper...
And on the bed behind her, lay her body, eyes open but empty, heart absolutely still.
XXXX
In the back woods of Japan, running between two small towns, was an old, beaten-down road, filled with cracks and potholes. Along this road, finding her way by the light of a full moon, was the Dark Woman herself.
She was quite alone at the moment, the only sound the click of her heeled boots against the beaten, weathered pavement. She looked up at the moon and took a deep breath. There seemed to be a close tie between her and the moon- it was beneath its light that she felt the closest to herself. She had been around for a good, long time, and sometimes found it difficult to recall certain details, even of her own life- but beneath the light of the moon, she was able to recall the exact name that she went by.
Junko Enoshima.
Yes, Junko Enoshima... that was her name.
How long had she been walking around this plane? Even she wasn't certain- long enough to have earned the title of the Walking Gal. Long enough to have seen both world wars, caused friction between the United States and the Soviet Union countless times during the Cold War, and perhaps even longer than that.
In her time on the world, she'd found it incredibly... boring.
Through her icy blue eyes, she watched the events of the world play out in painfully predictable fashion. The world should be thankful to her for her little diversions, or so she thought. She wondered what people were thinking now, in light of her little April Fool's prank.
Causing the outbreak had been just as despairfully easy as she had expected it would be, and though she was taking great delight in watching the results, something still felt... lacking. It still wasn't quite what she wanted.
There would be survivors, she knew that much. Hope was a very difficult thing to snuff out altogether- which, of course, only made the proposition that much more interesting. If anyone was going to do it, why shouldn't it be her? She was practically a goddess, after all!
From most, that would be pure hyperbole, but coming from the woman who was standing three feet above the pavement below, the idea carried a great deal more weight.
"Hmm... now that is interesting," she smirked as she looked and the ground. She took several steps without gravity reasserting itself, then, on a whim, began descending, as if walking down invisible stairs. Soon enough, her heels were clicking against the pavement once more. "Very interesting..."
She looked up to find that she was not alone- a deer had crossed into the middle of the disused road, currently looking at her the same way it might look at headlights.
A cold, humorless laugh escaped her as she began rubbing her hands together. Lightning crackled at her fingertips- she raised a hand to point at the deer, and a bolt fired from her hand, hitting it and striking it dead upon the spot.
"Dinnertime," she laughed again, making her way towards her kill. "Oh, yes, this is going to be fun."
What, exactly, would be fun? She wasn't altogether sure, and that was the beauty of it. Even as she knelt down over her prize, the world crashing down around her ears, she had no idea what she was going to do next.
But she would think of something.
XXXX
Alright, sorry for the long break- I have no excuses, nor do I think you'd want to hear them anyways. I plan on actually sticking around this time, but if you'd like to give me a little confidence boost to help see this through, please R&R, constructive criticism and flames alike welcome, Gamer4 out.