A/N: This is the Prologue to a multi-chapter fic commissioned by Stealth Photographer. It takes place during the events of Despair Arc Episodes 10-11. Please read and review, and enjoy!

Despair Arc: Execution Failed?

Prologue: Chiaki's Death

"Ha…ji…me…?" A young girl, her body riddled with holes and her uniform soaked in her own blood, groaned as she weakly stared into the bright red eyes of the black-haired man staring down at her. "Please…you're…still in there…aren't you…?"

Her vision started to blur as she struggled to cling to life, desperate for some amount of hope that her friend from the Reserve Course was still there.

"Was that my name? Is that whose body this used to be?" The boy asked with a taunting curiosity.

"You really…you really don't remember…anything?" She wheezed, feeling her hope slip away with her breath. "Not even…that we used to be…"

"I'm afraid not." The boy stated coldly "All vestiges of the former identity have been erased to make way for me."

The girl clung to the miniscule hope she had left, refusing to give the Ultimate Despair a complete victory as she smiled and retorted weakly "Sure, maybe so…but anything's possible…for you." As she struggled to roll over and get back on her feet, she continued "…If you dig deep enough…come on, you can do it! I know…I know you can!"

Fueled by her defiance, she managed to get on her knees before she slipped on the pool of blood underneath her and fell on her belly. Struck with complete and utter despair, she broke down and sobbed against the floor as she accepted her own mortality.

"Oh Kami, this is it. I wanted to help you…I really did. I'm sorry…I…"

"With death so close at hand, you would still dedicate yourself to helping others?" The boy questioned, his curiosity piqued by her desire to help the boy he once was even as her life ebbed away. Most humans would panic at the thought of being on death's door, but she…

She gasped for breath as she told him "That's what I do. My classmates…are my life. I…I love them all!" She struggled against the Grim Reaper's pull as she denied "No! I…I'm not ready to go! I had so much to do and…I thought there'd be enough time…my classmates…need someone to stand up and protect them…"

The boy watched and felt the slightest tug on his heartstrings as the dying girl reached up to him.

"Please…" She begged "…Just one more game…? One more round…we…we had so much fun…right…?"

The boy stood and watched as her life finally ebbed away and she collapsed on the ground, never to move again. We walked up to her corpse and bent down to pick up the pixel art battle ship hair clip that fell from her body.

"Chi…a…ki…" The boy heard the distressed voice inside him as he felt tears stream uncontrollably down his cheeks.

He gasped in realization as he brought his free hand to his cheek and felt the moisture of tears on his face.

I see…so Chiaki's death awakened Hajime's soul that was buried deep within the recesses of my mind. Not enough to wrestle control, but enough to cause this body to cry. How…unexpected…

"No! Go back! She could still be alive! You have to save her! You're the Ultimate…"

"Enough, Hajime." The boy stated as he turned around and walked away. "She's lost too much blood, and she's already taken her final breath. Not even Izuru Kamukura, the Ultimate Hope, is talented enough to rescue someone from the clutches of death."

Hajime's voice quieted as Izuru heard only the despairful sobs of a man in grief fade deeper and deeper into the recesses of his mind until he could barely hear it at all. With one last glance over his shoulder at Chiaki's corpse, Izuru walked out of the room.

So confident was he in Chiaki's death that he failed to notice the fain heartbeat that pulsed within her.