BN: Hello my friends! Sorry for the wait, but I was feeling super inspired the other day and I managed to get this chapter done super quick! My mojo is returning to me, so hopefully I can dedicate a lot more time to this! I just felt really inspired with this AU and delving into the differences between this universe and the canon one. Now, one quick note before we go into it. My plan is to respond to anyone who comments on the previous chapter right after my typical announcement up here. My endnotes typically talk about things throughout the chapter or reasons I did certain things, so my end notes will be reserved for those comments I make. I want to engage with you guys however, so I will respond to comments up here. So, without further ado, if you haven't commented, enjoy the chapter! (Also, special thanks to the Wanderer of Insanity, a close friend of mine, for reviewing and editing this chapter for me! He does a lot of my editing, and I truly appreciate the work he's done!)
LaViolaViolaRosa- I am happy to be back! Since being back from my mission (I didn't have access to any sort of technology for two years) I have really gotten into the Danganronpa fandom, and it's kind of become one of my passions. I do hope to return to the other fandoms, but I write what my mojo leads me to write, and for now, it's in this fandom!
armadas- I'm glad that you liked the previous chapter! I understand where you're coming from with Taka's character. Some of these characters are really hard to write for with their new Ultimates, Taka being one of them. My goal is to hopefully do them justice, so I will promise my best and try to deliver! I am open for feedback because I want to improve the best I can! And this series is full of pain and despair no matter which universe it takes place in, my only hope is that I can deliver a great execution of a story like the canon story did for me.
Prologue: New Roads and Beginnings- Part 2
Day 1- 7:55 AM
First Floor- Gym Lobby
Mukuro and the others had made their way from the entrance hall and were now standing outside of the gym. Mukuro stood close by Junko, who still had a pretty big smile on her face. While this had been a pretty weird morning, Mukuro felt more at peace as she stood next to her sister. She knew that there were some people at this school who understood what she was going through, and she really appreciated that.
Looking around the lobby, Mukuro noticed a lot of awards in a case off to the left of the room. Among them included some trophies, statues, plaques, and even a golden sheathed sword. On the walls were Hope's Peak's red banners. The room seemed simple enough, which Mukuro found appealing.
After entering into the lobby, Byakuya, Kyoko, Makoto, Celeste, Yasuhiro, Toko, Chihiro, and Taka, immediately went into the gym. Some of the students, like Leon and Hifumi, were lagging in the hallways, either with a carefree attitude or by being overweight. This left Mukuro in the lobby of the gym with Junko, Mondo, Sayaka, Sakura, and Hina.
"I wonder why we were all put in classrooms earlier," Sayaka mused. Mukuro was waiting for Hifumi while the others were trying to kill the few minutes they had before the opening ceremony. When Sayaka brought up the question, Mukuro's lips formed a scowl as she thought. "I mean, we could have just walked in and came here, but instead we were knocked out."
"This would seem to suggest some mysterious plot being enacted," Sakura mused, closing her eyes as she folded her arms. She towered above the rest of them, but she seemed at peace. "Perhaps this is leading up to the climax of some dark horror story."
"Geez woman, you don't need to sound so effing ominous," Mondo said with a grunt. He was leaning against the hall, glancing around at the others. Mukuro wasn't quite sure why he was waiting out here with the rest of them. She pegged him for someone wanting to move forward and get things over with.
Before she could ponder more about Mondo's intentions, she felt Junko wrap her arm around her. Mukuro's scowl deepened as Junko put weight on her, a huge grin still on her face as she held her hand up with the peace sign again. "It's whatever! My bet is that it's some kind of school prank! Anyone else have any theories? I'll bet my paaaanties!"
The room was silent. Sayaka and Sakura both blushed and Mondo turned his face so Mukuro couldn't read it. Hina merely rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Seriously, you are just messed up as the fat soldier and the dumb ruler," Hina grumbled.
"Yeah… I don't think anyone here really cares, Junko…" Sayaka squeaked, slightly embarrassed.
Everyone's eyes seemed to turn to Mondo, who was still looking away. When he turned his gaze and saw everyone looking at him, Mukuro could see a slight blush on his face. "Hey, I'm down for a bet, but I don't want you getting any ideas that I'm some kind of effing pervert," he responded.
"Ok, how about I bet my services? I'll clean the winner's dorm for a month if this isn't a prank?" Junko offered.
"That's some action I'm down for," Mondo said with a grin.
"What *huff* is this action *huff* that's taking place?" Hifumi asked. The big boy had entered the room and looked to be drenched in sweat. He was keeled over and breathing big, gasping breaths. "Did I *huff* miss anything important?"
"Just Junko being a perv," Hina said with another eyeroll. "Seriously Junko, don't you have any self respect?"
"Duh!" Junko said with a laugh. "That's why I bet my panties! It helps define me as the woman I am!"
"P-p-panties?!" Hifumi said, his eyes getting wide. His breathing almost immediately steadied and he straightened himself. "What is this bet in which these were offered? I would happily be willing to bet any tactical observations you would like me to make."
Hina let out a very loud groan while Sayaka shifted more uncomfortably. Junko let out another laugh, letting go of Mukuro, allowing her to stand straight. As Mukuro stood tall, she noticed that Makoto had opened the door to the gym and was glancing at her. Mukuro shifted uncomfortably as Makoto looked at her. He seemed to notice and turned his attention to Junko, who was shaking hands with Hifumi.
"It's almost eight," he said. "You better get in here."
Day 1- 8:01 AM
First Floor- Gym
The small group from the lobby walked into the gym, followed shortly by Leon. The students that were already in the gym were spread apart, not wanting to talk to each other. The exceptions were Yasuhiro and Chihiro, who seemed to be talking quite seriously about something. After entering the room, Mukuro made sure to stick close to Junko, who was looking around the gym quite enthusiastically.
The gym had two sets of bleachers, one on each side of the room. There was a polished yellow wooden floor perfect for a variety of physical activities. At the front of the room was a stage that had two big banners hanging from the ceiling on either side that said, "Welcome!" Standing in the center of the stage stood a table with a purple tablecloth over it.
"Has anyone else come in to set stuff up yet?" Hina asked as they walked in.
Byakuya glanced at Hina and scoffed. "Hardly," he grunted. He pointed up toward the stage. "It was set up like that since we got here. No one else other than us has been here that we can see."
"Hmm… that's a little odd, isn't it?" Sayaka asked. "Normally a bunch of people would be gathered here for the opening ceremonies. I wonder where everyone is…"
"My question is why my time has been wasted!" Taka said, glaring intently at the stage. "I was told that a meeting was going to begin promptly at eight this morning! It is precisely one minute after eight in the morning! What is the meaning of this?"
"Hyukukuk! Why aren't you all impatient little ducklings? I'm coming!"
Mukuro jumped at the voice. The high-pitched noise ground against her eardrums. The voice emanated from the stage and it echoed across the gym. Everyone turned to face the stage. Many of the students had pained expressions from how shrill the voice sounded.
In a sudden movement, a giant black and white bear flew up from behind the table and landed on top of it. The bear was completely white on the right and completely black on the left. It had a small, black bead for a right eye and a red, scar-like eye on the most disturbing feature was the bear's mouth. On the left, it looked like a cute teddy bear smile, but on the right, it was fixed permanently in a toothy, creepy grin.
"Hello, hiya, how are you doing?" the shrill voice said, coming from the bear.
Everyone blinked in surprise. "What… is that?" Sayaka asked in confusion.
"I believe… it's a teddy bear," Sakura finally said.
"I am not a teddy bear," the bear said. "I am Monokuma!"
"A bear that sounds like a deaf soprano, moves like a robot, and has a name that literally describes it's color and species?" Byakyua sneered. "You sound and look like a dysfunctional teddy bear that every child ripped apart."
"Hey, at least I have a purpose besides luck, you schmuck!"
"Why you impertinent little…"
"As I have said," the bear continued, "I am not a teddy bear. I am Monokuma! I am the headmaster of this school and in charge of each and every single one of you. Even the ones who don't deserve to be here."
Mukuro frowned. Was the bear talking about her? She couldn't remember her talent. Sure, Byakuya might not have any real talent and Yasuhiro was just a reserve course student, but at least they knew their purpose. What did Mukuro have? As of right now, nothing.
As Mukuro pondered this, Monokuma began to move across the table. This was a surprise to some of the students, but what surprised them more was that Kyoko immediately spoke after the bear moved. "You can move on your own," she said, her voice filled with curiosity. "Are you some type of advanced automaton? Are you controlled via remote or some other advanced AI tech?"
"Geez, getting all up in what my insides are? At least take me out to dinner first," Monkuma said, bringing his paws up to his mouth as he laughed. "I'll have you know that my systems are so complex that not even NASA can operate me!"
Kyoko's eyes widened at that. "So NASA doesn't have the tech to control or make you? What type of material are you made of? How are you controlled?"
"I'm available on Thursday if you want to actually get to know me as a bear first before you get a look at me underneath the hood, if you catch my drift. Puhuhu!" Monokuma laughed. "Look, we aren't here to chat! I would love to welcome all of you to this entrance ceremony!"
"Thank you! It's an honor to be here!" Yasuhiro said with a hearty smile on his face.
"Yes, yes. Now then, let us commence the opening ceremony! First, let's discuss what your life here inside this school will be like," Monokuma said. "All of you here are, without a doubt, symbols of hope to the world, and thus need to be protected. While I could definitely think of a few of you that need more protection than others, you all provide this world with a distinguishable hope that must be protected."
Monokuma paused for a moment, looking around at each of the students. Mukuro couldn't help but feel that what the bear was about to say next was not something she would enjoy. For a moment, she thought to cover her ears before telling herself otherwise. Whatever the bear had to say, it would be important to the future she was about to have.
"Therefore," the bear continued, "it has been decided that the best way to protect each and every one of you… is to keep you inside this school and never let you leave!"
There was silence for a moment before Junko let out a laugh. "Yeah right!" she said, laughing out the words. She started to walk toward the stage, shaking her head. "Next you're going to tell me that you've replaced all the teachers with yourself so you can get more screen time!"
"At least my screen time will get more views than yours," Monokuma said mischievously, "and that's without your clothes on. Puhuhu!"
"What the hell?! That bear is totally perverted!" Hina said distastefully.
"Thank you, I'll be here all week," the bear said, his voice far too happy for Mukuro's liking. "My personal needs aside, I am being quite serious. In order to protect the hope that each of you bring, I cannot allow any of you to leave this building for any reason! Therefore, each of you from now on will eat, sleep, and breathe within the walls of this school and never go into the outside world! You will live a communal life here until the day you die!"
Another silence hung in the room, and the longer it went on, the more dread Mukuro began to feel. This didn't seem right. Hope's Peak was meant to be a chance for her to change, to find herself. She knew it was like a boarding school, but she expected to still be able to go outside and do things, not be condemned to stay here forever. Mukuro's eyes went to her hands, and noticed they were shaking with the anxieties she was feeling.
A hand grabbed her shoulder, making Mukuro yelp quietly. She looked over her shoulder, expecting to see Junko. Instead of her sister, she was surprised to see it was Mondo, who was looking at Mukuro with a calm yet determined expression. Some of Mukuro's anxiety dissipated and she managed a small smile. At least she wasn't surrounded by bad people. She could have hope in the new friends she had. Plus, she had Junko. With her friends and her sister, life here couldn't be too bad.
"Yeah, that's lame as shit," Leon said from across the room.
As long as she avoided Leon. That much was certain.
"Huh?" Monokuma asked in confusion.
"Look, you aren't my mom, and even if you were, you would have some sort of complex," Leon said. Afterward, he hastily added, "Not that it's a bad thing, that's just how my mom was. Anyway, you can't keep us here. You're just a stupid teddy bear."
Quite suddenly, Monokuma jumped off the stage. His face didn't change, but Mukuro could have sworn she saw rage on the bear's face. "I am NOT a teddy bear!" he roared, getting extremely close to Leon. "If you don't fix your vocab, I'll go ahead and just tear out your voice bo-mph!"
Monokuma was cut off as Leon kicked him in the stomach, sending the bear sprawling on to his back. Leon stepped on top of him and glared at the bear that was struggling below him. "What were you saying there, Mr. Teddy Bear?" Leon said, a crazy glint in his eye. "I wouldn't piss me off if I were you."
The red eye on Monokuma's black side glinted, sending a sense of dread through Mukuro. The bear spoke in a quiet, but intense voice, "Oh, I don't think you quite know the meaning of pissed off. As a rule, you never show violence toward the headmaster. Let's teach you this first lesson, shall we?"
Mukuro barely registered what came next. A beeping sound was heard as soon as Monokuma finished speaking. Leon had a confused look on his face as the sound got faster. Mukuro heard some students yell at Leon to move, but she couldn't find the words to echo their sentiments. Leon continued to do nothing and the beeping got louder and faster.
Right at the point where Mukuro could barely distinguish the sound anymore, Makoto slammed into Leon at a lightning fast speed, sending both boys flying. At that moment, Monokuma's body exploded. Some of the students that were closer to the explosion, like Junko and Chihiro, were knocked back onto their butts. Mukuro covered her ears at the noise.
After a few moments, Mukuro let her hands fall to her side. She waited for a few moments, allowing her heart rate to calm. That… wasn't a fake explosion, she thought, her mind quieting enough for her to think. That… that was real. What the hell is going on?
After regaining a little bit of her composure, she noticed that the pressure on her shoulder was gone. Mukuro opened her eyes, unaware she had closed them at all, and noticed that Mondo had shifted position to the one that he was in front of her, his arms wrapped around her. Mukuro blushed for a moment, even though she knew this wasn't exactly a move on Mondo's part. Mondo wasn't looking at her however, much to Mukuro's relief, as he unwrapped his arms and glared at the direction Monokuma had exploded.
"Little piece of crap could have hurt someone," Mondo growled. "Good thing he's gone."
Mondo turned his body so his back was toward Mukuro. Mukuro gasped as she noticed some tiny bits of metal, probably from Monokuma's body, had flung themselves out and hit Mondo in the back. They weren't very big, and Mukuro bet that Mondo probably didn't even know they were there, but his white shirt had tiny blood stains where the metal had pierced him.
"Um, Mondo?" Mukuro said. "You, um, have something…"
"Puhuhu! Now that was exciting!" came a high, shrill voice.
All eyes darted to the stage. To their surprise, another Monokuma jumped up from behind the table and landed on top of it. This Monokuma looked exactly like the other one, with the same evil look plastered onto his metal face. The shock of this appearance left everyone quite speechless, unsure of what had just happened.
Well, almost everyone.
"You little piece of shit! You tried to kill me!" Leon screamed. He was scrambling to his feet, clearly pissed off. It took Mukuro a moment to realize that Makoto had already gotten up and had moved across the entire length of the room, leaning on the wall. Leon didn't quite seem to care as he strode toward the stage. "I'm going to tear you apart!"
"My, my, you have some guts in you! Too bad none of them were spilled just now!" Monokuma laughed. "Didn't you learn anything from that last lesson? If you're violent toward me, consequences will be dealt out. I'll let you off with a warning, but if you touch me again right after the lesson about not touching me, you will be punished."
Leon stopped walking, but Mukuro could tell that this did not calm him down in the slightest. "Oh yeah?" he said in an angry tone. "And how could you possibly punish me?"
"Oh, that's easy!" Monokuma said excitedly. "I'd kill you!"
Silence.
"Y-y-you'd what?" Leon said, nervousness creeping into his voice.
"You heard me! I'd kill you!" Monokuma said, laughing a little. "In this school, there are very few rules I would like you to follow, but violence towards the Headmaster is at the top of the list! If any of these rules are broken, they will result in punishment! And that punishment is execution!"
More silence followed. Mukuro's skin turned cold as her fearful eyes stared at the bear. He couldn't be serious. He wouldn't really kill them, would he? But before she could convince herself that he was joking, she stared at the small hole in the gym floor where the previous Monokuma had exploded. If it weren't for Makoto, Leon would have been dead.
No, Mukuro thought to herself. This is real. Monokuma will kill us.
"Now, with that lesson out of the way, I would like to point out that Mr. Redhead does make a good point," Monokuma said, changing topics. "At this school, we need to have harmony. Outside of my rules, you can essentially do anything you want, but if harmony is disrupted, I can't really keep that troublemaker around, can I? So in a roundabout way, there is one way to leave."
This got a reaction out of the students. "Really?" Hina asked. "How? How can we get out? Death isn't something that I take lightly!"
"I, too, would like to know if there's a way back to the limelight," Celeste mused.
Monokuma let out a quaffing laugh, making Mukuro shiver. "It's easy! Like I said, if you disrupt the harmony, you can leave! So long as you obey my rules and cause a disruption without getting caught, I'll enact what I now dub the Graduation Clause, which will allow that student to graduate!"
"Thank goodness," Sayaka said with a breath of relief. "And here I was thinking there wouldn't be any way to graduate."
"Well? How can we cause enough mayhem in order to leave? I have an organization to run!" Taka said firmly.
Monokuma's face remained the way it was, but if it could change expressions, Mukuro could have sworn that Monokuma's evil smile would have grown larger. "Good questions, and I shall answer! In order to enact the Graduation clause so that you can leave, you will have to…
...commit a murder!"
Silence.
"M-m-murder?!" Yasuhiro said, clearly panicked.
"You heard it loud and clear!" Monokuma said with another laugh. "Stabbing, bludgeoning, drowning, strangling, even committing arson, anything will do! In order to graduate, you must deliver one lifeless body and not let anyone else know that you were the one to do it! Then and only then will I let you leave!"
"That's crazy!" Chihiro shouted. "No one would be willing to go that far… would they?"
The silence that followed was not reassuring. Mukuro glanced around at her classmates, chills running down her spine. She knew that most of those she had met were nice enough, but others didn't seem like the most pleasant of people. Then there was Makoto, who was familiar with the idea of murder. Mukuro's eyes went in the direction of the Ultimate Assassin, who seemed to be staring off at the ceiling.
Mukuro's thoughts were interrupted by a sudden laugh. Surprisingly, this wasn't Monokuma's shrill laughter. Mukuro turned her head and was shocked to see that it was Junko who was laughing. She was right in front of the stage and she had a huge grin on her face. However, happiness wasn't the emotion Mukuro would use to describe that smile. It was a smile Mukuro was all too familiar with from her sister.
Determination.
"Not going to happen," Junko said to the bear. "You really think you can push a bunch of teenagers around? Look, a lot of this crap I'll buy because I'm nuts. Talking robot bears? Please, I've had wet dreams about that! Death for punishments? Russian Roulette is more intense than that crap! But you expect me to believe that you can get us to kill each other? I'll take that bet any day."
The silence that followed had a power to it that caused Monokuma to pause. He scanned the room, which Mukuro copied. As she looked around at everyone's faces, she realized what Monokuma was looking for. While Mukuro wasn't sure if everyone agreed with what her sister said, she was confident in one thing. Junko spoke of the hope that everyone had deep down inside, the one thing Monokuma wanted to squash. With that hope emanating from her sister's words, Mukuro would hold on to them until they could escape.
"I see," Monokuma said after the pause. His voice sounded controlled, but Mukuro could detect the annoyance he hid away. "Very well. I'll discuss that wager with you at another time. Until then, know my price: unless one of you kills another, you will stay within these walls forever. Now, this concludes the entrance ceremony. Feel free to get settled. And remember: I'm always watching."
With that said, Monokuma jumped behind the table and disappeared from view. The students were alone, staring back up at the stage. Mukuro's anxiety immediately started causing her to shake with worry. This… this can't be happening, can it? She thought to herself. Murder… who would even think that's a good idea?
"This… this can't be real, can it?" Yasuhiro said, breaking the silence.
"Why wouldn't it be?" Byakuya scoffed. "The bear clearly tried to blow Leon to Hell. And if you call that explosion fake, look at Mondo. He's clear proof that Monokuma clearly has no love for us."
"Huh?' Mondo said in confusion. He was still standing in front of Mukuro in a protective stance, and Mukuro had the chance to look at his wounds again. The red splotches were slightly bigger than before. They were minor, but they definitely needed to be checked out. "Something wrong with me?"
"Yes," Mukuro said quietly, feeling a pang of guilt. He had sustained the injury because he had protected her, after all. "Some bits of metal are in your back…"
Before Mukuro could continue, Kyoko had walked over and glanced at the wounds. "These aren't very serious," Kyoko said bluntly. "They've barely pierced the skin. I can remove these easily with the right tools."
"And where exactly would you get the right tools?" Leon asked.
"Her dorm would be a good place," came a voice. "It'd also be a good place to get some action too!"
All eyes darted to Mondo's feet, where Monokuma now stood. Mukuro could have sworn that he wasn't there a second ago, but she wasn't sure how he would have gotten there so fast. He was currently standing next to Kyoko and had his hands over his mouth like he had been laughing. From what Mukuro knew about the bear, she was confident that he had been.
"I thought you left," Taka said. "Why did you come back so quickly?"
"Oh, I forgot to hand these out!" Monokuma said. He quickly held out several electronic tablets. He walked around and made sure each student had grabbed one from him before returning to his spot in front of Kyoko. "These are your e-Handbooks! All of my rules as well as information about the other students can be found here. Each e-Handbook belongs to one of you, so make sure you have the correct one! Have fun!"
Monokuma slinked out of the room almost as fast as he had appeared. Mukuro looked down at the e-Handbook the bear had handed her and turned it on. The screen flashed with light and Mukuro promptly saw her name flash on the screen. Shortly after, a few apps appeared in her name's place.
The first app was a picture of the Hope's Peak insignia that had the word "Rules" underneath it. The second app was a picture of a person sitting at a desk and was labeled "Student Records". The final app was a notebook with the word "Notes" underneath, which Mukuro figured was for any note taking she needed.. No other apps appeared to be on the device, and Mukuro guessed that there wasn't any way to get more on there.
Glancing around at the other students, Mukuro noticed that most of them were either looking at the handbook itself or reading something intently on it. Remembering what Monokuma said earlier about the rules, Mukuro tapped on the Hope's Peak Insignia, which she had thought was the list of rules. Sure enough, the rules popped up, and Mukuro quickly read through them:
Rule #1: Students may reside only within the school. Leaving campus is unacceptable.
Rule #2: "Nighttime" is from 10 pm to 7 am. Some areas are off-limits at night, so please exercise caution.
Rule #3: Sleeping anywhere other than the dormitory will be seen as sleeping in class and punished accordingly.
Rule #4: Lending your e-Handbook to another student is strictly prohibited.
Rule #5: Attempting to break into locked rooms is strictly prohibited.
Rule #6: With minimal restrictions, you are free to explore Hope's Peak Academy at your discretion.
Rule #7: Violence against headmaster Monokuma is strictly prohibited, as is destruction of surveillance cameras.
Rule #8: Anyone who kills a fellow student and becomes "blackened" will graduate, unless they are discovered.
Rule #9: The "blackened" may only kill a maximum of two people during any single "Killing Game."
Rule #10: Additional school regulations may be added as necessary.
Once Mukuro finished reading the school rules, she noticed that her e-Handbook was shaking in her hands. It took her a moment to realize that her whole body was shaking with fear and anxiety. Most of the rules made sense, but it was rules six and eight that shook her.
Looking up from her e-Handbook, Mukuro glanced around the room. Some of the students looked the way Mukuro felt. Toko and Hiro both looked freaked out while Sayaka seemed stunned. Others, like Kyoko, Celeste, and Byakuya, seemed to take it in stride, like everything was normal. And then there was…
"What the hell is this crap?" Leon groaned, shaking his head furiously. "No way am I going to comply with any of this shit! Murder, death, to hell with all of it!"
While many of the students pretended to not hear him, Celeste tutted and waved a finger at him. "Did you not learn a thing from your last outburst?" Celeste asked him. "Not following these rules will get you killed. Although, seeing someone breaking these rules would confirm it for the rest of us, so by all means: break them."
"But if he did something like that," Hifumi said in a fearful voice, "we'd be a man down in this battle."
"At least then we'd be sure," Celeste said nonchalantly.
"What the hell does that even mean?!" Leon said, his face looking angry. He walked over to Celeste and held a fist up. "Are you asking for a beat down?"
"Enough," Sakura said. This got everyone to look in her direction. She was leaning on one of the walls and had been quiet for the whole meeting. Her voice demanded authority however, and so everyone seemed to anticipate something wise from her. "We all walk from different backgrounds, but that gives each of us unique strengths. Fighting each other with those strengths is a waste. What matters now is what we do with the information that was given to us."
"Sakura's right!" Hina said, glaring at Leon. "Stop picking on her!"
"Hey, she was essentially threatening to kill me! You all saw!" Leon shouted.
"Yeah, and we also saw you threaten her," Kyoko said flatly. This got Leon to shut his mouth, which Kyoko nodded at. "It does no good if we dwell on the rules or the possibility of murder. We need to take stock of the supplies we have."
"Right!" Hifumi chimed in. "Do we have enough water and food to take care of us all? Are we able to meet our needs for sleep? Do we have any supplies that will help us practice our talents? What other things do we have access to? If we can get those questions answered, then we can start formulating an attack plan."
"Hey, that makes a lot of sense!" Junko said with a grin. "Let's form up into groups of two or three to look around in! Then we can figure out how to get out of this place!"
"Whatever," Byakuya said with a huff. "I'm going alone."
"A-a-are you nuts?!" Toko asked. "Th-th-that doesn't sound like a good idea!"
"Come on, use your heads," Byakuya said with a roll of his eyes. "One of us has probably already made the decision to kill someone. Knowing my luck, I'd end up the target, and I would much rather avoid the situation altogether than tempt fate. Why stand around with them in our midst when I could be the unlucky target?"
"You don't really think someone would kill someone else to leave, do you?" Chihiro asked nervously.
"Of course I think it's possible," Byakuya scoffed. "Any of you who deny those odds are fools. I'm looking out for myself, and you should all do the same."
"Now hang on just a second..." Mondo started.
"Byakuya is right in his own way." Everyone turned to the back of the room, where Makoto was standing. He was looking down, but it was very clear that he was the one that spoke. "Quite frankly, I don't trust any of you, and I don't want any of you to trust me. Why would I try to change something that I don't want to change? Like Byakuya, I will explore the school on my own, and would appreciate it if none of you followed me." Before anyone could react, Makoto silently slipped out of the room.
"See? At least one of you has some sense," Byakuya grumbled, and followed Makoto's lead.
With the two boys gone, everyone else began to look at each other. Mukuro continued to tremble, even more nervous that Makoto was off on his own. After a few moments of silence, Junko spoke up.
"Anyone else plan on working alone?" Junko asked. "Makoto made a point, but I support what Hifumi and Sakura have been saying. We need to work together and we need to take stock of what we have. Our odds increase the more we choose to unite with each other."
Mukuro found herself nodding in agreement with her sister, moving around Mondo and standing next to her. Junko offered Mukuro a smile, making Mukuro blush slightly. Once Junko was in earshot, Mukuro whispered, "Hey Junko? Mondo isn't super hurt, but we should have Kyoko take a look at him. She seemed to know how to help him."
"Thanks sis. I'll make sure it happens," Junko said with a knowing wink. Mukuro blushed again, but decided to let it slide. "Think I was too cliche with my little speech?"
Mukuro shrugged. "It was alright. I liked it, and some of the others seemed to too," she responded, nodding her head to Sayaka, Hina, and Sakura. "You speak like a leader would, anyway."
"A true leader," a voice said, startling Mukuro, "would have made an order instead of focusing on feelings." Mukuro glanced behind her, seeing Taka approach. "Make demands, don't just wait for them to act. My great grandfather ruled this country with that exact attitude! Don't follow the rules of society: break them and watch them follow you instead."
Mukuro frowned a little at this information. "Your great grandfather was a leader of Japan?" Mukuro asked him.
Taka chuckled. "Of course he was," he said simply. "Why do you think I am following in his footsteps? As Ultimate Supreme Leader, it's my job to make sure everyone here follows me, whether they want to or not. The greatest way to demand respect, however, is to make sure I have officers that are willing to bend others for me. Hence the advice, Junko. I would love to have your natural speaking talents on my side for when I take over this communal society for my own."
"Natural speaking huh?" Junko said with a grin. "I'm not sure if you want to bet on my talent for that, since it mostly involves lewd comments and salty bets."
Taka waved his hand as though he was brushing the comment aside. It took a moment for Mukuro to realize that Taka meant it more as a compliment. "You know what's best. Just remember: being on top is important. I would love to share my insights with you. Care to accompany me?" Taka held out his hand toward Junko in a gentlemanly fashion.
Mukuro expected Junko to decline, since she figured that her sister would have enough common sense to avoid the delusional guy who thought he ran a secret organization. So it was a shock when Junko giggled and took Taka's hand, allowing him to escort her forward. Mukuro tried to say something, if only to ask to join them, but found it was too late as they had already left the gym.
With a sigh, Mukuro shook her head and turned. She yelped in surprise to find Celeste standing directly behind her, a glimmer in her eyes. "Wow, and here I thought you would be bold enough to speak up for your sister," Celeste said, putting a hand up to her mouth to suppress what Mukuro could only guess was a giggle. "Shame that you don't seem to have the words to even do something as simple as that."
Mukuro frowned slightly. "I can speak," she said calmly, although she felt her hands still shaking from earlier.
"Not when it counts, it seems," Celeste giggled. "It's fine. You don't even matter in the long run anyway. You don't even remember your purpose, not that it compares to any of us. Even the talentless Hiro is probably smarter than you could be."
Mukuro's eye twitched slightly, and time seemed to slow. Every instinct in Mukuro's body told her to attack. She saw herself moving forward and sliding behind Celeste. She would grab her arm and hold it behind her back, and if Celeste even tried to insult her or another one of her friends again, she would dislocate her shoulder and then snap her arm like a twig…
Blinking, Mukuro snapped herself out of her thoughts. Did she really just contemplate snapping Celeste's arm? Mukuro doubted she would even have the courage to leave, let alone threaten to hurt Celeste. Instead of following any of her thoughts, Mukuro said, "Well, at least I can breathe on my own. What's on your headset? A list of instructions so you don't naturally suffocate?"
The insult definitely hit Celeste the way Mukuro intended, but she wasn't expecting what came next. Without a word, Celeste reached out her hand and smacked Mukuro across the face. Stunned, Mukuro stumbled backward, instinctively grabbing where Celeste had stuck her. Before Mukuro could react, Celeste walked up closer and raised her hand again to go in for another strike, her fingernails sticking out to go for some skin…
"ENOUGH!"
In a split second, Mondo was standing in front of Mukuro. He grabbed Celeste's hand firmly, but Mukuro noticed he took care not to hurt her. Celeste, her face red, still seemed furious, but her fury was now directed to the boy standing in front of her. She looked like she was ready to say something, but Mondo lifted his free hand, demanding silence from her.
"I didn't hear what was being talked about," Mondo said, "but I sure as heck don't want to see anyone fighting, alright? You're lucky you're a woman Celeste, because otherwise I would have kicked your ass no question. Got it?"
"Oh what? Is the Ultimate Pianist too much of a girl to hit one?" Celeste sneered. Mondo said nothing, and without being able to see his face, Mukuro was unable to gauge his mood. However, Celeste's face went from distasteful to composed, which signified that the look Mondo was giving her was making her think. "You're right," she said finally, nodding toward him. "I'll take my leave. But, Mukuro, a word of caution. Do not piss me off again, mmm?"
Celeste did a small bow as though she had just finished a performance and walked past Mondo. As she passed Mukuro, Mukuro felt a slicing pain on her arm from Celeste's fingernail. Mukuro winced but kept her mouth shut as Mondo turned and gave her a look of concern. The last thing Mukuro wanted to do was give him a reason to antagonize Celeste more and find herself caught in the middle again.
"Thanks," Mukuro said to him. Mondo nodded, but didn't say anything. Mukuro noticed that his facial expression had mild pain. It looks like his back is hurting a little more than we thought, Mukuro thought to herself. "You shouldn't have stepped between me and the explosion you know."
Mondo shrugged. "Instinct. My older brother taught me the value in honoring women," he said. "Not that you can't take care of yourself, of course, but part of my code is to act when a need arises."
"Smart brother. But I bet he can save girls without having metal pierce his back," Mukuro said teasingly, a small smile hinting at her lips.
"Yeah… he kind of is that way, even now," Mondo said with a chuckle. "Although, he picks up more chicks than I ever could. He joined a biker gang and has been happy there while I've been over playing piano. Sometimes I wish I could be as cool as he is..."
Mukuro smiled at Mondo, lightly grabbing his hand. "For the record, you just saved me from getting bitch slapped," Mukuro said. "That's pretty cool in my book."
Mondo smiled, although Mukuro could tell that something was still bothering him. "Yeah, alright," he said, and then suddenly looked up and behind her. "Hey, how's it going Hiro?"
Mukuro turned and smiled when she saw Hiro and Toko approach. Toko seemed to be standing behind Hiro, looking around nervously. "Hey Mondo, Mukuro!" Hiro said with a giant smile. "Everything going alright? You know, since we learned about the murder and stuff?"
"Way to ruin the mood man," Mondo muttered. "I still think this is a load of crap if you ask me, but I think Junko was right. Only thing we can do is work together and put the pieces of the puzzle together."
"Right! Actually, I came over to talk to you guys about that," Hiro said with a nod. "I was talking with Toko, and she kind of wants to stay out of everyone's way. She's down to help out and contribute and all, but she's kind of freaked out and wants time to herself, ya know? I was going to walk her over to the dorm rooms, but I was wondering if you both would join up with me after some exploring?"
"Sure man, I'd love to," Mondo said, then glanced at Mukuro. "That sound good to you?"
"As long as we take time to grab Kyoko so she can look at your back," Mukuro said. "It looks like that hurts, even just a little bit."
"Eh, my brother has come home with worse injuries than this," Mondo said with a shrug. "We're in Hiro. You lead and we'll be right behind you."
"Awesome! This is going to be rad!" Hiro said.
Mukuro smiled at Hiro's comment, determined to mimic his attitude. Little did she know that there would be few things to smile about in the days ahead.
BN: Well, there you go! I hope you liked the second half of the prologue! I also hope you noticed that things went quite a bit different than it did in the original! Mukuro alone is a huge change to the structure of the story, and with all the other character changes, it makes the story have a completely different outcome. Some characters who stand in the spotlight have shied to the background, and characters who may have hidden in the background are now more in the spotlight! It's really exciting, and I look forward to seeing what y'all thought about it!
Thanks to all of y'all who read this chapter and have given me support! I would seriously appreciate any comments y'all might have and if you spread this story's name around! The more of a response I see to this story, the more motivated it drives me to write! Please leave a comment if you feel so inclined, favorite and follow me or this story if you like either, and I hope to talk to y'all next time!