Before the chapter starts, I just want to point out that the previous chapter was the correct prologue. It was meant to give insight on an OC I've created for this very story. The story is supposed to occur in chronological order, so chronologically, that had to happen first. The next time we see Kin (which is very soon), he will be much older than the last time.

That, plus I couldn't think of a good summary that didn't make the OC sound like he was the main character, which he isn't.

Sorry for the confusion, but that was the only way I could introduce Kin without making him look as a hastily slapped together OC, a Gary Stu, or a self-insert this early in the story, and I really wanted to get his introduction out of the way.

With that out of the way, on with the story!

Chapter 1: Door to the Unknown

"Situated in some nebulous distance, I do what I do so that the universal balance of which I am a part of may remain a balance."

-Antonio Porchia

It was over.

Junko Enoshima was dead.

She had activated her own gruesome execution, and reduced herself to a bloody red paste on national TV, but she was dead. She was dead, and Makoto Naegi held the remote that would release him and his friends from this hellhole after so long. That was what mattered.

Giddy with anticipation, his palms slick with sweat, he held the remote in his hand, the others standing behind him. The gatling guns were trained on them, but wouldn't shoot, per their programming. Taking a deep breath, he tried to calm himself down. A hand fell onto his right shoulder, and he turned around, to the face of Kyoko Kirigiri looking at him in worry.

"Are you okay?" She asked, and Makoto sighed, his hands growing still.

"I...Yeah, yeah. It's just hard to believe that everything's finally over." He looked at the remote, still splattered with some of Junko's blood and guts, and gulped, "Where's Byakuya-san and Toko-san?"

"They've gone to grab some food and water for after we leave. Hiro-san is packing some clothes and essentials for survival." Kyoko rolled her eyes, "For all that the man makes himself look like an idiot, he's surprisingly smart at survival topics."

Makoto smiled, "Remember when he managed to name every type of edible mushroom in the nearby forests? I swear, he could have been the Ultimate Survivalist instead." Kyoko chuckled at this, but her expression soon fell, to Makoto's sorrow.

"...So many have died here because of Junko. And even when she died, she got what she wanted..." Kyoko looked sullen for a second, before shaking her head, "We should wait a bit. Asahina-san is...she's saying her goodbyes to Sakura." Makoto nodded. This was the place where so many of their memories, good and bad, had been made. Even if they had forgotten so much about them, it would make sense that they say goodbye to their deceased friends.

"When we get out...there's a shovel in the second floor storage room. Can you go get it? I'll watch the turrets."

"Makoto, where are you going with this?" Her question was not filled with the same cold apathy like when they had first met, but rather, genuine curiosity.

"They don't deserve to be left rotting away in this damn building. They deserve a grave, or a coffin, and at least something for them to rest, dammit!" Makoto's hand tightened around the remote, and angry tears threatened to fall from his eyes, before he took a deep breath to calm himself, "Kyoko...please. Can you get the shovel?" Kyoko sighed, but nodded and quickly left, not wanting to drag out painful memories.

"Hm. Are we still waiting for the others?" A voice dripping with confidence and authority came from behind Makoto, and he didn't need to turn to know that Byakuya had joined them. He wore a pricey backpack filled with canned foods and water bottles. Behind him, Toko carried a less expensive satchel filled with medical supplies and juice. The two had changed into cleaner clothes, and Toko was furiously gnawing on her left thumbnail while staring at the turrets.

"W-W-What's taking them so long?! It's n-not like there's much to loot now." Toko growled, gulping as she kept glancing at the turrets. "T-Those damn guns make me so nervous..."

"Come now, Fukawa. As much as I want to drag them here, they deserve their own time alone." Byakuya's expression turned somber for a second, before he straightened, "Yasuhiro is still gathering supplies, and Asahina is..." He trailed off.

"...Yes, Master Byakuya." Toko muttered, her own face twisting with emotional pain as the memory of Sakura's suicide being revealed flashed across her mind.

"Hey, guys!" Yasuhiro's voice came from the hallway, as he walked towards them, a satchel filled with basic essentials, and supplies to survive outside and a huge grin on his face as he headed towards them. If one looked closely, they would see that the grin would seem to be strained, and that Yasuhiro had large bags under his eyes. A testament to how many sleepless he had spent while the killing game was going on. He held up the bag and waved it around, "I found some stuff in the Mastermind's Hideout! Junko had a map and gas masks and everything!"

"Alright, Yasuhiro. You got some adequate supplies, good for you." Byakuya snarked, sneering at Yasuhiro, who just dropped his head down and groaned at Byakuya's condescension.

"Come on, man, I tried. Gimme a little credit here." He whined, looking like a sad drug-addled puppy for some reason. Makoto had to bite his tongue to keep himself from laughing at the mental image of Yasuhiro's face on a puppy going through a bad high.

"'You tried' is a horrible excuse, but seeing as we are about to escape, I will let it slide," Byakuya replied. Before Yasuhiro could reply, footsteps came from down the room behind him, and Makoto saw Asahina walk down the hallway, before stopping near them. Her eyes were bloodshot, and there were tear streaks running down her face, but she held a resolve near unparalleled on her face, and nodded at Makoto.

"We're all here, Makoto. Let's get out of here." She said, as Kyoko returned with the shovel and nodded.

Gulping, Makoto raised the remote and pressed the 'Deactivate' button. Almost immediately, klaxons began to sound as the turrets deactivated and began to retract into the ceiling. The massive metal doors, rusted from disuse, began to move, gears grinding and screeching as they were pulled to the side, emitting a bright white light that pierced the darkness permeating the hallway. Makoto closed his eyes, basking in the light, joyful tears running down his face as he prepared to take his first step into the-

White.

There was nothing out there. Just a blank white canvas of a landscape with nothing there. Turning his head, Makoto stared in disbelief, his mouth gaping open. He had expected a fre broken buildings, or a mob, more Monokumas, something, dammit! Did Junko manage to destroy reality or something?! Behind him, similar expressions could be found on everyone's faces, confirming that he wasn't the only one seeing what he saw. Nothing. They had struggled, almost went insane with paranoia and bloodlust, gone through hell itself and back all for a literal load of pure nothing.

No, wait. There was something.

Makoto looked closer. It seemed to be a large shogi table, with the pieces too far to specify, but in large quantity for a shogi game. There was a small crowd surrounding the table, and two figures could be seen playing. Seeing nothing but the figures, and the table, he squinted, trying to see exactly who the figures were.

"...Makoto...here now...Hope...Remnant..." Wait what? Why had he heard his name from that direction. Curious, yet still cautious, he slowly walked towards the table. Noticing that the table was extremely far away, and walking would take a long time, his walk began a jog, which eventually became a sprint when he saw that jogging wouldn't work either.

As he ran, the figures in the distance began to grow clearer and clearer, and his heart began to pound faster as he recognized the clothes some of them wore. No, it was impossible! They were dead! He had personally seen their bodies! As if to prove him wrong, one of the figures turned towards Makoto upon hearing his footsteps, and he nearly tripped over his foot as she waved, her face lighting up.

"Hey! Makoto! Over here! Heeey!" Sayaka Maizono, impossibly, unimaginably, called for him to come over. Her eyes were bright, and full of tears at seeing him, and his mind, already reeling from the sight of her being alive somehow, spun.

Still, he ran towards Sayaka, tears running down his face. He could hear footsteps behind him, indicating that the others were running after him. Sayaka's cry had alerted the others, and they in turn spun around, their mouths falling open at the sight of Makoto running towards them. He could hear Asahina gasp in shock, and her pace quicken, before she sped past Makoto, and leaped arms first into Sakura, tears streaming down her face as she began to cry at the sight of her best friend.

"Y-You're real," He heard her gasp, "You're really real!"

"Yes," Sakura rumbled as she hugged Asahina back, tears in her eyes, "Yes, I'm real."

It was like the floodgates had been blown open. The survivors charged forward and tackled their dead friends, cheering and hugging each other. Makoto had hugged Sayaka while Leon had hesitantly walked over and smiled at him, giving him a thumbs up. He quickly fled after glancing at Sayaka. In the background, Chihiro and Mondo were talking to Yasuhiro and sharing jokes, while Mukuro, of all people, had taken Kyoko aside (much to her chagrin) and was hurriedly whispering something to her. Byakuya and Toko were speaking with Ishimaru and Hifumi, while he saw Celeste staring intently at the shogi board, as if she had completely immersed herself into the game.

"H-How did you get here?!" Sayaka exclaimed, still hugging Makoto. "It shouldn't be possible to access this dimension!"

"I don't know, actually. We opened the doors after beating Junko and-"

"I know. We all know. When we all died, we were transported here, and watched the killing game occur," Suddenly, she pecked Makoto on the cheek and smiled, "Good job defeating Junko, Makoto~ You saved them, you know!~"

Makoto suddenly looked down, sullen. "I...I couldn't save you, Sayaka. I couldn't save you or Leon or any of the victims and blackened in there. I just-" Sayaka put a finger on his lips to stop him.

"When I died, it was because of my own stupidity. When the others had died, they were manipulated by Junko, or chose to kill themselves, in Sakura's case. Don't blame yourself, Makoto. Please. Be that optimistic hero that beat the big bad villain, for us, OK?" Makoto nodded and hugged her, trying not to cry.

Sayaka just shot a victorious grin behind Makoto's back at Mukuro, who had turned around and was trying not to strangle the air in frustration.

"But...how?" Byakuya asked, as he and Ishimaru walked over, seemingly in their own conversation, "This should have been impossible, we all saw your bodies. I don't get how you're all standing before us right now."

"Ah, that is very simple to explain. It is because of their intervention." Ishimaru gestured to the two figures at the shogi tables, who were playing at lightning speed. Literally. There were sparks coming out of the shogi pieces, and every time one touched the board, it let loose a tiny boom and a small flash of electricity. Celeste had been trying to follow the game as much as she could.

Which obviously wasn't a lot. Her eyes were spinning around, and she seemed to be trying to hold her head in a vain attempt to stop them.

"And I do believe that is checkmate, little brother." Said one of the figures, sliding his Water Buffalo piece across the river and promoting it to a Fire Demon piece. The other figure , the 'little brother', looked at the board and sighed, nodding.

"It was a good match, brother. Well played." The two figures shook hands, and Celeste groaned.

"To think..." She muttered, "...That a simple game of Tenjiku shogi...has rendered me into this pathetic state...simply unheard of..." Makoto wasn't sure how to react to her words, but turned towards the two figures. Before, it had seemed like something had kept him from seeing their features, but now that the game was over, he could clearly see what they looked like now.

The older brother was tall, almost reaching Sakura's height, and was quite thin. He was dressed in a pure white toga, with rings made of light circling his fingers. He was barefoot, had pale skin, and slicked-back hair whiter than pure snow. A sun symbol ticked like a clock behind his head, and his eyes, his irises a swirl of silver and golden, crinkled in amusement at the sight of the survivors' faces, a gentle smile plastered on his face. For some reason, he seemed to float rather than walk, even as his feet were touching the ground.

The younger brother, was not as tall or thin, but seemed more fit, with slight bags under his eyes and a feeling of feral power before him. He wore a disheveled black toga, with orbs of darkness circling around him, like they were in orbit. He wore straw sandals, his skin had a tan seen only on people who often visited beaches during the summer, and his hair was a wild mop so black that it was nearly undefinable, all light seeming to be pulled into it and just...disappear. A shattered moon symbol seemed to go through every lunar phase possible behind his head, and his eyes, pure black, with no signs of sclera or irises, seemed to stare at them with a sort of arrogance nearly unheard of. An arrogant sneer crossed his face, as he watched the survivors.

"Ahem." Makoto's attention was drawn back to the elder brother, as he smiled and began to talk, "Well, this was...unexpected. It seems that even with all odds stacked against you, Makoto Naegi, you have managed to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat." The younger brother scoffed.

"I will not critique the results, brother, but were he in any other situation, he would have been crushed mercilessly." The younger brother smiled (it felt plain wrong being directed at him), "But that is not why why brought you here."

"Indeed. Makoto Naegi, through defeating Junko Enoshima in psychological combat, and indirectly causing her demise, you have created a vast amount of enemies that will attempt to find and kill you. However, the killing game had caught our attention when it began, and the deceased have begged us to help you, were you to win." The elder brother held out his hand, and a bright white orb appeared in it. "With you having lost nearly everything in your home dimension, we offer you this: Will you accept a second chance at a better life, and come to our world?"

"What." Was Makoto's elaborate reply, as the five survivors behind him choked on air.

"It's simple, really." The younger brother piped up, "We bring you and your friends to our world. Even the dead ones. We can just," He snapped his fingers, and everyone who had died in the killing game seemed to shudder, "Done. They're all alive. Ta-da, presto, and all that mumbo-jumbo."

"What." Makoto repeated. Next to him, Sayaka put a hand to her chest, feeling around.

"Oh my God." She muttered, "I have a heartbeat! Everyone, check your pulses!"

Hastily checking their pulses, cries of shock and disbelief rang out when the deceased discovered that, yes, they really were alive again. Makoto just stared at the beings who had brought his friends back to life like it was a magic trick.

"I, you, what-" Makoto stammered.

"We're gods, Makoto." The younger brother said flippantly, "We make reality our bitch on a daily basis."

"B-But-"

"Brother, please stop. I think you broke poor Makoto here."

"I, you, hurgle." At that moment, Makoto decided to do the thing any sane man would have done in this situation.

He fainted.

"...koto? Makoto? MAKOTO!"

Makoto sat up in his bed (it was strangely comfortable, and his room was more spacious than he remembered), gasping for air, and looked around frantically.

"Sayaka! You wouldn't believe the dream I had! I dreamed that we watched Junko get herself crushed and, and suddenly we were in this white land of nothing, and then I saw you waving at me wait a second." He paused, and stared at her, before sighing, "That wasn't a dream, was it?"

"Nope~" Sayaka chirped, grinning as she sat by Makoto, "The others were worried about you and requested that you make your choice later. Want to think about it a little more?"

"I..." He gulped, "...Were there any terms? Anything we had to agree to?" Sayaka shrugged.

"They said that they would tell everyone after you woke up. Wouldn't tell us anything afterwards. I think they've been arranging for something big, though."

"...You think they'll help protect Komaru?"

"Hm?"

"Komaru? My mom. My dad." Makoto looked down, "I want to go, but I also want my family to be safe... I just don't know what I should do..."

"Perhaps I can help with that."

Makoto and Sayaka both yelped and jumped up, a the Edler Brother's voice came from behind them.

"W-W-When did you get there?!" Makoto stammered, sweating profusely. The fact that he was talking to a divine being, one that wasn't of his world, yet was powerful enough to manipulate it, made him nervous. The Elder Brother smiled kindly.

"Do not worry, Makoto. My brother and I have already taken precautions for your worries. Should you or anyone of your friends name people you would like protected, we can bring them into this realm, safe from rioters and Ultimate Despair."

"Wait, seriously?" The Brother nodded, "Can...you bring spirits here?"

The Brother shook his head, "Unfortunately, that is not part of my domain. You will have to speak to my brother about spirits."

"Alright, I...I just need some time to think."

"That is understandable. It is a humongous decision to make. I'll leave you to your thoughts now." And with that, the Brother seemed to break into motes of light and disappear.

"Makoto...Are you fine?" Sayaka, who had been sitting quietly while listening to the conversation, piped up. She looked at Makoto worriedly, and he sighed.

"I-I'm fine. Don't worry about it." Sayaka nodded, and quickly hugged him.

"You can talk to me if you need anything, OK?" She said, smiling when he nodded. She got up and quickly left the room, and Makoto flopped onto his back, groaning into the pillow.

He still needed time to think, dammit!

Sayaka closed the door and sighed, trying to calm her racing heart as she walked away from the room Makoto was in.

"So, had a nice chat?"

Sayaka squeaked, and jumped away from the voice.

"Don't do that! It scares me!" She whined, pouting a bit as she glared at the source of the voice.

"Hmph. And why should I listen to you?" Mukuro Ikasuba replied, glaring at Sayaka with a massive amount of hatred, before she relaxed, "How's Makoto?"

"He'll be fine. He's still shaken about the decision, but he'll bounce back." She looked around, at the house she knew wasn't possibly real, "It's hard to believe that the Brothers just made this house with a literal flick of the wrist."

After Makoto had fainted, the Brothers had flicked their wrists, and chunks of white had reconstructed themselves to become building materials, which then built themselves into an actual house. To say that everyone was shocked would be an understatement.

"Remember when I got here? The first thing I did was try to attack them, and they flicked me back a couple of meters without even looking." Sayaka smirked at the reminder.

"Another reason why Makoto's going to pick me and not you," She snarked, using a hand to flip her hair, "Makoto doesn't like headstrong girls like you."

"WHY YOU LITTLE..." Mukuro growled, but she stopped herself and took several deep breaths, calming herself down, "Well, I don't think Makoto would want a girl who tried to frame him for murder." Sayaka's eye twitched.

"...You do know this means war, right?"

"Bring it, bitch." Mukuro growled.

Makoto Naegi would forever remain curious as to why he felt a shiver run down his back at that very moment.

It was after half an hour that Makoto left the house, which immediately disassembled itself and merged the remains into the white nothingness. Noticing his presence, the others immediately turned, awaiting his answer. Even Kyoko, who was normally calm and collected, looked at him with a sort of anticipation you'd expect from a hungry puppy waiting for food.

"Well, Makoto? What is your answer?" Came the voice of the Elder Brother, and he suddenly appeared to his left.

"Move for our world, or stay in yours?" The Younger Brother said from his right.

"I..." Makoto started, then paused, "First, before I answer, what about people we want to stay safe?" The Elder seemed to smile at Makoto remembering his words, while the Younger Brother scowled at the question.

"We will bring them to this dimension, and keep them safe from despair. We can provide them with food, shelter, drinks, and more. All you have to do name them." The Elder Brother answered. Makoto smiled to himself at the cheering from his friends.

"Then I'll move on to your world, along with everyone. That is my answer." Makoto replied, "We should start naming who we want safe, shouldn't we?"

"Yes, you should. Please do hurry. The window of opportunity is rapidly closing." At that, a chorus of voices rang out from behind him. He could hear "Kanon Nakajima", "Takaaki Ishimaru", "Yuta Asahina" and more. The Brothers were dutifully taking notes on who was being named, and Makoto waited until they had quieted down, and the Brothers had turned to him.

"And who do you wish to keep safe, Makoto?"

"I want Komaru, Ichirou, and Hibiki Naegi to stay safe. " Makoto asked, his expression suddenly turning pensive, "Is it possible to bring them here? I'd like to see proof that they are brought here safely." The Brothers nodded at his words, and simply held out a hand.

And then they were suddenly there.

Everyone they had named had just simply appeared in front of them, looking confused, before they noticed who was in front of them.

The celebrating was justifiably excessive, but well-deserved. Makoto had been group-hugged by his family, all of which were crying tears of relief. He noticed Sayaka's idol group hugging her, and the Crazy Diamonds comforting their leader. Evidently, they had seen the broadcast.

Celeste and Toko were tending to their pets, and everyone else was being hugged by their friends or family members (though Makoto did notice that Leon was turning blue, and seemed to be extremely nervous.)

After a bit, when everyone had finally quieted down (Didn't mean they were calm, but it was a close second), the Brothers had reappeared and tapped Makoto on the shoulders, causing him to turn around.

"We'll bring them to somewhere else, and explain the situation with them." They said, and Makoto nodded. He wanted them to understand why they would be leaving soon. At least he was able to see them a last time. Noticing the look on his face, the Brothers smiled (though, the Younger Brother looked like he was sneering, for some reason), "Don't worry, they'll be able to visit you if they want to."

"Thanks," Makoto nodded, before the Brothers disappeared with everyone. Makoto turned, and informed the others about what the Brothers would do, and the fact that they could visit if they wanted to. It was about 25 minutes later that the Brothers returned, and everyone in tow. Upon seeing Makoto, Komaru immediately walked over and hugged him.

"You better kick lots of butt where you're going, OK?" Komaru asked, clinging to Makoto like a koala. It was understandable, seeing as her brother would be heading to another world for who knew how long.

"Don't worry, Komaru. Your big brother's got this, OK?" He replied, patting her head and smiling. Komaru just smiled and nodded, her eyes brimming with tears

"Hey...uh, Brothers?" Mondo suddenly said, and Makoto turned to see him nervously looking at the deities, "I know it's kind of a chore for you, but...is it possible if I spoke with my brother for a while?"

The Elder Brother just elbowed the Younger Brother in the side, gesturing at him to do...something. Sighing, the Younger Brother snapped his fingers, and suddenly, Makoto saw a taller, more mature-looking version of Mondo with dark hair, standing before him.

"...Bro?"

"Yo, Mondo! Been a long time, right?"

And then Mondo was crying while his brother's spirit hugged him, apologizing over and over again, while the Crazy Diamonds struggled to hold in tears at the sight of their former leader. It was kind of heartwarming.

They spent the next 15 minutes talking, about the latest trends, and the Tragedy, and what had happened. Mondo informed Daiya on what was going to happen, to which Daiya nodded proudly, and slapped his brother on the back.

"My brother, the best damn biker on Earth, going to another dimension!" He laughed, wiping away joyful tears, "Give 'em hell, bro!"

"You got it, bro!"

Daiya floated over to a nervous Ishimaru, who stared back and gulped.

"You're my bro's kyoudai, aren't ya?" He asked Ishimaru, who only saluted and nodded, "You better take good care of him, alright? He's a knucklehead at times, but he's got a good heart."

"Yes, Boss!" Ishimaru shouted, bowing at Daiya's order. Daiya grinned and turned towards Mondo.

"You got yourself a good kyoudai, bro." Mondo just blushed and groaned at Daiya's teasing.

"Ahem." Instantly, everyone's attention was towards the Elder Brother, "While this is extremely nice, there is still one term you must agree to, Makoto."

"And the term is?" Makoto asked.

"You must take Junko Enoshima with you."

His request was met with cries of outrage and murderous intent. Before anyone could truly argue, he held up a hand

"Please, settle down and let me explain." He said, "Our control in this dimension is limited. We can only create one pocket dimension to keep you all safe, and Junko Enoshima cannot be left in this dimension as a spirit without inevitably converting others here to despair. We have no means of containing her, and for some odd reason, her spirit refuses to move on. We cannot risk her converting the people here, please, take her with you."

"This is outrageous! You cannot possibly expect her to-"

"OK."

"-Hurk." Hibiki Naegi choked on air as soon as Makoto replied, "M-Makoto. Are you sure about this? Even after what Enoshima did?" Makoto nodded.

"I don't want any of you being converted, and who knows what Junko will do while our world. We can't risk it. We have literally no choice but to take her with us." Makoto sighed, "I'm really sorry, Mom, Dad, Komaru, but we'll have to bring her with us to Remnant." Hibiki sniffed, but nodded. The logic behind his reasoning was sound.

"Is everyone ready?" The Younger Brother asked. Everyone nodded, and he joined his brother in front of them, "If you need help, look for the prince in the drunk elephant."

"Wait wha-"

"Brother, did you really have to give them a cryptic riddle? You could have at least told them that they'll speak and understand English now."

"Eh. I thought it was pretty obvious. They'll be able to work it out sooner or later... So, are we gonna show them what they'll be doing?"

"Soon. First, we should let them get accommodated. For now...let's see to our other guest. She seems to have an odd fixation to those video games humans love so much..."

"Come now, brother. You must admit that some of them are positively addictive."

The fall was long and dark, and Makoto wondered how long it would go on. From around him, he could hear screams of terror and incoherent babbling. It was understandable. They were falling down a dark tunnel of pure fuck you, physics that was headed to another dimension, but maybe the Brothers could have warned them or something!

Suddenly, there was a blinking light in front of him, and Makoto fell into a back alley that was surprisingly clean and well-maintained, all things considered. Fifteen other thuds confirmed that. Yes, everyone was with him—wait, fifteen?

Turning around, he surveyed everyone that had fallen. He saw Sayaka, Mondo, Asahina, Chihiro, Junko, Mukuro—wait, when did Junko get there?

Makoto looked at Junko, who was groaning and pushing herself off the ground, his eyes nearly popping out of his head.

"Uuugh, you'd think the fucking Brothers would warn me when they drop me in another dimension," Junko griped, her eyes spinning. She looked around for any witnesses as to what happened...and her eyes met with Makoto's.

"...Fuck," Makoto unconsciously cursed, before he scrambled backwards on his fours, hissing at Junko like a cat. Looking around, he grabbed a conveniently-placed spray bottle, ignoring just exactly why it was there, and held it up like a gun, "Back, foul beast! Away with you!"

If it weren't for the fact that he was standing five feet away from the worst criminal in the history of his world, he would have laughed at how ridiculous he looked. Junko scowled, and started to walk towards him.

"If you think a spray bottle is going to stop me-" Makoto sprayed her. "Gah! Why you little-" He sprayed her again, "Stop doing that!" At that point, Makoto didn't care anymore, and just started spraying her relentlessly.

When the others had gotten themselves off of the ground and looked up, their first sight in the literal new world, which they would always fondly recall and tell their descendants until their deaths, was the sight of Junko Enoshima wildly flailing at Makoto Naegi, who was spraying her with a spray bottle.

It was glorious.

"So the riddle the Younger Brother told us was to 'find the prince in the drunk elephant'. Any takers?" Makoto looked around at the assembled group of Ultimates (except for Junko.)

"Maybe he was being figurative? The prince and the drunk elephant mean something else?" Sayaka said, tapping her chin as she thought.

"Maybe there's something elephant-shaped around here, or something?" Yasuhiro added, looking around.

"I do believe that in Tenjiku shogi, the drunk elephant piece promotes to a prince piece." Celeste added.

"So we're looking for a drunken guy who becomes more important later?"

"Uh, guys?" Makoto and the others pointedly ignored that one.

"It could be a code name. Back at Fenrir, a lot of objective points had names like that." Mukuro's suggestion seemed to make sense, though it didn't seem to fit the situation, for some reason.

"Yeah, that seems reasonable. Could be code for something important. Anyone see any big stores around or anything?"

"Guuuys?~" Makoto and the others just turned away from the source of the voice, refusing to acknowledge her.

"Maybe it's referring to something. Like a folk tale."

"'The Prince and the Elephant' does sound like a folk story" Makoto muttered. Toko's suggestion opened up a new possibility for them.

"GUYS!"

"WHAT!" Fifteen voices snapped in unison, as almost everyone present scowled at Junko Enoshima, who was impatiently tapping her foot and pointing at a nearby nightclub.

A nightclub with a huge sign that said 'The Drunk Elephant' in blaring neon letters.

"Maybe we can start there." She said, before smirking at their sheepish expressions, "Where would you be without me?"

"Living peacefully with my family."

"Buying a castle."

"Playing baseball with my cousin."

"Riding my motorcycle with-"

"OK, OK, I get it!" Junko pouted childishly at their answers, mushrooms seemingly appearing on her head from out of nowhere, before she hastily turned around, "Come on, let's find that 'prince' already!"

Grumbling under his breath, Makoto walked towards the nightclub, where music could be heard blaring from across the street.

The bouncer was oddly missing at the time. He was probably on break, or something, but it didn't matter at the time. The second they opened the doors to the nightclub, they were nearly blasted back from the sheer sound of the music playing. Quickly scrambling inside, not wanting to risk the bouncer seeing them when they came back, they closed the doors and turned around to a sea of people.

The nightclub was massive, with a DJ in the front playing dance music in front of a large mosh pit, various tables and booths set up, with men and women flirting with staff members or each other, and a high-end bar was set up on the west end of the club, with a bearded man serving drinks to customers. There were suited security guards with red tinted sunglasses scattered all over the club, and a pair of twins seemed to prowl the club for troublemakers. One wore a white dress and high heels, while the other wore a red dress and had odd gloves on her.

"Everyone split up and avoid the guards. We should be able to cover more ground that way. Maybe ask around, see if anyone knows about the 'prince'." Makoto instructed. Most of the others nodded, while Junko...well, she had already wandered off,doing whatever the hell she wanted. "We'll meet up back here in 15 minutes." Everyone present nodded, and went off to gather info.

Junko sighed as she wandered the nightclub, trying to navigate through the dancing masses. She had already had enough of that optimistic bastard taking charge as soon as they fell into that alley, and it hadn't even been 5 minutes yet! Grumbling, she weaved her way through the mosh pit, avoiding every dancer like they were the plague.

Finally escaping the crowd, she walked over to the bar and plopped down on one of the stools, groaning as she put her head in her hands.

"Rough night, huh?" The bartender's voice came from in front of her. Predictable. Oh well. Might as well use this to her advantage.

"Ugh, like you wouldn't believe," She grumbled, "First, I nearly get mugged, then I get rejected to the school I wanted to get into, and now I have to put up with some annoying brat that follows me around and keeps trying to butt his head into my business." That was it. Make a sob story, one that would probably appeal to the bartender. With any luck, he'd eventually spill some info on the 'prince'.

"Yeesh. Must be a bad day. Here, any cocktail, on the house. As a sign of good will." Bullshit. He was just trying to convince her to come more, disguised as a sign of sympathy. She could tell from the undertone of greed in his voice. She knew she should have left to look for more info on the mysterious 'prince' right then and there...but one little cocktail wouldn't hurt, right?

"Gimme a Fourth Regiment, straight." She said, waving her hand, and the bartender nodded, turning to the liquors on the shelves, and grabbing a few from the top shelf. Dropping them into a large glass, he poured the liquors in, at a 1:1 ratio of what seemed like whiskey and vermouth, but splashing just a bit of three bitters into the glass, stirring it with a bar spoon, before pouring it through a cocktail strainer into a cocktail glass, sticking a toothpick through a Maraschino cherry, dropping it gently into the glass and pushing it towards Junko.

"A Fourth Regiment, straight." The bartender recited, holding his hands towards the cocktail. Lifting the glass to her mouth, she took a small sip...and promptly drank the entire cocktail in one go, smiling.

"I gotta say, you know how to make a good cocktail, Mr..."

"Call me Junior. Everyone does." The bartender said, nearly preening at the praise he was getting from the strawberry blonde chick.

"Gotcha, Junior." Before she could continue, someone sat down next to her, and he shot her an apologetic look before turning to the new customer. The nerve! She angrily turned towards the customer...and her jaw dropped.

Sitting next to her was a golden-haired beauty, with delicate pale skin, and molten golden eyes. Her hair was cut in a bob cut, curling just below her ears, and her face, heart-shaped with a tiny bit of fat in all the right places, was pulled into a little frown as she stared longingly at the liquors on the shelf. She wore a short-sleeved white v-neck that exposed just a bit of her collarbone, and loose denim jeans that fell just the slightest, as if taunting anyone to try to pull them down. She wore black sneakers with gold outlines, and what seemed like painted koi on the sides. She had slender arms and legs that sat on the fence of 'unhealthy', and hit that perfect ratio where a man would get aroused just looking at her limbs were they in a...situation. Junko's eyes trailed all over her body, and she saw that she was completely flat-chested, but more than made up for it with with what her analysis told here was a perfect peach-shaped bubble butt.

In other words, this was the kind of woman that would get any hot-blooded male horny just by walking down the damn street.

No! Bad Junko! Damn it, there were times when she wished she could turn off her talent, and this was one of them!

"Give me the usual, Junior," Junko heard the young woman drawl, waving her hand, and Junior snickered.

"Gotcha, Kin. One Royal Irish Car Bomb for the Golden Princess," Junior snarked, laughing at the woman's scowl.

"Dammit, Junior! I keep telling you I'm a guy!" Wait, what. "If you hadn't spread the word about my looks, they'd be calling me the Golden Prince. Ya' dick." The man (But how?!) grumbled, pouting childishly.

"Kin, nobody would believe you even if you told them you were a guy. Even I almost still don't believe you, and that was after I walked in on you in the pool shower!" Junior replied, flippantly waving his hand. 'Kin' just groaned again, putting his head into his hands.

"I guess I won't tell you the good news, then."

"What good news?" Junior asked, sliding him a pub glass filled with a tarnished gold liquid inside, which Kin began to sip.

"I got accepted into Beacon. Got 3 months to prepare and train, but I got in~" Kin said in a singsong voice, taking a swig from the glass, "Damn, Junior, where do you get your mead? It's so good~"

"Homemade, you know. I pride myself in these kinda things. Got certificates and everything." Junior grinned in nostalgia, before his expression turned serious, "So you're really gonna become a Hunter?" Junko perked up at his words. For some reason, the way he emphasized 'Hunter' made it sound important. She began to pay more attention, absorbing every word they said.

"Yep. Gonna be fighting Grimm, everyday. Don't worry, I'll drop by every so often," Kin replied, sipping his cocktail. Junko made note of the word 'Grimm', "It's been a long time since we met, huh?" Junior laughed.

"Hah! First time we met, you were trying to get a cocktail here even though you were way underage."

"Don't remind me, man..."

"You unlocked your Semblance yet?" Oooh, Semblance. Better add that one to the list, Junko thought.

"Yep. Finally did, after five years of having unlocked Aura." Aura as well. There were so many things that Junko would have to research in her own spare time. "Got it about a year ago, when I was too busy to get a drink every now and then. Sorry about that, but there were finals and everything."

"No, no, I get it. I really do." Junior sighed, "It's just that business is hard nowadays. Taxes rising, and crime is growing around here. Heck, Torchwick passed by asking for some of my men. God knows what he wants with them."

"I hear you, man. Hard times." He sipped his cocktail and sighed, "You still haven't lost your touch, Junior." Before Junior could preen at the praise, a third figure sat down, one that Junko could see this time.

She wore a tan jacket that bares her lower stomach, with golden brown piping and short, puffy sleeves with black cuffs that feature two gold buttons. Underneath this was a low cut yellow crop top with a weird fire emblem on the left breast in black. She also wore black mini-shorts, leather knee high boots with orange over-the-knee socks, black fingerless gloves, and an orange infinity scarf around her neck. There was a brown belt covered by some pleated leather from hip to hip, and the weird fire emblem in gold at the rightmost pleat. Some sort of white cotton material went down to her knee on the right side, and a lavender bandana around her left thigh. She looked like the type of person who would seduce a person mid-fight, and then beat the ever-loving shit out of them while they were distracted.

"Strawberry Sunrise, no ice, and one of those little umbrellas," The girl called out to Junior. Junko saw a look of irritation flash across his face, before he regained his businesslike composure and walked towards the girl, dropping something onto the counter as he did..

"You're a little too young to drink," Junko heard him grumble. She scoffed. She was 17, and drinking here already. Her analysis told her that the girl, wait, no, guy sitting next to her was also her age and was sipping a cocktail right in front of the bartender.

"And you're a little too old to be called Junior, aren't you?" The girl replied, raising an eyebrow at Junior. He shook his head and leaned over the counter, a grim look on his face.

"So you know who I am."

"Hei 'Junior' Xiong, best damn info broker in Vale's underworld." Junko raised an eyebrow. Info broker, huh? So Junior might have some use after all.

"You got a name, sweetheart, or do you wanna go by 'Blondie' around here?" Junko noticed that Kin was fingering a couple of small thimbles, apparently lying on the counter. Junko was pretty sure they weren't there before.

"I've got many names, Junior~" The girl purred, and Junko went back to watching the situation unfold, "But you can just call me sir." And with that, the girl reached over the counter and grabbed Junior by the balls, squeezing a bit to emphasize her point.

Junko was shocked, and noticed the guards start to move towards the blonde out of the corner of her eye, but then she saw Kin put his fingers against the back of the girl's head, quick as a flash, a scowl on his face. The girl tensed, and Junko swore that she saw a metallic glint on Kin's index and middle fingers.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." Junko blinked at how fast the boy's demeanor had changed from a sort-of-adorable kid to a seasoned fighter, and the girl knew it too, "Junior's a good friend of mine, and I really wouldn't like to see him get hurt. Let him go, now."

"Whoa, lady, we're just-"

"Now." Kin pushed his fingers pushed against her head more, and the girl visibly began to sweat, "My finger's feeling pretty damn itchy, and I don't think you want to find out what happens next if you don't do as I fucking say."

"Easy, easy, I'm letting him go." The girl's hands began to move away, and Junior relaxed, sighing in relief. Then she whirled around, aiming to punch Kin...and stopped at the sight of his fingers with what Junko realized were the thimbles from before, and the smug grin on his face.

"Bang~" Kin drawled out, and the girl's face grew red with anger, "Go on, hit me, I dare you."

"...What?" The girl paused in swinging her fist, and Kin's grin widened.

"I dare you to hit me. Wanna start a fight with a civilian, Huntress-in-training?" The girl gawked, "Don't think I didn't notice the bracelets-slash-gauntlets you're wearing, lady. You hit me, and I'll have a reason to sue you for assault with a deadly weapon and ruin your career before it begins." He gestured to the club full of patrons, all of which were filming them, "And there are just so many witnesses here who would testify against you~"

The girl's face grew nearly purple with rage, but she sighed, taking deep breaths, before she glared at Kin. "You win this time, lady." She growled, before she abruptly turned and walked towards the exit, slamming the doors open and leaving. Junko saw Makoto and the others gawking at the entire scene, and their eyes trained onto her as if it was all her fault.

"Ohmigod, that was so terrifying," Kin suddenly gasped, doubling over and breathing heavily. Across the counter, Junior was laughing hysterically, slapping the counter and wiping tears of joy from his eyes.

"Oh! Oh God, the look on her face when she saw the thimbles! That was priceless!" Junior gasped out, "Damn, kid. You know how to make a hell of a bluff!" Kin smirked.

"Strength through weakness~" He said, "But something tells me that isn't the last time you'll see her. You might want to put your guys on high alert, let them know to ban her from the club." Junior nodded.

"Thanks, kid. I owe you one." Kin just smirked.

"Well, I gotta go, Junior! See you around." Junior nodded again, waving his hand as if to shoo him out. Kin drank the rest of his cocktail, and put some plastic cards on the counter, "Some Lien for the cocktail. See ya!"

He got up, and began walking towards the exit, almost every male's gaze following him as he left. Junior sighed and swiped the 'Lien' cards, before grabbing the dirty glass and beginning to wipe it down.

"Who...Who was that?" Junko managed to gasp out, trying to wrap her head around the enigma she just couldn't analyze from what little she saw of him.

"That," Junior began, setting down the cleaned glass inside a shelf, "Was Kin Sakana. Around here, we call him the 'Golden Princess'." He winked at Junko, "But you already know his real gender now, don't you?"

Junko gulped. It looks like she had found the 'prince' already.

"I, I gotta go. Thanks for the cocktail, Junior." Junko said, abruptly leaving the counter, to Junior absentmindedly nodding. She quickly walked walked to the entrance, where Makoto and the others were waiting for her. Makoto seemed to have an uncharacteristically intense glare pointed her, which actually made Junko nearly step back a bit.

"What. Was That." He gritted out, and Junko cleared her throat.

"So I found the 'prince'." She began.

A/N: I wasn't joking when I said we would see Kin very soon. I also wasn't joking when I said that he wasn't the main character. But he is still a major character in the story, and a key person in Junko's redemption. Make what you will with that.

But anyways, Class 78 have made it to Remnant, and found the 'prince in the drunk elephant!' Yeah, I didn't think anyone reading this would get it, so I just decided to use it to advance the plot. Yay, plot advancement~ And on top of that, a moment of awesome for Kin, who managed to bluff his ass off to keep Yang from destroying the nightclub.

Well, that's gonna bite him in the ass later on, isn't it?

Speaking of Kin, 6 years later, and he just becomes a hotter trap. Oh, the shipping possibilities. The escapades that will occur due to every pervert going after him! THE POSSIBILITIES FOR BEATING THE DEAD 'DID YOU JUST ASSUME MY GENDER' HORSE WITH A STICK! MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Ahem, please excuse that. That didn't happen. You saw nothing. Nothing at all.

Other than that, there's not much else to say. I'm still looking for a beta reader, though. Could really use one. Please. I'm begging here.

If you have any questions, either ask them in the reviews, or PM me. And with that, this is Evil Odium, newly-renamed Gold Magikarp, signing off! Peace!