Hello readers and welcome to my new chapter. So, a question for everyone. What should I do to write more quickly?

As you can probably guess, I'm having trouble writing on a more consistent basis. However, I do want to put out more chapters quickly, at the very least at a weekly or bi-weekly rate. But I can't figure out what's making it difficult to write, compared to how I was in the beginning (Where I was updating weekly/bi-weekly).

Do I need to take a break for a bit? Focus on other stories? Let my muse take me where it wants for a bit? Or should I just power through, and write until that spark comes back? Let me know your thoughts in the reviews. Now, with that out of the way, I hope you enjoy.

P.S. Just so you guys know, I'm gonna give up on the p.a.t.r.e.o.n idea, at least for the time being. Will delete all the links, as well as the account itself (If I haven't already). If any of you were curious about the original story I'm writing, I'll likely go the traditional route of writing the whole book and publishing it. Again, just wanted you all to know.

Disclaimer: I do not own Danganronpa.

Chapter 86: Break Chapter 4

"How can Mukuro be hidden in the school?!" Hina exclaimed, holding her head, "Mukuro's dead! We saw her die!"

"Girl got impaled! Multiple times!" Leon spoke in agreement, "No way in hell anyone could survive that! Or even fake that!"

"Ghost! Mukuro has become a ghost!" Hiro panicked, pacing around his seat, "She's haunting the school in revenge for her death! She's gonna take us all with her!"

"Did Miss Ikusaba gain some sort of revival item?!" Hifumi questioned, looking frantic, "Was it used when no one was looking?!"

"What! The! Actual! FU-?!"

It was pure pandemonium as the group attempted to figure out the name drop of their classmate, Mukuro Ikusaba, attempting to put together the idea that the clearly dead soldier is somehow still alive and is lurking around the school. The fact that Kyoko called her the Ultimate Despair had become an afterthought for the moment.

Makoto's eyes were wide as a saucer, completely taken aback by this reveal. Of course, he knows about Mukuro's involvement with the mastermind, that the girl was serving as a spy, up until her betrayal and death.

But that was the thing! It was undeniable that she died in chapter one! She was impaled by multiple spears, and his future self had checked to see if she died! There was no way that could've been faked; there was no possible means to make such a trick!

And then there's the whole Ultimate Despair issue. The lucky student doesn't know what the heck's going on there, but he knows for certain Mukuro isn't the Ultimate Despair. Not just because she's Ultimate Soldier and has proven her skills as such, but because of the girl's character, and that character not matching what such title implied. If anything, such a title would match Monokuma, and whoever's controlling him.

Shaking his head, he launched a more concerned gaze towards the Ultimate Soldier herself. He knew, the moment things started calming down, Mukuro is gonna be the target of some hard questions.

Said soldier was as stiff as a board, with her eyes slightly widened. Shock was the most prevalent emotion at the moment; any panic was being suppressed, knowing that showing any outward negative emotions would only place more suspicion on herself.

Mukuro quickly deduced that Kyoko found the information somewhere in the principal's office. It's clear now that Sakura must have broken the locked door discreetly, leaving it for anyone to take advantage of after her death. And Junko, in her arrogance, didn't see that before or after the fourth trial.

'Is Junko actually getting sloppy…?'Mukuro couldn't help but wonder. This was yet another blatant error made by her sister. Has Sakura's sacrifice really thrown her off her game? Was her boredom actually making her sloppy? Or did she do so on purpose, giving Kyoko information that doesn't have all the context to?

Junko… Junko was a tad stunned. It didn't take her long at all to deduce that Kyoko had gotten that information from the principal's office. The lock was broken by Sakura, and while her focus was on Makoto, that nosy little detective snuck in and grabbed whatever she could, including information about her grunt of a sister.

What had her surprised was that she didn't see that coming. She's the Ultimate Analyst for crying out loud! She should've been able to see that without having to take a second glance! Yet she was blind-sided by that muscle-bound heavyweight!

"Enough!" Byakuya ordered loudly and sharply, effectively cutting through the chaos, "Screeching at the roof like buffoons will get us nowhere! We need to discuss this like civilized beings, not absolute baboons."

His words actually managed to quiet the group, although a few seemed to take offense to his wording. Seeing sense in his words, however, they didn't kick up any fuss.

"Well, that's easy to say, but how the hell are we supposed to make sense of this?" Leon pointed out, pointing at the screen, "Mukuro's dead; that's a fact! We all saw her body get impaled by a dozen spears! So why the hell is Kyoko out there saying that she's running around the school?!"

"It's because she didn't see Mukuro die," Byakuya stated in retort, "She, along with our future selves, saw Junko Enoshima die. No one was aware of Ikusaba's existence until that point."

That had the group pausing in thought, considering the Togami heir's words. Several of them could see his point. If Kyoko wasn't aware that Mukuro was Junko, and found info about Mukuro, then they could see how she could form some of the conclusions she did. But…

"How did Kyoko find out about Mukuro's existence in the first place then?" Taka then inquired, "Adding to that, where did she get the idea that she's the Ultimate Despair? Mukuro is the Ultimate Soldier, not Despair!"

Kyoko took the chance to answer. "Likely, I found that information in the principal's office," she stated confidently, "That's one of the few places we had yet to check, and considering Makoto was in front of the data center, the office would be the only other place I would look."

"So, Sakura actually managed to break that lock?" Mondo questioned, arms crossed, "Without the bear gettin' a clue?"

"Most likely, yes," the detective nodded.

"That could be an extreme advantage for the remaining survivors," Celeste mused, "If enough information was left there, significant progress could be made in figuring out the school's mysteries."

"Let's put a lid on that for the time being. We won't know how advantageous it will be for us until the next chapter," Byakuya cut in, "For now, let's focus on the point of confusion: The Ultimate Despair. And to get an answer for that question…"

The heir then finally turned towards the Ultimate Soldier. "Why not ask the girl herself? After all, she's been strangely quiet this whole time."

Mukuro met Byakuya's suspicion with a stoic glance, not letting his words visibly affect her. While she's not at the level of her sister when it comes to putting on a mask, she can hide things when necessary. Comes with the territory of plotting to take down the world.

"It's clear you're suspicious of me," Mukuro stated bluntly, "But I died. Killed by Monokuma. So, it would be impossible for me to be the mastermind."

"I never said you were the mastermind," Byakuya countered, "I merely point out that you're being titled the Ultimate Despair."

"Who else would have such a title but the mastermind of this killing game?" Mukuro argued back, "Why would I, someone who was with everyone else in the killing game and died by their hands, be called Ultimate Despair?"

"It's clearly not an official title. There's no recorded information on anyone from Hope's Peak being awarded the title Ultimate Despair," Byakuya answered easily, "So while the mastermind could make up such a title for themselves… it can also be easily used to swear allegiance."

"Let me repeat myself: I died."

"That changes nothing," Byakuya retorted, unperturbed, "We've been shown time after time that the mastermind is an unstable individual. Would it really be a surprise that they would betray an ally, just so a point could be proven?"

Before this argument could ensue further, someone else spoke up. "H-Hold on, Byakuya!" Hina cut in, looking a tad distressed, "Are you actually considering that Mukuro is working with the mastermind?"

"And why shouldn't I?" Byakuya questioned, with a raised eyebrow, "Especially when there's cause for suspicion?"

"But… Mukuro did die! She was killed by Monokuma himself!" Chihiro also started protesting, "Why would they betray their own ally like that?"

"Yeah, dude! The bear's is bat-shit crazy, sure, but killing your own spy seems like a stupid move," Leon remarked, looking befuddled.

Celeste was the one to answer this. "As Byakuya said, the mastermind is clearly unstable," the Gambler stated, "While they have proven themselves intelligent, they've also shown that they were blood-thirsty. They would likely take any chance to satiate that blood-lust, regardless of allegiance."

"And now that I'm thinking more about it… Ikusuba's actions moments before her death were strange," Celeste now started musing, fingers now under chin, "Not only did she act openly against the mastermind, but she did something blatantly stupid by attacking Monokuma. Those are not the actions someone like the Ultimate Soldier would take…"

"...unless they were certain that no harm would happen to them," Kyoko finished for the gambler, looking at Mukuro with a stoic glare. "If someone was sure they would end up in a prison, as Monokuma had said, then the actions that were taken would make a lot more sense. More so if that someone was a spy."

"H-Hold a minute!" Taka was the next to cut in, looking as rattled as some of the others, "Are we seriously going to condemn a classmate and friend based on unconfirmed information? For all we know, this could all be false!"

"Possibly. But why have false information in a place that he placed under lock and key?" Kyoko retorted in kind, "And much of what has been revealed to us hasn't been proven false; even Monokuma's statements have merely been vague, not outright lies."

"That doesn't mean we should take every piece of information with blind confidence!"

"Enough!" Byakuya, once again, ordered, "This is getting us nowhere. Let us hear from the girl herself. If there's any suitable defense, I'm happy to hear them."

And with that, focus was turned towards the Ultimate Soldier herself. From the looks of suspicion from the likes of Byakuya and Kyoko, to pleading expressions from those of Chihiro and Hina, everyone wanted to hear what Mukuro Ikusaba had to say.

And the girl herself… she was conflicted. There was one part of her that was considering revealing everything, a part that had been growing ever since the witnessing of her own death. Junko's declaration that she would happily kill her in the name of her own despair. Makoto's comforting words when she was lost in her own grief.

But the other part… the one that still holds her sister dear to heart, is screaming against this. Telling her not to leave Junko again. That she would be doing the exact same thing she did in France. That part was still fiercely dormant in her mind, battling against her growing relationships with her classmates. With Makoto.

"Sis… you got an answer for them, right?" And just like a poisonous knife, Junko herself cut into the tension. The fashionista even had the audacity to look innocent, giving her sister a convincingly pleading, desperate look across her face. "There's no way you're waking up for that psycho, right? Please, please speak up! Tell them!"

It actually took every bit of willpower not to turn around and glare at her sister. Instead, she merely clasped her hands on her knees, eyes on the ground as desperately tried to keep control of her emotions. Of course she would enjoy this. Of course she wouldn't do anything to help, to get the suspicion off of her. It honestly shouldn't be a surprise, given her nature… but still caused her heart to crack just a little more.

What should she do? Should she try to deny everything? Reveal everything? Reveal enough? Give some sort of lie? What should she do? What can she do? What-?!

"Let's leave this alone for now." And once again, it was Makoto who was giving her a lifeline. The lucky student was standing up from his seat, facing everyone that he could with a firm expression. "Right now, all of this is merely speculation, with the only thing we know being that Kyoko thinks she's the Ultimate Despair. Let's wait and see if the next two chapters will tell us more."

Some of the students seemed attentive towards the idea, mainly those who are against the idea of Mukuro being involved with the mastermind. Others, however, seemed reluctant to let this go so easily, namely Byakuya and Kyoko.

"Are you suggesting we move on as though nothing happened?" Byakuya questioned the lucky student, "Just ignore this suspicious piece of information?"

"I'm not." was Makoto's immediate answer, "I'm aware of how suspicious this makes Mukuro look, and it's stuff that we can't throw away just yet. But we can't look at her with constant distrust and suspicion either, or even argue over this. We all saw what happened when we did so with Sakura."

That statement caused flinches from Hiro, Toko, and Hina, with even some of the other students looking abashed. Byakuya merely stared at Makoto, with the luckster matching his look with an unwavering one. After a brief stand-off between the two, the Togami heir let out a small huff.

"Continuing to argue about this now will get us nowhere." With that, Byakuya stood up from his seat. "I won't waste my time with this. We shall see if the next two chapters will give us the answers we need." With that, he went up to his room.

That seemed to signal everyone else to leave the living room. A good portion of students headed towards the rec room, while a few others headed up to their rooms. Makoto was going to head to the rec room, likely to get something to eat, when he felt someone tug on the back of his clothes.

"Huh?" The luckster turned his head to see Mukuro behind him, head bowed. "Mukuro? What's- aghguk?!"

His concerned question turned to unintelligible noises when the Ultimate Soldier suddenly hugged him from behind, snuggling her head into his shoulder. A bright blush entered Makoto's face, understandably flustered at the intimate contact.

"M-Mukuro?!" he stuttered, unable to get out of her strong grip. "Wh-Wh-Why are y-y-?!"

"Thank you…" Her soft, quiet words of gratitude stopped any flustered questions from the lucky student. "I don't deserve your kindness. I don't deserve your friendship. But… thank you."

Hearing her words wiped any feelings of embarrassment from this embrace. Any flustered look was replaced with a sad smile, with Makoto placing a hand over where the soldier was gripping him.

"I really wished you would value yourself more," he said softly, "You're a wonderful girl, Mukuro, more than just the soldier you were made to be. I just wish you could see that yourself."

In response, her grip on him was a tad tighter, with the girl burying her face deeper into his shoulder. It was to hide the blush that was forming across her cheeks… and the tears that were gathering in her eyes.

The two stayed like this for a significant amount of time… unaware of a pair of analytical blue eyes staring at the two from atop the stairs. A pair that, if one looked closely, had a massed pool of madness swirling within.

(With Hina)

"Byakuya, Toko, Hiro… even Hina is playing into the mastermind's hand."

"This is exactly what the masterminds want. And it's exactly what Sakura doesn't want."

How could she have been so stupid?

"The decision wasn't made out of weakness… but of courage. Remarkable courage at that."

"I couldn't imagine that she would kill herself out of desperation, of all things."

How could she have been so blind?

"I… I'm so glad I got to meet you…"

"They're not my enemies. They're… friends."

It was so clear. So obvious as to why Sakura did what she did! And yet…!

"No matter what… just survive."

She almost threw away Sakura's last wish! She wanted her to survive; to live with everyone else! AND SHE ALMOST GOT EVERYONE KILLED!

"Hina…"

"Huh? Oh, Sakura." Hina was jolted out of her thoughts by the sound of her friend's voice. The swimmer saw that she was standing in front of her room, with Sakura a few feet away from her, a concerned look across her face. "You… followed me up here?"

"I'm worried about you," was Sakura's blunt statement, "I know this chapter was a lot for you, and I don't want to leave you with any dark thoughts."

"O-Oh…" In response, Hina looked away, in an attempt to hide the look of guilt and anguish across her face. "I-I'll be fine. Yeah, that was… a lot, sure. But I just need some time, that's all."

"...Are you certain?" Sakura pressed further, concern still clear across her face, "You don't need to hide your pain."

"Y-Yeah, I'm sure." The swimmer gave her friend a reassuring smile. But it was clear to anyone looking that it was fake. "After all, everything is resolved. Even though you… future you, died, things are still looking brighter. The survivors are united now. Things are actually looking up!"

And besides… she's now aware of how stupid she was being, both before and during the trial. If she had just stopped butting heads with Byakuya, Toko, and Hiro, Sakura wouldn't have needed to sacrifice herself. If it wasn't for Makoto and Kyoko, she would've gotten everyone killed for a lie.

"-but to blame Makoto and Kyoko? To even think that they were at fault for this? To say those things about yourself?! TO SAY THAT NONE OF YOU DESERVED TO LIVE?!"

"In your grief and anger, you decided to take revenge on us. In your path to revenge, you decided to forfeit your own life, to drag Makoto and Kyoko down in the process, to justify it by saying that we all killed her, including yourself and them. How despicable."

Yeah… she's clearly aware of how much of a dunce she is now. How, at her worst, she's no better than Byakuya. Thanks to her own stupidity.

Sakura, however, saw through her front. She could see her friend was hurting, could see that the chapter had taken quite a toll on her, despite the Swimmer trying to play it off. But she was uncertain as to what to say. She was hesitant about pushing too hard, as she was unsure how Hina would react.

So, she did the only thing she could think of. She gave her friend a comforting hug, using one arm to wrap Hina in that hug while the other was used to pat her head. "I'll leave you be, if that's what you wish," Sakura told her, "But if you want to talk, my door is always open for you Hina. As I said before, you don't need to hide your pain."

"...Thank you, Sakura." Hina looked up at her friend, to give her that fake smile. "But I'm fine, really. Just… just need a little rest, that's all."

Seeing that she had done all that she could for the time being, Sakura let go of Hina and headed to her room, to meditate for a bit. In her walk, however, she stopped. There was one last thing she wanted to say. "I do not regret what my future self has done. If I was in my future self's place, and I had to do the exact same thing, I would not hesitate to do so."

Sakura turned her head to face her friend. "But for what is worth… I am sorry Hina. I'm sorry that my death has hurt you in this way." With that, she finally headed to her room.

For a moment, Hina just stood at her door. Then, with shaky fingers, she opened her door and went in. Once she was inside, she closed the door, before leaning her back on it. She just stood there, staring down at the ground for an indiscernible amount of time. Then her body started shaking, tears started pouring down her cheeks once again, and choked gasps were coming through her teeth.

'Why… why are you apologizing?!'Hina shouted in her mind, covering her mouth to hold her sobs, 'You did nothing wrong! You did everything you could to get us working together! To help us survive!'

The swimmer found herself sliding on the door, her legs feeling weak, before collapsing. She quickly curled up, her other hand being used to wrap her legs. 'I was the one who was being stupid! I was the reckless, hot-tempered moron that got nearly everyone killed! That was feeding into this sick game!'

Makoto and Kyoko managed to keep a level-head. Sakura managed to see things for how they were. Yet she couldn't. By trying to defend Sakura, she left her no choice but to kill herself in order to save everyone. And even then, that sacrifice was nearly wasted! All because she fell for a note that didn't even have Sakura's signature!

She remembered what she said to Byakuya, how she called him a monster. But honestly… is she any better?

And that's the end. I hope you guys liked this chapter. Yeah, I know it's pretty short, at least compared to previous chapters. But I couldn't think of what else to write without it feeling clunky, so this felt like a good stopping point. Next one should be much longer (If I don't end up writing shorter chapters again), since there's a lot of interactions to be done.

Which interactions are you interested in seeing the most? Makoto consoling Hina? Mukuro confronting Junko? Hifumi and Celeste making up? Mondo possibly confronting Celeste? Let me know in the reviews (Along with your strategies on quicker updates). Review, favorite, and follow and I will see you later.