Prologue 0-4: My Hand Reaches Out For You

(Child abuse trigger warning for the first scene...it's the prologue and I'm already giving out these warnings...you can already tell this story is going to be quite a ride)

(Beta Read by Lupus Overkill, Allen Ux Ultor, and YellowtheWriter)

The pool of red still continues to drip.

As voices surround me calling out names long lost.

There is so much pain but peace.

Hands touch my body as the lights explode into dance.

It is their cruel applause that I live for.

That is simply the cold logic of the world that we live in.

Us humans are their puppets on the stage,

Dancing for a cause we do not understand,

Dying as we fall for a cause that we despise with our hearts.

But our hearts mean nothing to their wicked smiles.

My mother was in her room, a quaint little one with everything made with gold that can break with one wrong move. She was on her rocking chair, swinging back and forth as she hummed a lullaby that I have long forgotten the name of. The woman was so focused on her work that she did not hear me entering the room with Einosuke behind me. Although I remember her smile, I cannot remember her face, the only image that remains is her long, black hair being messily held together in a low side ponytail.

"...Mother?" Automatically stopping her knitting, the woman stared at me blankly. No life in her eyes. Looking back at the gaudy golden door, I looked up to see Einosuke's disappointed, dreaded glare. With a careful step, I went in the direction my mother was in. That was when she resumed her lullaby, continuing her creation of whatever creation she desired. However, after a couple more steps forward, I realized that she was blinking rapidly, causing me to smile and run into her lap, not really caring about whatever she was working on.

"...Shiro?"

"Yes, it's me!" I beamed with excitement as my mother put down her current project. She would always like working on random things to pass the time since she no longer had much to do in the Amari manor she was currently in. "I did what dad asked! So I get to be with you! I'm at the top of my class! My teacher even says there's a chance of me becoming an Honorary Ultimate!"

"Honey, you shouldn't be worrying about that stuff at this age. You should be playing with other kids when you're..." She stopped, her eyes dilated. But I did not notice, still smiling as I resisted the urge to start jumping in her lap.

"I'm three, mommy!" She did not respond as she quickly placed me out of her lap and stomped her way over to Einosuke. Not knowing what else to do, I jumped into the rocking chair and started playing with it. Everything else in the room did not catch my interest, as there was nothing of note other than all of the golds and reds. One time I got into my mother's makeup drawer but quickly got bored of doing makeup on my face so I decided to draw all over the walls instead. Of course, that was when I first learned about the true horrors of the punishments of this cursed house.

"Einosuke, what the Hell!?" The yelling got me to stop in my tracks and pay attention to whatever my mother was doing with Einosuke. "This was not part of the agreement! Once my father hears about this, you're going to jail for the rest of your life! This is...I don't know what to call this but it isn't legal or right! Shiro doesn't deserve to be raised in whatever you call this!"

Einosuke did not answer.

"You better give me a goddamn explanation! Does all of our memories...your promises...mean nothing to you!?" Once again, there was no response. But, instead of doing what the rules of the house dictated, she let her anger get the better of her. The sound of Einosuke being slapped is something that I will never be able to forget.

"...You have to experience punishment for your sins." My mother did not listen to him, preparing to slap Einosuke another time. But, before her hand made contact once again, Einosuke grabbed onto it, twisting it so much that my mother started to cry out in pain.

"Mommy-"

"Shiro, stay there and be a good little girl," Einosuke demanded. But I did not listen, running to my mother and holding onto her leg as if my life depended on it. Now touching her, I remember how cold her skin felt, with the pure chill forever being ingrained into my memory. "Do I have to teach you more about who is really in control here?"

"Listen to me, Shiro. Just let go-"

"No!" Not even my mother's warnings were enough, as my small arms clung harshly on the only source of hope they ever had. Einosuke released his hold on my mother, causing her body to betray her with a sigh of relief. But instead, Einosuke kicked me, my weak child arms not being able to hold on against the force as I fell onto the ground. Instead of helping anything in the situation, I started to sob.

"I'm sorry, Shiro." My mother then bolted out of the room with tears in her eyes. Einosuke tried to go after her but she somehow trapped the two of us in the room. I remember the frantic steps of my mother echoing throughout the hallway, with the walls of the room being quite thin. When Einosuke pulled out his phone, dialing somebody who was most likely Minori and started to scream into it, I took my chance and hid underneath the bed.

Too bad for my mother, she did not make it that far. She should have just been smart and figured out a way to escape without causing such a big scene. Maybe she would still be herself if she thought with just a little bit of logic.

Not knowing why I suddenly had that memory, I examined my surroundings to see that I am still in Fubuki's room. Nothing has changed and, even with the room holding possible clues about Fubuki, it is best to save searching for later and see if there is anybody here that I have not met yet.

Stepping out of the strange room, I find myself once again in the hallway of overbearing white. Whoever did the interior decorating of this place needs to be fired because none of their designs so far have been good or even made that much sense. But, instead of meeting nobody there, or even the group of actors, I see the figures of a boy and a girl looking out into space from one of the windows. Just by looking at them, I can tell that the two of them are related. The Committee must be planning something with siblings, but I cannot figure out what. Since Kotori is presumably gone, and she has told people she would kill them if they even thought about making her into an experiment in the case of death, I cannot guess who can possibly want to do such research. There is the new head of research that I forget the name of, but he seems nicer than Kotori, perhaps too nice. Everybody focuses on Kotori not knowing what exactly her so-called successor is doing in her absence. Enough with that type of thinking, there are more important things to focus on. Although I did not notice her before, I also see that a girl with blue hair is behind the two siblings. Knowing the type of people that are on this ship, it would not surprise me if somebody creates a type of battle between all of the siblings.

"Oh hello there!" Without much prompting, the girl from the siblings comes up to me. I notice that Fubuki's room is near the end of the hallway, which means it does not take her long to catch up to me. The blue-haired girl does not move, crossing her arms while relaxing against one of the closed doors and looking off into space. "Do you happen to be lost? Don't worry, you would not be the first."

Meanwhile, her brother is much less graceful. Once he realizes that his sister is gone, he also goes running. However, he does not pay attention to where he is going, and I do not react fast enough, so he ends up accidentally knocking into me. "O-oh I am so sorry! I am afraid I was not quite looking where I was meant to be going, aha. Ahm…a-are you okay, Ma'am? You are not hurt at all?"

"I am a man," I sigh. Perhaps I really should cut my hair if people keep mistaking me this often. Though I am not offended by it, mostly just annoyed. Society still does not like men with long hair, but that is how I prefer it. Although it might sound childish to some, I often find that playing around with my hair while nobody else is around is a good way to relax.

"O-Oh…! You are not a…I-I am so sorry! I did not mean to offend you, please accept my apologies! Oh dear, we seem to have started off on the wrong foot…sorry…a-anyway...ahem...please let me try again. Ahm...ahem...I am Sora Akahoshi and I am the Ultimate Astrobiologist. It is wonderful to meet you! I hope we can get along, despite our ahm…start."

Sora Akahoshi

Ultimate Astrobiologist

Sora is on the shorter side and looks to be rather skinny, though I would guess that he is also somebody who is nimble and flexible. It would not be a stretch to say, however, that I can beat Sora in a fight rather easily except if he somehow has some hidden ability. His skin is rather pale, and, thanks to features such as a round face, I am willing to guess that Sora looks young for his age, not helped by the clusters of boyish freckles that have gathered around Sora's small, upturned nose. He has soft blue eyes that are almond-shaped. Adding onto Sora's youthful appearance, his orange auburn hair is messy, which extends to the top of his neck to the back and hangs in subtly spiked sections at the front, a few strands sticking out unevenly here and there to give him a rather disorganized look. They fall to almost obscure the corner of his right eye, whilst a thin pointed fringe hangs to the level of his eyelid, with the sections to the left of his face being held neatly out of his eyes by a gold-colored hair clip in the shape of a crescent moon, decorated with a little navy and white ribbon. On top of his head are three small strands that stick out to the left, right and midline, a little like a small bird's nest.

Sora wears a simple V-necked dark navy t-shirt with rolled-up sleeves to just above his elbows. The center of the shirt bears an iconic image of the planet Saturn, complete with its majestic rings, whilst the rim of the shirt sits ruffled against a pair of light grey shorts which reach a little above his knees. A pale and sleeveless green coat is wrapped around his body, hanging to the level of his shorts with a beige fake fur hood and bearing large pockets in the sides. On his feet, he wears pale green sneakers with grey tight laces in a bow and a pair of odd socks, one pulled to just below his knee, black with a gold star pattern, and the other a little lower, navy and striped. Lastly, he wears a few accessories to add further interest to his look. This includes a few themed pins embellishing his coat, depicting an alien head, UFO and small plant to signify life, a thin white belt secured with a buckle in the shape of a shuttle, two complex digital watches on each wrist, and a headband at his head, from which sprouts a pair of green 'alien' antennae which he made himself, a creative indication of his talent. As well as this, he has a light brown canvas backpack slung over his left shoulder. Without knowing much of his personality, I can already tell he fits in with the rest of the people stuck on this ship.

"My name is Shiro Amari, Ultimate Composer, pleased to make your acquaintance as well." Wanting to get this introduction out of the way to hopefully return to some sane people, or perhaps find a room all to myself, I quickly do a little bow.

"Another new name to remember…that shouldn't be a problem. Well, Shiro-san, it's nice to meet you, I suppose. …Who am I? Well… I am Chika Akahoshi, the Ultimate Cosmologist. You probably would not have heard of me or my brother, unless you read lots of specialist scientific journals." That is confirmation that my sibling theory was correct. Though, with the use of old Japanese honorifics, I can tell that their family must be one of the few with at least a little bit of Japanese culture in them that are in the cities. Japanese culture is still popular in small towns and nomads, but the Committee is more strict on them whenever they can be as a result.

Chika Akahoshi

Ultimate Cosmologist

Like her brother, Chika is slightly short for her age and has the general body type of an ectomorph, a little on the skinny side. Chika isn't particularly busty, although her hips have a slight curve to them. Her complexion matches her brother's being light and fair, with similar clusters of freckles at her cheeks and the same sky-blue irises, although her eyes are a little less soft than Sora's and more pointed, outlined with hints of mascara at her eyelashes for some emphasis. Overall, her face shape is a little more angular than Sora's, with a subtly pointed chin. Matching Sora, her hair is orange ginger in shade, but is styled in a neater with the aim to appear presumably more professional. Although she does have the same small 'bird's nest' sticking from the top of her head, the rest of her hair is neatly styled in two woven plaits which hang down her shoulders to the level of her mid-upper arm, secured with black bobbles bearing a small star bead. Her fringe is slightly slanted to the left but is swept cleanly out the way by a gold star-shaped hair clip.

Chika's outfit is generally smart and neat, but comfortable, as well as appropriate and linked with her talent. She wears a loose blue knitted jumper which hangs slightly off the shoulders and down over her black slightly flared skirt. The skirt bears significant patterns and swirls in the pleats in a manner that is made to resemble star nebulae. Under this, she has a pair of dark red plain tights and wears patent black shoes on her feet, with a subtle heel and appearing a little clunky, with thin straps secured by silver square buckles. Over her outfit she wears an open scientific lab coat which flows to the flares of her skirt, bearing a collar and several black buttons with the sleeves rolled up to her elbows. A few accessories complete her outfit, including a navy silk scarf bearing constellation patterns in delicate silver thread and a few space-themed badges similar to her brother's. On her wrists, she wears a delicate bronze chain, on her right wrist, with a few small charms attached, including a flower, test-tube, rocket, book, and star. On the other, she wears a similar watch to her brother, to detect background radiation signals and the like, highly advanced things. Lastly, she has a similar backpack to her brother, but hers is colored grey.

"I know…I can scarcely believe we are actually here. In space. Really…in outer space. I have only dreamed of this moment…to think we would actually be here, Sora…!" Chika's eyes sparkle with a strangely mature sense of enthusiasm. It is hard to explain, much like how I get around music.

"Wait, um..we need to form a team, w-work together to find a way out of here before it is too late. Ah…I still can hardly believe we are in space right now. The planets, the constellations, the stars we orbit around…there is so much out there to explore, although we could be anywhere right now, perhaps…even in another solar system! I wonder if conditions might spark alien life and if there is the possibility we may one day meet them. Does…does the prospect not just fill you with excitement~?" Sora brings up a good point. Although I highly doubt the Committee itself can be that advanced in spacial travel, somebody outside, perhaps the True Despairs or the Future Foundation could have this as their hidden weapon against the Committee. With how poorly the Committee treats the world, it is not hard to guess that there might be a need for humanity to abandon Earth in the near future.

"Isn't it weird that you two are the only ones really reacting?" The other person asks. "Really would've thought I would have some reaction to being in space but all I feel is empty." Whoever this person with blue hair is, I already get the feeling that I would like her. Perhaps I should have thought the reactions, or lack thereof, of everybody else, was suspicious, but I was too busy studying the other students. Sometimes I think I forgot about even being in space, which is not the normal human reaction.

Without explaining herself further, the person goes back to going into the void. Now that there are no visible stars, it reminds me of the dark bottoms of the sea or the pitch darkness of after midnight during winter. Reaching my hand out into the void will cause me to be lost to the void forever, being forever drowned by the waves yet somehow still having the will to continue on.

"But space is amazing!" The siblings react at the same time. However, they get no response. The girl without warning walks away without saying goodbye and heads into Fubuki's room, which I find odd but perhaps I can question her later. Though I realize I accidentally left the door open this entire time. Now that the girl has pointed out some strange...happenings, I am much more suspicious of everything. Usually, I am a lot more cautious than this, or at least I hope so.

"That's strange... there are no stars except for that one. What part of space is this?" From the one second I did not have my eyes on them, Sora and Chika have returned to the window. Though both of them seem...eccentric, Chika is far more down to Earth than Sora. "First we should figure out what type of star that is and if humanity has a record of it."

"Maybe we will run into another planet! And get to talk to aliens!" Sora exclaims to his sister. "Let's see...it is not one of the stars nearest to us which might mean we are in another galaxy light-years away!"

"Sora, I don't think that's the case. The technology doesn't exist yet. Maybe the True Despairs or Committee did something." Not truly understanding all of their scientific talk, and them not paying attention to me, I decide that it is best to leave them be for now. Though, with their knowledge about space, the two of them might prove to be useful. Thinking back on it now, I remember Kotori mentioning the last name Akahoshi before, but I forget the context. Kotori is more involved in the scientific community than I ever will be, so maybe she has read their articles, with them being Ultimates it's most likely that they published at least one paper while they were children after all. Being an Ultimate without dedicating your entire life to a subject is hard, but it has been done before.

Looking back towards the door to Fubuki's room, I realize that the girl is now back. Considering the room is small it does not surprise me that it does not take her a long time to investigate it.

"Oh, excuse me, my name is Shiro Amari, Ultimate Composer. It will be good for the two of us to properly meet. May I ask your name?" I ask her. She turns around to face me. Analyzing her face more, I notice her lowered eyebrows and slightly squinting eyes.

"Hanane Wada. Nice to meet you."

"Your talent?" Hanane raises one of her eyebrows with my question and then sighs. She looks behind her shoulder, noticing that the siblings are still talking to themselves.

"Ah, that? Ultimate Yosegi Artist."

Hanane Wada

Ultimate Yosegi Artist

Although I do not know much about the art of yosegi, I can respect those who have pursued the craft. I have never been great with the crafts part of art, but everybody has some sort of weakness. Last time I tried to make yosegi it ended up with me getting splinters in an incident I still do not quite understand. But, enough about yosegi itself, I am glad that I am finally able to meet another creative type in here with a logical mindset. Many in the creative arts are too emotional for their own good, deluding themselves into thinking that their emotions are the key to art. If that was the case, anybody with a dream and determination could be able to do so. Sadly, most people in the creative arts burn in the eternal flames, desperately seeking a way for their life to be whole but never quite getting there. Getting a successful job in the arts is even harder with the Committee, though they have been more lenient as of late. Part of that is because of the Remnants of Music (though really they focused on all arts, they started with music)...but the less said about the Remnants of Music the better. The Remnants is something not many people like to think about, even the Committee does not boast about their defeat like the other rebellion groups.

Anyway, people who think music is all art are fools. Mostly it is math and practice. Even if you set into the path with bright eyes, eventually they will dull once you realize that nothing is ever in your control. Something you love can be easily turned into the greatest weapon against you.

Enough with that, Hanane has wavy cornflower blue hair that is slightly longer than shoulder length, with some of her side-swept fringe plaited. Apart from this plait, she wears her hair down, with an Alice-band of some sort. Her ears are pierced and she wears large colorful studs in them. Her eyes are round with a slight feline angular-ness to them, and they do not seem to be of a particular color, though with hues of orange, pink and dark purple identifiable, they are often simply described as 'sunset color'. Hanane has a slim, attractive figure and a pale, flawless complexion, though her hands are callused and her nails are kept very short. For being so serious and logical, Hanane is actually quite colorful, which is something I do not get to see often. Most of the time calling attention to yourself is a death sentence, but Hanane either does not care or knows how to take care of herself.

Hanane has on a light pink-and-white striped off the shoulder top with a dark purple pleated skirt that reaches mid-thigh. She wears knee-high stripy socks that match her top, and sky blue converses. For accessories, she has a pink beaded headband in her hair with a hot-pink, light-blue and white striped bow on top of it, a white choker necklace with a small light-blue, hot-pink and peach-colored bow, red star-shaped ear-studs and numerous beaded bracelets on her wrists that match these other accessories in some way or another. Somehow, Hanane becomes brighter and brighter, becoming a greater contrast to the current grimace on her face. Or maybe I am being too harsh since Hanane has surprisingly soft facial features other than her grimace. Perhaps Hanane is somebody I should not jump to conclusions on since she seems to be too smart to simply wear her heart on her sleeve.

"You should pay more attention," Hanane warns me. "The twins have left and said goodbye. They probably found it weird you didn't respond." So Sora and Chika are twins? They must have a tighter bond than I have with any of my siblings, considering all of the hype everybody has for twins. The same can be said about Yuu and Yuki, who are inseparable.

"Thank you for giving me that information. Do not worry, for I simply got lost in thought."

"I should keep an eye on you. That could get you killed in a Killing Game." Hanane immediately piques more of my interest. She does not change her facial expressions at all during this conversation.

"...Do you perhaps have any more information?" Though I do not understand why this response causes Hanane to turn away.

"I don't. I'll see you later." Hanane retreats into Fubuki's room once more before I can ask her any more questions. The girl is so fast that I do not have time to respond. Following Hanane will only make things awkward for the future, so it is best to question her more when I see her again. Though she is smarter than a lot of the other students, Hanane's social skills seem like they could use some work. Part of staying alive in this world is learning how the Committee and others in power want you to act. Being true to yourself will only get you killed.

Waiting for a couple of minutes, I do not see anybody else in the halls or Hanane changing her mind. So, with nothing else to do, I travel back to what I assume is supposed to be the main hallway. Most people are probably in those areas since they are the easiest to investigate. Although there is a lot of content in this hallway, the overwhelming white is still sometimes too much for my eyes to process, giving me a massive headache.

Reaching back to the room with the buffet and way too many balloons, I realize that a lot of the balloons are actually gone. With all of them out of the way, it is starting to look somewhat like a normal room. There are two people in the room, a man and a woman. The girl I recognize from before, since she was the one that I met with Kobi and ran off before I could get her name. But the man is somebody that I have never seen before, yet his demeanor already reminds me of Kaimaru. It is best to prepare with these two since I get the feeling that at least the man will be in trouble. Dealing with people like Kaimaru is always unpleasant since not only do they often make me uncomfortable, their unpredictability has a habit of ruining otherwise wonderful plans. One of my brothers could not control his lust and now he is forever on the run from the Amari family because of his lack of self-control.

The girl looks the same as the last time I saw her. But now she is far more relaxed, with none of the stress that I saw when she was around Kobi, or perhaps it was Keiji or Choumi that set her off. I know almost nothing about her so maybe I will learn if she has some sort of past history with them, but the most likely answer is probably not.

The boy is relaxed but in a much different way, his smirk giving me horrible ideas about what he could possibly be planning. Though, looking over the two of them, I notice that they both have a lack of shoes. It is still a terrible idea to be watching around barefoot, especially since most of these rooms have already proven themselves to be wildly unpredictable.

"Hello, mister! It's good to finally see an adult like you. Somebody who can appreciate the platonic beauty of massages and lead us through these trying times!" the boy exclaims, throwing his arms around in a theatrical way. "Though...if you want my hands to run over your entire body?... Massaging almost every inch? Well, that's going to cost you." He winks and proves my theory from before. Two flirts on this ship will prove to be utter chaos, yet somehow they are not the biggest threat to the safety of everybody else. That, without question, goes to Ryoichi. He can be secretly a serial killer and nobody would be surprised.

"Are you the one that I met earlier?" I ask the blonde. Though I am certain, it is best to check, because there is a small chance she is a twin or somebody who just happens to look similar.

"Oh yeah, I remember you. We didn't get each other's names," she responds. The man is doing something but I decide to ignore him. The woman seems to be doing the same.

"Why did you leave early?" I ask the girl.

"Hey, I'm Leonie Sommer, the Ultimate Game Developer." Leonie ignores my question but is noticeably not rude about it. Instead of being offended about us not paying attention to his childish games, the man just shrugs, muttering something along the lines of 'eh whatever.'

Leonie Sommer

Ultimate Game Developer

Finally getting the time to more fully analyze Leonie, I do not see anything out of place except for her obvious lack of shoes and some of her appearance being messy. Though perhaps this is out of misunderstanding current fashion trends than anything dealing with laziness or stress. For reasons I cannot comprehend, styles that are similar to Leonie's are now popular in some European countries. Because of her clear European lineage, she could be influenced by her country of origin. I do not know much about European last names, but Sommer sounds like it is either German or Danish. Most likely Leonie is German, since most of Denmark was destroyed in a battle against Novoselic, leaving the current residents in a state of severe poverty under their current Committee rule. Germany, however, surrendered to Novoselic like many of the countries they invaded because of the destruction of Denmark.

"You two are no fun but whatever. I could still give you the times of your lives if you want." He laughs, even though Leonie and I do not respond. "Fine, fine, you two get to learn about the wonder of Rokuro Karasuma. My talent should be pretty easy to guess but leaving you possibly hanging would be rude. I'm the Ultimate Masseur."

Rokuro Karasuma

Ultimate Masseur

Rokuro has chin-length and smooth, black hair with noticeable eyelashes that could carry a more feminine quality. Rokuro also has a dark skin tone and a pair of deep, magenta eyes. With that skin tone, he is most likely from the Southern rural area of Japan, since many born in that part of Japan have darker skin tones thanks to the warmer temperatures created there from the Tragedy, with many agreeing that it should now be considered a desert thanks to its changed landscapes. His build is small, cute and slender and his facial features only enhance his cuteness with seemingly soft skin. With his looks, Rokuro can easily be considered attractive by many, even by the Committee that usually tries to promote a more masculine look for men, but he looks too look to be anybody that I could be interested in. Rokuro may flirt a lot, but a part of me can already tell that he does so more for a laugh than an actual romantic interest. Though, with that smirk, anything can be true, since people like Rokuro can often skilled in the art of deception.

Rokuro wears a somewhat loose, off-the-shoulder white and tan shirt that looks to be from an ancient civilization with Greek-like designs on it which appear to look like runes at the top in gold with equally loose sleeves. He also wears a pair of black, baggy pants that go down to the middle of his calves in length as they are pretty tight right where they stop like jogger pants but they resemble to be more like harem pants. These days not many loyal to the Committee would dare to wear something like this, so I am left questioning why the Committee thought it was a good idea to allow Rokuro into their school when there is a good chance he will betray them. But nobody should ever try going against the Committee, even somebody that seems as smart as Rokuro possibly is for making it this far in that outfit and attitude. Doing more of these 'rebellious' actions will cause Rokuro to be buried in the sands of his presumed home, forever forgotten by time as nobody makes an attempt to find his tormented spirit.

"I just want to get off my feet. We found..." Leonie gestures to me.

"Shiro, Ultimate Composer."

"We found Shiro so let's go to the gym. Let's get this over with."

"Oh, Shiro~ Just to give you a heads up everybody is meeting up in the gym. We still need to find lots of people so please help us." Rokuro starts giving me puppy dog eyes. He really does not have to, since I personally agree with this plan. With all of this time spent investigating the area apart, it is best to come together and report all of our findings. But I do not personally want to waste my time wandering the space ship even more at this moment, so it is probably best to make my way over to the gym without the help of Rokuro or Leonie.

"I personally will rather meet up with the group in the gym and see what they have planned. Searching for people is not my strong suit."

"I didn't want to do this job but they asked me nicely so why not?" Leonie shrugs.

"And I want to meet as many possible new friends as I can. Staying in one room talking about important stuff seems so boring." Rokuro dramatically groans. "How can people stand hearing themselves talk for so long about the tritest of subjects?" If Kotori was still here, I get the feeling that she would have already shot Rokuro in the head so she could use his blood and organs in one of her experiments. There is simply no mercy in the real world, with one simple mistake turning you into nothing but blood in a test tube and body in a mass grave, fire eating away at any proof of your existence as your ashes get thrown into the water supply of somebody who is asking way too many questions. Billions of people have existed in the world and every single one of them will be forgotten as the Committee continues to live on, even the likes of Junko Enoshima eventually being erased completely by history.

"We should be going now! It was great to meet you!" Waving to me, Leonie leaves to begin searching the white hall. I consider telling her to search the rooms but it is best to see how the two of them will manage finding the others hiding away in the rooms. They should know how to do the jobs they are given if they want to survive in their adult years, especially because of their Ultimate titles.

With only me and Rokuro in the room, it looks to me that he is going to leave with Leonie, but, surprising me, he stops by me instead. He is uncomfortably close as he whispers into my ear. "I know you're lying." With a skip and a smile, Rokuro then leaves, waving to me as he exits the door.

Rokuro's words stop me in my tracks. Though I do not know the possible goal Rokuro's words have, I cannot hide the fact that it is at least somewhat true. That means, no matter what, Rokuro cannot be trusted. Even if he survives this Killing Game, the Committee will find out about him and make sure that he is safely eliminated. Maybe they gave Rokuro an Ultimate talent to lure him to Kyoto, or Rokuro is lying about his status like Tahlia is so focused on doing. But a liar cannot allow another liar to live so freely with that kind of information.

This is no time to be dwelling on useless matters. Nothing can be done in this current situation, as killing Rokuro would be too risky even if the rules have not yet come into effect. Best to continue on my way.

Entering the main hallway once again, I am surprised to see Chika in the hallway without Sora with another man that has his face turned yet somehow still seems familiar. Examining further, I notice that Chika is biting her lip but most likely not realizing it. Approaching her, she must be lost in thought since I am not yet noticed.

"It is good to see you again, Chika."

"Oh, Sora-san. You did not happen to come across my brother, did you? We got separated investigating the storage room," Chika informs me. With a deep breath, she stops her nervous tic. It is best to remember all of this information, as this can be used to make Sora and Chika more useful assets. Chika seems to keep a calm head during this type of situation or is very good at hiding her true feelings.

"I'm helping Chika out! Nice to meet you, Shiro!" Turning to face me, I finally get a full picture of the man. His pleasant smile is something that I know too well but still remains a complete mystery. But that face is making me want to bolt although I think he is quite handsome. Sometimes those with the prettiest faces turn out to be the most poisonous snakes. "My name is Himura Sachihiro. I hope for us to become friends! I'm also the Ultimate Violinist!"

Himura Sachihiro

Ultimate Violinist

There is something seriously wrong here. Maybe I should make Yuu and Himura go against each other since there is no way Hope's Peak would allow repeat talents...except for possibly more funds given to them by a greedy family determined to forever curse their child to the life of a lonely puppet. He offers his hand with a sickly sweet smile, an offer much like accepting candy from a stranger. Learning my lesson, I leave him hanging, causing Himura to childishly frown. But I am not foolish enough to take a bite out of the apple that the snake desires so much and so sweetly.

Part of the reason for this distrust of this strange sense of comfort and...nostalgia?...is him reminding me a lot of Kazuhiko. Not many can do such a task, since Kazuhiko sticks out with his honestly outdated attire. But Himura is not outdated, looking like he pays close attention to the current trends that the top of the Committee desire.

His hair is black and messy, with it reaching all the way to his shoulders. Himura's eyes are an alluring blue, much like a tide lulling you to sleep before it silently drags you underneath the waves to never be heard from again. Much like the snow, Himura's snow is white, what may seem soft at first can quickly turn into a violent storm. Despite having a creative talent, I can already tell that Himura is much more muscular than the average person. Must be the type of person to take their health very seriously. It would be hard playing the violin with all of that muscle, but that must be part of Himura's talent. Many Ultimates do not fit the assumed body types of their talents, perhaps not needing to follow such rules because of their complete mastery.

For his outfit, Himura seems overdressed for the occasion, but I cannot complain since I too am wearing a suit. The suit Himura wears is a tuxedo, with the pants and jacket being colored black. His shirt is exposed thanks to him only buttoning one button, showing the blue in the sea of black. Unlike most people with a suit nowadays, Himura does not wear a tie, instead wearing a pendant of eighth note. From what I can tell, the tuxedo is made out of silk, or a material similar to that. To add some color to his deary outfit, Himura has a white rose in his left breast pocket. Himura tucks his shirt like a true gentlemen, which shows off his white belt, not to mention Himura also wears white dress shoes. I would say that it is illogical to wear white socks, but I realize I might have made a mistake white my white pants. And, to top it all off, Himura wears a blue fedora. Or that would be it if I do not count Himura's black violin case, that he is carrying around with him in ease. Perhaps that is why Himura is so muscular.

"We should go get going. Sora needs me!" Without waiting for the two of us, Chika rushes back into the storage room. Seeing that the two of us are now alone, Himura flashes me a smile. A smile that reminds me too much of Mei's. Everything about that smile is the same, leaving no uniqueness to be desired. Once again the gates of Gehenna threaten to open and swallow me whole. But Alice instead chooses to jump into the depths of Wonderland, free to make all the horrible decisions her heart yearns for.

"Come on, we gotta help Chika!" Not paying that much attention to Himura anymore, it takes me a second to realize that he has taken hold of my hand, using his free hand not carrying his case. For a second, I notice the smile slip. But nothing happens. Himura begins to smile again way too wide as he pulls me into the storage room. But, taking everything in, I finally realize Himura's hands are ice cold.

Once she sees Himura and I, Chika begins to journey inside the massive maze. At a moment like this, I wished that Ayumu was around to help again, but I think I remember the way back through thee labyrinth. Chika moves fast, examining everywhere thoroughly and quickly while Himura and I just try to keep up with her. Or perhaps I am not paying attention, since somehow it seems the walls have changed, revealing new puzzles to solve with the endless halls of useless items that will never serve any purpose other than entertaining people who have a sick sense of humor. Maybe I have an actual point with these references to Wonderland. This world is ruled by those who will happily paint the kingdom walls red for the sake of their whole ego. Hang the heads of the dead as demented ornaments, for people to praise their endless glory. Let the tortured souls have cake, filled to the brim with the entrails of those that they believed they loved but consume without second thought.

But there is a sudden stop. Looking ahead, I realize there are three different paths. The left one continues on much like our current path, the middle looks much more simpler with it having less items in its aisles. Lastly, the right is the most complicated, with me already telling how much it twists and turns although that should not be possible. Not knowing which one Sora is the most likely to pick, I wait for Chika to say anything. Chika continues down the left one, while Himura goes down the middle without any guidance. I feared I would go down the most complicated. Perhaps there is a way to forever get lost in this labyrinth and not deal with any of the consequences for the selfish actions of others. But, once again, I have to remind myself such a dream is impossible. Maybe we should close off this area when the game starts as well. Not only are there many dangerous objects, such as the shot put balls that are still too close to the edge for anybody to be comfortable, the confusion of these aisles would make it too easy to hide a body.

But I do not pay much attention to whatever is on the endless shelves. Last time that happened...whoever is behind this must know more about our lives, maybe even more than the Committee itself. So now everything is a blur, begging for attention that it will never get. In all truthfulness, everything in this life is useless, as eventually everything will cease to be. Why cling onto power when all it does is destroy your mind? It is simply logical to live your life as nothing more than a slave to your own body, since truly nothing you ever do will matter in this world.

"Shiro-san!" Sora exclaims as he waves to me. I jump when he seemingly comes out of nowhere. There is something in his hands that looks like a toy that claims to naive children that it is alien blood when in reality it is poisonous glop; rushed onto the shelves by greedy businessmen who are only interested in making a profit and do not care how many children end up in the hospital by eating it. "Have you seen Chika?"

"Yes, she is looking for you."

"So sorry for everything! I was so fascinated by everything in here...and I kind of got lost." Looking closer, I see that Sora is shaking but trying to hide it all with yet another smile. If anybody else gives me a false smile, then I will become severely concerned. Though I have mastered the fake smile for situations involving the Committee, using the skill in a situation like this is a waste of time and effort.

"It is alright, we should get going. I should know the way back." Sora places the toy away and the two of us walk together. He is much slower than his sister, taking time to calculate his steps.

"Eh...how are you, Shiro-san?" Sora asks. I barely even realized that it has been quite some time in silence with the two of us. Unlike me, Sora is searching through all the shelves, most likely trying to see if anything else catches his eye. Perhaps it is best to keep a better eye on him, otherwise he might get lost again and then more time would be wasted.

"I am alright, there is no need to be concerned about me."

"Well, what do you think about space? Hanane-san...mentioned some weird happenings...But I am certain that everything is alright!"

"It is best to be cautious. Always make sure that you are safe, otherwise the people around you will suffer," I respond. Sora nods his head, but I noticed he was still tense, wishing to bolt but never finding the perfect time to. It seems like all of the siblings I have ran into are perhaps too connected to each other. In my life, siblings were a nuisance, yet there were perks to treating them right so that is what I did. But, if there was a choice between me and all of my siblings, I will throw them all away without a second thought. People are too concerned about blood, and even bonds created from friendship are overrated. Not even I matter in this world, so why should I care about others that will only serve to bring me down? But Sora does not need to hear the truth, the only words that drip out of my mouth are ones of delicious venom.

After a couple more minutes of wandering through the aisles, I realize that I am lost, not recognizing the lack of hazardous objects on the top of the shelves. But Sora does not need to know that. He looks content analyzing everything on the shelves. For all knowledge, he does not realize that I might be leading us in circles. Really big circles. Like constantly riding a carousel, hoping to get to another location, not remembering that all rides have a fixed track. Without that fixed track, there could be severe consequences. Such as a roller coaster potentially crushing the body of an innocent person whose only crime was not paying enough attention.

"I'm here to save you!" Appearing out of nowhere much like Sora, Himura is now in front of us. "My fabulous damsels, allow me to be your knight in shining armor! Let's go this way!"

I wait for a response from Sora and find it suspicious that there is not one. Looking to where Sora is at, I see the younger boy frozen in fear, his eyes almost completely dilated.

"...Y-you...?"

"Oh hi, Mr. Akahoshi, didn't know it was you but I should've known. Come on, let's go together!" Himura takes a step closer to Sora who is still not moving a single inch.

"...F-Fool...?"

"That's not nice! My name's Himura Sachihiro, remember?"

"So sorry!" Sora begins walking fast in the other direction. He does not take a single second to even look back at us. Maybe it would be wise to chase after him again, but honestly I have already wasted too much time with him. If he wants to continue being lost in this maze, then that is his decision. Nobody can change such a simple mind from being so foolish.

"That was weird! Well one damsel to save today!" Himura walks in the opposite direction than Sora so I follow him. Like Ayumu, he has a basic grasp about these confusing walls. Not only will Himura prove to potentially be a good asset for me in my career, but also in surviving this spaceship. There are many more possible members for my benefit so perhaps this experience will prove to be worth it in the end.

It is odd how much time it takes to be free of the maze. When I turn back to thank Himura for his services, since many people like their egos to the stroked (and it is the only reason people go out of their way to do something fools think is considered nice), I realize that he is gone. I can already tell Himura has a bad habit of randomly disappearing from conversations. What is really odd, however, is at the same time I become free of the maze once again, I see Sora has managed to escape using one of the other routes. Chika is outside when she notices her brother and rushes over to him.

"Sora, there you are! I thought you would be running around here somewhere. It's good to have you back, Lil bro. You weren't getting scared without me, were you~?"

"Ch-Chi! I am so glad I found you! I was beginning to get worried…what? N-no! I was not scared! …much. R-really, I am not a scaredy cat!" The two of them are happy for now. Maybe I will be able to use this incident in the future for some extra favors. It is best to not interrupt such a sweet and tender moment, so I decide that I should go back outside. There is no way I am returning back to the maze willingly except if I get something of value from it.

Going back outside, I do not have time to react when Leonie and Rokuro find me once again. I do not know how much time has passed but it seems believable that they could be back. Hopefully I will not be forced to look for any more of my classmates. After all of this, I want to go to the gym, gather the last remains of useful information, and go to sleep, even though I have yet to find any bedrooms. Or bathrooms for that matter, for I think people would appreciate the ability to relieve themselves. If they do not give us bathrooms, maybe we can find yet another purpose for the maze.

"Shiro~ It's good to see you again! Can you help us, pretty please?" Rokuro starts fluttering his eyelashes. Leonie still does not look impressed.

"Only if you want," Leonie adds-on. "We almost got everybody. Jun said there were thirty people here."

"Leonie just wants to get rid of me. Don't let her pretty looks distract you. Because we all know I'm the true queen here!" Rokuro begins posing again. Although Leonie is good at hiding it, I can tell that, much like me, she just wants to get away.

"Do not put words in her mouth. Maybe it is best if we find our way together to the gym." Before I can start walking toward the gym, Himura appears right in front of me, going right in front of Leonie and Rokuro.

"Hi, I'm Himura Sachihiro. Ultimate Violinist. Blah blah blah. You're not interested in all of that!" Himura grins as he grabs one hand from Leonie and Rokuro. "We should all be friends here! That's the good thing to do!" Leonie tries to get her hand out of his grasp but cannot while Rokuro stares at him. Then he presses together, making them do a handshake.

"Himura, you should not do that," I berate him. This kind of behavior will only get him killed! However, he does not pay attention to me, making his way to the gym instead. Although I have the option, I stay, looking at Leonie and Rokuro and getting a horrible feeling. Their eyes look gazed over but full of dread, as their bodies refuse to move from their current state. This is an experience I know all too well thanks to whatever happenings are occurring on this spaceship. Whatever the True Despairs, or the Committee, or maybe even Future Foundation, is doing must involve a lot of science that gets into our heads and turns us into something else. In this world, nothing is in your control, as there is always somebody higher up than you holding all of the strings. Even the Master has to accept that truth. For she is the Master of nothing but her own delusions.

"We should pretend this never happened!" Leonie shouts, now she and Rokuro are out of their daze. It takes a couple of minutes for them to return back to their status quo. Rokuro just nods his head. The two of them do not remember or realize that I am still there with them as they head over silently to the gymnasium. My mind keeps attempting to think about the mysterious, but, for some reason, there is nothing. Hanane has a point. This reminds me too much of Kotori's point for it to be considered some sort of sick coincidence. If she were still alive, Kotori would be praising the creators on how much they understand the act of torturing those who they believe have no rights. After all, they exist purely for entertainment, with the Despairs making their lives purposefully worse to create a twisted narrative that just will not stop with the melodrama.

When Leonie and Rokuro open the doors to the gymnasium, I see them disappear from my line of sight. That is when I start walking. Although I did not talk to Himura, Chika, or Sora about the plan, they can figure it out eventually. It does not take an expert to figure out where to meet as a gymnasium is a good place to set a meeting spot in most schools. Even though this is certainly a strange place, there is some inspiration from a school. It reminds me of the stories of the first Hope's Peak, where students were allowed to do whatever they wanted just as long as they still remained masters in their respected craft. Hope's Peak only cares about results, that has never changed. They caused all of this. Those greedy bastards running the Steering Committee, worshiping the bloodied ground Junko stood on, giving her empty words of praise thanks to her many different talents. Their greed and vanity caused all of this suffering, but we cannot blame them since that is simply human behavior. No matter what is done, Adam and Eve will listen to the snake offering them the sweetest of fruits. When in reality it is rotten and destroys them from the inside out.

Strolling my way to the destination, I am interrupted by the sound of a door opening. I remember that room as the rather disturbing room that Ryoichi and Saitou were fighting in. The door quickly opens to reveal Ryoichi, still towering over me as he glares. Taking a second to process what is happening, I realize that his outfit is strangely red. He moves over to the gymnasium. Although it is not smart to do whatsoever, I know that I have to open the door. Somebody else can deal with this but my mind is screaming for more answers that seconds before it did not want.

Almost like another person is in control, my body moves to the door, feeling the cold nothingness of the door handle before opening it. It is darker in the room before for some unknown reason, resulting in me closing the door and trying to find a light switch. I would have kept the door open but it automatically closes and there is nothing to hold it open. While I am searching, I notice the door open again and this time it is Hanane doing it, with her somehow getting a door stopper to keep the door open. She pulls out a flashlight I realize she might have gotten from the storage room. Though that would imply she was in there before, maybe she woke up in there or I am taking more time than I originally thought.

Going over to where Hanane is, she does not respond to seeing me. She instead points the flashlight in the middle of the room, revealing a pool of a liquid I know way too well. Searching the room more, the flashlight finally finds the source of all of the blood.

There was too much clapping. Too much blood. But that is just what humans do, they bleed. What was full of life will always have everything taken away from them, their bodies not even remaining after so many years.

So many wounds. Once perfect skin was still pale but everybody knows that even it is starting the process of dreadful decay. For the person has accepted their destiny, unlike most humans. Not even me. Everybody dies. Maybe it is better to get the pain over with and still die when you are young and beautiful.

"Congratulations, you are finally part of the family." My once white dress is now scarlet. I never wanted to be part of a family, since all they cause are endless pain, but I had no choice in the matter. After all I now share the same blood as them, a collective of cursed souls that even Hell would reject. "You should rejoice as this is the fate only a chosen few will ever have the pleasure of knowing!"

Drip, drip.

It is now my blood.

Tick, tock.

And there is no escaping that truth.

There are so many stab wounds. Why are there always so many stab wounds when one should do the job and be more efficient? But that does not change the fact that a life has already been taken. This will cause so many complications.

"Do you know who this is?" Hanane asks. She walks over to the body, carefully avoiding the blood splatters to not ruin her colorful outfit. "Or who did it? This needs to be solved as soon as possible." It might be obvious to me what happened, but Hanane never got to experience any of that. She is already so focused, examining the body and all the wounds on it. The body reminds me so much of an art piece, with the tactics of murder being done artistically like the person has experience with such a cruel act.

"That is Saitou Katatake."

Saitou Katatake should have known better. Such an imbecile can only be met with this pathetic fate, where the most remembrance he will leave is the blood now staining the floor. Should have ran away when he could have, because then he would not have to sacrifice his life for the Queen of Hearts. Alice will weep but such pointless actions are wasted on those who curse themselves to an early death.

Goddammit, somebody is already dead. We're not even done with intros. Calm down your need for murder kids. Yes, I got some crazy shit planned so look forward to that. Sorry if this seems rushed but I really want intros to be over with. I'm almost out of Intro Hell. Hooray! :D And somebody is already dead since I can never control myself. Somebody save my characters from me.

Once again, if I get something wrong about your characters, correct me. Since I'm still getting used to writing everybody. If you've any advice at all, please tell me.

Thank you 1GlimmerShine for Saitou Katatake. Yes, he's important to the plot but I'm not saying how. ;)

Eventually I'll make a poll for free times because we just need to introduce people who are already known after this. Emilynn and Etsuko are just watching everybody scream while they eat popcorn.

QOTC: Which of the new students are you the most interested in?

Req's Rec: Danganronpa: The Monsters Within Us by OceanAstro

Reviews~

AnonChan1-I'm finally back even with all the craziness happening. Einosuke is an...interesting person. Time for people to want to kill him even more...oh, don't worry, he gets worse. Out of all his crazy amount of kids, Einosuke does actually have a kid named Einosuke because of course he has. HE GETS WORSE SO HE WARNED. I love him too, especially since Shiro is very much not sane. Shiro will never chill because now Himura has the Gehenna Smile. Ayumu doesn't get paid enough for this. Monokuma is just doing whatever he wants. Stop changing the storage room Monokuma. Thanks, I just love meta. Yes, Hanami is still with the Future Foundation. Ayano Kirigiri is like...what the fuck? Why isn't my death being reported? I'm still screaming about the Steven Universe finale. AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! Team Danganronpa is making a reference since they're also meta. THE BABY IS HERE WITH WONDERFULLY BAD MEMES! Suzu is just doing what Suzu does. Because Suzu. SUZU KNOWS ALL THE MEMES. Don't worry, just wait until Suzu meets with Emilynn. Kotori also gets worse, but that's mostly MoDE. Mystery man is...interesting. He's just like that.

Kotori...well, continues to be Kotori. Her death is a good thing except for the True Despairs going even more insane but yeah Kotori is a bitch. I rewrote Kazuhiko and Kaneshiro's relationship for MoDE and the audiobook so it will be explained. Ayano goes through so much shit because of me. Eimu...well, Eimu is Eimu. The text is the executions for Kazuhiko and Ayano. Suzu is doing something. Shiro has as much luck as my other protagonists so none at all. Mizore is just horrible with English skills. NEW SHIP YAS! Yep, Jun and Fubuki are siblings. I ship NatsukixKitsu too and yes I can finally write content about them. Just one more chapter and we're in Pre-Murder Hell! Hooray! Tahlia is five feet, seven inches. Anon, you accidentally predicted a plot point, Hanane likes you. Thanks so much! :D Just know you're going to get more Ayano food in the audiobook...for both of them. ;) KOBI IS SUCH A GOOD BOI! Well, here's Rokuro! There are many Einosukes help. I'm insane so yeah be prepared for anything. DADDY SHIRO WILL ALWAYS BE A THING! Thanks so much, cramps still are like the worse. Mochi is our Gold praise him. Mike is like...Kaleigh, you better not be writing at three AM again and I just sweatdrop. REQ YES.