Chapter One

Despite having volunteered to do this, Chiaki found herself wondering what in the world she was even doing here.

The premise had seemed pretty straight forward. The Future Foundation was essentially trying to overwrite the save files for her friends by erasing the last couple years of memories and letting them make new, happy ones inside a simulation. Then, when they came out of the simulation, they'd hopefully be filled with hope instead of despair. Originally, an AI was supposed to take Chiaki's place as an assistant to Monomi, but that just didn't feel right to Chiaki. She had failed her classmates in the past, but now was her chance to make up for it. Maybe this time she could make the right choices to get the good end.

It had been difficult seeing her classmates again, and seeing who they had become. They, who had once represented hope, were now drowned in despair. They had committed countless atrocities against the world, all to please Enoshima Junko. It also hurt how, although they seemed surprised that she was actually alive, they also did not seem to care.

Well, there was one exception.

"Nanami-san! Is that really you?" Komaeda asked her as members of the Future Foundation prepared his pod.

His green-gray eyes, which had been dark with despair and self-loathing, seemed to brighten for a moment.

"Yes, Komaeda-kun, it's really me," Chiaki confirmed, trying to keep her voice from wavering.

Komaeda burst out into laughter. "I should have known that someone with as much Hope as you could not be defeated by Enoshima!"

Chiaki frowned and tilted her head slightly as she looked at him. "Aren't you on her side?"

Komaeda just smiled enigmatically at her. "It really is good to see you, Nanami-san."

She huffed in annoyance. She wished he could just be forthright for once, but he was never very good at that. Still, it did make her feel a little lighter to think that maybe at least one person was not completely lost to her. Maybe, just maybe, this really could work.

Chiaki watched him lay down in the pod, and she grasped his (real) hand for a moment. She tried to ignore how frail it felt in her own hand.

"Next time we see each other for real, I hope that we can spend time together like we used to," she told him, giving him a hopeful smile.

His eyes almost seemed to sparkle as he looked up at her, as though she held all the answers to every question he had ever had. It was uncomfortable to be looked at like that, but Komaeda had always been this way.

"Good luck, Nanami-san. If anyone can win this game, it's our own Super High School Level Gamer," Komaeda said.

And then she had to step away and watch as he was entered into the program. His face smoothed out, looking more peaceful than she had ever seen it. He was still too gaunt, and his white hair seemed even more of a mess than it had been before. But seeing him just made her so happy.

There was still one more person to talk to, though. With a heavy heart, Chiaki walked over to the final pod, which Kamukura Izuru was stepping into.

"Hello, Kamukura-san," Chiaki greeted him.

He turned to face her, expression impassive. "You are crying."

Was she? She touched her face and realized that it was wet. She forced a smile. "It's just a little hard, seeing everyone again."

"Almost everyone. What is your end goal regarding me?" he questioned.

She stared into those lifeless red eyes, and almost felt that there was something accusing about them.

"The same as everyone else. To get rid of the despair by making hopeful new memories together," she answered quietly.

"You wish to erase my existence and bring back Hinata Hajime," Kamukura stated.

Chiaki frowned. It was true that the rest of the foundation would prefer that outcome. She had to admit, there was a large part of her that desperately wanted her friend back. She had never stopped missing him all these years. But…

"You saved my life," she reminded him. "I was bleeding and dying, and you took me away and kept me from dying."

Those memories were still very hazy. She had lost consciousness, and woken up in a small room with medical equipment that had been brought in. Kamukura's face had been the first thing she had seen. She could not remember what they had even talked about, if anything. She had been in and out of a drugged up sleep while her body desperately tried to recover. And then one time she awoke in a hospital room set up by the Future Foundation, who told her that she had been left there. They had been skeptical when she told them that Kamukura had saved her, and she supposed she could not blame them. But that was the truth, and it meant something to her.

"It seemed like it might be more interesting if you survived," Kamukura told her. There was the briefest flicker of something in his expression, though, that told her he was not being completely honest.

"Whatever your reasons, you still did a good thing. It doesn't outweigh all the bad, but I think it means that you aren't completely lost like Enoshima had been. So even if everyone else wants you gone, I think you deserve to live," Chiaki told him firmly.

He just stared at her for a moment. "I see. Good and bad are meaningless to me. I also do not know what determines whether an individual is deserving of life or not. Existence itself seems very pointless. I do not desire to die, though."

"Good. Everyone should want to live, and if you're still you at the end of this, I promise to help you see the value in life," Chiaki said.

"I would call you naive, but I know that you cannot be, not after all you went through. Is this 'hope,' then?" Kamukura wondered.

"It is. I will never give up hope, no matter how hard it is sometimes. That means that I won't give up on you, either," Chiaki swore.

Kamukura did not bother responding, and instead let himself fall into a deep sleep as his mind connected with the Neo World program. Chiaki bit her lip and watched him for a moment more, and then headed to her own pod.

"It'll be okay, Nanami-chan," Naegi Makoto told her. "I believe in you, and I believe in your friends."

"Thank you, Naegi-kun. I know how much trouble you could get in for this, so I really appreciate that you chose to help my friends," Nanami told him.

He smiled at her, looking a bit embarrassed. "It's just the right thing to do. They did bad things, but they were also victims. More violence isn't going to help at all. If we want the world to recover, we need more compassion."

Nanami was glad that he was on her side. He was someone whose original talent had been the same as Komaeda's, but his friends had bestowed a new title on him. He might not have all the talents in the world like Kamukura, but he truly did have more hope than anyone she had ever met.

She said her goodbyes to him, and then she found herself falling into darkness. When she opened her eyes again, she gasped.

Even knowing what she was getting into did not prepare her for the panic that would engulf her when the simulation loaded, and she found herself standing in Hope's Peak. Immediately, she felt her heartbeat quicken and her breaths become shallow. She remembered pain and fire and death, and so much blood. Chiaki remembered the desperation to make sure her friends were safe, the anger she felt at Enoshima for causing all of this trouble. She remembered the heartbreak of seeing a stranger look at her through red eyes that used to be green, a face that used to be expressive now just blank. She remembered the betrayal of a beloved teacher, and then her life had never been the same.

But these hallways were not how she had last seen them. There were no crumbling walls or scorch marks. There were no bloodstains that had never been cleaned up. It looked so normal, and that helped her to slowly calm herself down. As she got her breathing under control, she registered pain in her hands. She looked down and saw her fists were clenched. It was truly odd, to know that none of this was real. It all certainly felt real.

Chiaki took a few more deep breaths and then forced herself to start moving. This was not the time to panic. She walked through the halls and just tried not to think about anything. It felt as though it took an eternity to get to the classroom, yet upon arriving there, she couldn't really remember walking to it. She pushed open the door, and was greeted to an empty room. She blinked in confusion, but then her brain started working again. It would take longer for the others, since they were having memories taken from them before being deposited into the program. So even though she was the last to enter, she was still the first here.

She realized that her avatar also had her old backpack, so she shrugged it off her shoulders and opened it. She gasped when she saw her old gaming device in there. Her right hand trembled as she reached in and picked it up. Chiaki had always wondered what had happened to her old one. Most likely, it had been destroyed. But here was a perfect recreation of it.

"Where is everyone?" a voice demanded from behind her.

Chiaki whipped around, dropping her game back into her backpack, and saw the Imposter was standing in the doorway. She noted that they were disguised as Togami Byakuya, instead of Mitarai Ryota. They stood proudly as they surveyed the room.

"I'm not sure," Chiaki lied. "I just got here a minute ago."

"Hmph. I hope they all won't take too long to get here," the Imposter said.

Chiaki nodded, and pulled out her game while sitting down at one of the desks. She knew that she should be interacting more, but she still felt a bit too unsettled. She promised herself that once they were on the island, she would do better. Of course, she would need to be careful to not put herself in the spotlight too much. Last time around, everyone had become so reliant on her that losing her had been enough to turn them to despair. She needed them to rely on each other just as much. She would also rather have someone else take on a leadership role, preferably someone who wouldn't fail as badly as she had.

She distantly registered more voices as she played her game, but she didn't look up yet. It was all going to be so much, seeing them as they once had been. She froze for a second when she heard Komaeda's voice, causing her to mess up on her so far perfect run in her game. And then a couple minutes later, her head looked up involuntarily when she heard Hinata's voice.

Chiaki's breath caught in her chest as she saw her friend for the first time in so long. He looked just like she had remembered, with his short brown hair and his green eyes. He seemed slightly nervous, though she wasn't sure if anyone else would pick up on that. Most of them just glanced curiously at him but didn't look like they were paying close attention. Komaeda did seem to be watching him with some interest, though. Chiaki, however, couldn't tear her eyes away from him until he made eye contact with her, at which point she quickly looked away.

"You there, what do you remember before coming in here?" the Imposter questioned Hinata.

"Uh, well, it was kind of weird. I feel like I blacked out for a second and then I opened the door," Hinata answered hesitantly.

"Whoa, are you serious? That happened to me too!" Sōda shouted, looking distressed.

"Ew, don't be so loud," Saionji complained, giving him a disgusted look. It was weird seeing her so short again.

"Izumi had the same thing happen to her too!" Izumi was just as loud as Sōda.

"Everyone be quiet," the Imposter ordered. "We aren't going to figure out what's going on if you all keep talking over each other."

"Hey, who made you the boss?" Kuzuryu grumbled. His scowl looked more like a pout with his youthful looking face.

"I am the Super High School Level Heir," the Imposter stated imperiously, looking down their nose at everyone else. "It is only logical that I take control of this situation."

Even with the Imposter trying to take charge, they didn't seem to be getting anywhere. Chiaki kept quiet, as she just didn't have it in her right now to flat out lie. Her classmates panicked once they realized that they were locked inside of here. She was relieved when Usami finally popped up to refute Komaeda's suggestion that this was some type of entrance exam.

"No, this is a class trip!" Usami announced as she jumped onto the teacher's desk.

"Is that toy talking?" Owari asked, frowning in confusion.

"I'm not just a toy!" Usami argued, sounding offended. "I'm your teacher, the adorable Magical Miracle Girl Usami!"

"How can you be our teacher?" Koizumi questioned skeptically.

"What do you mean?" Usami asked, tilting her head cutely. "I'm your teacher, and you're all my students! You don't need to worry about anything else, since we're going on a fun class trip."

Well, this was off to a great start. Chiaki should have remembered just how difficult her classmates were at first. Still, once they accepted the situation, she hoped that things could improve from there. The thought of this not working was just too horrifying to consider, as then her friends' lives would be forfeit. She stared blankly at her handheld system as the arguing voices of her friends surrounded her. Once, she could have gotten them to listen and chill out at least a little. But these were her friends before they knew each other, and before she had bonded with them. There was nothing at all she could do to fix this situation right now, and that knowledge was bitter within her.

Chiaki was briefly startled when the classroom started shaking, though that was nothing compared to the pure panic of everyone else. When the walls fell away to reveal a beach, they were all understandably freaking out. Knowing that their reactions were valid did not make it any easier to witness, though.

Usami kept trying and failing to establish order as she explained the purpose of the "field trip" to a group of teenagers who were still trying to wrap their heads around the fact that they were suddenly on an island. Chiaki watched them all silently, trying to note who would be the hardest to work with. Hinata was looking a little pale, which was concerning. Komaeda questioned whether Usami had brought them here to make them kill each other, which had Chiaki glancing at him sharply. That felt way too specific for someone who should not have memories of what Enoshima had done. Then again, it was Komaeda. His luck, such as it was, did tend to make him a lot more perceptive than most.

When Hinata fainted, most of her classmates gave him a curious look but otherwise ignored him. It was a bit frustrating to recall how self-centered they had all been at first. But that was what happened when someone was talented and was told that talent made them special and superior. It was really a wonder that Hope's Peak had not imploded sooner.

Everyone began to introduce themselves to each other while Hinata was passed out in the sand. Chiaki reluctantly introduced herself to her friends and pretended that they were strangers. In a way, they were, since it had been so long since she had interacted with these young, flawed, but still hopeful versions of her classmates. They might be a bit selfish and difficult, but these were not the same people who were helping to destroy the world. Eventually she had spoken to everyone but Komaeda and Hinata, and everyone else began to wander off.

Chiaki started walking towards Hinata, because she could not bear to just leave her friend lying there. She was beaten to it by Komaeda, however.

"Nanami-san, right?" Komaeda asked her in a friendly tone. "I can stay with him until he wakes up!"

If it was anyone else, Chiaki knew she would have likely argued. Hinata was her best friend, one whom she had mourned for the last several years. Now he was right here in front of her, and she was being denied the chance to take care of him. But it was Komaeda who was offering, and that was what kept her from dissuading him. Komaeda did not remember loving Hinata, but he had, so deeply. It would be an insult to the Komaeda she had known if she kept him from supporting Hinata.

So Chiaki just nodded. "That is very kind of you... and yes, I'm Nanami Chiaki, Super High School Level Gamer."

"It's really no trouble! I would rather everyone else gets to explore the island. And it's an honor to meet you, Nanami-san. I'm Komaeda Nagito, Super High School Level Luck. I know it's not as impressive as everyone else's, though," Komaeda introduced himself in his usual self-deprecating fashion.

"I don't think anyone's talent is better or worse than anyone else's," Chiaki told him, giving him an intense look for a moment that made his eyes briefly widen in surprise. "I think I will go explore now."

"Good luck!" Komaeda said, laughing at his own words. His smile was so bright and open that it made her heart ache a little.

She had no real desire to explore. She already knew what the basic layout was. While it was mildly interesting to see it all around her, Chiaki just couldn't bring herself to truly enjoy it. The soft breeze, the salty smell in the air, and the sunlight hitting her face all felt so real. But she was just too torn up by the situation to actually care about any of it. She walked all the way to the hotel lobby without caring about any of her surroundings. It was a little frustrating that this was so much harder than she had expected it to be. This was such an amazing opportunity, but here she was feeling sorry for herself about all of it. How was she supposed to be of any use to her friends if she kept feeling like she was going to fall apart?

Chiaki finally felt a sense of relief as she found the arcade game in the lobby. It was still all too easy to lose herself in playing a game. She could shut most of her brain off and just focus on the task in front of her. It worked so well that she completely lost track of time, and did not even notice right away that someone was talking to her.

She glanced away from the game and felt surprised to see Komaeda and Hinata standing in front of her. Hinata was giving her an awkward smile, and she realized he must have been trying to talk to her.

"Ah, hello. Sorry about that. I was just playing a game," she told him, feeling just as awkward as he looked.

"We couldn't expect anything less from the Super High School Level Gamer!" Komaeda cheerfully said, surprisingly breaking the tension a little.

Hinata's smile turned a little more relaxed. "It's okay, Nanami-san. I'm just trying to meet everyone. My name is Hinata Hajime."

Chiaki gave him a small smile and tried not to dwell on old memories. "It's nice to meet you, Hinata-kun."

Hinata's eyes widened briefly, and Nanami realized she should have maybe been a bit more formal to start out with. Scratch that, she definitely should have been. Her job was to be more of a background support here, gently nudging people only when they really needed it. She wasn't supposed to get so close right away. It had just been habit, she had spoken without thinking, and now she could not take it back.

Komaeda had a curious gleam in his eyes as he glanced back and forth between her and Hinata. She had no idea what he might be thinking right now, and that was rather stressful. Komaeda was far too unpredictable, and she needed to try and keep a close eye on him. Honestly, if he had not attached himself so quickly to Hinata, she may have decided to try being by his side, just to keep him from doing anything too crazy. But she would just have to hope that Hinata could keep him in line.

Hinata looked a little embarrassed as he regarded her now. "Yeah, uh, it's nice to meet you too."

This was just way too awkward for Chiaki to be dealing with right now. She forced herself to look away from Hinata and focus again on her game. She knew she was being rude, but this had once been how she genuinely acted, before she had any friends. It was best to just put some distance in for the moment, and let Hinata go meet some more people. She distantly registered Komaeda guiding him away from her, and she felt herself relax a little once the two of them left.

Eventually Usami popped up on the TV in the hotel lobby, congratulating everyone on collecting their initial hope fragments. Apparently enough time had already passed for Hinata to have met everyone. Chiaki wondered who he would get along with. She had always wanted him to meet her classmates, but had never gotten the chance. She had a feeling that he could be a good influence on some of them though. He was definitely a more stabilizing influence on Komaeda, based on how quickly Komaeda had spiraled after Hinata's disappearance.

Chiaki made her way to the beach, and still managed to beat Hinata and Komaeda there despite her slow pace. She forced herself not to stare at them anymore than she did everyone else. She needed to give them space to make other friends besides her. She refused to once again be the only person they had besides each other.

"We all need to hurry up and talk before the rabbit comes back," the Imposter was saying to everyone. "What did everyone observe?"

"U-um, there's a fully stocked store with food, and other necessities," Tsumiki meekly informed them.

"There are also various entrances that are blocked off," Pekoyama added in a monotone voice.

Chiaki listened as they all shared what they had discovered so far. She was relieved to see that the Imposter was doing a good job at taking charge. They could very well be the leader that the rest of them needed. She was a bit surprised that they pinpointed that this was Jabberwock Island. She hadn't known how quickly anyone would figure that bit out. They were also choosing not to share what else they knew with the others. She wasn't sure how she felt about that, but then again, she herself was hiding a lot.

She felt a bit bad to see that Hinata was still very concerned, and everyone else was just brushing him off. She hoped that he could relax soon. They all needed to accept the situation in order to truly start making progress.

Usami showed up and tried to give all of them keychains that looked like her. Unfortunately for her, everyone hated them. Chiaki tried to tell everyone that she thought they were cute, but nobody else seemed to agree. She supposed she shouldn't worry too much about Usami's feelings in all of this, since her focus should be her friends, but Usami was her partner. Even if she was an AI, she still had feelings, and everyone was making her feel bad.

The others did perk up once Usami revealed that she had swimsuits for everyone. It seemed like it could be a good way to get everyone to relax and start to have fun. Half of the group eagerly grabbed swimsuits and ran to go get changed, completely ignoring Hinata as he questioned if this was a good idea. At least Komaeda was still working on trying to get him to calm down.

Chiaki stayed where she was, as she didn't have any particular desire to go swimming. She decided to just watch her friends splash around in the ocean. She felt as if a pressure was slowly being lifted from her as she saw them laughing with each other. It felt as though this was really going to work. That feeling grew as she watched Hinata go grab a swimsuit from Usami. Even from this distance, she could see Komaeda's face brighten as he realized that Hinata was going to join him in the ocean.

But nothing good could ever last long. It was a lesson she had learned over and over again, after all. No matter how many times hope overcame despair, it seemed as though despair would never completely be eliminated. Chiaki knew immediately that there was something wrong when the previously blue sky was covered in dark clouds within moments. She distantly registered Usami's panic, but everything suddenly felt far away. Was it always this hard to breathe? Why did it feel like her lungs were being squeezed?

Then there was that voice.

"Upupupu!"

There was a silhouette of a bear on the TV screen, talking to them, and nothing made any sense.

"You better all come to Jabberwock Park for the main attraction!"

How was he here? Enoshima was the one who had controlled him before, and she was dead. They were in a virtual world made by the Future Foundation. There was no possible way that he could be here. This was supposed to be their little paradise to finally get her friends back!

"Nanami-san?"

This just couldn't be happening. He couldn't be here right now. They were safe here, she was promised that they would all be safe here. She would have never, ever agreed to this if she thought her friends would not be okay.

"Nanami-san, are you okay?"

There was a hand gently grabbing her arm.

"She isn't responding to me."

"She might be having a panic attack. Nanami-san, listen to our voices. Do you hear me talking to you?"

That was Komaeda.

"Can you feel Hinata's hand on your arm? Feel his warmth, and the sand underneath you."

Komaeda was talking to her, and Hinata was touching her. She was sitting in the sand. When had that happened? She had been standing before.

"Can you open your eyes for us?"

Chiaki hadn't even known when she had closed them. She forced her eyes open, and saw the worried faces of her two dearest friends in the world just inches from her own. She wanted to say something, but her chest was still too tight, and she was struggling to suck in breaths.

"Hey, there you are," Hinata said, squeezing her arm lightly.

"Just breathe with us, Nanami-san," Komaeda gently encouraged. He breathed in and out deeply and loudly, over and over, and she did her best to mimic him. Every breath came in a little easier, and she felt her focus start to come back to her as she finally got more oxygen in her body.

"Thank you," Chiaki finally was able to force out.

"That announcement was pretty shocking, huh?" Hinata spoke sympathetically, looking too embarrassed to acknowledge her gratitude. He let go of her arm, and a part of her instantly missed that warmth.

"Speaking of that, don't you think we should go to the park and see what's going on?" Komaeda asked.

She really did not want to. If Monokuma was really here, then she had no desire to be near him. But everyone was possibly in danger, and she could not just hide away and leave them to fend for themselves. She had been the one to insist on being a part of this.

"Yes, we should," Chiaki agreed reluctantly. Her eyes were stinging a bit, and she realized she must have been crying before.

Komaeda and Hinata both stood from where they had been crouched in front of her. They exchanged glances, and then each held out a hand to her. She stared at them in surprise for a moment, and then placed her right hand in Hinata's, and her left in Komaeda's. The two of them lifted her up instantly, and her grip tightened as she tried to gain her balance on shaky legs.

After a minute, Chiaki felt like she could move. She let go of both their hands, and forced herself to start walking. Hinata and Komaeda still stuck close to her, keeping her between them and looking ready to help her should she need it. She focused desperately on that closeness and that care, and tried not to think about what they were walking to. Right now, she was just walking with her friends, who were so quick to help her even while she was a stranger to them. They had naturally gravitated towards each other, and were just as easily including her. Maybe some things were just always meant to happen.

Chiaki found herself grabbing their hands again without consciously thinking about it when they reached the park and saw Monokuma talking to everyone else. She distantly registered that Usami was now patterned after Monokuma.

"Hey, hey, what took you all so long? When the Headmaster tells you to be somewhere, you're supposed to listen!" Monokuma said to the three of them.

"What is going on here?" Hinata asked, looking completely confused.

Chiaki just squeezed her friends' hands and focused on remembering to breathe.

"I was just getting to that, you little punk!" Monokuma raged for a moment. "We're gonna start a killing game!"

Bad. This was very, very bad, and Chiaki had no idea what she was supposed to do. How was this all spiraling out of control so quickly? Usami tried to argue with Monokuma, and he effortlessly beat her up. Chiaki desperately hoped nobody else would try to cross him before they could all figure something out.

Monokuma explained the rules that Chiaki was all too familiar with, after what Naegi and his friends had gone through. Kill someone if you want to leave, and make it through the class trial without getting caught. Chiaki felt nauseous as she looked around at everyone. They all looked horrified and scared, but she knew all too well what desperation could do to someone. How long could their morals really last in this kind of situation?

Chiaki tensed even further when Monokuma called forth the Monobeasts. The robots broke out from the statues in the middle of the park like something out of an anime. Everyone around her was in disbelief, and she glanced to Hinata and saw that he looked to be completely in shock. She felt tears prick her eyes as she watched the winged Monobeast rise up to attack Usami. Even knowing that the rabbit would be fine in the end, as an AI, she still hated to see her be hurt. Chiaki flinched as bullets flew through the air, with one passing far too close. Hinata gasped, and she turned to see a cut on his cheek.

"Let Monomi's death serve as an example! This is what happens if you defy me," Monokuma crowed.

After reiterating his new rules and telling them to check their e-handbooks, Monokuma finally vanished along with his Monobeasts. Even then, Chiaki still could not get herself to relax. How could she, now that they were in this situation? She listened as everyone tried to figure out who could be behind this. That was what she would like to know, too. Was this some sort of virus? If it was, then how did it even get into the system?

"We should all be afraid of ourselves, more than anything," the Imposter warned everyone in a grim tone.

Chiaki wished that they were wrong, but she knew that they weren't. As much as she hated to think it, she knew her friends would be capable of murder. Some were far less likely than others, of course, but anyone could be pushed to it in the right situation. And knowing how Monokuma operated, he would surely be giving them a motive soon enough. No matter how reluctant they all were to contemplate killing someone right now, that could very well change in the coming days.

This was supposed to be everyone's second chance. Chiaki was just supposed to be here as a support to watch over her friends as they healed and made happy memories to replace the traumatic ones. At the end of all of this, she would have her friends back, and they would all work together to help restore the world.

Instead, she was trapped in a nightmare, and she had no clue how to get out.


Noiz: So for once, I will be doing a multi-chap fic instead of one-shots for this part of the story. It just made more sense to me that way. I plan to just do one chapter per chapter of the game, but we will see how that goes.

Thank you to Aviantei for beta reading this, and for constantly talking about these dorks with me. They are the reason I even wrote all of this. I would have written it eventually, but we kept having conversations about SDR2 and so then this happened. Ily Avi!

I am hoping to finally get the OT3 going in this fic, but who knows. I will just have to see where the story takes me!