Chapter 1-4: I Once Believed In You

"Alright, this is something," Asuka comments. Its calming to hear her voice. Sure, she may be headstrong, but, compared to the other girls, she is the sanest. Having her in this situation would make things slightly less chaotic. Emphasis on slightly.

"We're all gonna to die! Curse the evil ducks!" Mizore shouts out. She begins to run around in circles, being lit up by one of the lone sources of light, Emilynn's phone.

"But I do not feel anything wrong-"

"That's because you're delusional, Sachi. Heya, if you're not dead, say something!" For a second, I was scared that Etsuko would purposefully play dead just to scare us all. Looks like even Etsuko is taking this situation more seriously.

"Something," Emilynn responds in a deadpan voice. She still plays her game, and Mei is behind her. Mei takes off Emilynn's hood and the girl does not respond. Emilynn is truly too transfixed into her mobile device.

"This is bad." Natsuki is back to using her manly voice. She stays with Emilynn and Mei, making sure she keeps her distance from Etsuko.

"Um...We have to be, um, careful...Look for glowing paint, yeah." Ichiko then goes exploring the other parts of the gym. She does not have a light source, only relying on her natural senses. Every one of her papers now in her bag as she relies on solely her hands and feet.

"I think everybody is accounted for." Nobody is dead, so that is a good sign. Monokuma probably did this so he could scare us into murder. He should really have a better opinion of his students. That way he can actually win one of these for once.

"Senpai, what should we do!?" Mei then latches onto my arm. I am about to push her off until I feel that something does not feel right. Looking on the floor, I see one of Ichiko's papers that is strangely not coded in another language. Unluckily, I am not given time to read it before...

"Shiro, Mei, look out!" Sachiko shouts, being unusually forceful. The both of us move out in time as the floor beneath us crumbles. Monokuma must be using his trap doors for whatever he is planning.

"Um...I blame the evil ducks." Mizore goes right to the hole, measuring the sides using some techniques. "Falling down here wouldn't hurt us in any way but we shouldn't test that." Good, Mizore is using her mathematical skills to be useful for us.

"They will keep singing the Duck Song, that would drive us into despair!" Emilynn then shines her phone down there. It seems to lead to some kind of tunnel that is too small for most of us to go through.

"Only peeps that are under five feet, two inches could fit in there. Curse my tallness!" Mizore shouts. Only Sachiko and Natsuki fit that description. Mei would but it looks like she has grown since we have arrived here. I look down the hole as well, seeing if there is any chance somebody like me can go through. It is too small for me to want to take my chance.

"Oh, I have a feeling something bad will happen." Shaking, Sachiko slowly makes her way down the opening and through the tunnel. Emilynn's phone can only give her light for so long. Sachiko could get her handbook out if she wanted.

"If you say so..." Natsuki's voice is low and unsure. "Then I must!" She quickly changes to a much more confident persona. Getting out her handbook, she follows after Sachiko. We all follow her lead and take our handbooks out.

"Okay, now what?" Asuka looks around with the light source. Along with Etsuko and Mizore, Asuka ventures to where Ichiko has gone. The four of them work fast to find another exit out of here.

"KK, this is boring." Emilynn is not interested. She sits on a nearby sports mat with Mei going her right after. The two of them start a conversation about video games that have the both of them smiling.

By myself, I search the gym. There really isn't a semblance of an exit except for the one used by Natsuki and Sachiko. It is a standard gym outside the obvious being in space part. This truly is an excellent display of architecture. Is that the right word to describe this? As a musician, I truly do not know much about the art that goes into making buildings.

"Heya, senpai! Whatcha doing!?" Mei sneaks up from behind me. She has a devious smile on her face.

"Searching for an exit."

"Ah, you're no fun! Shouldn't we use the luckster over there to help?" Mei asks. However, right as she says that Emilynn gets off the mat and then accidentally bumps her head onto the shelf. A shot put barely misses her head. "Thank God, it isn't the library then..."

"What?"

"What?!"

"I ship you two!" Emilynn exclaims from the other side of the room. Mei begins to blush like mad, but I pay it no mind. What does it even mean to ship people? Was she expecting to mail us back to Earth somehow?

"Emilynn!" Mei begins to blush even more. Does this young girl perhaps have a crush on me? That does not surprise me, considering she is basically grabbing hold of me whenever she can.

"You can have the anime protagonist all to yourself." Emilynn goes back to playing her video games. She pays no attention to the other shot put ball that almost smashes her head in. The only way to get her to care perhaps is by destroying her phone.

"Emilynn...arrrgggh. Heya, Shiro, remember-oh shit!" Mei is interrupted by her own words as the ground below us falls down. We both look up to see whether or not to escape, but this time the door has closed. There goes that idea.

"Hm. Let's find a way to escape." With both of us still having our handbooks out, we easily find the tunnel entrance behind us. It is much bigger than the last one, but we will still have to crawl.

"You go first! I don't want you looking!"

"But, Mei, you are wearing shorts-"

"Please!" Finding there to be no reason to deny Mei, I am the first to climb into the small tunnel. I place my handbook in front of me and slowly use my shoulders to move forward. It would be easier with hands but this way is much safer.

Mei is after me but not with her handbook out. Perhaps she put it away because we already have mine. She has her eyes focused on the ceiling as if she is trying not to look at me.

"It's ok to look at my butt, Mei-"

"Oh my God, you're so forward! Ah!" Mei, with an immense amount of blush, looks directly at me, but then her eyes dart away again. Didn't she want to go second? Why is she acting this way? It's only a butt. Then again, she is a teenager, she isn't as sexually experienced as I am.

"There's nothing else to do, so do you just want to talk?" I ask.

Do you want to free time with Mei Yamazaki?

Yes/No

"Sure."

"What were you trying to tell me before?" I question her. She then starts looking at her hands but then straightforward. This time she is more focused even though she is still red.

"Do you remember Akita Yamazaki?" She is acting out of character. Seeing her serious she is right now is jarring, to say the least. Now the red is completely gone from her face.

"Akita Yamazaki? The mediator? I have heard of her, but I do not believe we have met. Perhaps we have but she forgot to mention her name," I answer her. It is sometimes hard for me to remember the names of everybody I have come across in my life. Being in the music business, especially in the position of composer, means I meet new people almost every day. Hard to get some of their names straight.

"Nevermind! She's just my sis!"

"Yes, your sister. I guess you bond with Emilynn over your siblings, right?" Having twenty-seven known siblings (I highly doubt I know all of them), I never really got close to any of them. Everybody else that I have to meet had another favorite sibling.

"Ha ha...well...we don't really get along. She's...um...interesting." That must be a sore spot for Mei. I do not understand how somebody that is considered a mediator could get this reaction from their sister.

"Interesting?" This is probably not a good idea, but a part of me desires to know. What does getting close to people related to you truly mean? I do not even know my mother that well so I have no experience to draw from.

"Um...um...she hates me," she admits. Mei is being surprisingly open. This is turning awkward. "...This game...will fuel the same hate...like it always does."

"How do you know that?" Why am I continuing this conversation? The logical part of my brain is screaming at me, but my emotion and curiosity are getting the better of me. This is rare, so why not stop now? Actually, stop now, this conversation can continue later.

"..." Okay, time to change the topic. I may be an adult, yet I still don't know how to deal with conversations with this. Especially with teenage girls. Or teenagers in general.

"So what's your favorite game?"

"Hm? That's a change of topic! I'll take it!" Mei smiles. "My fav game would have to be...hmmm...Overwatch! I main as Reaper FYI! He's dark like my soul." I see why Mei and Emilynn have become friends quickly. Although their personalities are very different, they both talk the same way about games.

"Reaper?"

"Yea, sometimes I just want to let out my inner emo!" She laughs. It is such a genuine laugh. Hearing something like this is rare, especially nowadays. Etsuko would have probably recorded it and used it for a lot of research.

"Sure thing-"

"Let's talk about you, Shiro! What's your favorite...um...instrument?" Mei, do not state it that way. That is a good way for people to think certain things about you. She truly is naive. At least socially.

"..."

"Instrument?"

"Please do not make me pick, Mei."

"Ok, ok, so, um, have you played any games, Shiro?" Mei is still looking for conversation. She is lucky that this passageway is suspiciously straight with no real twists or turns. Monokuma might be planning something.

"Well..." Before I could answer, I hear something from behind me. I realize that there is now a see-through wall between Mei and me. That is certainly something to stop our time together. "I think this is more important now."

"Crap, senpai, I think I'm stuck!" Mei is also back using that nickname as well. Not the worse thing I have been called, yet it starts to get annoying after a while. Much like anime protagonist. Those two now have even more in common.

"Just go the other way, perhaps it has opened now. Keep your cool. I will continue this way," I respond. Mei then turns around, and, with the little amount of space she has, brings out her handbook.

"Bye, Shiro! Let's talk again real soon!" Mei then turns her head around and smiles at me. Then she begins going to other direction by herself.

"Goodbye, Mei." Sighing, I continue going onward, alone once again. With Kazuhiko gone, and Ayano's whereabouts being currently unknown, I guess this is how I will be for now on. Alone. "I know I promised that I wouldn't get this emotional. Kazuhiko..."

But sometimes both of us lie.

Being alone is quite uneventful. All you have is yourself and your thoughts. Lately, I have only been thinking about Kazuhiko and the events surrounding this game. Having that conversation with Mei might make her become a useful ally in the future. She seems to know more than she is letting on.

"Ow!" Before I realize it, I figure out that I have run head-first into somebody. I have been stuck in my thoughts for so long that I was no longer paying attention to my surroundings. Now this pain in my head forces me back to reality.

"Sorry." I look at who I have ran into. To my surprise, he is yet another man. His face is hidden as he is accidentally hiding it while holding onto his head. Though, by the rest of his body, and by the fact that he is not on this side, means he is clearly a man.

"Excuse me, my name's Himura Sachihiro, Ultimate Violinist! I hope we become friends!"

Himura Sachihiro

Ultimate Violinist

He then faces me and shines a great, big smile. Himura's smile reminds me of Kazuhiko. Everything about him strangely reminds me of Kazuhiko. Even this weird, strange feeling in my chest.

Himura has black hair that is clean cut, the opposite of my long ponytail and ahoge (I do believe this is what it is called, but I might have to ask Emilynn later). His eyes are a sharp, icy blue that is both calming and brilliant at the same time. He also has pale skin that is very well taken care of. Despite being a violinist, Himura has an athletic body type, so he must take good care of himself in his downtime. Everything about him is approachable as he seems to be friendly, yet much more relaxed compared to some of the girls.

His outfit is standard casual formal fare. Himura wears a formal, long-sleeved white shirt with a grey vest over it. He has on black jeans and dress shoes that are the same color. Around his neck is a pendant of a music note. One thing stands out, however, and that he is somehow dragging his violin case with him using just his left foot. Those muscles have already served him well in this game.

"Greetings, my name is Shiro Amari, Ultimate Composer-"

"Sorry to interrupt, but I'm such a big fan of yours! Why are you with the girls?" Oh, so Himura is a fan of mine? That would make things much simpler. I have heard of his name a couple times yet have never gotten the opportunity to play with him.

"I do not know, Himura," I answer him. Honestly, it is a bit overwhelming to have a fan inside the Killing Game. Especially one that looks the way that Himura does.

Wanting to check something, I pull out his profile using my handbook. I notice that the rest of the boys cannot be accessed right at this moment, but Himura can now. So I click on Himura's profile and read more about him. His age is eighteen...oh thank God.

"Hmmm...then you wanna hang out with the boys? I can take you the other way! I know you'll like some...and not others. Shiro, heed my warnings and stay away from Ryoichi Homura." Ryoichi Homura? What can be so bad about him? Then again, knowing how some other of my classmates are, especially in my own class, I should be prepared for anything.

"Why's that?"

"Oh, he's just a lunatic. But wanna hang out after this too? With the other boys? Oh, I think you would like Jun! He has the same interest in the arts as us. There's also Kitsu, he's cool. Everybody's cool." Himura sure likes to talk, yet, for some reason, I do not find him annoying. Perhaps it's because he's not yelling every line in my ear.

"Right now we should be focused on the girls, however. Monokuma gave us an extra motive and told us to blame it on Jun," I tell Himura. There is no way I will be telling what it is though. If he wants to know, he can figure it easily by getting out of here and asking one of the girls. Some might not want to talk, but Etsuko would probably happily show him her photo.

"What?" I am about to say something, but then the space above us opened up. Both of us ditch our current conversation and make our way back to the main level. I realize that we are just outside the girl's section of Yuu and Yuki's room.

"So this is what the girl's side looks like," Himura notes. He looks around, examining the area around him. This is no time to ask him about the boys because I am pretty sure that the both of us should be able to open the gym doors from the outside.

"We should go to the gym. Most of the girls are still locked in the gym-"

"A body has been discovered. After a brief period of investigation, there will be a Class Trial. The boys are also free to roam with the girls now. Remember to not get busy with each other during the investigation! If you want to know, that poor murdered soul is hanging in the gym." I cannot believe what I am hearing. Somebody has given into Monokuma's demands so early in the game.

"We have to hurry!" Himura exclaims. He takes hold of my hand as he begins to run fast towards the gym. It makes sense he is taking me along since I will actually know the way. Though I am focusing more on the fact that we are technically holding hands.

"Yes, continue going straight..." I list the directions. All I can hope for now is that the killer can be found and nothing like this will happen again. But, knowing history, thinking like would only lead to disappointment. Somebody always died in these games. Monokuma made sure of that.

We make it to the gym doors in one piece. Except for my poor lungs. Himura sure is hit, and comparing myself to him makes me feel self-conscious. I was never known to be the type that exercised a lot.

"The girls must be inside," I comment. Himura lets go of my hand and I cannot help to feel somewhat disappointed. We then open the doors together to see that they are now unlocked. This is not going to be a pretty sight.

Near the entrance, Asuka, Emilynn, Ichiko, and Mizore stare in horror at something that is in front of them. Etsuko is farther in the room with an uncharacteristic expression of concern written all over her face, even though there seems to be a slight smile forming on her lips. There is one concerning thing about Etsuko, however, and that is her covered in blood. Spots of the room are blood-soaked while others still have a clear shine to them.

The weird thing, however, is that there is a rope tied to one of the exercise bars (it is about eight feet in the air probably because of some cruel joke). I really should have investigated the gym more. A rope is tangled on the bar itself, and somebody is hanging from the other side. Not from her knee, but her foot is stuck. She is still swinging side from side slightly.

Moving onto the girl herself, she seems to have been bruised in various places. The cause of death at first glance could be blunt force trauma. Blood is still dripping from her head onto the floor underneath her. Her eyes are wide open and it is clear that the girl was in shock as she painfully died. Both her arms also seem to be broken as they are in very unnatural positions.

Various athletic tools are now out of place all over the gym. The thing is, by the just looking at them, the murder weapon cannot be figured out. More than one of the items is covered with blood. However, one thing stands out, her handbook. A picture is clearly being shown of another girl being stabbed and beaten to death brutally in some kind of forest. That is when I recognize the girl as the one I lent out gloves to all those years ago. She is still wearing them in that picture...

"Here!" I hand a girl dressed up like some sort of baby a pair of gloves, for she looked uncomfortable showing the world that her hands were fake. She is clearly doing this for her sister who is wearing a similar kind of getup.

I should have known. That girl herself told him that she wanted to be a mediator. For some reason, that memory seems to stay with me, no matter how much I want to get rid of it.

And...that little girl...

Even though it does not make sense, I have figured out who that little girl is. That girl that may have been crying and complaining, but was still full of life. Just how in the world does this make sense? She should not be high school age, let alone an Ultimate...

...And yet, here is Mei Yamazaki, the Ultimate E-Sports Gamer, lifeless.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! The first death! Never be a Yamazaki in my stories. Or else you'll die first.

And, look, Himura is here to save Shiro from all the girls. Shiro approves.

Just a note, the rewrite of FoD has officially begun. And, yes, DiOS will also have a rewrite after chapter three. Only the first chapter of FoD is completely finished tho. Just forty more to go (save me).

Reviews~

tobi-is-an-artist-too-Yep, Mei is gone. Bye Mei. OF COURSE IT IS NOT GOOD, THIS IS THE COMMITTEE SAGA! I break all your hopes and dreams! Well, Mei didn't get the hint, and, well, um...yeah. Did you find Mei cute? Too bad, she's dead. Save your tea for FoD, especially the final trial. BREAK ALL YOUR HOPES AND DREAMS! Natsuki, no, don't use the escape pod, you can only do that by murrrddder. Emilynn and Etsuko are filling up the room with sexual tension. Asuka and Shiro are gone for one second and one of their kids murdered another one. Thanks ^_^

KananMari-RIP Mei Yamazaki. RIP any Yamazaki. RIP RIP RIP. Thanks, I'm here to tear your ships apart. Cool, I hope you did well (I'm horrible at fighting games so whelp). Somebody get Kanan a girl like Mei...very, very dead. XD Sorry not sorry. UWAUU! Well, Emilynn's waifu died. Don't be a waifu. Natsuki is like OH HELL NAH! Somebody save Etsuko from herself.

Scissor-Snipper-Yep, free time, every time! Shiro gets around. Sachiko likes living on the edge, uwauu! Except for when she's not on roller coasters! Only on rollercoasters. Ichiko is me whenever somebody cleans my dirty room and moves all my writing outlines (I'm looking at you JJ). The apartments are here to haunt you! Monokuma saved Ichiko from the death flags. Etsuko won't leave anyone alone. ;) Well, um, Mei is dead.