Hey, what's up you guys? GiLaw here, welcoming you to my first Danganronpa fanfic!
So yeah, I've really liked Danganronpa since it came out and looking back, I still do! It's got great characters, a sweet gameplay style and the most amazing sickest executions you'll ever see.
Now without rambling too much, I've kinda taken interest in the ship that is Leosaya. I honestly don't know why, maybe because Leon had those Sparx vibes going for him (sob) but I put it down to the suggestion that he may have killed Sayaka by accident. It's an intriguing and tragic theory that's definitely worth exploring more.
So I came up with this fic because manga made me sad, and decided to write my take on the scene. Hopefully you enjoy!
An Alternate Ending
The corridor only seemed to grow longer and longer as Leon made his way down, glancing from the passing nameplates beside him to the note in his hand that he kept opening up every now and again so he could reread the message:
"There's something I want to talk to you about, just us two. In five minutes, come see me in my room. Check the nameplates to make sure you don't get the wrong room, okay?
-Sayaka."
Leon carefully folded the note back up and continued to stroll down the corridor with a bit more pep in his step. A night in a girl's room wasn't really anything new to him- it was one of the only few benefits of being the Ultimate Baseball Star. Ladies came in left and right, and- Leon smirked to himself- he had had his fair share of one night stands.
He shook the notion from his head. As enjoyable as those nights had been, deep down, Leon knew that those girls only really wanted a shot with him so they could go back to their girlfriends and brag about how the baseball star had batted them sooooo goooood. They never wanted to talk to him or make any other sort of real connection. They never cared enough to consider asking what his interests might have been . . . Not that it upset him, but they had always assumed that just because he was the Ultimate Baseball Star, he had and always would love baseball, right?
Far from the truth.
But now, even when he was stuck in this hellhole of a school, trapped in a killing game where he barely knew, nor really trusted anyone, Leon felt an optimism . . . dare he say hope.
He was on his way to see Sayaka. Sayaka Maizono, the Ultimate Pop Sensation.
The lead singer in that girl idol band who always stole the show with her sweet and mesmerizing voice.
Not to mention being super cute as anything.
As he strolled down the long corridor, Leon wondered why she had chosen him out of all their classmates and what it was she wanted to talk about. She had to have chosen him for a reason, right? Outside of maybe finding him kind of good looking? Or even hot (if he said so himself). Leon's smirk grew a little to the point where anyone passing by him would find his face to be irritatingly cocky.
Whatever the reason was, he felt wildly excited about it. Maybe after their conversation, if everything went well he could use this as an opportunity to ask her how to get into the music industry. He doubted Sayaka knew much about punk, but he was confident it played out in the same way. And taking the right advice from the Ultimate Pop Sensation who seemed to have landed in the music industry so effortlessly was bound to land him a spot as the lead singer in his own super popular successful punk band.
And then he could finally trade his title from Ultimate Baseball Star to Ultimate Musician!
Fuck yes.
Leon suddenly stopped and took a moment to scan the note one more time. He raised an eyebrow. He ran his fingers through his spiky red hair. His smirk faded slightly.
Reading it again . . . what could it be that she was so keen to talk to him about? And why him? Why him over that Makoto kid he had seen her interacting with so enthusiastically, turning to him for comfort after those motivational videos? Leon squinted his eyes, reading the note one more time. It was starting to feel too good to be true . . .
He scoffed and quickly stuffed the note in his pocket. She couldn't . . . He could just tell that the girl was too pure of heart. The notion couldn't possibly cross her little mind . . . right? Leon had seen so many other girls do much worse, taking advantage of young guys to fulfill their own selfish needs.
Something about Sayaka . . . Leon couldn't explain it. Something about Sayaka felt different. He couldn't pinpoint what exactly it was, but something about her just . . . clicked? The other girls in the school ranged from being absolute stunners but lacking a clear enough personality for him to pick up on . . . to being okay looking at best but either too fierce or too passive for him to handle.
Sayaka struck that balance that, in a way, Leon was kind of looking for in a girl. She had the beauty down to a T, of course: the perfect body and of course that sweet smiling face of hers. But then there was her endearing personality. She was so sweet and lighthearted and bubbly- such an innocence about her. She took pride in her status as the Ultimate Pop Sensation (and rightfully so). But not in a way that seemed egotistical- something Leon had been criticized for plenty of times.
And even after all of that, there was still a hint of mystery about her. Ignoring her claims that she was psychic- something only Sayaka herself could confirm was true or not- even after overhearing countless inescapable pop songs, putting up with empty headed fanboys (often found in his baseball team) who swooned over how much they "loved" her, and TV interviews on every talk show possible that enthusiastically asked Sayaka and her band about their life as idols and their key to their successful journey . . . Leon never felt he really knew her.
Well he wasn't super familiar with the other students either. But the media hadn't exactly been overflowing with their accomplishments. Not as much as Sayaka anyway.
Yeah, maybe it was the media coverage. The fact that there was so much of her out there and yet he knew so little. It was something Leon could relate to. Fans everywhere, left and right, clamouring to get a glimpse of the idol without really seeing the person.
Maybe that's what she wanted to talk to him about. Maybe, deep down, the pop idol business drove her mad, the same way baseball did his head in. Well if that was the case, Leon was more than happy to be the person for her to share it with.
He had finally stopped outside Sayaka's bedroom door. Even the digital picture of her with her nameplate looked kind of cute. It made him wonder what was waiting for him inside. Feeling another rush of hope, Leon stuck his chin in the air, digging one of his hands into his pocket and using the other to ring the doorbell.
He waited. He took the moment to perfect his pose, spreading his feet out, pulling his hand out his pocket to place on his hip instead. He cocked his head slightly. It was a pose he had practiced many times- one that looked casual while still posing. With his other hand, he quickly brushed up his hair, hoping it was perfectly in place. The doorknob was beginning to rattle. Leon bit his lip, trying to contain the swarming feelings of excitement churning inside him as he heard the click of the unlocking door.
And the door slowly creaked open.
But there was no Sayaka.
Leon raised an eyebrow, his feelings of hope immediately erased from his mind. But curiosity lured the baseball star inside. As he stepped into the bedroom, he stopped to observe the design. Sayaka's bedroom wasn't quite what he had in mind. When he had received the letter, he had expected something more . . . pop idol-ish? More pink for sure, maybe some posters here and there . . . not some lint roller by the bed. Or a gold model sword sitting on the shelf.
He suddenly heard the door almost slamming behind him. It nearly made Leon jump, but thankfully he managed to save himself that embarrassment and stopped himself just in time. Behind him, Sayaka was shoving the door with her shoulder to make sure it was completely shut and turned to face him. Immediately, Leon thought he saw a glimpse of fear in her dark shimmering eyes. But then she settled herself into a cutesy presentable pose, placing her hands behind her back, sticking out her chest, straightening her back and mustering a sweet little smile. That smile . . . 'God,' Leon thought, 'she's so adorable.'
"Hi," he said cheerfully, strolling over until he was at what he felt was a reasonable distance from her, about two or three meters apart. A respectable distance for decent conversation. Yet she didn't say anything. For a moment, the room was filled with a long, kind of awkward silence. Funny- Leon had expected her to be full of conversation, considering she had gone to the bother of writing the note and slipping it under his door. He cocked his head out of confusion this time and decided to try and probe her. "There was something you wanted to talk about?"
"Um . . ." Why did she seem so hesitant? Leon suddenly felt a drop in his stomach. Was something wrong?
Sayaka clapped her heels together, not moving from where she was and finally spoke up. "I heard . . . you wanted to get into music?"
That was it?
Bingo!
"Yeah!" Leon beamed in an immediate burst of energy. "I was kind of hoping you'd say that actually!" he added with a chuckle. "I totally wanna get into punk! I don't know if you know much about it or anything, but maybe you could tell me about how you started your group and stuff?" In his excitement, he spun around and began strolling towards the bed, the only place where he could sit down. Might as well make himself comfortable.
"You might notice, I've been working on the image," he continued. "And if you ask me, I think I RADIATE that punk aura, don't you agree?" He was about to sit on the bed, but for some reason, something urged him not to. And why wasn't Sayaka answering back to him? Leon frowned and went to turn around. "Hey, are you-"
He saw a flash of silver and darted back as a screeching Sayaka swung a kitchen knife at him and Leon felt the razor sharp blade barely graze off his jacket sleeve, tearing little white shreds away from it.
Leon shrieked, stumbling backwards, away from the bed and out into a more spacious area in the bedroom. Sayaka had already turned around, panting heavily, clinging onto her weapon like it was her life. Before Leon could even process what she was doing, she lunged again and Leon whizzed around her, barely dodging the attack.
"AH! What the hell are you-"
"I have to kill you!" she growled.
Leon froze where he was standing. "What?! Why-"
"I need to get OUT OF HERE!" Sayaka screeched, her eyes flickering with anger. Then in her rage, she made another go for him and Leon darted back, taking the split second to be thankful for his athletic prowess. But in that split second, Sayaka took advantage, making an upwards swipe towards his face and Leon, in his haste to avoid getting his face slashed, knocked into the small table behind him.
"STOP-" As Sayaka lunged, Leon thrust the table forwards, hoping to halt her progress, temporarily boosting his speed a bit, only for him to land back against the shelf. He was cornered. And Sayaka had shoved the table aside, preparing herself for another attack. "Wait, let's just-"
Sayaka charged at him, full speed, the knife aimed towards his stomach. With his body pinned against the shelf, Leon searched frantically for a glimmer of hope, when a flicker of gold caught the corner of his eye. With the knife drawing in, he felt behind him and grabbed the weapon, swinging it before him. The gold model sword blocked Sayaka's swinging knife just in time and Leon thrust the sword forward, shoving Sayaka backwards, the two blades sliding off each other.
"What the FUCK has gotten into you?"
"My band . . ." She said it through gritted teeth in a rough, grating, scratchy voice, far from the sweet chirpy tone Leon was so used to from her. It got to him enough to temporarily lower his weapon.
"Sayaka-"
"I NEED TO SEE THEM!" she roared, raising her knife for the kill, and Leon ducked underneath her, the tip of the golden sword scraping off the ground, leaving a noticeable white scratch mark on the carpet. 'Shit, that thing did some damage!' Leon thought before quickly refocusing himself to face Sayaka who was leaning over the shelf to catch her breath. Her dark hair had fallen over her eyes so Leon couldn't see her face.
"Uhh, Sayaka?"
"DIIIIIEEEE!" Sayaka screeched, and Leon immediately raised the sword, slashing at the knife in the hope of knocking it out of her thrashing hands, certain that he had the accuracy to do so- only to quickly realize the hard way that wielding a sword was not the same as tossing a baseball.
He struck her by her right wrist and the two of them immediately heard a distinguishable CRACK! Followed by Sayaka letting out a high pitched blood curdling scream that pierced Leon's skin. He stumbled back, eyes widened in horror as Sayaka dropped the knife and grabbed her wrist, buckling over in pain.
'Oh God, what did I do?'
Leon stared at the girl hunching over herself, hair dark hair falling over her body, hiding her face from him again. But he could see her shaking violently as she held her wrist tight against her stomach. He heard a series of short sharp high pitched gasps from her. It sounded like she was trying not to cry.
He took a step towards her, but Sayaka noticed, glancing up at him, and Leon only got to see a glimpse of the terror in her eyes before she grabbed the fallen knife in her left hand and made a run for the bathroom.
"Sayaka!" Leon cried, chasing after her, but the panicking girl barged her way through the bathroom door with her shoulder and dropped her entire body weight back against it so it slammed in Leon's face. He grabbed the doorknob and tried to open it, but the damn thing was stuck- Sayaka must have locked it.
Feeling himself getting increasingly flustered, Leon chucked the model sword away from him, accidentally slashing the nearby wall. He had seriously underestimated that thing's power and the consequence of that was on the other side of that door.
"Sayaka, open up!"
"Go away!" came the squal from the other side.
"Open the door!" he yelled, grabbing the doorknob in both hands, but all he did was barely rattle it.
"LEAVE ME ALONE!" he heard her screech on the other side, her voice wailing, sounding almost desperate for him to leave.
Why did she-? Leon released his grip from the doorknob, taking a step back from the door. She didn't think that . . . Leon felt a chill rush through his body.
He let out a frustrated grunt, grabbing the doorknob for another try, earning nothing but another scream from the other side.
"Sayaka, listen to me!"
"NO!"
"I'm not gonna kill you!"
"NO, PLEASE DON'T DO IT!"
"I just wanna talk!"
All he could hear on the other side of that door was a continuous series of Sayaka's screams begging for life for no one to hear in the sound proofed room. The pop idol had enough power in her lungs to keep going until someone would eventually stop her.
Leon found himself stomping out of the bedroom back down the corridor. He had to stop her. He began running down the corridor that seemed even longer than last time when he had strolled down them with such excitement. He had to calm her down.
What was he doing? Why was he doing this? Why did he have to be the one in this mess? Leon's head was getting slammed by an ambush of questions as he burst into his own bedroom.
Was it worth going back? Should he just leave her? But what if she never calmed down? And why was she doing this? There were too many questions and emotions for him to handle and his heart was pumping so fast, it almost hurt. He felt more adrenaline racing through him than he did at a baseball match going in for the home run with members of the opposing team closing in. He felt anger, confusion, fear, betrayal . . . despair . . .
Leon grabbed his toolkit and ran back out through the corridor, panting heavily with each stride. He had to get through to Sayaka, one way or another and he was going to whether she liked it or not.
This was such a bad idea . . .
But he had to make sure she was alright.
'Shit, shit, SHIT!'
Leon raced into Sayaka's bedroom and over to the bathroom door. He thought he heard her crying until he stepped outside the door again . . . For a moment, he finally heard a silence. Maybe he didn't need the toolkit anymore . . .? He went to try and open the door again, but despite his attempt being a little calmer, he got the same result as last time- the doorknob doing nothing but rattle and Sayaka screaming on the other side.
"LEON, NO!"
That did it. He needed to talk to her. Desperate and determined, Leon pulled the screwdriver out of the toolkit, dropping it by his foot, and began twisting the screwdriver around the first of the doorknob screws.
"Sayaka, I'm comin' in!"
"NO PLEASE, DON'T!"
"I'm not gonna kill you! So calm down-"
"STAY OUT! I have the knife!" came the scream from the other side. It made Leon stop where he was, as the first screw dropped to the floor.
"Please help me!"
It didn't even sound like she was responding to him anymore, wailing out mindless pleas for her life. It only gave Leon more of a reason to start tackling the second screw. Why was he even doing this? He couldn't even think to answer himself anymore. His hands were shaking as he fiddled around with the screw. The screwdriver kept slipping in his hands. But the screw was starting to wiggle its way out.
"Okay, here we go," Leon whispered to himself, flicking it out with a finger, dropping the screwdriver onto the floor. There was no going back now. The doorknob drooped and Leon heard another piercing scream on the other side.
"Oh God, NOOOO!"
Leon took a deep breath and shoved his way into the bathroom, with surprisingly more ease than he had expected. But he was immediately greeted with another swipe of silver steel that he only just managed to dodge swiftly enough so that the worst thing he got was another tear to the jacket sleeve.
"AH, STOP IT!"
"Please don't do this!" Sayaka was cornered between the baseball star and the bathroom wall. The first thing Leon noticed was her eyes pouring with tears before he spotted her right hand hanging unnaturally limp by her side. Did it look broken? It distracted him long enough for Sayaka to lash out again and Leon instinctively grabbed her wrist, pinning her body against the wall.
"Drop the knife!"
"NO!"
"I don't WANT to kill you!"
Leon tried to wrestle the knife away from her. But even with his physical strength against her fragile state and an injured wrist, Sayaka would not let go. Whether it was adrenaline or determination, or possibly a combination of both, she had somehow managed to lock her grip onto the knife.
"Come on!" Leon almost begged her.
"NOOOOO!"
He felt her start to thrash the knife around, making swipes for his throat, which he barely managed to avoid without releasing his own vice like grip on the knife.
If he let go, one of them would die . . .
In the split second he came to that realization, Sayaka yanked and the knife seemed to slip, the tip of it grazing dangerously close to Sayaka's stomach, nicking her blouse. She let out another blood curdling scream and made another jab at Leon's chest.
"Shit! Sayaka-"
"Let GO of me!"
"Just drop the knife and let me TALK to you!"
"No!" Sayaka glared up at Leon, her gleaming blue eyes that were so full of tears, tinted with bloodshot. They were barely hidden by her dark fringe, frizzed across her face. Her cheeks flushed from a gentle pink to a blotchy raging red. She bared her teeth like a wild animal.
"I DON'T WANNA DIE!" she screeched, making another startlingly powerful swipe at Leon's face, so aggressively . . .
And yet she looked so beautiful . . .
In allowing himself to get caught up in his thoughts, Leon felt her good hand slip from his grasp. The knife shot past his face and barely missed his ear.
FUCK!
She had the knife in a position to backstab him and Leon knew he had to act now if they were both going to survive. With no other idea what else to do, allowing his instincts to take over completely, the baseball star grabbed Sayaka's face in both hands and, before the pop idol could even think to scream again, he shut his eyes tight and pressed his lips onto hers.
He felt her body stiffen. The hand above him, the one that had been about to bring the knife down on his back, stopped and began to quiver. Leon felt a coldness prick the back of his neck, sending a shiver down his spine. He squeezed Sayaka's slippery cheeks almost desperately, pouring all his emotion into the kiss. He dared not open his eyes.
'Please drop the knife . . .'
He could feel her fragile body trembling. He heard a whimper from her. He sensed her raising her armed hand, slowly, very slowly . . .
And she finally dropped the knife.
He heard it landing on the tiles, making a clank! sound before laying still by his foot. As he continued to rub his lips off of hers, he felt her body almost sink into his hands as she finally began to calm down. Her raised left hand landed itself around his shoulders, and Leon thankfully didn't feel a stab in the back, but that soft hand sliding its way down his back and settling on his waist. She let out a soft, peaceful little moan. Everything about her was so soft, but her face was especially so. Her lips that began to rub off in perfect sync with his. Her hair that every now and then brushed off and lightly tickled his forehead. Her wet cheeks which he gently brushed with his thumbs to dry away the tears that had finally stopped falling.
Slowly opening his eyes, Leon finally pulled away, panting heavily. Both of them were panting, lightly coated in a cold sweat, their faces flushed hot red. And who could blame them, after engaging in that life or death battle, leading to them sharing that intimate kiss in the bathroom . . .
Leon took a step back, his eyes gazing out into a blurry distance. The events of what had just happened were all catching up on him, faster than he could even process.
Sayaka had lured him here . . . to kill him.
And . . . he had kissed her in return?
Leon whipped around, stumbling over his toolkit as he staggered out of the bathroom, making a break towards the bedroom door. This was not what he had planned. Not what he had planned at all. The baseball star was so overwhelmed, he almost crash landed on the door, as he made a grab for the doorknob. He went to twist it when he paused, taking a moment to catch his breath, and his thoughts.
He slowly turned around, his eyes first landing on the toolkit dumped outside the bathroom. It reminded him of why he had ended up here in the first place . . . no, why he had returned. His eyes slowly rose up to meet Sayaka's. She was still cornered in the bathroom, her body pressed up against the wall as she clung weakly onto her right wrist.
Leon sighed and leaned his own tired body against the bedroom door. Folding his heavy arms across his chest, he gave her a small nod.
"You can come out, you know."
Sayaka's eyes had broken contact with his, and seemed to be gazing past him. It took Leon a moment to actually turn around and realize what she was looking at: the gold model sword laying by his feet behind him. He kicked it away from him without a second thought, accidentally scratching it off the floor again. As they watched the weapon roll across the room and out of harm's way, Leon turned his attention back to the quivering girl in the bathroom.
"I'm not going to kill you." He bent his head, his eyes resealing that contact with hers.
"I promise."
Sayaka just stood there, considering his words and the sincerity in his tone. Then, very slowly, she began to take small, timid footsteps out of the bathroom. Leon kept his distance, trying not to move in case it might startle her and start another potentially fatal confrontation. Even when she flicked a glance down at the knife on the bathroom floor, he held his breath and continued to wait patiently, until finally, through shaky baby steps, she was out of the bathroom.
The two stood there for a moment, their eyes sealed on each other, waiting for the other to do or say something. Sayaka bit her lip, edging her way towards her bed, her left hand still clinging onto her right wrist. Then, in a sudden burst of emotion, she made a run for the bed and leapt on, letting out a shriek as she did so. Her grip on her wrist tightened.
"Sayaka!"
She was leaning over herself, clinging onto her wrist on her lap as she began to make more of those agonizing sobs. Leon couldn't stand there anymore and hurried towards her. As he drew nearer, he suddenly noticed her right hand sitting at an awkward angle. It definitely looked broken. A nauseating thought crossed Leon's mind. He was the one who broke it.
Sayaka glanced up at him and Leon, thinking he saw a glimpse of that terror in her eyes again, froze and stepped back out of her space, raising his empty hands.
"Ca- can I look?" He shook his head to himself, knowing there was not a hope in hell she would let him do that. He began frantically spinning around the bedroom, searching for something, anything, that could remedy the situation.
"Uh . . . ice! V- veg! I'll get some for ya!"
"The kitchen's closed . . ."
Oh yeah, she was right. 'Shit.'
His next option would have been the nurse's room, but Leon didn't know exactly how far that was from this room, and quite frankly, in the stressful situation, he didn't fancy finding out right now. Carrying her? As much as the idea appealed to him, that was just out of the question.
Sayaka sniffed, her knees caved in, her body trembling. She squeezed her wrist that was beginning to show a hint of an ugly black and blue. The touch of gold left behind from the sword didn't help either. It made Leon sick to his stomach. He had to forecably swallow back the nausea.
"It really hurts . . ."
She went to raise it from her lap, but Leon instinctively reached out and took her by the arms.
"Nonononono, you can't-" When he felt Sayaka stiffen and saw her eyes widen, he stopped and loosened his grip. "Ya gotta keep it still until help arrives."
Sayaka's face dropped from that of terror and bewilderment to a small but striking frown. A frown that was enough to strike Leon in the chest, almost as bad as the knife could have done. He knew what she was thinking. He'd thought of it as soon as he had said that.
'What help?'
Seeing her frown deepen, Leon tore himself away from her, trying to change the subject as quick as possible. "It- it's something I picked up at baseball. When I was forced to practice. Some idiots would go for the home run and sort of dive for it . . . and then they'd end up breaking their wrists." Leon chuckled, hoping to get one out of Sayaka too. When she remained in her sorrowful state, he sighed and kept going.
"So they'd have to put ice on them and hold it still . . . until hel- the doc . . . medics arrived." Leon nearly slapped himself for being so stupid and clenched his fists only to realize how clammy his hands were. Sayaka just sat there, staring at him intensely and said nothing. It was starting to get under the baseball star's skin.
Trying to distract himself from his own frustration, Leon eyed Sayaka's wrist and shifted towards the bathroom. "I think we should at least put some cold water on it."
He heard a rustle of bedsheets behind him, and Sayaka gasping through her teeth. As he turned around, he saw Sayaka shifting forwards on the edge of the bed. That frown was still etched on her face, only softening when she realized she had been caught. Her eyes remained fixed on him, watching him like a hawk.
Why was she . . . oh yeah.
The knife.
Leon let out an angered groan, grabbing a fistful of hair in his hand. "I'm not going to kill you!" How many times did he have to keep saying that?
"I know you're not!" Sayaka suddenly snapped..
"What?" Leon stared at her. "Then why do ya keep-"
"I don't know!" she wailed, clawing her good left hand with as much frustration as him.
"Look!' Leon heaved a heavy sigh, struggling to consume the building anger inside him. He was starting to feel almost thankful for the exertions earlier that had taken so much energy out of him. Had it not been for that, he feared things would have been much uglier, but still less ugly than one of them dying.
"I'm sorry I broke your wrist but-" He just managed to stop himself from reminding her that she had started the whole facade. And then a sudden wave of sadness struck the Ultimate Baseball Star. His head slowly dropped, then his shoulders and his hands with them. He let out another sigh. He just had enough energy to look back up at Sayaka with pained grey eyes.
"Why me?" he asked grimly.
Sayaka blinked slowly, allowing her own dreary blue eyes to fall on her lap. She took a slow, shaky breath, slow enough to allow herself enough time to come up with a reasonable answer.
"I . . . " She let out her own little sigh as she struggled to find the words. "I don't . . ." She shut her eyes, taking another deep breath, through her nose and then slowly releasing it through her lips so she could compose herself.
"You were easy to-"
Leon straightened up, lowering his eyebrows. "What?"
Sayaka scrunched up her eyes, shaking her good left fist. "I needed someone, okay? Someone to . . . someone who could-" She let out a frustrated grunt. "I need to get out of this place! I need to see if my bandmates are alright!" Her voice croaked, as she tried to take another breath, but ended up sniffing back her emotions instead. Leon found himself slowly approaching her as she continued with her rant.
"And out of everyone here, I chose you, because . . . because-" Sayaka suddenly glared up at him. Before Leon could react, she grabbed his jacket with her good left hand and pulled herself to her feet, nearly dragging Leon down with her.
"What the-?"
He raised his hands, ready to defend himself once more in case she might have another weapon hidden in her clothes somewhere. But when she grimaced from the pain of her broken swelling wrist, Leon instinctively took her by the waist, even though her iron grip suggested she could stand by herself perfectly fine.
She was glaring at him, breathing heavily through her nose, releasing occasional flutters of hot air on Leon's face. She didn't look sad or distressed anymore. She didn't even look that furious, or at least not as furious as she was earlier. She just looked downright pissed. And Leon could feel his heart threatening to pound out of his chest.
"Why did you kiss me?" Her voice was soft- the dangerous kind of soft.
Leon could only respond with a few dumbfounded blinks. "Y-you were gonna kill me! I didn't know what else to-"
"But-" Sayaka shook her head, equally confused. "How did . . . that thought . . . cross . . .?" Her voice slowly faded away. Her grip on Leon's jacket loosened a little. He thought he saw a twinkle in her eye. She had answered her own question before she had even finished asking it. Maybe it was that psychic intuition of hers.
"You like me," she concluded. She glared down, repeating the statement in her head. 'You like me . . .' She blinked very slowly, and lowered herself back down onto the bed even slower, scrunching up her eyes in pain as her body and her broken wrist landed gently on the bed, only letting go of Leon's jacket when she was sitting comfortably. She didn't look at him, just down at her feet as she took up her wrist, wincing as she pulled it onto her lap.
"You really need to keep that sti-"
"I know," she said, struggling to keep her voice hushed. "It feels better this way."
Leon scowled, wanting to say that moving it around to make it more comfortable probably wouldn't help, but his head was too messed up to think of starting another argument. She had figured out that he liked her and he had no idea what to do with it.
Very cautiously, he decided to approach the bed, stopping when Sayaka peeped up at him. But this time, she didn't shy away. She didn't really do anything. Her tired eyes seemed to be glazed over in deep deep thought. She looked over to her side where there was more space on the bed and glanced back up at Leon. She gave him a small nod, granting him permission to sit down beside her.
Even with her permission, Leon still hesitated, licking his lips anxiously as he drew slowly nearer. There was plenty of space for him to sit comfortably, but he carefully chose the far edge of it, a safe distance from Sayaka- and he wasn't sure whose sake that was for. After his own small hesitant footsteps, he finally settled himself down by Sayaka's right side. She had gone from refusing to take her eyes off him to not even giving him a second glance.
The two just sat there in an awkward, bordering on tense silence. Leon sighed and rubbed his hands together, bending over to lean on his thighs. He tapped his foot, trying to think of something to say. He was sitting next to Sayaka Maizono, the Ultimate Pop Sensation, the most lovable girl in the school, and he had nothing to say to her.
Beside him, even if it weren't for the broken wrist on her lap, Sayaka was motionless, her face a deathly white. She almost looked like one of those porcelain dolls, those creepy ones that didn't charm you with their faces but stared diectly into your soul. Even if she wasn't looking at him, Leon felt kind of vulnerable, possibly more than he had felt when she was swinging a knife at him a few minutes ago.
"I'm sorry-" Sayaka had to swallow back her emotions so she could give herself a chance to finish. "I'm sorry I tried to-" She squeezed her eyes shut and brought her good left hand to her mouth, spluttering as she struggled to fight another onslaught of tears. But Leon didn't have to be psychic or whatever to figure out what she was trying to say.
'I'm sorry I tried to kill you.'
He opened his mouth to say the natural thing which was "it's okay" but then closed it when he knew that it wasn't okay. It was attempted murder for God's sake. And he still didn't know why she had chosen him. At this point, it didn't even anger him like it probably would have with anyone else. Leon rubbed his chest. More than anything else, the baseball star felt hurt inside.
Maybe Sayaka's psychic intuition had sensed that . . . and maybe that's why she was crying again. And despite the throbbing pain inside his chest, Leon found himself slowly sliding across the side of the bed towards her. Even after the attempted murder . . . for some reason, he still wanted to be with her.
"It's just-" Sayaka was struggling to speak properly through her sobs. "When I saw my bandmates in that video, it freaked me out, and I needed to see if they were okay! And I chose you because I had a feeling that out of everyone here, you'd probably say yes! I knew you liked girls and all but-"
Leon was right by her side, sliding a comforting arm over her shoulder. Sayaka, desperate for the comfort, shoved her face into his chest, wrapping her good arm around his shoulder, clinging onto his jacket collar as she continued to pour her feelings out.
"I didn't think- I'm sorry!"
Leon was working his other arm around her body, taking extra care to mind her broken wrist as he pulled her into a comforting embrace. The two sat there for a while, Leon allowing Sayaka to sob into his chest while he tenderly ran his hands up and down her back, running his fingers through her soft silky hair.
"What if you had gotten caught?" he asked softly, shuddering at the thought of him lying dead on the floor, but more at the thought of what the others could possibly do to the girl if she had succeeded with her plan. "If they found me in your room . . ."
He felt a shiver from her. She dug her face deeper into his chest. She squeezed his jacket collar so tight that Leon thought for a moment she might possibly rip it off.
She mumbled something, muffled by his chest, though Leon could just pick up the words "my room." It didn't answer his question at all.
"What would you do with your room?"
Sayaka suddenly released his collar and punched his shoulder, not an aggressive punch, or even that hard, but a punch that startled Leon enough to get an "ow!" out of him. She glared up at him, sobbing new tears, this time ones of anger.
"This isn't my room!" she wailed. "It's Makoto's! That's why I asked you to check the nameplates! I switched them . . ."
"What?" Leon cried, his arms around her loosening a little. "You mean you were gonna-"
"I know!" Sayaka dropped her head back onto his chest, gripping onto his shoulder as she continued to sob. "He would take the blame. He was so willing to help . . ." Sayaka's sobs only continued to grow more intense, her tears soaking into Leon's shirt.
How could she? Leon had seen them interact. The two of them had seemed so close . . .
But of course! The baseball star could have kicked himself. That was exactly why Sayaka would choose Makoto to switch rooms with. That kid was so selfless and innocent, he would take a bullet for anyone. And Sayaka . . .
"I feel so bad . . ." Her voice was a feeble whisper.
Leon felt his arms wrapping themselves back around her body again. There was so much to wrap his head around, it almost made him feel dizzy. The whole situation, her motivations and the agonizing regret she seemed to be feeling . . . It made sense and it didn't. Did he forgive her? He didn't know. And yet, he was still here, cradling her in his arms, stroking her back with his hands, running his fingers through her hair. She nuzzled her face off his chest, her sobs finally dying down.
"You wanna know how I got into music?" she mumbled.
Leon cocked his head at the sudden change of subject. "Su- sure?"
Sayaka sniffed, letting a shaky sigh escape through her lips. "It's not as easy as you think."
Leon blinked in confusion but raised a hand to brush some of the hair from her eyes. "You mean auditions and stuff?"
"No!" Her voice croaked. "It's more than that." She continued to rub her face off of Leon's chest with another heavier, shakier, sadder sigh.
"You have to make sacrifices . . . you have to sacrifice time . . . energy . . . family . . ." Leon felt another chilling shiver from her. "You almost have to sacrifice you."
"I see," Leon muttered. "Kinda like me and baseball. That shit was so restricting-"
"It's more than that!" Sayaka gritted her teeth, her head sinking down Leon's chest and into her shoulders. "Sometimes, the only way to get into pop music is to sell yourself. Your body . . . whether it's for posters, or . . . if you're really struggling to make it big, some people will offer you-" Sayaka swallowed as she tried to think of the right word. "Some people will offer you shortcuts."
OH GOD. The realisation hit Leon right in the face. He mentally kicked himself for not getting it, for assuming it would be that easy, for allowing her to tell him the horrific story. He gave the young pop idol a heartfelt squeeze. Incredibly, even after telling him a story that no doubt brought up some traumatizing memories, she was no longer crying. Perhaps she was so used to it . . .
". . . fuck . . ." It was all he could manage. He could recall some one night stands he had had with his baseball fans that hadn't been the best, but at the very least, there was consent and some form of pleasure. But Sayaka . . . Leon dug his fingers into her. He couldn't imagine how painful it must have been for her, being taken advantage of like that . . . He was getting that feeling of nausea in the back of his throat again, and it was even harder to swallow down.
And yet, in his arms, Sayaka let out a chuckle. A meek chuckle but still some form of laughter. "Still want to be a rockstar?"
Leon was too shaken to tell her that it was punk he wanted to get into and not rock. He just sat there, continuing to feel like an idiot as he watched Sayaka nestle into his arms.
"It was worth it though," she said with a sniff. "When I met my bandmates. They were like sisters to me . . . like a second family. Because my mom died, and my dad was never really there. My bandmates . . . they meant so much to me." She gazed up into Leon's confused, concerned eyes. "You don't have to forgive me, but . . ." She dropped her head gently on his shoulder. "You get where I'm coming from, right?"
Leon nodded very slowly. His face was blank and a little pale. The pieces were all falling into place. He felt stupid for not putting it together sooner, but a strange relief as he finally begun to understand. Going through all that to reach the top, to meet those bandmates who took her in like a family, and then to lose all that . . . Anyone desperate enough probably would have done the same thing that she did.
So, in a bizarre way . . . he kind of forgave her.
He heard another giggle underneath her. He blinked and stared down at Sayaka who was looking up at him. Not with an angry look or a sad look, but with a cutesy, almost cheeky little smile.
"What?"
She giggled again, a sweet giggle. "The lost look kinda suits you."
"What?!" Leon cocked his head and scoffed, quickly putting on a large grin to compensate for his awkwardness. "I- I wasn't lost! I was just . . . thinking, that's all."
Sayaka raised a mischievous eyebrow. "So you were lost in your thoughts? What were you thinking about?" she asked teasingly.
"Hey, don't start!" Leon gave her pink cheek a playful pinch. Sayaka let out a squeal of joy and swiped at him with her left hand. He ducked her "attack" and glanced out at the bedroom with the multiple scratch marks, the fallen table, the sword chucked on the floor and the broken bathroom door knob. It should have bothered him more, but when Sayaka pinched his waist, he let out a yelp and jerked back. He couldn't help but laugh it off. "Cut it ou- OW!"
"Ohh, somebody's sensitive!" Sayaka teased, poking around for more weak spots. "What's wrong, Leon? I thought The Ultimate Baseball Star could take a lickl' pinch! Don't you wanna be a big tough rockstar?"
"It's PUNK!" Leon brushed her off playfully before they finally settled down. He noticed Sayaka still resting her wrist on her lap. Of course it was still broken, and they would have to get it checked out in the morning, but it didn't seem to be really hurting her anymore.
"You know you'll have some explaining to do to Makoto, right?" Leon noted. "The poor bastard."
"Don't worry," said Sayaka. "I know how to talk to him. He'll be fine with it."
Leon decided he was willing to trust her, and the two of them sat back into the bed. There was a moment of silence, but this time, it was one that was a lot more relaxed. Leon edged across the bed back towards Sayaka with more confidence this time, and she seemed happy to let him approach her. There was one more thing he needed to say.
"Uhh, Sayaka?"
"Hm?"
Leon took a deep breath, sliding his arm around her shoulder once more. Sayaka allowed him to pull her gently into him, leaning into his body as he ran his hand up and down her arm.
"I know . . ." He could sense Sayaka peeping up at him and felt a heat creeping up to his cheeks. "I know it's pretty crap here and, uh . . . I think we all want out, but . . . um . . ." He chewed on his lip when the words wouldn't come to him as swiftly as he would like. "M- maybe hold the killing thought for a while?"
"I don't think I'll be doing that for a while," Sayaka muttered, massaging the area around her wrist, resting her head on Leon's shoulder. If it hadn't been broken, Leon could tell by her tone- she genuinely meant what she had said. The girl still had a heart in there. Not quite as pure as he had imagined . . . but still a heart.
"And, uh-" Leon gave her body a warm and tender squeeze. "You know that . . . y- you can count on me if you ever need anything. You can still turn to Makoto too, he's a good guy and all-"
"I get what you're saying," the girl purred, smirking as Leon's cheeks flushed nearly red enough to match his hair. She let out another sweet soft little giggle. "You look cute when you blush like that."
"Uhh- Don't get used to it!" he snapped awkwardly with a goofy smile.
Sayaka just rolled her eyes, rubbing her head off of Leon's shoulder, becoming increasingly relaxed, her eyes getting droopy.
"We could start our own band. I heard pop punk is a thing."
"That would be nice."
Leon raised his eyebrows, surprised at her response. He actually hadn't meant it all that seriously, especially after hearing Sayaka's story about how much her bandmates had meant to her and how far she was willing to go to see them again.
"I'm sure that bear is full of shit," he said quickly. He nodded to himself, satisfied with that statement. "Yeah, I'm sure everyone's fine out there. I'm sure if we stick together and figure this out, we'll be back in the real world in no time!" he declared, pumping his fist in the air, to which Sayaka burst out laughing.
"What?"
"I never took you for the determined motivational speaker type."
"Yeah, well sometimes I have to put up with them in baseball practice," said Leon, puffing his chest out for Sayaka to snuggle into.
"I thought you hated baseball," she said sleepily.
"Ehh." Leon gave a small shrug to avoid disturbing the drowsy pop idol. "Maybe I might return to it someday . . ." he said softly, wrapping his other arm back around her body.
Sayaka was dozing off in his arms. This night hadn't been what she had planned. Not at all. But even if she still feared for her bandmates' safety, at the very least, she had another ally who was willing to help. He cradled her in his arms, rocked her side to side in a soothing rhythm and planted a gentle kiss on her head, resting his head onto hers.
Maybe he was right.
Maybe her bandmates were still out there, waiting for her return.
Maybe she could find a better way to get out of here with Leon and Makoto and everyone else.
Sayaka yawned, finally drifting into a peaceful slumber.
Maybe there was hope after all . . .
And there you go! I think we all wish we could have gotten an ending like that, but sadly that is not the case with Danganronpa . . .
(this was so close to being a lemon as well, oh my GOD)
Now whether I write more Leosaya in the future is highly dependent on if I get the right inspiration. I like the ship now but my opinions on that could change overtime, and I don't want to sell myself out. I've done it before on other fandoms and I'm not exactly proud of it X'D
Plase Read and Review and check out my other stories and until next time, Imma go sob over how the best characters always have to go first.
Anyways, see you next time! ;)