A/N: Here's Chapter Five Deadly Life Part One. So…who do you guys think killed Kiki? Let me know in your reviews, and enjoy!

Danganronpa 4: Next Generation Killing!

Chapter Five: United We Stand, Divided We Fall!

Deadly Life Part One: Grieving Together, Investigating Together!

The Naegi household fell deadly silent. Everyone stared with pale faces and widened eyes at the bloodied image of Kiki's body lying face down in front of the stairs.

No…please no…! Makoto thought in denial.

Please…! Kyoko pleaded to whatever god would listen, clasping a hand over her gaping lips. Please don't let this be real.

"It…it's a joke, right…?" Koto shakily asked, unwilling to believe the evidence that was right in front of him.

"Y-Yeah, stupid…this is a…a prank!" Kiri awkwardly smiled, though one look into her eyes showed that her words and smile were as much an attempt to convince herself as her family. "Y-You'll see! Kiki's gonna get up any moment! She'll be just fine. There's no way she's dead-"

*Ding Dong Bing Bong*

The familiar, dread-filling jingle dashed whatever hopes they had left. The feed transitioned to the still image of Monokuma. His next, predictable words tortured their very souls.

"A body has been discovered!"

No…please…no… Kyoko continued to plead, feeling the tears pool in her eyes.

As Monokuma continued to taunt them through the television, the Naegi matriarch couldn't help but whimper in anguish, tears trickling down her cheeks. "After a certain amount of time, which you may use however you like, the Class Trial will begin!"

As the feed changed back to the broadcast of the survivors standing around Kiki's corpse, the Naegis sat frozen. The silence was so palpable, it could have been cut with a butter knife. Kyoko's quiet whimpering and trickling tears escalated into sobs until…

"WAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!"

Kyoko anguished wails became that butter knife. She hunched over, covering her tearstained face with her hands. Makoto instinctively wrapped his arms around his wife, bringing her into his chest so they could comfort each other in their shared grief. As tears trickled down his cheeks, he closed his eyes in a vain attempt to stem their flow.

Damn you, Junko! Makoto cursed, imagining the Ultimate Despair's spirit grinning victoriously upon him. Wasn't it enough for you to destroy the world once and make half of my class kill each other?! Your legacy had to steal my firstborn daughter from me too?!

If one looked around the room, they could see the other residents grieving as well. Koto and Kiri sobbed, embracing in a desperate hug. Mokubo hung his head, clenching his fist and teeth as anger filled his heart. Maki, eyes still widened, bit down on her fingernails in shock. Even the family dog Hogo howled in anguish at the loss of its master.

"I…I can't watch anymore…" Kyoko cried, reaching for the remote by her side. "I can't watch this anymore…"

"Kyoko…" Though still crying himself, Makoto frowned at his despairing wife.

"My daughter is dead…my hope of seeing her come home again is dead…what's even the point in watching this horror show anymore?"

"…Closure."

Everyone stared at the boy who dared to speak. "Moku…" Makoto uttered, stunned by his son's spoken defiance.

"Our sister is dead…someone took her from us. Knowing who did it is the only way we'll get closure."

"Y-Yeah…" Koto sniffled. "We need to see Kiki get justice."

"Shu…Shuichi will find them…" Despite her grief and sorrow, a dash of hope still bled into Kiri's voice. "Shuichi will find out who killed Kiki…"

Overcome with emotion, Kyoko pushed her husband's arms off her. Her eyes narrowed in angered anguish as she slammed the remote down on the couch.

"Fine! You all want to continue watching this, be my guest!"

"Kyoko, wait!" Makoto cried, though his pleas fell on deaf ears as his wife stormed out. Sighing, he turned to his three children. Despite their rather impressive and unusually mature resolve, he could still see the grief and hate in their eyes.

Sitting down on the floor, he wrapped a twin in each arm, bringing them close to his comforting chest. "Come here…" Waving a hand towards his eldest, he insisted "You too, Mokubo." He smiled knowingly as he saw his son's gritted teeth. "I know you're not normally one for physical comfort…but I think you need a hug right now…"

Just like his mother before him, Mokubo gradually let down his emotional walls. Tears trickled down his cheeks as he finally allowed himself to cry and crawl into his father's welcoming embrace.

"Nee-chan…Nee-chan…Kiki…" He whimpered, causing Makoto to stroke his children's heads as comfortingly as he could.

"Not fair…" Koto and Kiri muttered. "It's not fair…Kiki shouldn't have…have had to…to die!"

"Shh…I know, I know." Makoto soothed. "Kiki deserved better than to die…nobody deserved to die…"

As the children struggled to recompose themselves, Makoto glanced towards Maki, who seemed to stare quietly at the TV with a forlorn, regretful expression. Following her line of vision, he saw that the TV had changed to a live feed of the survivors, seemingly frozen in shock at the sight of Kiki's corpse…a reminder that she would never again make them smile.

Wrenching his vision away before the sight of his daughter's corpse could make him cry again, he stared down at his still living children. He began to feel regret for allowing them to witness such a horrific sight, even if their viewing of the Killing Game was regulated.

"Mokubo, Koto, Kiri…are you sure you want to continue watching this? Even if Shuichi manages to find the culprit, it won't change the fact that Kiki's dead."

Taking a deep, shuddering breath, Mokubo nevertheless nodded. "I'm sure, Father."

"We know that punishing the culprit won't bring Kiki back…" Koto muttered.

"But we can at least know that she was avenged." Kiri finished.

Makoto bit his lip, reluctant to let his children watch anymore in spite of how impressed he was with their bravery and maturity. Letting out a sigh, Makoto caved and reluctantly nodded.

"Very well…Maki, can you supervise them? I'm gonna…check on Kyoko."

Maki nodded. "Understood. Go comfort your wife. I'll make sure to shut off the TV if anything particularly objectionable happens."

Makoto nodded gratefully before he stood and walked out of the room. Now alone, the three siblings huddled together, comforting each other as best they could. Maki got up from her seat and walked over to them. Sitting behind them, she gently wrapped her arms around them, providing her own comfort in place of their parents.

"So, it…it's true…?" Gonta cried in denial.

"I'm afraid…after hearing the announcement…there can be no further doubt." Keebo reluctantly admitted.

"Kiki's…dead?!" Tsumugi sniffled.

"Damn…" Ryoma hung his head, clenching his fists and gritting his teeth. "If any more of us had to die…it ought to have been me…she had her whole life ahead of her…"

"If only I had thought of this possibility, if only I had shown my full, selfless devotion to her safety, perhaps I could have found her in time…" Kirumi lamented, biting her lip.

Shuichi, meanwhile, kept his sobs firmly locked in his heart and the tears he wanted to cry behind his eyes. Why…? Why didn't I do something? Why didn't I insist we talk while we had the chance? Why didn't I stay with her last night? Maybe if I did…she'd still be alive…

"NYOHOHOHOHOHOHOO!"

Monokuma's gleeful laughter echoed in their ears before the bear appeared in the middle of the circle, right next to Kiki's corpse. Sokyu sighed, annoyance laced into his voice.

"…I was wondering how long we'd have to grieve before you showed up."

"Hey, gotta strike while the despair iron is hot, right?! Speaking of which, I'm loving this atmosphere of grief and anguish. It's even better than one of those fancy funerals for rich folks!" Other than Sokyu's initial acknowledgment, none of them moved an inch or spoke a word. "Huh? Come on guys, I don't wanna taunt a bunch of statues. Cry, scowl, for Kami's sake, do something-"

"…File…"

"Huh?"

Monokuma tilted his head in confusion as Shuichi finally raised his head. With gritted teeth and clenched fists, his eyes narrowed in anger and hatred at the bear that had been the source of their suffering.

"Give us the goddamned Monokuma File! That's what you're here for, right? So just give it to us, already!"

"Uwah, has your little girlfriend's demise finally unlocked your inner rage, Shuichi? It's about time-"

"Shut up! Just hand it over!"

"All in good time, Saihara, all in good time. First, I have one more information to share with you all."

Monokuma pulled out a tablet and began hurriedly tapping at the screen with his paw. Not even a minute passed before a collecting ringing sound emitted from each of their persons.

"Ah, our e-Handbooks?!" Shuichi exclaimed as he pulled it out of his jacket pocket.

"Does Monokuma's new information relate to one of the apps on our e-Handbooks?" Tsumugi wondered.

"Let us examine our apps to see what this new information entails." Keebo suggested.

Shuichi nodded, scanning the home screen along with the others. Let's see…Character Profiles…hey, there's an exclamation mark over Kiki's silhouette! He tapped on it, which opened her profile before continuing to read. Status: Deceased…like we needed to be reminded of that. But if that's not the new information, then what is…the triple question marks?!

Surely enough, the three question marks that had been taking the place of her surname had been replaced with an actual string of Kanji, with a katakana reading just below it. As Shuichi read Kiki's name, his eyes widened.

No way…Kiki…

"Naegi?!" Tsumugi shrieked in shock.

"Looks like Monokuma decided to tell us her last name now that she died." Sokyu concluded.

"Hmph, how cruel." Ryoma muttered. "Waiting to tell someone their last name until after they're dead…"

Shuichi's lips tugged into a sad frown. Kiki wanted more than anything to know who she was…and now she'll never get to even know what her full name was…

"What is even the point of showing us this now?" Keebo questioned.

"Most likely a way to further torment us…" Kirumi sighed. "Alright, you've had your fun. Now, if you would please give us the Monokuma File so we may proceed with the investigation."

Monokuma sweatdropped. "Wow, I've never seen someone sound so eager, yet look so down in the dumps at the same time. Fine, fine, here you go. It's…the Monokuma File!"

Monokuma pulled out seven tablets and tossed them into the air. The monochrome bear watched with satisfaction as the survivors scrambled to catch them.

"Now, as you all know, this is the final Class Trial. So, make sure to do your best if you want to leave this school outside of a body bag. Puhuhu…see you later!"

With that, Monokuma waddled away, leaving the grief-stricken survivors alone with the corpse of their beloved friend.

"Oh, right…this is the final Class Trial…" Tsumugi sighed dejectedly.

"At least after this, we'll be able to get out of here…" Sokyu mused, holdin gup his hands in surrender as everyone else seemed to glare at him. "I'm just stating the facts. Don't tell me it hasn't crossed your minds, too."

Their eyes softened as they everted their gazes from each other. Their eyes lingered back on Kiki's corpse, reluctant to begin the investigation. Despite the fact that they all knew what needed to be done, nobody wanted to admit the truth.

"So…what do we do now…?" Gonta wondered, hopelessness bleeding into his voice.

"Well, logically, our next move should be investigating-"

"We know that Keebo." Ryoma interjected. "But how're we supposed to investigate Kiki, of all people?"

"Yeah…" Tsumugi gripped her arm with her free hand, averting her gaze from Kiki's bloodied corpse. "Kiki wasn't just anybody…she was…she was…"

"She was certainly unique. I'll give her that much." Sokyu muttered.

"I must admit, it's going to be rather difficult." Kirumi admitted. "We're all still grieving her death, after all. How can we be asked to investigate the killing of someone so dear to us when we haven't even had time to process her passing-"

"That's wrong!"

The door creaked open, allowing Makoto to hesitantly peek his head in. "Kyoko…?"

A faint sniffling echoed in his ears. After slipping inside, Makoto was able to make out the form of his tortured wife in the darkness. Her head rested atop her knees, scarred hands around her legs. Makoto made his way over to the bed, sitting next to her before he saw the Killing Game footage playing on their TV.

"…I thought you didn't want to watch this anymore."

"…Like I have a choice?" She grumbled. "Whoever hijacked the airwaves has this playing on every channel."

Makoto frowned in empathy, wrapping his arms around her once more. Kyoko sighed in defeat, leaning into her husband's warmth. She relied on him to melt the ice that had formed around her heart from the chill of her daughter's death.

"Kyoko…"

"I'm not going back out there, Makoto."

"That's not what I was going to say, and I don't blame you for reacting like you did." Makoto's voice was soothing and nonjudgmental. "I'm not gonna make you go back and watch what happens next. Just…talk to me, please…?"

"…It's all my fault…" Kyoko cried. "It's all my fault Kiki's dead right now…"

Makoto's eyes widened in shock. "Kyoko, what are you talking about?! You're definitely not to blame for what happened to her!"

"I am through my inaction, Makoto…" Kyoko shook her head. "I could have been out there. I could have been scouring every rooftop in Japan actively looking for her. I could have been aiding the police in the field to find out where she was being held captive. I was the Ultimate Detective, Makoto. If anyone could have found them in time, it was me."

Makoto hummed, closing his eyes as he digested her argument. Taking a deep breath, he opened his eyes and stared at her guilt-ridden form.

"…I won't say that you're wrong, and I won't say that you couldn't have been searching for her instead of staying at home with us. But tell me…knowing everything you just told me…why did you stay with me and Maki and our remaining children?"

Kyoko bit her lip, gathering the courage to voice the painful truth. "I…I trusted Chief Ishimaru. I believed him when he said he had his best detective on the job. But more than that…I…I thought I was too rusty. I'd been away from detective work for so long…I was afraid I'd just get in the way…that I'd be hurting the investigation more than helping. And with Kiki's life on the line…I didn't want to take that gamble."

"I thought so…" Makoto smiled, rubbing his wife's back. "Kyoko, you only wanted what was best for Kiki. There's no shame in that. You made the best decision you could as her mother, Kyoko."

"What good is that now that she's dead, Makoto?! I've already lost my father and Uncle Koichi to these sadistic Killing Games. And my classmates too…we watched our friends die to these…abominations! Now they've taken my little girl too?! It's…too much. I…can't do anything-"

"That's wrong!"

"Huh?" Kyoko blinked, finally looking up at her husband. "What do you mean, Makoto?"

Makoto furrowed his brow, confused by Kyoko's question. "I didn't say anything."

"What…?" But…if Makoto didn't use that catchphrase…then who did…?

Confused, the two reluctantly looked up at the television's dim glow. Their eyes widened at the hardened grey eyes that burned with determined justice.

"Shuichi…" They breathed, finally realizing who had uttered those words.

Shuichi's eyes softened, wandering down to Kiki's corpse. His voice was forlorn, betraying the slightest piece of his true sorrow.

"I know this is going to be hard. Investigating these murders has never been easy, even when we barely knew the victim. I understand that everyone has reservations about investigating Kiki's death when her corpse hasn't even gone cold. But even so…"

Shuichi forced himself to look away from the deceased young girl. His eyes narrowed once more as he challenged the rest of his comrades.

"We're the only ones who can bring Kiki justice. We have to investigate, and we have to find the culprit together…for Kiki."

Kirumi nodded, walking up to Shuichi and resting her hand atop his own. "I believe if she could communicate with us, Kiki would ask us to make sure her killer didn't get away with their crime. On my honor as a maid, and as her friend, I will do everything in my power to fulfill her spirit's final request."

"Yeah, count me in." Tsumugi wiped her eye as she approached, laying her hand atop theirs. "Besides, Kiki would want us to escape with our lives, and solving her murder is the only way to do that."

"Gonta…is sorry he couldn't protect Kiki…" Gonta wiped his eyes before resting his large hand atop the pile. "But Gonta promises to do his best to find Kiki's killer. That's what a gentleman…no…that's what a friend would do."

"Very well, then I shall join in the investigation too." Keebo volunteered, his hand somehow feeling warm despite its metallic structure. "Let's investigate together one last time…for Kiki…"

"Hmph." Ryoma's lips tugged into a sad smile as he walked up and slid his hand among the others. "Murder should not go unpunished, no matter what their reasons are or who their target is. But now that Kiki's the one who was killed…" The former tennis player's eyes narrowed in a rare moment of anger. "…This just became personal."

"Well, Sokyu?" Shuichi asked, everyone's eyes turning towards the young man. "I know you've been more of a loner…but we need everyone to come together if the blackened's going to face justice for Kiki's murder. Will you help us, Sokyu?"

Sokyu sighed, reluctantly approaching and resting his hand atop the others. "Fine, I'll cooperate until we get out of here. Just remember, I'm doing this to survive, not because of any kind of silly sentimentalism like the rest of you."

Well, we'll take what we can get. Shuichi smiled, nodding at him. "Okay, then let's get started. On three. One, two…"

They all threw their hands in the air, their voices echoing throughout the halls of Kibou University.

"INVESTIGATION START!"

"You see?" Makoto smiled, gesturing towards the TV. "Even in death, Kiki's brought them all together. She's given everyone hope, hope enough at least that they're committed to finding the blackened. They don't want to do this either, honey, but they're pushing their grief aside until they can get out of there."

"Makoto…"

"And they're not the only ones. They're still young…far too young…but the kids are choosing to be strong in the face of despair. They're choosing to keep moving forward and watch until the very end, because they have faith that Shuichi will be able to shine a light on the culprit. They believe that through Shuichi's efforts, they'll find closure. And I believe in Shuichi too…"

Makoto chuckled, his eyes seeming to glow with a wistful nostalgia. Shaking his head, he stared back at his wife.

"Remember when Kiki was depressed during her training, and none of us could break her out of it? But Shuichi did."

A small smile finally tugged at Kyoko's lips. "He was so worried about her that he came all the way over here to cheer her up."

Makoto nodded. "Even without his memories, I have no doubt that Shuichi cares about Kiki enough that he won't rest until her killer is caught. No amount of amnesia can change the bond between them."

"They…they really were made for each other…" Kyoko mused.

"Yeah…they were…and even though we'll never get to hear about their first date or watch them get married or dote on any children they might have had together…we can at least trust Shuichi to carry this case and avenge Kiki's murder."

"…Indeed…I did help to train him, after all…"

"That you did, honey. Now, what do you say we go back with the others? If you really wanna stay here in the bedroom, I won't force you. I'll stay by your side no matter what. But…I think Moku and the twins could really use their mom's support. Maki does a good job, but she's not their mom at the end of the day. Why don't we all share in the burden of grief together, as a family?"

Biting her lip, Kyoko nonetheless nodded and stood up, removing herself from Makoto's grasp. "…You're right…if I didn't support my children when they need their mother the most…I'd never be able to face Kiki or my parents…"

"Alright, then let's do our best!" Makoto smiled as he stood up.

"Well then, shall we go?"

"Mokubo, Koto, Kiri…"

Everyone turned to see Kyoko standing no more than a yard away. Her hands were clasped in front of her, her eyes shining with guilt and remorse.

"I owe you all an apology. You were all prepared to stand strong and watch Kiki's trial to the very end…and I ran away. But I promise…I won't run away anymore. I'll do everything I can to support you all…I won't abandon you like that ever again. I understand if you can't forgive me yet, but…"

Kyoko trailed off, seeing her children crowd around her. Instinctively crouching down, she returned their embraces with one of her own, pulling them close.

"It's okay Mommy, we're not mad at you." Koto assured her.

"Yeah, part of us wanted to hide under our beds too." Kiri nodded.

"…Why would she hide under her bed?" Mokubo questioned, only to receive sweatdrops from his remaining siblings.

Makoto meanwhile smiled at the scene, then at Maki. "Thanks for keeping an eye on them, Maki."

Maki nodded. "I understand the loss of a loved one. There's no shame in needing to grieve alone for a bit."

Kyoko reluctantly released the hug, allowing her children to plop back down on the floor as she took her seat on the couch next to her husband.

"Alright, let's see how Shuichi does with his investigation." Shuichi…I'm trusting you to track down my daughter's killer. I know you can do it, as long as you believe in yourself. I just hope Kiki was able to impart that lesson to you before her death.

The tablet fell out of their hand, falling with barely a sound against the car's floor. The detective's shoulders heaved, tears streaming down her cheeks like waterfalls. Having seen the footage, Tenko bit her lip in anguish while Kokichi gritted his teeth.

"Hey, the fuck's goin' on back there?" Miu shouted. "Is my Keebo alright?!"

"…Your son is fine…" The detective barely refrained from growling, overcome with sorrow.

Satisfied with the fate of her son, Miu shrugged. "Okay, as long as he's not hurt, that's all that matters."

It took all of the detective's self-restraint to avoid strangling Miu for her thoughtless comment. They took a deep breath, banishing her momentary flash of anger, though it was quickly replaced by their sorrow.

"Detective…" Tenko began hesitantly, unsure of what to say.

"…It's my fault, Chabashira."

"What are you saying?! It's not your fault Naegi-chan became a victim! It's the degenerate criminal who's at fault."

The detective shook their head. "Even so…I'm still responsible. I promised Chief Ishimaru that I'd bring Kiki Naegi home safe and sound. It's bad enough that all those other hostages died…but how can I ever face the Chief or Naegi's parents with her remains in a body bag?"

"…You make it so that her death wasn't in vain."

"Huh?"

The detective blinked, turning their head towards Kokichi. In a rare moment of seriousness, his purple eyes were narrowed in anger as he scolded them.

"You think we want to face the Naegis with Kiki dead? Makoto and Kyoko Naegi were our Headmasters! We respect them, and in a sense, we owe them our futures. The idea that we let them down makes us sick to our stomachs! But we're not breaking down right now because we understand that the only thing that we can do is make sure her death wasn't in vain."

Tenko nodded. "For once, Oma and I are in agreement. You heard Saihara on the footage. The only thing we can do is get there as fast as we can so nobody else dies from this Killing Game. Then we can properly apprehend the Mastermind and get justice for Naegi-chan and all the other victims."

The detective's eyes widened, digesting the advice of the two officers. At last, she took a deep breath and nodded.

"You're right. As a detective, I have to do everything in my power to make sure none of their deaths were in vain." Her lips tugged into a grateful smile. "Thanks, you two…for setting me straight and reminding me what's really important."

"Nee he he!" Kokichi grinned leaning back into his seat. "Don't sweat it. After all, it's the job of a Supreme Leader to invigorate his allies with confidence!"

Tenko rolled her eyes at Kokichi's antics. "Can't you stay serious for once? You were actually…not uncool…when you were giving your pep talk."

"Aww, were you attracted to me just now?"

"Sh-Shut up!" A blushing Tenko nearly shouted. "You're putting words in my mouth, Oma!"

"How so? I don't remember telling you to call me cool."

"I never called you cool!"

The detective sweatdropped as they were more or less forced to endure Tenko and Kokichi's banter. Despite their annoying argument, it actually managed to calm their nerves somewhat, distracting them from the grief and guilt they still felt.

I promise…I'll get you all out of there…I might have been too late to save her, but I can make sure her death wasn't in vain. And when this is over…I'll take responsibility and apologize to the Naegis for failing them!