A/N: Alright, so in the near future, I'm going to be writing a Gaidenverse novelization of DR3 Future/Hope Arc. Until then, here's a sneak peek that takes place within that same time frame but will not be included in the fic itself (a deleted scene, if you will). Please read, review, and enjoy!

The Ultimate Detective and The Ultimate Hope Gaiden: Kyoko's Sacrifice!

Kyoko's eyes fluttered open, revealing her drowsy, lavender irises before she blinked away the fog in her mind. Without missing a beat, she glanced at the silver bangle as the text of her forbidden action appeared in crimson red text, seeming to taunt the young woman with the promise of life.

"Entering the Fourth Time Limit with Makoto Naegi Alive."

She glanced over to wards Makoto's innocent, sleeping form, then back to her bangle and snorted.

"Like I'd ever consider that an option." She looked up at the ceiling and muttered "Whoever the Mastermind is, I know they had my sleeping drug wear off just before the time limit so they could tempt me into sacrificing Makoto…"

Kyoko instantly flashed back to a younger Makoto, terrified as he was strapped to a desk and the rhythmic pounds of a garbage press echoed louder and louder in his ears. She shook the memory from her head and wiped her tears on the back of her glove as she grit her teeth.

"…but I'm not making that mistake again! Makoto is far too important to kill just to ensure my own survival, even if I believed in murder."

She glanced down at her fist, uncurling her fingers to reveal a single vial with the words Cure W on the label, now drained of its contents.

"I'm taking a gamble here…I have no idea if this will even work. It could protect me from the poison's effects, or merely reduce them. Worst case scenario…it's completely worthless and I'm dead either way."

Kyoko sighed and glanced at the peacefully sleeping Makoto, her eyes softening at his oblivious form.

"Makoto…there's a good chance you'll be waking up to my corpse…I'm sorry. If I knew a way to neutralize this poison or safely remove this bangle, I would…then this Killing Game could have ended with Director Yukizome as the only casualty, and we'd all be okay until we could escape."

Koichi Kizakura's falling corpse flashed in her mind until the former detective pushed the painful memory away.

"Uncle Koichi…I'm sorry, but it looks like your sacrifice…may have been in vain…" Kyoko muttered apologetically before she glanced at her friends and comrades once more. "Ryota, Hina, Makoto…please forgive me for hiding this from you, but if hope is going to prevail, then you, Makoto, have to live. And if that means I have to die for you…then so be it. Consider this repayment for your noble sacrifice back at Hope's Peak Academy. Perhaps by some stroke of luck I'll survive like you did, but…"

A familiar, dread inducing jingle echoed from her bangle before she felt a thin needle puncture her wrist. Kyoko's eyes widened as she felt the poison enter her bloodstream, causing a sharp burning sensation as hot as magma to travel down her left side.

Kyoko could barely suppress a scream of agony as her left eye began to bleed, exclaiming in he rmind What the…what the hell?! Is this…how it feels to die by this popison? Did Bandai, Izayoi, and Uncle Koichi feel this pain too?!

Kyoko's thoughts were short lived, as her vision rapidly faded into a fiery inferno of crimson purple. Her skin soon followed suit, as the left side of her body rapidly changed to a sickly purple color. Gasping for breath, Kyoko collapsed on her back, unable to move an inch.

"So…I…I wasn't able to cheat death after all…Ryota, Hina…I'm sorry, you'll have to go on without me.
But you have Makoto…so you'll be fine…and Makoto? I…I'm sorry I couldn't make it. I wanted to tell you so much after we recovered our memories. I wanted to tell you how much I adored you. I wanted to marry you, buy a house with you, have children with you…but it seems life wasn't kind enough. Makoto, I…I love you…"

At last, Kyoko's vision faded to a peaceful black as her eyes closed and her hand fell limply against the floor. Kyoko Kirigiri was for all intents and purposes dead, leaving only her friends to find the horrible sight of the Final Killing Game's newest casualty.

"…Where…where am I…?" Kyoko groaned as her eyes fluttered open.

She sat up and shook her head before she glanced around, observing a grey-white haze as she gingerly stood up.

"I don't know where this is…"

She raised her hand up to her left eye and briefly rubbed the skin underneath. She held her finger in front of her eyes, only to furrow her brow as the leather fabric was completely clean.

"What the…I know I was injected with poison, and I remember my eye was bleeding. So why am I…" Kyoko's eyes widened as she exclaimed "Is this…is this…heaven? Am I…dead…?"

"No, you're not dead, Kyoko."

Kyoko gasped and looked in the direction of the voice, her eyes seeming to bulge out of her head as a young woman with silver hair walked towards her, smiling softly at the seemingly deceased detective.

"M…M…Mo…Mom…?"

"…That's right, Kyoko…it's me…oof!"

"MOM!" Kyoko cried tearfully as she ran to her mother, tackling the surprised spirit in a hug. "Mom…Mom…Mommy…"

Hibiki Kirigiri smiled as she wrapped her arms around her daughter, rubbing Kyoko's back soothingly as she allowed the young woman to enjoy the reunion. Eventually, Kyoko leaned back and released her mother so she could wipe her eyes on her glove.

"Mom…I've missed you so much…" Kyoko's brow furrowed suddenly as she recalled her mother's words before she asked "But wait…you said I'm not dead…but I was poisoned…and if I'm not dead, then how can I see you?"

"Because you're neither alive nor dead…like Schrodinger's Cat."

Kyoko gasped at the familiar voice and turned to see a tall man in a business suit approach, his head covered in dark purple hair as a serious, yet happy gleam danced in his purple eyes. Flanking his side was a familiar dirty-blond haired man with an equally familiar fedora on his head.

Forcing her expression back to a standard iron mask, Kyoko coughed into her fist and greeted "…Father…Kizakura…"

"Hey, come on! The least you could do is call me Uncle Koichi! That's what you said in my final moments, after all."

Kyoko grimaced as Koichi Kizakura's death flashed in her mind before she shook the thought away.

"Fine…Uncle…Koichi…" Kyoko blushed in embarrassment before she turned to Jin and asked "So, you said that I'm neither alive nor dead. But if this isn't the afterlife, where is this?"

Jin nodded and explained "Essentially, it's limbo; a place between the worlds of the living and the dead. You were able to enter this space because that Cure W you consumed slowed the poison's effects and put you in a comatose state."

"…I see…so that antidote bought me some time…" Not that it really matters; I'm still dead without proper medical attention; it'll just take longer…

Kyoko was brought out of her thoughts by a gentle hand on her shoulder. She looked up in surprise to see Hibiki smiling lovingly at her.

"You were so brave, Kyoko. You could have sacrificed the boy you loved, but you were willing to sacrifice yourself to make sure he lived. We're so proud of you, Kyoko."

"Mom…"

Jin smiled, nodding as he interjected "Even with your memories forcibly suppressed, your love for Makoto Naegi never wavered, not once."

Koichi grinned as he tipped his hat and agreed "No question about it; I knew that they loved each other as much during the Future Foundation as they did when they were my students."

Kyoko blushed in embarrassment before she shook it away and asked hesitantly "So…what happens now?"

Jin smiled and replied "Now, you have a choice to make, Kyoko."

Seeing Kyoko's confused expression, Hibiki explained "You stand on the precipice of life and death, Kyoko, and right now you can choose which path to take. You can embrace death with open arms and join us and your former classmates in the afterlife…or you can struggle against its grasp and cling to life while you wait for someone who can properly revive you."

Jin nodded and continued "Whichever path you choose, we'll support you as your parents, Kyoko. So, what do you want?"

Kyoko closed her eyes and breathed in through her nose as she pondered the decision in front of her.

What should I choose? If I choose to embrace the Shinigami as an old friend, then I can be with Mom and Dad…and we can be a family again. Besides…the odds of someone managing to revive me is astronomically low.

Sust as she was about to open her eyes, Makoto's bright, smiling face appeared in her mind, causing her to second guess herself.

But is that really the right option? Would I just be a coward, taking the easy way out? Is giving into death…letting Junko win?

"No matter what happens, never give up on hope."

As Kyoko felt her own words echo in her ears, she decided No, I'd be a total hypocrite if I asked Makoto to believe in hope when I was willing to die when things got touch. I…I won't give up on hope, and I won't give up on Makoto!

With a final sigh, she opened her eyes to stare at her parents apologetically.

"Mom…Dad…Uncle Koichi…I'm sorry, but I can't join you in the afterlife just yet. There's still…something I have to do." I have to survive to see Makoto again and tell him how much I love him!

Jin and Hibiki smiled knowingly as they nodded before Jin replied "We understand, Kyoko."

Hibiki giggled "Go, Kyoko. Go reunite with your friends and your beloved."

"And save us some front row seats for the wedding!" Koichi hollered, causing Kyoko to blush and sigh.

"Highly unlikely, seeing as you're dead…" Kyoko muttered before she turned around and looked down.

As she focused her thoughts on Makoto, she saw her feet start to evaporate before her entire body gradually followed suit.

She stole one last glance at her family before she told them "Mom, Dad, Uncle Koichi…I'll see you again, one day. Goodbye."

The Kirigiris and Koichi smiled knowingly as the young woman evaporated, watching as her spirit flew down to the world of the living. Her spectral entity shined with renewed hope as an equally dark cloud chased after her, determined to claim her as its own.

"Kirigiri-chan! Kirigiri-chan!"

Kyoko gasped for breath as she suddenly sat up, startling the purple-haired nurse who was watching over her.

"Wh…where am I…am I alive, or…"

"Um…" Kyoko weakly turned to see a familiar face staring nervously at her.

"Mi…Mikan Tsu…Tsumiki…"

"Y…Yes, and you're not…dead, Kirigiri-chan. You are injured though frm lethal poisoning, so you need to take it easy…"

Mikan dug out a mirror and held it in front of Kyoko, allowing the ex-detective to see that the left side of her face was still purple, although its saturation had somewhat faded since her poisoning.

"You were in a co…comatose state…and it was really bad. Another minute later and you might not have…made it…"

"I…I see…Tsumiki-chan, have…have you seen Makoto?"

"Um…not personally, though one of my classmates might have. I was just about to go join them, actually…"

"I…I see…"

"Yes, if I see him, I'll tell him…Kirigiri-chan!" Mikan shrieked as the ex-detective gingerly stood up. "You need to be resting!"

"No…I…I need to see…Makoto…"

"Wait! At least let me accompany you! You could collapse again if you strain yourself."

…It wouldn't do for me to pass on right after being revived, not without seeing Makoto at least… Kyoko sighed and acquiesced "Very well, shall we go."

Mikan fretfully nodded and moved to support and guide Kyoko while they walked through the hallways.

Despite her urgency, Kyoko walked gingerly through the halls, slowed by her physical weakness which contrasted the lavender, hopeful fire burning within her eyes.

I'm coming, Makoto…I'm gonna find you, and I'm gonna tell you how much I love you. Then we can get married and move in together and start a family together!