The walk to his next destination was a slow one for Izuru. Step by step the last bits of wet blood on his feet marked the earth, the owner of the shoes not even caring. There was only one thing plaguing his mind, the same question that evolved so quickly before his eyes to the point where Izuru knew he must address it as quickly as he could.

Hope or Despair?

Truthfully, Izuru had no clue if his plan would truly solve the question. He wanted to create a situation where it was an even playing field between the two, with no interruptions whatsoever. Just as his calculations were determining it near impossible, his ultimate luck came into play when he arrived at the rooftop of a building, meeting Junko and Mukuro.

"Kamakura!" Junko yelled excitingly, getting no response from Izuru. He immediately noticed the roof had an excellent view of the building across from it, specifically a classroom that was in session. "As you can see, everything totally went perfectly!".

It was Chisa's class, and to Izuru it was oddly…normal. Every student was seated in their desk, and Chisa looked like she was giving a speech. Not paying attention to the reactions of the supposedly brainwashed class, Izuru found himself staring at one of the desks, the only interesting one. It wasn't because it was the only empty desk, it was the object on the desk that was drawing him in.

It had a flower placed on it. Izuru knew that flowers could represent many things, and in this case it had to have bee-

Her.

One word echoed through his head, stringing him like it was made to do so. Izuru didn't question the source, he knew it was him. Even after watching his loved one die, he still wouldn't leave Izuru alone. Ignoring it once again, or at least attempting to, Izuru focused his attention back to Junko.

"They are going to infect the world with despair! Oh, it will be so delightful!" she started, going on about how they were her worshippers now.

"You removed their memories of me, correct?". The stinging persisted, but Izuru's faceless expression made it look like he felt nothing.

"An odd request, but yes." Junko responded in her analytical voice, wondering why.

"I will see them again in the near future." Izuru answered her thoughts, going over half of his plan in his head. "Wouldn't it be boring if we already knew each other?". They would be subjects in his idea, an idea to turn them neutral and see if hope or despair takes over in the end. It shouldn't be too hard with Junko's brainwashi-

"Sooooo!" Junko interrupted him, putting on her fashionable smile. "I'd like to inform you about my next thrilling task.".

"Mine too…" Mukuro mentioned, causing Junko to quickly curse at her.

"An official killing game!" Junko fantasied, finally getting Izuru to listen to her fully.

"Another one?" he asked, recalling the first one.

"Correct. This one will be much more grand, since it's featuring my very own class!" Junko exclaimed, acting like the slobbering Mukuro was invisible. "I'll broadcast it everywhere, and the despair between all of them will be oh so amusing! Friends not knowing they were friends in the first place, forced to kill each other while begging to leave, not knowing they were the ones who locked themselves into this miserable school. It can't get any better!".

Izuru's plan reshaped itself while listening sentence by sentence to what Junko planned to do. He was beginning to realize that a killing game of his own might just be the answer to his question, as it would lock all the contestants in one area. And he would only need one source of despair…

"What if something were to happen to you?" Izuru questioned, knowing she would have to be in her own game if no one can control it from the outside. "You rely on them to carry your legacy?" he finished, mentioning the class in front of him.

"That my sweet Izuru, is where part two comes in." She said, pulling out a whiteboard from nowhere. "A kid in my class, the Ultimate Programmer, has been working on something interesting for his exams." She said, the whiteboard showing a diagram of a big system with many tubes. "He calls it the Neo World Program, a virtual world that uses the minds of its users.".

"A virtual world?" Izuru repeated, becoming interested.

"Indeed." Junko responded, putting glasses back on. "You see, at the end of the program it returns their minds back to their bodies. So with a few modifications…".

"You could upload something else back to their bodies." Izuru finished, knowing where she was going with this. Junko let out a smile, pulling out a flash drive.

"I call it, Junko 2.0.". Junko got closer to Izuru and placed the flash drive in his palm, which took a second to open. "Uploading that to the program will put me in it, and who knows what levels despair I will put their minds through." Junko finished.

Izuru stood puzzled. He had the solution in his very hand, a copy the Ultimate Despair herself uploaded on a flash drive, with a whole virtual killing game awaiting him. "Why are you giving it to me instead of one of your…" he said with a pause, looking back at the desk, "remnants.".

"To finally show you that despair is more unpredictable but will always win in the end!" Junko responded, almost like a little excited girl.

An explosion went off in the classroom in front of them, but no one on the roof flinched. Laughs came out from the fashionista, and Izuru had seen all he had need to.

Walking away, Junko felt insulted. "No goodbye? Thank you? I thought you loved me and my despair…".

"I can't stand you." He responded, but she acted as if it was another nonsense response. He ignored her final talks about despair as he started to head back into the building and descend, knowing he will find the real answer soon.

That would be the last time Izuru would ever see the real Junko in person, but that never mattered to him.

She was nothing to him anymore, just like the one who she speared to death. His only priority was that he had a plan to execute. The stinging in his head came and left as he walked down the same building, watching the reserve course students plummet to their deaths.

Over the next month, Izuru's preparations had begun. Junko's televised killing game began midway through that month, which he found to be boring and too predictable. Nevertheless, Izuru did watch it, and as he was finishing up his research on the Neo World Program he began to realize Junko was working herself into a corner. He was aware the Future Foundation would certainly take these last few survivors in if they were to make it out of the school, especially that one boy, Makoto Naegi. He reminded Izuru of he…

He stopped. Thinking of her would only bring the boy back, who had been bothering Izuru more and more. His stinging turned into a gradual sharp pain, which at one point felt like he was repeatedly getting stabbed in the head. It was a fight over his own mind, and if he cleared his mind from the situation, and that girl, then he would be fine.

Another month passed by, and with it came the death of Junko Enoshima and the release of the last surviving students. Many would mark the day a holiday, but Izuru wondered otherwise. The group was able to defeat the Ultimate Despair herself, did hope win? The Mukuro death-swap was against her own rules, meaning it was a false game from the start. He wanted a completely valid game, with no interruptions or tricks. He lived for a true answer.

Izuru's work continued. The Future Foundation were the ones in control of the machine, realizing this he would have to either raid the area of the machine, which wouldn't be hard at all with the despairs, or…

An inside contact, the more peaceful way. If a raid were to happen, the foundation would immediately know the location of the despairs, which would certainly cause an interference when it came to the machine. Yukizome was also still alive and in a high position, knowing she would certainly get involved with any type of killing Izuru started to opt towards a contact. But that was a problem in itself.

Who could he trust in this world? To hide not only him, but the rampant despairs causing many disasters and close deaths, and then ensure they will be alive to stay in the machine. Obviously, he wouldn't tell them about uploading the flash drive, he would do that on his own. He would tell them something they would enjoy.

One day of calculations turned into one week of calculations, which turned into another month. The scenario was too unpredictable for even Izuru to choose the right method and person, but he was completely aware he was not able to wait too long. Something would happen if he waited longer, and he needed that class, for they had something that he did not. Memories of a hope.

A decision would finally work his way into his brain, although Izuru would consider it more of a gamble than a decision. He would gather the class into one place like planned, but make the offer then, to his chosen ones. The gamble part comes in since there is no reliable backup plan if they were to decline his offer, as they would temporarily know his location and intentions on the machine. Counting on the same luck he had with Junko months prior, he decided to execute the plan immediately.

Tracking the remnants was not too difficult or time consuming for Izuru, as he found out their locations before his gamble researching started. The only one that was necessarily annoying to get to was Nagito, since he was trying to shape another Junko in Towa City, but one by one, he found them. Invading Novoselic, crashing through deadly sport teams, and even insulting traditional dancing with blades, he found himself face to face with the same people in the building across from him only months ago.

And each and every one of them loved his idea, at least the way he explained it. Junko would be able to live through every single one of them, that was his selling point. The twist though, was that he said they would have to completely obey him up until they get into the machine, so no one would know the true intentions. It wasn't like they knew them either, it is all for hope and despair.

A battle that must begin.

The helicopter ride was full of second thoughts from its passengers. Makoto Naegi could only imagine the pleasure the remnants would get from tricking him into his death. Yet even after the amount of pressure given to him by Kyoko, who sat tall next to him and repeated that there was no turning back, he still felt like it was the right thing to do.

The view outside became clear as they started to descend on top of a building the two still had nightmares about, the school of killing. The dark atmosphere had not changed much since they first witnessed it after walking out of the building just months ago, not expecting to return so soon. Acting as if it was any other kind of weather, the two walked to the destination they were told to meet, a semi-working fountain not far from the main building.

Makoto never asked his caller why to meet up there of all places, but he saw it better than having to go back into the school. Besides, he didn't bother to disagree with the man who came to a proposal with the despairs anyway, which was something Kyoko was concerned with. What excuse did he use to convince all of them that a machine would benefit them, when it was really to rid them of the despair? Their baffled minds followed the trail to the fountain, which would give them an unforgettable first meeting.

Arriving at the fountain area, Makoto's eyes matched up directly with all the other ones staring at him, red and vicious. They were silent, observant, almost ready to strike at a command. He recognized almost every single one of them from events that had happened as recently as weeks ago, some notably more active than others. And he could save them, bring them back to how they were…

"Which one of you is Izuru Kamukara?" Kyoko asked plainly, with Makoto wishing he could be as calm as she was in these situations. An immediate response didn't come out from anyone, instead a person with extremely long black hair stepped out of the shadows of the fountain, distinguishing himself as the leader. His eyes were different from his peers, one was red, and the other was not. A stoic look covered his face, although Kyoko did see a little bit of struggling. Almost as if he was in pain.

"The program is ready, and I assume you all are as well?" Kyoko continued, waiting for a response from the boy.

"You two are alone and off the radar, correct?" he replied, refusing to answer the question. A nod came from Kyoko, knowing she would still nod even if she wasn't. Is he really as special as they think he is?

"I can assure you we are alone and nobody knows we are here." Makoto said brave, wanting to gain his trust. He had a mission to fulfill.

"Very well then. Take us to it.".

The fountain reintroduced Izuru to the pain. He saw the vision of the two meeting again, with him saying goodbye. Yet this time, Izuru thought he saw one more vision, or rather heard it. The girl was giving the boy a talk about talents, and how they didn't matter as much. Nevertheless, the pain was worse than ever before, forcing him to cut the talk quick before anyone noticed it was affecting his mind.

The flight was crowded but silent, just as Izuru ordered the remnants to be. Both sides of the deal were constantly wondering if it was a setup.

Izuru inferred that Makoto was uncomfortable with all of them, which was very noticeable with his constant glances at Nagito's arm. The pain was blocking him from reading the other one, Kyoko. She seemed angry at him, but curious. They were both more boring than they were on the television to him. Still, they seemed honest and he saw no traces of anyone following them.

Makoto on the other hand, knew if it was a setup then they would turn on him when they got to the actual machine. Junko's attached arm was a reminder that he should expect the unexpected.

The lonely islands of Jabberwock appeared below them, with the aircraft heading towards the second one. After landing and exiting, everyone immediately looked at a door blocking an entrance in the mountains. Makoto was the one to lead the group to the door, with Izuru taking note of the five-digit code he typed, letting the mass head in.

Walking through the narrow corridor, Makoto had shivers going up and down him. If there was any time for them to attack, it would be now. To his luck, the turn wasn't quite on him.

At the end of the corridor was a big round room, with many switches and several computers laid against the walls. In the middle, were sixteen tubes lined up in a circle, and in the middle of them were monitors attached to one big circular beam that went up as far as they could see.

Izuru was completely familiar with everything in the room. After hours and hours of studying computer theory and machines themselves, he knew exactly where he had to go and what he had to do. He just had to wait for the opportunity.

"This is where you will be situated for your time in the program." Kyoko said, walking over to one of the monitors. "We can start it soon as you step into the tubes.".

The silent remnants gathered around the tubes, filled with dark happiness from what Izuru told them. Izuru ordered them to get in them, and they obeyed. After Hiyoko shut hers, there was only one open. Three former students remained outside the tubes, with two realizing they were safe.

"What did you tell them?" Kyoko asked demandingly, looking at an expressionless Kamakura.

"Something they would like to hear. Their memories will be reset to their former selves, correct?" He said, slower than when he spoke to them before.

"It will take a while, but yes. Yours will be as well, and when you step into that tube the simulation will begin on it's own." Kyoko replied, looking at the monitors above the occupied tubes turning black, representing the other part. "Two observers will be sent in, one that we placed, and the other will be made from their memories. Something they can trust to guide them.". She looked back up at the long-haired acquaintance, who once again, started to look troubled.

"Um, Kyoko." Makoto asked, making her gaze turn. He was holding up a phone, with the screen reading the name 'Byakuya Togami'. Knowing picking it up would violate the terms, Kyoko needed to do something. Togami would go after them.

"If you will excuse us for one moment, we have to lock the doors and ensure sure nobody finds us." She said, but Izuru didn't respond. Taking that as a yes, she and Makoto walked back into the hallway, leaving the room in control of him.

Izuru was unable to follow the last words of the Detective, he was only aware the two left the room. His head was throbbing, almost certain he would not make it much longer. The flash drive came out of his pocket, and he headed to the direction he had slowly been moving too since everyone arrived in the room, the area behind his own tube. Spotting the area on the mainframe, his shaking arm lined up with the slot. The truth was about to be fou-

You didn't even try…to help her.

His arm was being held back, by himself.

All because of a stupid question!

Izuru was starting to lose the feeling of his body, the control of his nerves.

She begged you! And then you left her to die in front of your own fucking eyes!

His arm started to pull back.

And now you want them to die?

I wasn't the first to leave her.

The opposition became silent, with an opportunity appearing. His hand slammed into the spot with precision, and quickly let go of the flash drive.

St-

Before finishing, Izuru fell back into his tube, causing all of them to lock. The pain became intense, but then disappeared, along with the voice, and his vision.

. . .

"Hi, I'm Chiaki Nanami, the Ultimate Gamer. Video games are my hobby, and I'm a fan of all genres... Nice to meet you.".

No one said he went in peacefully...

tellonym: waterbird