Updated
Chapter 14: Despair
With everyone else gone and heading their separate ways. Monika heading straight home. Natsuki and Sayori heading off to Natsuki's old house to pick up her stuff since she will be living with Sayori from now on. That would only leave Yuri and MC alone together at his house. MC and Yuri decided to go to the grocery store to pick up some ingredients for dinner tonight.
During their walk, they both held each other's hands as they walk to the store and back. The two of them talked about Of Mice and Men. Despite MC not remembering much about the story, he still however listened to her ramble on about it. When they reached his house, MC started cooking dinner for themselves. Yuri tried to offer to help him since he's still injured to do any cooking, but he declined her help. He did this to show her that he's fine and to make sure she doesn't get anywhere near his kitchen knives. Minutes had passed and dinner was finally ready. The two of them ate in the kitchen as MC thought that she doesn't really watch TV.
Yuri: "Thank you for dinner, it was delicious."
MC: "You're welcome. Hey Yuri do you … want to read together after this?"
Yuri: "Perhaps another time. Right now if it's okay with you … maybe … we could … c-cuddle?" Her face started turning red. "… I-if that's okay with you?"
MC: "Y-yeah sure, I don't mind." He starts blushing as Yuri smiles brightly hearing him say yes.
Before they could cuddle, the both of them decided to wash the dishes first. At first MC was going to do it by himself, but Yuri convinced him that it would be faster and easier if they cleaned together. He accepted her offer this time and just like she said they finished sooner compared to if he did it himself. After finishing washing the plates, they both went to his room since he still hasn't done anything about the living room TV and just watched TV in his room instead. While watching a bit of TV MC spoke up. "Hey Yuri let me check your arms."
Yuri: "Um … ok?" She rolls up her sleeves revealing her bandages.
MC: "Hmm? I think it's time to replace these. Wait right here while I go get the first aid kit. Oh by the way don't steal any of my pens ok?" Yuri's face turns bright red.
After going through the hallway to his parents room and retrieving the first aid kit. He stopped and thought to himself. (The more I come here the more I start to wonder about my parents? Why do I feel like I don't connect with them at all? Mostly my dad. No time to think. I got to go help out Yuri.) He heads back to Yuri, who just so happens to be watching TV. (Doesn't really watch TV and yet, when we do she watches it with us.) "Give me one of your arms." She does what he asks.
While she held out her left arm, MC took out a fresh roll of bandages from the first aid kit and took off Yuri's take's old ones revealing her cuts. "Looks like their healing just fine."
Yuri: "I've been taking better care of myself after our talk."
MC: "Good" He takes out some rubbing alcohol and applied on to her scars.
Yuri: "Kyii!"
MC: "Does it still burn?"
Yuri: "Yes it does, but don't worry about me. I can handle it, so please continue."
MC: "Okay then." He continues to rub the alcohol onto her arms and after letting it settle in, he then applied the new bandages. "There we go. Good as new." He then kisses her arms. "Feeling better?"
Yuri: "Y-yes I do. Thank you." He smiles to her and just as he was about to pull away Yuri pulled him into her to give him a kiss on the lips. He was surprised for a bit, but he didn't pull away from her. Instead he kissed her back.
MC: (This is so nostalgic. This feeling in my heart. So warm and so gentle. I can't get enough of it." He places his hand on her cheek as they both continue to make out. The both of them kept kissing each other for what felt like an eternity before breaking apart to catch their breaths.
Yuri: "S-sorry. I didn't men to surprise you like that."
MC: "It's ok we're lovers right? Plus it seems to me you're becoming bolder now."
Yuri: "B-bolder, n-no it's just …" He smiles to her and it helped calm her down. "Th-thank you, but only because you gave me courage to do so. I'm glad you're here for me." She snuggles up to him resting her head on his shoulder.
MC: "I feel that same way." (I promise to protect you all. No matter what's thrown at me. I just hope I could figure things out before anything bad happens. I have a bad feeling about all this.) He rest his head on top of hers as time flows by.
Yuri: "Guess it's time for me to head home? I had a great time with you. Thank you for changing my bandages."
MC: "You're welcome. See you tomorrow." He walks her to the door and gave her a kiss goodbye. "Be safe."
Yuri: "To you as well." She leaves for home.
MC: *Sigh* "Talk about being lonely. With everyone else gone. It seems so empty. Empty?" He looks around the living room. "That's right. Mom's never here. I really am alone." He heads upstairs to his room and lays on his bed. (Ga! My body still stings a bit. Maybe I should have let Yuri help with the cooking. Well at least we cleaned to together, so it's not so bad." He turns his body to face the ceiling above. "Mission, mission. What was that dream all about? The more I think about it, the more I question myself. This body f mine. It feels so weird, but why am I feeling this way about my own body?"
He gets up and goes through his lower drawer. "What are these book?" He stares at both covers of The Portrait of Markov. He takes one of the copies and opens to a random page. He wasn't sure why he wanted to look through them again, but he felt he must. He skimmed through some of the pages and saw nothing unusual. That is until he read a bit further. "What!? No that can't be?" He continues to go through the pages and then looks through the other copy. "No way? How? How!?" He drops the book on the floor, processing what he just saw. "... How? … How can our names be in the books? That's not possible. I know the last time I read with Yuri, the pages, the sentences, everything was different? Different names. Different characters? Characters?"
(Wait … the Main Character in the story. Similar to Yuri, similar to us. The side characters. Similar to us? No that can't be?)
"I remember my mission. Our goal."
"Oh my God." He starts breathing heavily as he continues to think about what he just witnessed. "Gaaa!" The sharp pain in his head take place once more. The pain so intense that he fell to the floor and blacked out. While he remains silent on the floor, he starts dreaming again. In the shadows, he heard screaming. When he got up, he saw mountains of bodies on the floor around him with the pool of blood leaking through it. "Oh my God." He fights the urge to puke.
?: "As Ultimate's it is our mission to make mankind reveal their true identity. This world will be reborn when the hypercritical humans are eradicated, even if it causes this world to set on fire."
After hearing this, MC once again hears more screaming. He quickly gains his footing and ran. He ran far away from it all, but to his horror, the screams got worst. As he continues to run, he saw shadows of people committing acts of violence. He saw one chopping someone up into pieces, he witnessed one stabbing a man, and another shooting at a crowd. When he finally ran past them all. He once again saw the horrors again.
Yuri: "Do you accept my confession?" Her eyes twiching.
Yes or No
dnfewipLovevnsmavmvdMeomkfllcsalcnkdoergytuvndca. Her voice distorted.
Natsuki: "Don't spend time with her. Play with me. Play with me!" Her neck snaps.
fjvbscvnvsPlayewogjreobernbwithjgvovvmnkluMe! Her voice deep and static.
Sayori: "The rain clouds. My heart. My heart! It hurts!" He body goes limb.
nvdjsanhvslapwirhqqncvAnfjivnbmdDKLMNVExceptionVNACcvHaskgvopmvMBKGMOccured. Her voice of a robot.
Monika: "I did it all for you! You're horrible!"
dvnvvkfdJustmdkvnKNDDvMonikavggqwiun.
MC: "No … No … Noooooooooooo! Stooooooooop it!"
cmvkamcvkfaskvnUltimatemvfkvnbbavDespair'scndkanslfva
?: "Like I said before. You can't save anyone. This is something you caused." The voice of a woman laughing at him demonically.
MC: "Noooooooooo!" He sat back up, forced to wake up from his nightmare. That Despair. He breathed heavily with his body drenched in sweat and looked over to his phone for the time. Five am. Without any hesitation he immediately grabbed his phone and called Sayori, but no response. He tried calling Natsuki, but nothing at all. He kept calling hoping they would respond at least for a moment, but to no avail. He tried calling Monika and Yuri, but just like Sayori and Natsuki, no response.
He was aware that maybe he was just being paranoid, but he knew something was wrong. He left his house and rushed to Sayori's. By the time he got there, he banged on the front door as loud as he could. Without realizing that he opened the door. He saw that the front door was unlocked. Without question, he ran up the stairs yelling for Sayori and Natsuki. He knocked on Sayori's door, but no answer. Without waiting for her to answer he violently opened the door and saw Sayori hanging herself.
"Sayori!" To his luck she was still alive, but slowly dying a painful way. He notices she had blood on her fingers. Most likely her struggling to get freed. He quickly grabbed the nearest chair and sharp object to get her down. He used the chair to give himself a boost ignoring that it had wheels and used the sharp object he found to cut the rope. When she was set free they both fell off the chair with MC taking all the impact with Sayori on top of him. She coughed uncontrollably, catching her breath as MC help pushed her off of him.
"What the hell!? What were you thinking!" She continues to cough, still trying to catch her breath. While she tries to breath normally, MC took the rest of the rope still around her neck off of her. Now having rope burn.
Sayori: "I'm sorry, I don't know what came over me? I just had a really bad dream and next thing I know, I'm hanging myself."
MC: "Where did you get this rope from? I thought I took it away from you?"
Sayori : "I don't know. I just woke up and there it was in my hand. I honestly don't know where or when I got it." She tries to wipe away all the tears she having, but more tears build up.
MC: "Where's Natsuki?"
Sayori: "I don't know? She was sleeping with me, but now she's gone."
MC: "I need to find her. You better not do that again."
Sayori: "I'm sorry." She continues to cry as MC heads towards her door, but before leaving.
MC: "I'll be back for you. Don't do anything crazy or else I'll be the one with rain clouds." He says before rushing off. After leaving her room, MC ran around the house to find where Natsuki could be. When he looked through all the rooms, there was no sign of her anywhere. He then ran outside yelling her name. With nowhere to go he wasn't sure where she could've gone to, but then it hit him. "Damnit! Natsuki!" He looked all around Sayori's yard, but still no sign of her. "Damnit, Where could she be? Damnit. Damnit!"
?: "She's at her house."
MC: "Huh!?" He looks around his area. "Who the hell said that? Her house?" He clenches his hands and quickly runs to Natsuki's old house. Without making any stops or him running out of breath. He ran all the way to her place not caring about the cramps he's feeling or the wounds from his fight with her dad reopening. When he finally made it to her old area, he saw a short figure standing in front of a building. "Natsuki!" She looks to his direction. "Why are you here at this time of day?" He says out of breath.
Natsuki: "I should be asking you the same thing?"
MC: "You had me worried." He says as he tries to catch his breath.
Natsuki: "Sorry, I didn't mean to worry you and Sayori. I just needed to go for a walk. After the nightmare I had last night. I needed time for myself. I don't know what compelled me into coming here after everything I went through."
MC: (Nightmare? No it can't be?)
Natsuki: "Guess I'll be heading back?"
MC: "Oh my God!"
Natsuki: "What? What's wrong?"
MC: "I need to check on Yuri and Monika! I have a bad feeling something bad is about to happen to them." He starts running again.
Natsuki: "Wait, what do you mean by bad!?"
MC: "I'll explain later, just watch over Sayori for me!" As he runs through town, he tries his best calling Yuri and Monika by phone, but neither of them answered. Without any answers, he wasn't sure where the both of them lived, but he had to find them before something terrible happens to them. He continues running around town calling them both, but still no answer. "Damnit! Where could they be?"
?: "Head to the school. Quickly."
MC: "What?" He looks behind himself, but saw no one. "Who goes there?" No one in sight. (Who said that? The school? Don't know who said that, but I'll trust it for now.) Without any hesitation, he did what he was told and ran to school. By the time he reached there, he notices the front gate was opened, but there was no sign of anyone around. Ignoring it, he ran all over the hallways to check every single classroom. He tried calling the teacher's for help, but there was nobody around to help. "The one time I wanted a teacher to be here and they don't show up. Wait the club room of course!" He quickly runs up the stairs to the club and quickly opens the door. "Yuri, Monika?" There was no one. "Damnit! Where are you two!?"
?: "Go to the roof."
MC: "Huh? Who's there!?" No response. "Roof? The last place I didn't check. Should I trust that voice any further than I should? There's no room for doubt. I need to find them both quickly." He quickly left the classroom and ran up the stairs to the door that would lead to the roof of the school. "Yuri!?"
Yuri: "Michael? I didn't except you to be here so early." She doesn't turn to face him.
MC: "Why are you here all alone?"
Yuri: "I just wanted to see the school. Just one more time."
MC: "What do you mean by one more time?" His heart starts to race.
Yuri: "To end it all. The suffering we are all forced to go through." She turns to him with a dead look in her eyes and a knife in hand. "If I end my life here, then we don't have to suffer anymore. It's my fault for bringing those cursed books here. I'll be able to save everyone with the cost of my blood."
MC: "Yuri don't. It's not your fault."
Yuri: "Thank you for being my first boyfriend. I never knew how much fun I had with you. It was nice to be loved by someone I care about." She gives him a big smile, but to MC, all he could see was Despair. "I … love you … Michael." She gets ready to plunge the knife into her chest.
MC: "No!"
He rushes up to her and tackles her, pushing her down to the floor. Yuri drops the knife and the both of them struggled to grab the knife from each other. Yuri almost got the knife, but MC slapped her hand and used his fingers to push it further away causing him to cut his fingers. Yuri soon got back up and attempted to jump off the building, but MC grabbed her by the waist and slammed her on the floor. She kicks him on the face and immediately got back up to grab the knife. Just as she was about to stab herself. MC quickly got to his feet and grabbed the knife by the edges, pulling the knife away from her. "AAAhhhhh!"
Yuri: "Michael, what are doing!? Don't stop me! Just let me die for our sake!"
MC: "No! I refuse to let any of you die. I won't let those nightmares come true!" He tries his hardest to pull the knife, despite the pain coursing through his body. He refused to let go, even with the amount of blood he's losing. With him holding onto the knife tightly, he grabs onto Yuri with his other arm and gives her a tight embrace.
Yuri: "Michael?"
MC: "Please don't do this. If you die then I'll suffer even more than you think. Don't be selfish. That's not who you are." Tears start to build in his eyes.
Yuri: "Michael …" (This is … the first time I ever saw him this way.) "What have I done?" She starts shedding tears of her own. "I'm sorry." She let it all out with him still holding on to her.
Michael: "It's alright Yuri. Just tell what happened?" She continues to cry, but mustered the strength to speak.
Yuri: "Michael I …" *Sniff* "… I can't take it anymore. The nightmares I've had. I can't take it anymore. They're too real for me to handle."
MC: "Is that all?"
Yuri: "No" *Sniff* "I harmed you. I made you cry. I showed you the worst of me." *Sniff* "Please just let me end it here. Let me end the suffering." She starts crying even more.
MC: "No I refuse to let you end it here. I know how you feel. No matter how awful those nightmares are to me. I refuse to give up on all of you. Everything will be ok cause I'm here for all of you. Please … just let go of the knife." She does what he asked and lets go of the knife allowing him to throw it away from them.
Yuri: "I'm sorry Michael. I didn't mean to cause you so much pain." She looks at the puddle of blood coming from his right hand.
MC: "Everything … will be ok." He smiles before falling to the ground.
Yuri: "No ... No! Michael!"
Before he was knocked out completely he saw glimpses of his surroundings and what is going on around himself. He saw Yuri crying as the paramedics arrived. He shuts his eyes only to open them up as he is being taken to the ambulance truck, but before he could close his eyes again. He saw someone as the paramedics load him up. He saw a woman smiling at what she's seeing. It was unknown to MC who is could be, but at the same time he knew who it was. After seeing that, everything fades to black. Soon enough there was light.
MC: "Hmm? Where am I?"
Dr. Feelgood: "Well, well ,well looks who's back here again. Kids these days sure do like visiting the hospital." MC looks around his surroundings.
MC: "The hospital? Aw man my body feels numb. Ow my hand." He looks at his right hand all bandaged up.
Dr. Feelgood: "I'm surprised you woke up so soon. Most people would stay unconscious for days after losing so much blood, but you got up the same day you were brought in under a few hours. You got my respects Mr. Conner."
MC: "Blood loss? Oh that's right I stopped Yuri from killing herself."
He looked at the clock to see what time it is and saw that school has already ended if he was still attending. "I must've been out for a long time." With no hesitation he got up.
Dr. Feelgood: "Hold it mister. You're in no condition to walk on your own." To his surprise MC stood up on his own two feet without collapsing.
MC: "Can't rest. Gotta … see if … Monika … is safe."
Dr. Feelgood: "You sure got a lot of stamina kid, but you should really stay in bed?"
MC: "I need to know. I need to know if my friends are ok? I can't relax until I know for sure."
Dr. Feelgood: "Well if it will put your mind at ease I'll go get them. They've been waiting at the lobby for hours until you wake up."
He leaves the room to go get the girls. Soon enough all four of them arrived. When they saw MC on his bed. They all shared the same look of concern.
Monika: "My God."
MC: "Is everyone okay? I'm starting to feel paranoid now." He smiles at them.
Sayori: "MC, I'm so glad you're still alive!" She says while trying to hold back her tears.
Dr. Feelgood: "I'll leave you all be." He says before leaving.
MC: "I'm glad you're all safe."
Natsuki: "We're more worried about you."
MC: "Don't be."
Natsuki: "And why shouldn't we be!? You jerk!"
Monika: "Natsuki" She says while trying to calm her down. "Michael, they all told me what's going on."
MC: "So does this mean I can't get hurt this time?"
Monika: "Yes, now rest. I was just giving Yuri a lecture." She turns to Yuri while MC rest his head on his pillow. "Now Yuri for as smart as you are. The decision you made was the stupidest thing you could ever come up with."
Yuri: "I know. I'm sorry everyone for cause so much trouble."
Monika: "Michael can I ask you something personal?"
MC: "Yeah sure." He sits up.
Monika: "Are you really Michael?"
MC: "What? Of course I am. What kind of question is that?"
Monika: "Let me look at your eyes." She grabs his face and looked very carefully into his eyes. She looked at his eyes the same way she did before. Trying to look through him, behind his eyes, but saw nothing. "Sorry I just wanted to make sure."
Sayori: "Monika, that's pretty rude of you to do that to MC?"
Natsuki: "What do you mean by that question?"
Monika: "During my nightmares I remembered seeing Michael in them, but he didn't go by Michael. As a matter a fact, he went by multiple names. That's why I asked him."
Sayori: "So you don't trust MC! How could you. He's our friend. He went through all this pain and suffering to save us and now you don't trust him?"
MC: "Sayori"
Sayori: "You're an awful person for assuming MC is a bad guy."
MC: "Sayori!" He yells, but she tries to say something. Only to be cut off by him. "She has the right to not trust me."
Sayori: "But!"
MC: "I don't even know if I can trust myself either, but that doesn't matter. The only thing that matters is that I protect you four." He looks at Monika straight into the eyes. "If you don't trust me that's fine, but I will continue what must be done. No matter the cost."
Monika: "… Sorry for doubting you. I just wanted to know if I can trust you."
MC: "Monika?"
Natsuki: "Hey so what's going on here anyways? We all just discussed about having similar nightmares, but what does this all mean?"
Yuri: "I agree, it's way too convenient that all five of us are having the same nightmare."
Monika: "I honestly don't know? I know they're just dreams, but they feel way too real to be anything else."
Sayori: "Just thinking about it scares me. Are we all going insane?"
Monika: "Maybe?"
MC: "There is something else that's been bugging me for a long time now."
Monika: "What is it?"
MC: "In my dreams, sometimes I would hear a voice of a woman. At first I didn't know who it was, but after all this I'm starting to know who it could be? I think?"
Monika: "Who is it?"
Natsuki: "Tells us Michael."
Yuri: "Who could it be."
MC: (With everything I saw. With some questions being answered a dozen more appears. Do I know this woman? That woman I saw before I knocked out? Could it be, but how? How do I know this name?) All four girls waited for him to say something. He tried to work up the courage to say it, but couldn't. He struggled for a bit, until he was able to share what he's been thinking.
"… Do any of you know who … Libitina is?"
End of Chapter 14
