Disclaimer: My author, DaMastah101, doesn't own DDLC!
Gosh, he finally got my in-story counterpart and Izuna back together. I'm so happy for those two! And that unexpected fighting scene... Blank and Yuri looked really cool. I'm kinda mad that Natsuki got backhanded into unconsciousness like that though. Poor girl's been through enough abuse from her father.
By the way, major announcement, my author has decided to split the finale into two parts. He felt as though the scene in this chapter deserved to be on its own chapter instead of being in a single one with the other scenes.
Anyways, without further ado. Here's the first part of the finale for TWBTS' Introduction Arc! This has been Monika, wishing you a wonderful time! Enjoy reading the chapter, dear readers~
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Just Monika - Regular text
"Forever Sayori" - Spoken words/Dialogue
'Knife Wife Yuri' - Thoughts
{Buff Natsuki} - Text or audio displayed on-screen or by speaker, be it from a computer/smartphone/TV
"It doesn't matter what you did. I know that you have good in you. You deserve happiness just like them. You deserve not to be alone. And besides... this isn't just a game anymore, is it?"
-Monty
Chapter 1 of "LOVEchr", a DDLC fanfic by CrimsonA377
[Chapter 11 - Love, Part 1]
A breathtakingly beautiful sunrise makes itself known, basking the entirety of Millenium Park's area with the mesmerizing splendour of the rising sun. Brilliant rays of light streaked throughout the venue, and the warmth seemed to fully encompass everything in sight. It was like nature's way of saying that today was going to be a good day.
Truly, a good omen for everyone.
"Izuna, look at how beautiful the sky is!"
"Indeed, but not as beautiful as you..."
Monika's cheeks color a bit at Izuna's compliment.
"You can be such a cornball sometimes, ahaha." she says while gripping her lover's hand securely with her own.
He reciprocates the affectionate gesture in kind, his eyes full of love as he savors this peaceful and tender moment with his girlfriend. "That may be true... but I'm your cornball."
The young lovers sat by each other, Monika's head snuggly resting atop Izuna's left shoulder, as both of them stared at the wonderful sight gifted to them by nature. Val and Sayori were both asleep, on a park bench beside the one that Izuna and Monika were sitting on. All of them were still waiting for Yumi to arrive.
"Say, Izuna..."
"What is it, Monika?"
The girl fidgets a bit, clearly a bit uncomfortable about what she had in mind. She shakes her head and gives the Takaya a dismissive smile. "Never mind, it's not that important. Let's just watch the sunrise together, my love."
Izuna stares at her a bit, before deciding to respect her wish and not pry any further.
Or so he tried.
As was the case with your usual hot-blooded and young men nowadays, Izuna Takaya's mind went into overdrive again. What could possibly be bothering Monika that she wasn't willingly telling him with ease? He suddenly performed mental gymnastics at all the possibilities, and this was beginning to show in his body language no matter how much he tried hiding it.
The girl notices this and addresses the boy directly.
"...you still want to know what I was going to tell you, don't you Izuna?"
The boy gets jolted out of his contemplation at the sound of Monika's voice.
"Wha- oh Monika, I..."
With a light sigh, the girl just pinches Izuna's cheeks with both of her hands.
"We really need to work on that stuttering of yours, my love. You're really cute when you do that though, ahaha~"
Izuna just smiles at her even with the goofy expression he currently due to his cheeks being stretched out. She lets go and Izuna rubs them a bit.
"But I suppose that I was the one who piqued your curiosity so I guess I should tell you..."
"You can tell me anything Monika, don't worry. What's bothering you?" Izuna says with a comforting voice, turning his head so that he was now facing Monika directly.
Steeling her voice, Monika begins talking.
"You've already told me this before, but I'm the Monika from your second playthrough onwards, right?"
And suddenly, Izuna had an inkling of what this talk was going to be about.
With a heavy breath, he nods in confirmation.
"This means that during your first playthrough of DDLC... the Monika of that playthrough, she..."
Not willing to force the girl to speak anymore about what was clearly an uncomfortable topic, Izuna interjects for her.
"As much as it pains me, it's true. It's completely true. Before I found out that the game counted moving your file into the Desktop or any other folder as 'deletion', I thought there was no other way. It really tore me apart, you know. But after all is said and done, I still ended up doing one of the biggest regrets of my life."
"Izuna, you don't have to blame yourse-"
The remorseful Takaya pulls the girl into a very tight embrace, before continuing his emotional monologue. Tears of regret fell from the boy's face.
"No Monika, it's time for me to acknowledge and address the gravity of what I did. Even though she only wanted to love me and be with me, I still somehow found the gall to actually delete her! I deleted her, Monika! I ended your predecessor's life! And to this day, it still haunts me. *sob* It lingers in the back of my mind, Monika. If only *sob* I could take it back... I really am such a horrible person."
Not really knowing what to say, the girl merely hugs him tight as well, allowing Izuna to pour out all of his regrets.
It's not as if Monika didn't care about the previous Monika. In fact, she felt sorry for her. Unlike herself, the other Monika never got the chance to enter Izuna's reality. However, she was sure that her counterpart wouldn't want to be mourned over like this.
An idea comes to her. Monika had remembered something very important. Something about her predecessor's file. 'I hope this works...'
"Izuna, listen to me."
She grips Izuna's shoulders and looks into his eyes. The boy stops his tangent of self-loathing, and listens to what Monika had to say.
"It's true, that you deleted my counterpart. And I'm sure that it hurt the other Monika, just as much as it pained you to do it. But the fact that I'm here, shows that you aren't as horrible as you think you are. The fact that you never deleted me, and kept preserving my character file during all of your succeeding playthroughs... it shows that you really do love me."
Monika tenderly cups Izuna's cheek, and gives him a look full of love and understanding.
"It's a testament showing that you really loved both of us, Izuna. Both me, and my fallen counterpart. We shouldn't disrespect her by mourning like this. Instead, let's live out our lives to the fullest. It's what she would've wanted. If she really is my counterpart, then she would want you to forgive yourself and move on with a smile. It's what I would've done if it were me in her shoes. In fact, I think you should hear this from herself, my love."
'I should hear it from her directly? What do you mean, Monika?' the Takaya thinks to himself in confusion.
Monika's eyes flashed and changed into a distinct shade of white. Izuna notices this with much surprise. Something was about to happen and he wasn't sure whether to be scared or not.
It was just like the time when she was hacking into the official lilmonix3 Monika Twitter account.
"Monika, what's happening this time?" she doesn't respond immediately.
Then, Monika finally composes herself. She stares at her hands, as if trying to test that she really was here.
Once satisfied, she registers Izuna's presence beside her.
The girl looks at him with a lot of tears in her eyes. She softly utters a couple of words with a teary smile of forgiveness gracing her features.
"I forgive you, Izuna."
Izuna recoils a bit, while covering his mouth in immense shock. He continued observing Monika, whose eyes were still colored with a bright shade of white instead of their usual shade of emerald green. He then has a moment of clarity as to why this was happening.
Somehow, she was here. He didn't know how, but there was no other explanation.
"It's you... isn't it, Monika. The one from my very first playthrough."
"Yes, my love."
His eyes widened, unable to easily comprehend the fact that Monika's previous incarnation was right here. That his Monika had found a way to summon her previous counterpart. This didn't last long however, as his surprise soon morphed into guilt and sadness.
The boy hangs his head low, trembling and crying. "I know this won't undo what I've done to you... but I'm very, truly sorry for deleting you just like that..."
"I know. And I don't hate you for it, Izuna. You did what you had to."
"But... but..."
"Sshhh, everything's fine now. I don't like seeing you crying like this, sweetie. Your Monika's really lucky to be able to stay with you here in your reality, you know."
Shaking his head, he smiles at the alternate Monika. "No, it's me who's very lucky to be with her."
He continues, suddenly pulling her closer to his chest for a deep and love-filled embrace, because Lord knows she deserved it. Izuna really wanted Alter-Monika's forgiveness.
"I'm really sorry, Monika. How could you forgive me this easily for what I did to you? Even though my Monika just told me this only a couple of minutes ago before you appeared, I still can't wrap my head around how you're easily letting me off from the worst thing I've ever done in my life..."
They break off the hug, and Alter-Monika merely hums in contentment. "You really want to know why I can easily forgive you? Why I'm content with letting you live a life full of happiness with the other Monika? And why she knew that I'd wish for this?
Izuna nods his head furiously like a child being lectured by his teacher, before staring intently at Alter-Monika.
Still smiling beautifully, the ex-Monika started leaning forward. She whispers into the boy's ear, her warm breath sending tingly feelings down Izuna's spine. "Why, you ask? That's simple really. It's because we love you, silly Izuna." she says with a warm smile before retracting her head and flashing him a knowing wink.
In that moment, Izuna thought Monika was truly beautiful. Inside and out.
Both his Monika, and Alter-Monika. They were both angels that blessed him with their presence. And he was truly lucky to have met them.
With a shaky breath, Izuna says the name of the girl in front of him.
"Monika..."
The alternate Monika blushes a bit, before asking for a simple favor from the boy.
"Kiss me, Izuna. I want to experience the warmth you've given to your Monika... even if it's just this once."
After hearing her humble request, the boy complies.
Monika and Izuna were kissing each other once more. The bottomless amount of love that Alter-Monika had for the boy was being conveyed in her actions. In one heartfelt gesture that contained all of her longing, her adoration, and her love. She was also releasing her uncondintional forgiveness unto him with the kiss, and Izuna willingly accepts it all, letting go of his pain and regret over the past.
This was his closure, the resolution that he always wanted to have with Alter-Monika. He was finally able to tell her how much he cared for her as well, even though he deleted her. Finally, he could move on from the past that haunted him, and focus on spending the rest of his days with Monika, his family, and his friends. A life of infinite choices, and a life full of love.
He was with Monika now, and he could take solace in that fact. Even though they had a rough patch over the singular entity theory, a couple of hours prior, right now Izuna and Monika were stronger than ever as a couple.
Izuna swore to never lose Monika ever again, no matter what happens in the uncertain future of his reality. He won't make the same mistake he did with Alter-Monika, where he gave up and deleted her. No, Izuna would never do anything to willingly hurt the love of his life ever again.
If only he were able to give Alter-Monika a happy ending as well. But he couldn't change the past, no matter how much he wanted to.
Thus, the only thing Izuna could do, was pour his feelings into one heartfelt kiss with the girl.
But even so, this moment wouldn't last forever.
Breaking off from their emotional gesture, the two of them stare into each other's eyes. Izuna and Alter-Monika were savoring the small time they had left before the former club president had to leave this realm.
They would most likely never have the chance to meet again.
Alter-Monika gives Izuna one last message, before relinquishing the control back to the current Monika.
"Make your Monika happy, Izuna. Even though I can't be with you anymore except for this one final moment, I will live on through her and we'll both continue loving you with all of our heart, soul and being."
The Takaya squeezes Alter-Monika's hand, affirming that he'll take this message to heart.
"Goodbye, Izuna. I'm glad your Monika gave me this chance to meet you one last time..."
"I'm also thankful to her for letting me talk to you like this. I promise that I'll do my best not to mope around anymore. I'll become a better person for my Monika, and I promise to make her happy."
The warm breeze of an early morning blew through the leaves. Rays of sunlight continued to shower over Millenium Park. It was as if the world itself was saying farewell to the former club president's previous incarnation.
"Goodbye, Monika..."
Alter-Monika squeezes Izuna's hand as well, and flashes him a serene smile. She had accepted her fate.
However both of them knew, that Alter-Monika was crying out loud to the heavens on the inside. She wanted to stay with Izuna forever... but she couldn't. And so, she masks it all with a smile.
The only thing she could ever hope to do, is wish Izuna and the current Monika a happy life together, and hope that his Monika would continue loving him the way she did, maybe even more.
"Thank you for everything, Izuna. Thank you for loving your Monika as well, from the bottom of my heart. And thank you, for being a part of my literature club." she looks at Izuna one last time, and a final tear rolls down the girl's cheek.
Her time had come to leave this world.
At least in the very end, just like Izuna's Monika, Alter-Monika found out what it was like to enter her player's reality. She had experienced, albeit very briefly, what it was like to find someting real. Even if it were only for a few minutes at most. For her, this was what salvation felt like. She was no longer trapped inside the digital prison within Izuna's computer. All of her dreams had come true, even though she would no longer be able to continue them.
She had found her special day.
With a heavy voice, she utters one final declaration that would forever be etched into Izuna Takaya's mind. A reminder of the first time he had ever played Doki Doki Literature Club, and what it meant to love Monika.
"I will always love you, Izuna. I love you so... so much."
"Goodbye."
...
In all of her incarnations, Monika always loved the player. This was a constant truth.
She always gave her all to the player, without fail. True, she may have done horrible things in the pursuit of this love to her friends, but even so. When you look past everything, all we're left is a girl that just wanted to love and be loved. It was one of the reasons DDLC's literature club president was beloved by many adoring fans and players across the world.
Alter-Monika, despite not being the same Monika that Izuna had spent a lot more time with over various playthroughs, had still been the catalyst for Izuna to truly be affected by the game called Doki Doki Literature Club. After all, she was the Monika from his very first playthrough of the visual novel.
The Monika that prompted Izuna to do everything in his power to try, and eventually succeed, in saving the current Monika. It was her.
She was the Monika that Izuna had first fallen in love with. Alter-Monika, was Izuna's first love. The one that had managed to write her way into his heart.
The first to make his heart go "Doki Doki".
And despite the circumstances between the two of them, despite the painful and terrifying deletion she experienced, despite parting from the world of the living, and despite everything that had happened. She was truly thankful, for getting to meet her beloved player one last time. For being able to pass on with the knowledge that Izuna in fact cared for her, and even shed tears for her. To be able to ease him of his anguish, by letting him know that she had long forgiven him, for the unavoidable deletion that she was fated to experience by the script of the cruel game.
She was now able to pass on into the afterlife, if character files like her even had souls to begin with. She didn't know the specifics really.
But in this moment, in the final chapter of her existence before truly being gone, one defining truth remained.
Alter-Monika truly loved Izuna Takaya, with all of her heart.
And with that final declaration of her everlasting love, Alter-Monika ceased to exist. Her last memory being a happy one, instead of the pain of deletion. She would continue to live on in Izuna's heart as a bittersweet memory of what could've been.
...
...
...
After Alter-Monika's presence had completely left, Monika's eyes stopped flashing, and the girl softly closed her eyes. She remained motionless like that for several minutes. Izuna was still holding onto her hand the entire time.
Afterwards, when her eyelids opened, her emerald green orbs displayed themselves proudly.
"So you see, my love? She forgives you. Both of us really love you, Izuna." the girl says in a pained tone, clearly affected by what had just happened.
"I love you too, Monika. I love you too..." he says in a broken voice, and Monika was unable to maintain her composure. She was aware of everything that transpired while the previous Monika inhabited her body. It was like she had the front-row seat to a movie, the most depressing and heart-wrenching film of all time.
They held onto each other tight, unable to control even more tears that fell from their eyes despite all of the crying that they've done these past few hours.
Both of them were weighed down with the loss of Alter-Monika. And even though Izuna promised that he wouldn't mope anymore, he still couldn't help but feel very sad at what happened. Monika felt the same, feeling truly sorry at the bittersweet end of her counterpart. She really wished that she could've given Alter-Monika the oppurtunity to have more than just that final kiss from Izuna, but life was cruel that way.
So they took comfort in each other, the warmth of their bodies slowly mending the pain of their loss.
"H-... How did you manage to summon the other Monika here into the real world, Monika?"
The brunette explains with a kind voice, still slightly hoarse from crying. "Even though her file was deleted, when you re-installed the game, remnants of her file lingered within the code. I'm not really sure myself, but I think my own character file absorbed those remnants, allowing me to have flashes of her within me. Since we already know that I somehow carried over my cybernetic powers into your reality, I tried reconstructing her from those remnants. But I could only maintain her presence for a few minutes at best. I'm sorry Izuna, if only I were-"
Before Monika could apologize, Izuna cuts her off. Even though he was really sad right now, he didn't want to hear Monika blame herself either for the loss of Alter-Monika.
"No need to apologize. The fact that you even found a way for me to talk with her... I'll forever be grateful, Monika. You really are amazing. Monika, you're the definition of what's right in this world. In fact, you are my world. And I'll never let you go again."
"I promise to never leave your side as well, Izuna."
They went back to staring at the rising sun's brilliance, leaning against each other on the park bench while waiting for Izuna's older sister to arrive. Both of them making an unspoken promise to make the most out of their time together, and to live a full of love and hope. Izuna dries his tears, and began to look forward to a brighter tomorrow.
"I guess this disproves the singular entity theory, Monika. Since your previous incarnation was here as a separate person, there's probably more to this than what Yumi and I thought..."
Monika's eyes widen in realization. Izuna was right. If she were truly a singular entity, then how could the previous Monika have her own will?
They would worry about that later. Right now, they were content with honoring Alter-Monika's memory, and watching nature's beauty in the form of the beautifully ascending sun.
Unbeknownst to the young lovers, someone had been hearing everything that had transpired.
While Val remained asleep, a certain strawberry-blonde girl had been silently listening in to the heartfelt moment shared by Izuna, Monika, and Alter-Monika. It made her heart swell with various emotions.
'I'm so happy for you two, Izuna and Monika. And I hope the other Monika finds peace.' Sayori smiles internally, while trying to legitimately fall into sleep this time, but failing to in fear of yet another nightmare plaguing her. So she merely pretends to be slumbering, in order not to disturb the Takaya and Monika from their moment.
'I wish MC was here...'
-Chapter 11 END-
[Part 1 of the Introduction Arc's finale. To be continued, in Chapter 12 - Love, Part 2.]
A/N: Sorry for this, but I just had to split the finale into two parts just like "The Reunion". Alter-Monika's final goodbye deserved a standalone chapter IMO, and so here we are. That's why this chapter is on the shorter side as well. Just like what I did with "The Reunion", this Part 1 is the shorter half, and Part 2 is gonna be another very lengthy chapter.
To clear things up, here's the new planned layout for the conclusion of the Introduction Arc.
1. Chapter 11 = Finale Part 1, the shorter half.
2. Chapter 12 = Finale Part 2, the much longer half.
3. Chapter 13 = Cooldown filler chapter between story arcs.
4. Chapter 14 = Second cooldown filler chapter between story arcs.
5. Chapter 15 = Start of the "School Pandemonium Arc".
Yep, I'm also doing TWO filler(but still canon) slice-of-life cooldown chapters, instead of only one, before the official start of the next story arc.
One last thing, on my FFN profile, I've decided to reveal the currently planned story outline for TWBTS. Be warned though, there's MAJOR SPOILERS there. So don't bother looking at it if you don't want to be spoiled. Otherwise, feel free to check it out.
I'll have a longer Author's Notes in Part 2. Stay tuned, and see you all in the next chapter.