A.N: Hello again, everyone! Welcome back to a brand new story - a transition story, in fact! I call it that simply because it takes place after my big main story, The Academy of Hope, and my future other big main line story. It is not necessary to have read it to understand this story, though you need to have played Trigger Happy Havoc or you'll be lost. A word of warning, too: HUGE spoilers ahead for THH! You've been warned! With that said, please enjoy this first chapter!

Chapter One: All That for a Dream

"W-Where… Where am I? A-And… what is this place?"

Sayaka shakily stood up, her head spinning, although it felt lighter than ever before. She rubbed her eyes tiredly and yawned. It didn't hurt at all, but the pop idol felt like something had happened that should have hurt. A ray of light blinded her for a moment, and she just couldn't avoid it. It lasted for some time, leaving the girl dazed slightly.

W-Wait… N-No… The Ultimate Pop Sensation suddenly realized where she was and what exactly had happened to her, the light acting as both a painful and cheerful reminder of everything she had done and everyone she had met. This can't be true!

I… I can't be dead!

Everything came back to her as soon as she was hit by that powerful ray of light, from her first day at Hope's Peak Academy and reuniting with Makoto after so long, to bonding with Leon and eventually falling in love with him, to her time spent with the two boys she trusted more than anyone… Even when things took a turn for the worst, Sayaka remembered it all, starting from the angry shouts of the Parade to that fateful day the Reserve Course had committed mass suicide, and her class had needed to be sheltered…

Lastly, she recalled her very last moments, standing with her classmates and falling asleep one by one after Junko had tricked them all and managed to kidnap her for her nefarious plans. The rest, of course, was history.

These were happy memories, but the consequences of them were tragic. Suddenly, Sayaka wished she didn't have to remember. They said that ignorance was bliss, and the Ultimate Pop Sensation wholeheartedly agreed. Because being dead was one thing, but the way she had died was more heartbreaking than anything.

I… I tried to kill Leon… a-and he killed me in return… Remorseful tears rolled down her cheeks as the scene flashed through her mind again, and she was forced to recall the baseball player stab her in the stomach. The face of a smiling, innocent, trusting Ultimate Lucky Student appeared before her, too. And I've used Makoto to try and frame him! I-I almost killed the boy I was dating and tried to frame the one who trusted me when no one ever did, all that because I was missing my memories! H-How can I be such a horrible person?!

She fell down on her knees, collapsing under the weight of her emotions. The Killing Game Monokuma had trapped them in had been hell on Earth, but this, right now, looked like the real thing.

Y-Yeah, I must be in hell right now… There's no way I managed to go to heaven after trying to kill an innocent person… whatever the circumstances…

"Sayaka… I am sorry to see you here…"

"H-Huh? W-Who…?" turning around in surprise after hearing her name, the pop sensation realized that the person in front of her was familiar. She quickly got back up and rearranged her hair. "Wait, you're… H-Headmaster Kirigiri?!"

The man sighed disappointingly, seemingly demoralized. "Yes, that's correct. We have both suffered the same fate at Junko's hands, it would seem like." he paused, adopting a thinking pause. "I saw what happened to you, Sayaka, and you have my deepest condolences."

The Headmaster is dead too…? W-Wait, but if he's in the same place as me, then… "Wait, wait, wait…!" she urged him, completely confused. "You're dead too, right?"

Surprised by the straightforwardness of the question, Jin narrowed his eyes on his former student. "Yes. Yes, I am. I was blasted off into space by Junko and her sister, and my body burned due to friction and speed. I… I should consider myself lucky it was mostly painless. I arrived here some time ago, maybe two earthly weeks ago. I've already lost count."

"I see…" That doesn't help me much… Sayaka thought, a bit more defeated. I guess I'll have to ask him exactly where we are… "U-Um, sir…? Where exactly is this place? I first thought this was hell, but there's no way you would be in hell, so…"

The former Headmaster nodded, already less surprised. "A legitimate question. You see, as I realized when I died, this place is the Afterlife. So far, I haven't found any distinctions between hell and heaven. From what I've gathered, it is endless, in both time and space. However, it seems you always appear here close to people you knew, hence why my wife was there when I got here. This is how I found you."

The Afterlife? Endless in both time and space…? This seems way too big for me to comprehend, especially so soon after I died… Just trying to think about it is making my head hurt…

"But there's something in what you just said that I disagree with, Sayaka." the man continued, his expression turning slightly softer. This got the girl's attention. "There doesn't exist a world in which you would deserve any kind of hell, Sayaka. You've always been a very respectful and polite young woman, and Kyoko only ever said good things about you when I was alive. What just happened is… unfortunate, to say the least, but it doesn't erase the person you were. If anything, your motive for escaping at all costs was pure."

Sayaka hesitated, torn between a smile and a guilty frown. She didn't want to forgive herself for what she had tried to do, but she was also conscious that feeling so guilty wouldn't be healthy, Afterlife or not. This was a difficult situation to deal with: on the one hand, Monokuma and Junko had put her in an extreme position that led her to lose her mind, but on the other, this all still been her choice.

Trying to murder her boyfriend and frame her best friend and confidant had been her choice, whether she wanted it or not.

"I… I will need to think about it, sir." she ended up saying, trying to keep her emotions in check. It was difficult whenever she thought back to her last moments, but she tried her best. "I'd like to believe you, but I'll need some more time to process it. And if I understood correctly, I'll have plenty of time in the distant or not-so-distant future to think about it, yeah?"

There was some irony in her voice, something which the fallen Headmaster didn't miss. He sweatdropped, telling the pop idol, "I-Indeed. Anyway, I suggest you follow me, as I have other things I want to show you. Perhaps we are deceased, but I would still like to be useful to my former students, so showing you around, so to speak, is the least I can do. Chances are, neither you nor I will ever accommodate to this place, but we, unfortunately, don't get a say in this. Are you following me?"

"Yes, sir. Right behind you." Sayaka replied with a short nod. "I appreciate it, sir."

"You're welcome," Jin told her and walked ahead on a specific path. "Now, please follow me. What I'm about to show you is something you'll most likely be interested in…"

"The Afterlife Theater?" Sayaka wondered, reading the large sign on the front of the building. "Is this what you were talking about, sir?"

Kyoko's father nodded in confirmation, saying, "Indeed. I do not know whether there are multiple buildings similar to this one here, but this place is of great importance. You see, this theater doesn't project the kind of movies you'd expect."

"I… had guessed as much…" Come on, I might have done horrible things, but I like to believe I'm not *this* dumb… The Headmaster of all people was probably not going to show me where to rewatch Titanic for the seventeenth time… the blue-haired girl rolled her eyes discreetly before becoming more serious. "I am curious, though. Exactly what kind of movies can one see in there?"

Jin took a deep breath, pushing one of the doors and keeping it open for Sayaka. He wordlessly gestured her to enter, which the Ultimate Pop Sensation did with some hesitation. "I think showing you might be for the best, Sayaka."

"O-Oh, okay…" Just what's in there…? Guess I'll have to go and see for myself if I wanna know…

Once the Ultimate had entered, Jin took the lead once again and led Sayaka in a long corridor leading to another door. As they walked down the hallway, he continued his explanations as clearly as he could.

"I don't know what force rules over the Afterlife, to be honest, but they can cause some phenomenons science wouldn't be able to explain," Jin told her, then allowed himself a harmless joke. "I know Kyoko wouldn't like this, but things are what they are."

She couldn't see his expression since she was walking behind him, but Sayaka could pretty much imagine it. He was trying to lighten the mood by talking about his cherished daughter in a relaxed way, but the Ultimate Pop Sensation understood how worried he was. After all, they'd been separated so quickly after reconnecting, and the girl could guess how much it hurt him. But she appreciated that he was keeping his calm, just for her sake.

"But this place, in particular, is even more special than the others." he continued, unaware of his former student's musings. "You see, my wife and I come here often, and we've realized that by pushing the same door, you can end up in different rooms. So, when you enter the room and want to remain with the person you're with, you need to think that you want to go in with them. It sounds complicated, but it works well."

That… somehow seems wrong… The girl thought but didn't voice it and instead let her doubts be expressed by her expression. It did the talking for her.

"You don't seem to believe me, it seems…" Jin said, then added, "Well, no better way to explain than to actually try. I'll open the door, and we'll enter together, alright? You just need to think that we're going inside together and things will be fine. Did you understand?"

Sayaka thought for a second before she answered with a nod. "Yeah, I believe I did, sir."

"Very well." with that, Jin grabbed the handle and pushed the door open before entering the room. "Then come in."

Things didn't seem strange as Sayaka entered what seemed like your average projection room with a movie screen and rows of red seats. There was even a small stand full of popcorn, which the pop idol eyed with hearts in her eyes.

Jin rolled his eyes. "Matters of popcorn aside, you can see that we've made it just fine. I imagine this works so that different groups of people can come here and see the perspective they want. Talking about this, I suggest you take a seat while I continue my explanations. Does that seem fair?"

"Hm, yeah, sure thing," Sayaka said and sat in one of the (comfortable) seats in the middle of the room, observing the screen with curiosity. "So what is this room all about, sir?"

"Well, basically, this room shows you what is currently happening on Earth, events past or present. You may see things happening from anyone's point of view or see what is happening at any given place, and that, at any given moment," he explained before saying, "Let me show you an example. Let's watch what's happening right now in… Siberia."

U-Um… Okay? Sayaka thought, wondering why this specific place in particular. Still, she gave the man a nod and watched as the screen showed the plains of Siberia, looking very much like anyone would expect them to.

"If you're wondering why I chose Siberia and not somewhere more…" Jin paused, looking for the correct word to use. "Hm, eventful, let's say, there's actually a good reason for that. I am not sure you're ready to see what the world looks like right now, Sayaka. The last time we were outside, back when the two of us were still alive… things were looking grim. But when my wife showed me what had happened to the world since then, I'm afraid it has gotten even worse. It seems the Future Foundation is doing its best to ensure things don't get out of control, but results are mitigated, if not totally disastrous. People have forgotten what hope is and all that because of Junko and her Killing Game. If things don't get better soon, I'm afraid they never will, Sayaka."

"Y-Yeah…" And I'm partly responsible for that… If I had not been so selfish and didn't try to escape, the world would have kept some hope! The girl began crying guiltily as the screen now showed the middle of the Sahara Desert. "I-I'm sorry, sir… If I had not tried to kill Leon, this wouldn't have happened!"

"There is no need for you to apologize, Sayaka," Jin assured her, caringly. "If anything, the only person at fault here besides Junko is me. I had promised to keep you safe, and this happened. You know, before we reconnected, Kyoko often told me I could be really incompetent as a Headmaster, and even after my death, I realize that this was true until the end. I should have been more careful to make sure the Ultimate Despair didn't infiltrate us. So you have my sincerest apologies, Sayaka."

He bowed his head from his seat next to Sayaka. The Ultimate Pop Sensation waved her hands around, wordlessly telling him that it wasn't necessary. It was impossible for her not to feel immense guilt after what she had attempted to do. She had lost her memories and had been put into an extreme situation, but she didn't feel like it excused anything.

People, especially young people, looked up to the students of Hope's Peak Academy. They were supposed to be the leaders of the world of tomorrow after their graduation. Each year, the graduating students became symbols of hope for the whole world, and it had been going on for generations upon generations. Of course, seeing them ready to murder each other to escape into a world they didn't even know was destroyed had broken the cycle.

"I don't know if this will make you feel better, Sayaka, but I get the feeling that you, unfortunately, won't be the last one to want to escape at all costs," Jin told her, interrupting her harmful train of thought. He pointed at the screen, which now displayed the inside of Hope's Peak Academy, where the Killing Game was currently taking place. "I thought it would be wiser to avoid showing it to you so soon after your demise, but I can't hide it from you. You have a right to see it."

The deceased pop star looked at the screen and blinked in surprise before a gasp escaped her mouth. All of Sayaka's classmates, sans Junko, were gathered in the gymnasium, listening to the awful Monokuma who was just explaining something to them.

"T-That's…!" No way… "I-Is this really real?!"

"There's no reason to believe it isn't, I'm afraid." the man told her with a solemn nod. "And considering how distressed they seem, they have probably found your body, Sayaka. Who knows what Monokuma is telling them right now…"

The pop sensation shivered at the mention of her body. She didn't even want to know how horrible the sight of a bloody corpse like this was… especially not hers. Her death had been painful, and while she had died with the satisfaction of having left a message pointing towards her killer, right now, she almost regretted it. After all, Leon was still very much with the group, and Sayaka didn't think this bode well for anyone, especially him.

And as weird as it was for her, she didn't want him to be hurt. Her experience from the Killing Game be damned, she didn't want to blame the boy she had dated, especially when she had been the one to almost murder him in the first place. Of course, her emotions were still a mess, and she couldn't think clearly about neither the Ultimate Baseball Star nor their Ultimate Lucky Student best friend. It was too early, and she still had too much to think about.

The two focused on the scene happening in the gym as the bear explained a new rule he had just invented: the Class Trial rule. As the girl had guessed, there had been a trick to the detail that murdering someone meant you could leave. And a most gruesome one, at that.

T-The one who kills someone and gets away with it… will send all the others to their deaths?! What the hell kind of torture is that?! A-And if they're found out, then…

Leon's face flashed through her mind, and all the happy moments they had lived together before their class' kidnapping by the Ultimate Fashionista.

L-Leon's going to die! Monokuma would execute him for my death when I was the one with murder on my mind! She realized and felt another shiver down her spine. "S-Sir, we've got to do something!"

"We can't intervene, Sayaka, even if we wanted to: we're dead." the former Headmaster reminded her, his tone grave. "If it were so simple, I would have done something already. There might be a way to communicate with them, but I have not yet found it." he sighed. "Unfortunately, all we can do is hope for the best, Sayaka."

"B-But…" the blue-haired girl's shoulders slumped in resignation as she refocused on the screen. "Y-You're right…" He's right… All we can do from here is hope things get better…

Suddenly, someone began to yell on the screen, getting both Jin's and Sayaka's attention.

"W-Wait, hold on a second! You're freaking insane, you know that!?" the fake Junko exclaimed, sweating a bit.

The bear looked at her with confusion written all over its face - something the two victims would have believed if they didn't know who'd been running the Killing Game and who that disguised fashionista really was.

"Hmm?"

Then, the girl, who was, in fact, Mukuro, seemed to get mad. "A class trial? What the hell is that?! I don't want anything to do with it!"

W-What is she doing…? Did they prepare that part? Sayaka wondered, seeing the Ultimate Soldier getting flustered, though she couldn't know if it was genuine or not.

"Why not?" Monokuma asked her, his sick grin still plastered on his face.

"Whaddya mean, why not?!" the fake blonde echoed angrily, getting more and more frustrated by the second. "Why do I have to waste my time trying to figure out who murdered someone?!"

If she's acting, she's doing a hell of a job at it! But with how crazy Junko is, I think Mukuro has every right to be concerned if she's for real right now…

Once again, deciding to ignore the weird and unpleasant sensation she was getting right now, as well as Jin's muteness, Sayaka stared closely at the screen.

The bear's red eye lit up, showing anger. "What?! Are you saying you're not gonna participate in the trial?! Only punishment awaits such blasphemy!"

"What? Punishment?!" Mukuro exclaimed in shock, something that mirrored Sayaka's thoughts.

"I might… I dunno, throw you in a deep, dark, scary prison or something!" Monokuma's posture was arrogant, almost challenging.

What's the point of this…? Does Junko want to scare the others?!

"Shut the hell up!" the disguised Ultimate Fashionista snapped. "Say whatever you want, I'm not gonna be a part of this!"

"Don't be so selfish!" the bear argued, looking a mix of angry and satisfied. That particular combo scared the pop idol.

He's up to no good… I may not really be psychic, but I can feel it…

"You're the one being selfish! Kill whoever you want; it's got nothing to do with me!" Mukuro retorqued, her anger going up another notch.

Then, the de facto Headmaster of Hope's Peak began to sweat, and Sayaka could see Jin's fist clench in anger and frustration. "The evil standing here before me… I'm trembling with fear!" suddenly, his claws reappeared, and the bear appeared ready to fight. "But I won't give in to such evil! It's my style to stick it out and resist till the very end…! If you really wanna get out of here…" Monokuma raised his arms in the air, threatening, "you'll have to go through me first!"

Sayaka gasped when the bear charged at the group of students gathered in the gym. She sighed in relief when she realized that the attack wouldn't be a threat to anyone with how slow it was, but then…

"Gyumeh!" Monokuma found himself pinned to the floor by one of Mukuro's boots, completely stuck.

N-No! She can't attack Monokuma! Mondo was almost blown up when he did! The blue-haired pop sensation thought with some panic settling in her. Even if she's Junko's sister, I don't get the feeling this will end well!

"Are you enjoying yourself now?" the soldier asked, her voice slightly condescending.

"Are you?" the bear shot her back, not missing a beat, his voice full of malice.

Mukuro's eyes widened just a little in surprise. "Huh?"

"Violence against Headmaster Monokuma is not allowed. You've violated a school regulation…"

N-No…

No!

NO!

Sayaka's reflexes urged her to get up and go towards the screen, only to be stopped by Jin's firm hold on her waist.

"It's pointless."

"B-But…"

"You can't do anything, Sayaka. We both know what's going to happen, but as I said, we're dead. Our chance to change things has passed." his eyes met hers as he advised. "Sit down. And maybe… close your eyes for a second. Or a minute."

Having been rendered speechless by Kyoko's father, the pop idol was about to comply when the bear talked again. Jin's eyes darkened while Sayaka's widened in shock.

"I invoke the mighty summon spell! Help! To me, godly spear Gungnir!"

Pink suddenly invaded their visions, and at that moment, Sayaka Maizono was forced to realize something.

Even in death… despair knows no end…

To be continued…

A.N: It's really too bad canon didn't really give us any Afterlife content besides that one scene with Junko and Chisa in Future Arc. It really could have made for some interesting moments. Anyway, I hope you liked this first chapter, which was useful to me to introduce the Afterlife in Danganronpa. Besides, writing Sayaka again was cool! Please leave a review, and I hope you all have a nice day!