A/N: Here's Chapter Six Deadly Life Part Ten. Please read, review, and enjoy!

Danganronpa 4: Next Generation Killing!

Chapter Six: Goodbye Danganronpa!

Deadly Life Part Ten: Tsumugi's Ace!

"How exactly is my story wrong?" Tsumugi demanded.

"According to her testimony, Tsumugi captured the seven of us." Keebo recalled.

"She also kidnapped Kaede, which makes eight." Ryoma commented.

"Then adding her and Rantaro in the game makes ten." Sokyu finished.

"In order to match the casts of the previous Killing Games, she needed a total of sixteen participants." Keebo reminded them.

"So, she needed six more."

"Which is exactly what she got with the Nonary Game participants!" Sokyu exclaimed. "She got all six survivors!"

"That's wrong!" Shuichi interjected, shattering Sokyu's momentum. "It's true that Tsumugi needed six more participants in order to assemble her first group of victims…but remember, that book we read about the Nonary Game said that there were nine participants in total."

"What…nine?!"

"But added together, that would make nineteen, three more than she needed!" Keebo realized.

"Yeah…" Tsumugi nodded. "I was in quite a pickle with that one."

"Why's that?" Ryoma questioned. "Couldn't you have just picked six and left the other three alone?"

Why couldn't Tsumugi have just picked three of the participants to leave alone? Kiki pondered. It wasn't because they failed their auditions, and it wasn't because they couldn't pay an entry fee. It definitely wasn't because they weren't cute enough for her…that's the one! "It's because Junpei, Akane, and Aoi couldn't be found, right?"

"Couldn't be found?"

Tsumugi nodded. "You read that in my journal too, didn't you? Anyway, yeah, those three had gone deep underground after the Nonary Game and we couldn't find them. Even if we could find them, the effort required to do so would have alerted authorities to our presence, and I wasn't gonna risk everything over a couple of understudies."

"Even so…" Sokyu countered "You still would have wound up with exactly six, which is what you needed, right?"

Did Tsumugi have exactly what she needed? Shuichi pondered. Or is there evidence that contradicts that assumption? Shuichi hummed, sifting through the evidence in his mind. That's it! His eyes widened as the Team Danganronpa Binder appeared in his thoughts. "Ah, no, she still didn't have what she needed." Pulling out the binder in question, he explained "This binder here includes profiles for all of us, including those who died."

"What…all of us?!" Keebo exclaimed. "That must be how they got the information for our Motive Videos and secrets!"

Gonta nodded. "Yeah, Gonta and Sokyu found it…but Gonta didn't know how it was helpful…"

"Well, it was very helpful." Shuichi explained "Because although it included profiles for all of us…one of the Nonary Game participants had no file."

"No file?!"

"Whose file was missing?" Keebo inquired.

Whose file was missing from the record? Kiki wondered. It wasn't Snake's…nor was it Seven's. It wasn't Ace's…that's the one! "It was Teruaki's! He had no file on record!"

"Teruaki?" Ryoma questioned. "So…what does that mean…?"

"Maybe the Mastermind just got lazy and left it out of the binder."

"WE ARE NOT LAZY!" Monokuma jeered at Sokyu. "We at Team Danganronpa are committed to crossing all our t's and dotting all our i's! If we had a record on Teruaki Kubota, we would've crammed it in like all the rest!"

"But if it wasn't an oversight, then what other possibility is there?" Keebo pondered.

Why isn't there a record of Teruaki Kubota in Team Danganronpa's file? Shuichi mused, sifting through the evidence in his mind again. That's it! His eyes brightened, seeing the scrap of newspaper from the Bio Lab. "It's because Teruaki Kubota was already dead."

"Already dead?!" Gonta exclaimed in shock.

"In the Bio Lab, there are sixteen body containment drawers, one for each of us. Eight have already been filled with the remains of our friends, but in particular, Teruaki's contained something peculiar. An obituary that was stuck to the inside of the door."

"And this obituary…" Keebo grimaced. "…was for Teruaki?!"

Shuichi nodded sadly. "I don't know who was masquerading as Teruaki, or why, but one thing's for certain. Teruaki Kubota was never part of this Killing Game!"

Tsumugi sighed. "Yeah…Teruaki Kubota's death was a real problem for us. With him no longer among the living, and the other three participants out of reach, we were left with one person short. And you can't do a Killing Game without a 16th person…" Tsumugi grinned and revealed without a care in the world "…So we hired an actor."

Everyone's eyes threatened to bulge out of their heads, baffled by the nonchalant admission. A-An ACTOR?! Kiki and Shuichi exclaimed in their minds.

"He was our second willing participant, but for his perk, we let him keep his memories."

"That must be why there were only fourteen pods…" Shuichi realized. "You and this actor were the only ones who didn't lose any memories!"

"Puhuhu, that's right! He matched the rough height and build we needed, and the poor man was struggling to land his first big role. So, we told him we were planning a big Reality TV hit, and that if he signed on, all he'd have to do is act exactly like Teruaki Kubota did, and his name would be forever remembered in the acting world!"

"In other words, you promised him fame without assuring him he'd still be alive to enjoy it." Ryoma guessed.

"Of course, I only ever planned for him to be an extra, just like the other Nonary Game participants. Besides, all the extras get killed off eventually. But he played his part perfectly up to the very end. He may have been an extra, but he was the best damn extra we ever worked with!"

"You're sick, you know that?!" Kiki growled, furious with the young cosplayer-turned-Mastermind. "It's bad enough you put all of us through this twisted TV show, but you led an innocent, desperate man to his death just so you could meet some quota?! What the hell is wrong with you, Shirogane?!"

"Whatever…" Sokyu huffed. "Anyway, this should fill our end of the bargain, right?"

"I cannot think of any other facet of this mystery we've yet to solve, so it's safe to say we've discovered the truth-"

"Have you, though?" Tsumugi questioned, cutting off Keebo.

What?! Kiki and Shuichi exclaimed to themselves.

"Well, you haven't done much in the way of sleuthing at all. After all, I've been giving you hints and information. So, it's safe to say that I've been the one solving this mystery, not you."

"No fair!" Sokyu seethed, slamming his hands against his podium. "We've played your stupid game from beginning to end!"

"Puhuhu, frustrated, are we? Fine, answer this, and I'll let you go. Am I telling the truth?"

Everyone blinked in confusion. Huh?

"Am I telling the truth? You already know I faked your Motive Videos with cosplay. For all you know, I could have made up everything else I've fed you. In fact, everything you know about yourselves could just be my creation-"

"No that's wrong!"

Having had enough, Kiki gritted her teeth and glared furiously at Tsumugi. She slammed her hands down on her podium, growling and snarling at her target.

"You're saying that everything we know about ourselves was created by you? That's bullshit and you know it!"

"Oh?" Tsumugi smiled, unperturbed by Kiki's outburst. "And how would you know that my claim is bullshit?"

"SHUT UP!" She bellowed, clenching her left fist and pointing at Tsumugi with her right pointer finger. "THERE'S NO WAY YOU COULD MAKE UP EVERYTHING ABOUT US! WE'RE NOT CHARACTERS ON YOUR TV SHOW! WE'RE LIVING, BREATHING, PEOPLE!"

Rebuttal Showdown -Truth Blade-: Kiki vs Tsumugi!

"You abducted us and took our memories…" Kiki growled.

That's how every Killing Game starts. Tsumugi replied in her mind, as if she was answering a question about the weather.

"Then you told us to kill each other…and pretended to be as scared and confused as the rest of us."

It wouldn't be a proper Killing Game without fear and tension, Kiki.

"You made us kill each other, and executed us in the most gruesome fashion when we got caught…"

You brought all that upon yourselves. I just nudged you in the direction I needed to keep the show entertaining.

"And now that you got caught cheating…"

I admit, I cheated.

"…You have the gall to stand by Monokuma and play head games with us?!"

That is the Mastermind's role, after all.

"Just shut the hell up!"

"No, you shut up." Tsumugi shook her head. "A character doesn't rebel against their creator, after all."

Steam seemed to pipe out of Kiki's nostrils as her face turned red from fury. "Stop calling us your characters!"

But that's exactly what you are.

"We have thoughts, feelings, dreams, emotions!"

And those are exactly what make you such compelling characters!

"You don't decide what makes us unique!"

Actually, I do!

"Only we know who we are!"

"I'll slash through your words!"

"You think you know who you are…but you couldn't be more wrong."

"W-WRONG?!" Kiki sputtered.

"Tell me once more, who created your Motive Videos?"

"Of course it was you, Tsumugi! What's the point-?"

"Then answer me this as well." Tsumugi challenged. "Who stole your memories?"

"It was…you…Tsumugi…" Kiki answered after a moment of hesitation.

"Uh-huh, and who drip-fed you those books about the Killing Games and the Akki Incident and the Nonary Game?"

Kiki's face turned pale, suddenly realizing where Tsumugi was going with this. "It was…you, Tsumugi…"

"Correct, and who left behind all that evidence about Team Danganronpa for you to find?"

"…You, Tsumugi…"

"And who confirmed every deduction you made?"

"…You…Tsumugi…"

"That's right! Now do you understand?"

Shuichi's eyes widened as the gears turned in his head. "Are you saying…that because all our information came from you…?"

"Puhuhu…you have no way of objectively verifying the truth."

"Wait, so…" Gonta's face turned pale. "Gonta's desire to be a true gentleman…"

"My feelings of anger and revenge for the death of my lover…" Ryoma muttered.

"My selfless devotion to serving others…" Kirumi finally spoke for the first time since finding out her history of being the de-facto Prime Minister was false.

"The memories I have of growing up with Professor Idabashi…" Keebo uttered.

"My mom's death…my childhood with my old man…my struggle to find social acceptance…" Sokyu gasped.

"That's right, it's all created by me! Whether any of them are truth or lies is up to me, and me alone!" Tsumugi grinned victoriously. "Now do you all see? Ever since you've entered the world of Danganronpa, you've become nothing more than the first of many fictional characters in my Killing Game Reality TV Show! You've become part of the Ultimate Real Fiction!"

F-Fiction…?

Kiki's breath became uneven, and her hands began to shake. Tears began to trickle down Kiki's cheeks.

"Why…am I even here? Why did I even survive this long?"

"Kiki?!"

An alarmed Shuichi stared in horror at the despondent Kiki. Her normally bright, hopeful eyes seemed to dim with each word she spoke.

"It's all a lie…isn't it? Me…Everyone here…Everyone who died…Everything's a lie, right? I can't fight…for a lie, can I?"

"Kiki! Kiki, snap out of it!"

"If…if everything I know is a lie…if my existence is just fiction…if nothing I know is real, then…maybe I should have just died when Sokyu pushed me over the railing…"

"Kiki, don't say that!" Shuichi violently shook her shoulder. "I don't want you to feel that way anymore! Even if what Tsumugi's told us is fiction, even if our memories are fictional…the pain in our hearts is real! The sadness we feel when we lose the people we love is real! Don't let Tsumugi treat you like a toy, Kiki! Don't-"

"Just let me die, Shuichi."

"Kiki…" Shuichi gasped, a tear trickling down his cheek.

Seeing the girl who had given him courage begin to fall into despair began to take its toll on Shuichi's relatively newfound confidence. With each depressing word Kiki spoke, it became harder and harder to keep his own insecurities from rearing their ugly heads.

"I don't want to live a pointless, meaningless existence. If my only purpose is to get beaten down, to suffer, to lose everyone around me…then I'd rather just be dead. So please…just let me die. Just let me die and be put out of my misery, Shuichi."

"NO!" In a desperate attempt to keep them both from falling deeper and deeper into Tsumugi's trap, Shuichi raised his voice, nearly bellowing to compensate for the fear he was actually feeling deep down. "KIKI NAEGI, I WILL NOT LET YOU DIE AGAIN! I WILL NOT LOSE YOU AGAIN! DO YOU HEAR ME?! KIKI NAEGI, WAKE UP!"

Yet no matter how roughly he tried to shake the despair out of her, Kiki did not respond. The life seemed to fade from her eyes, leaving her little more than an empty husk standing at her podium. For all intents and purposes, she might as well have been dead.

"So…the daughter of the Ultimate Hope has fallen into despair…" Tsumugi mused, watching as the hope began to leave his own eyes.

"Kiki…Kiki…" He sobbed, mourning the second loss of the woman he treasured.

"You're all alone now. No matter how much you grow, Shuichi, you're still weak after all…" Tsumugi taunted. "Now that Kiki's lost the will to fight, the will to live, you've gone back to the weak detective…"

"Kiki…Kiki…"

Kiki barely heard Shuichi's wails as the courtroom faded into darkness. She could just barely make out the same look of depression and despair in everyone else's eyes, save for Tsumugi's victorious sparkle, until she was enveloped in a cold embrace.

"KIKI!" Makoto and Kyoko cried out in anguish.

"KIKI!" Koto and Kiri crawled over to the TV screen, resting their palms against it as if they could reach through to touch their sister.

"Nee-chan…" Mokubo muttered, scowling as he clenched his fist.

"She's…she's falling into despair…" Kyoko sniffled in anguish.

Makoto grunted and punched the sofa cushion he was sitting on, powerless to help his daughter. "Kiki, don't give up!"

"Damn you, Shirogane!" Kyoko cursed. "How could you steal my daughter's soul like that?!"

"Kiki, wake up!" Koto and Kiri cried.

"Nee-chan, open your eyes!" Mokubo begged, tears streaming down his cheeks.

"KIKI!"

"KIKI!"

"KIKI!"

"KIKI!"

Kiki's eyes fluttered open, a sudden chill bringing the girl brought to awareness and making her shiver. With chattering teeth, she looked around at the endless black void that stretched as far as the eye could see.

"Where am I…? Is this…despair? Is this what happens when you fall into despair…?" Kiki felt another shiver, causing her to wrap her arms around herself in a desperate attempt to preserve her warmth. "It's…so…cold…"

At that moment, the last minute of the trial flashed before her eyes. Suddenly becoming downcast again, she bowed her head.

"Though I guess anything's better than having my existence torn apart by Tsumugi…so…what now? Do I just…wait here until I die…? Or…am I just going to stay in this hell forever? I…I don't know…" Kiki sniffled. "I…I don't know what to do, what to feel, what to say…is…is anything up to me anymore…? Is anything real anymore…? I can't take it…I can't take not knowing what's truth and fiction anymore. I just…I just want it all to end…"

"Hey, c'mon! Where's that bubbly young girl who always used to follow me around?"

"Huh?" Kiki's eyes widened and she looked up.

Looking back down at her was a tall, grinning man. His purple eyes and matching hair and goatee made their owner feel familiar, but she couldn't put her finger on where. The man knelt down next to her, his radiant warmth seeming to banish her chills.

"Good to see you again, space cadet!"

"Who…who are you…?"