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

Danganronpa 4: Next Generation Killing!

Chapter Six: Goodbye Danganronpa!

Deadly Life Part Twelve: Kiki's Counterattack!

The entire Naegi family let out a sigh of relief. Kyoko's lips tugged into a soft smile.

"I don't know how she did it, but it looks like she recovered her memories."

"You did." Makoto reminded her, gently nudging his wife with his elbow. "I get what you mean though. This seemed more…instantaneous and complete than your gradual recovery."

"Wait, so…" Hope bled into Koto's voice. "Kiki remembers us now?"

"Does she?!" Kiri begged. "Does she remember us?"

"Well…" Makoto scratched his cheek. "It's a little too soon to say for sure. But if her retort against Tsumugi is to be believed…then it looks like she overpowered whatever Tsumugi used to suppress her memories."

…It's completely illogical… Mokubo mused. It shouldn't be scientifically possible for someone to just recover their memories without therapy like that… Despite his disbelief, Mokubo couldn't help but smile. Nee-chan…you're really something else, aren't you…?

"She's broken out of despair…now let's see if she can break the others out of it as well." Maki observed, turning her eyes towards the defiant young woman on the screen.

Come on, Kiki…you can do this! They all cheered her on from within their minds, confident that she would be able to follow in her father's footsteps.

"What…what's going on…?" Tsumugi stammered, thrown off by Kiki's surge of defiance. "How can you say that with such confidence…? Just a moment ago, you were in despair when you realized that you had no way of objectively contradicting the backstory I made for you! So how…how can you be so sure that what you believe is the truth?!"

"I've remembered my past, Tsumugi."

The cosplayer's eyes widened in shock at Kiki's nonchalant revelation. "W-What…? How…that's not even possible! This isn't some fantasy anime! Amnesia can't just be magically cured like that! Especially not when I've meticulously altered them before the game started!"

Kiki smirked. "What, you don't believe in miracles?" Besides, I doubt your tech could account for interventions from beyond the grave! "The fact remains, I can only remember those things about my family and friends, including the fact that we were grade school friends, if I recovered my memories." She narrowed her eyes in a ferocious glare. "You can't control my backstory anymore! You can't make me be your character anymore!"

"E-Even if that's true…even if you did recover your memories…that doesn't mean everyone else has!" Tsumugi gestured to Kirumi, Gonta, Keebo, Sokyu, Ryoma, and Shuichi, whose eyes were still darkened with despair. "So what can you possibly do by yourself?!"

"…I'm going to make them remember."

"Huh?"

"I'm going to make them remember! I'm going to make them remember who they are! And then…we're going to shut down your sick game!" Kiki pointed furiously at the stunned Tsumugi. "We won't let you make any more Killing Games!"

"Hah!" Tsumugi scoffed. "Fat chance of that! If you think you can give them back their memories, then go ahead and prove it! It'll be amusing to see you embarrass yourself back into despair in front of the audience! Puhuhu!"

I hold everyone's memories in my hands… Kiki told herself. I have the power, and the responsibility to make everyone remember. So…I have to make them remember who they are! Remember that they have their own, unique identities! Identities that Tsumugi can never take away from them!

"All of them are my fictional characters!" Tsumugi boasted. "Fictional characters can't remember who they are!"

I'll prove you wrong, Tsumugi! Kiki vowed, memorizing Tsumugi's final few words. I'll make them remember who they are! She turned her head to the despondent detective at her side. And I know exactly who to start with!

"Am I…really a detective…?" Shuichi muttered. "Is that really my past? Or did Tsumugi just make it up? I…I can't remember…"

"Remember who you are!" Kiki pleaded, gripping Shuichi's shoulder and forcing him to look into her eyes. "Shuichi, you're not just a detective! You were my partner! We attended Hope's Peak together, we trained together under my mom, we worked at your uncle's detective agency together! When I was depressed and doubting myself, you made me believe again. That's not one of Tsumugi's lies or backstories, that's your past, Shuichi. You're not one of her fictional characters! Please, remember!"

Shuichi gasped, eyes widening as a slideshow of images played in his mind. The information overload caused him to breathe heavily while the boy came to terms with each and every memory his brain showed him.

"I…remember…" Shuichi's lips tugged into a smile. "I am Shuichi Saihara. I was raised to be a detective by my uncle while my parents focused on their careers. I befriended Kaede Akamatsu at a young age and fell in love with her. I treasured her love, especially when I became afraid of the truth. And when she broke up with me, I was devastated…until Kiki Naegi helped me to heal. She helped me to find my true strength, and I vowed to return the favor by guiding her whenever I could."

Shuichi… Her cheeks turned pink, touched by Shuichi's admission.

"My weakness as a detective, the strength I've gained from relying on my friends, my struggle to overcome my fear of the truth…those things make me Shuichi Saihara…" He narrowed his eyes and glared at Tsumugi while raising his right hand to point at her. "AND NOBODY CAN TAKE THAT AWAY FROM ME!"

"Glad to have you back, Shuichi!"

Shuichi smiled at Kiki's own joyful expression. "Thanks, it's good to be back. Mind if I lend a helping hand?"

Kiki grinned. "I wouldn't have it any other way. Partners until the very end, right?"

Shuichi nodded and shook her hand. "Nothing would make me happier!"

"S-So what if you're working together now…?" Tsumugi growled. "The two of you cannot overcome their despair!" She gestured to the young maid and bug enthusiast. "These two are doomed to remain our fictional characters!"

"My selfless devotion…" Kirumi sighed. "…was it all just fiction?"

"Gonta's love for bugs…was it all just a lie? Gonta…can't remember…"

"Remember who you are!" Shuichi pleaded. "Kirumi, Gonta, your devotions towards service and bugs aren't fictional backstories. They're real! I saw them firsthand, as your classmates! Kirumi, you weren't a Prime Minister, but you impressed the real one enough to earn an internship in his office. And Gonta, you created a bug museum at Hope's Peak! Tsumugi can't tell you that's not real, she can't tell you that's just fiction she made up. Please, remember!"

Light, barely audible gasps came from the former couple. A few tense seconds of silence passed before Kirumi and Gonta lifted their heads. Their eyes finally alit with life and vitality, they shared a small smile and nod before Kirumi spoke up.

"I am Kirumi Tojo. Training with my mother from a young age, I gained a reputation of being an effective maid that could fulfill any request. But after attending Hope's Peak and making friends, I learned to balance my desire to serve with following my own heart's selfish desires." Kirumi blushed, admitting, "Those things make me Kirumi Tojo…"

Gonta smiled. "Gonta is Gonta Gokuhara. Gonta was never popular…save for Kiki and Tsumugi, Gonta didn't have non-bug friends. And when Kiki broke up with Gonta, Gonta wasn't sure if he'd ever find love. But then Kirumi…" His cheeks flushed pink. "Kirumi accepted Gonta for who Gonta was. Gonta finds it hard to speak in first-person, and Gonta gets really into bugs. But…those are things that make Gonta Gonta Gokuhara…"

"AND NOBODY CAN TAKE THAT AWAY FROM ME!"

"AND NOBODY CAN TAKE THAT AWAY FROM GONTA!"

Shuichi gave a relieved smile, irking Tsumugi even more. "S-So what if you made the only couple in our class remember?" She pointed a shaky finger towards Ryoma. "That convict never even enrolled in our class! There's no way you can make him remember who he is!"

I can, thanks to the file Mom showed me that one day…! Kiki countered in her mind.

"The love I found and lost…the anger and revenge I felt…was that even real…?" Ryoma wondered. "Was I…was I never important to anyone…? I can't remember being important to anyone…"

"Remember who you are! Ryoma, I can't imagine the pain you felt…losing your lover, your freedom, your chance of having a normal high school life…I can't even begin to imagine the pain you've endured. But…you can't let Tsumugi trivialize it by calling it fiction! You have a heart of gold, Ryoma, nobody can deny that. Don't let Tsumugi take that away from you! Please remember!"

Ryoma gasped, gripping the railings of his podium for support. When he finally stopped shaking from the rush of memories, he took out a candy cigarette and popped it between his smiling lips.

"I am Ryoma Hoshi. I love playing tennis, but I lost my love for it when I lost the love of my life. I threw my life away, and decided to take responsibility for my crimes and willingly go to jail for the rest of my days. I lost hope of ever having a life again, of ever having a reason to live again. And yet…I found something to live for. The desire to protect the friends I somehow made. That is my reason for being, the thing that makes me Ryoma Hoshi…AND NOBODY CAN TAKE THAT AWAY FROM ME!"

"H-How…?" Tsumugi shook her head, regaining control of her wavering voice. "S-So what…? Even if you managed to make a convicted criminal hope again…there's no way you can convince Keebo to have hope again. He's a robot! He's reprogrammable by definition! He's the very definition of a fictional character!"

He may have been created artificially…but he's not fictional! Shuichi shook his head. He's just as human as the rest of us, and it's time for me to remind him of that!

"Am I…really just a robot?" Keebo muttered. "Is my purpose really whatever Tsumugi says it is? Do I really have no original programming to remember?"

"Remember who you are! Keebo, Kiki told me how you came to be! You were created by Kazuichi and Miu Iruma to be their son, and you have a little sister who you cherish! You wandered into Hope's Peak Academy with the desire to learn, and Headmaster Naegi allowed you to work in the library! You've worked tirelessly to share the knowledge you've gained with others, and you've been so helpful to us all! Your purpose is yours to determine! Don't let Tsumugi take your autonomy away! Please remember!"

Keebo's eyes glowed as he lifted his head. He rested his knuckles against his hips, and a wide smile stretched from ear to ear.

"I am K1-B0…no, I am Keebo Iruma! I was raised by my loving mother, and my sister Biusagi and I learned our father's craft through his training. I've tried to be the best older brother I could, and I thirst for knowledge…and hunger to share that knowledge for the benefit of mankind! That is my purpose for being! These things make me Keebo Iruma…" Keebo gritted his teeth and pointed at Tsumugi. "AND NOBODY CAN TAKE THAT AWAY FROM ME!"

In desperation, Tsumugi turned to Sokyu. "What about you, Sokyu? You've played the role of anti-hero perfectly, just as I planned. Refusing to trust, working against the unity of the group…you even attacked Kiki when I gave you the motivation! You've perfectly represented the character I created for you to play-"

"Sokyu!" Kiki slammed her hands on the podium, getting the lost young man's attention. "Don't listen to her!"

"B-But…" Sokyu weakly stammered. "She's right…All I did was cause harm. Lotus is dead because of me, Seven is dead because of me…I played right into her hands when I tried to kill you. I…I couldn't even remember who I was…"

"Remember who you are! Sokyu, none of us are defined by our past. She manipulated you, but you don't have to continue being her puppet! I don't care what happened in the past, I don't care if our parents fought years ago! None of those things define us, and they don't define you, either. Don't let Tsumugi make you into a villain if you don't want to be one. Only you can decide what you want to be, what's real to you! Please remember!"

A tense silence passed, Sokyu's head completely hung and obscuring his eyes. As Tsumugi opened her lips to boast, Sokyu finally spoke.

"…My uncle was a criminal who died in the Tragedy…and my father did little more than enable his worst deeds. Without my mother to set me straight, I thought I was doomed to stand in the shadow of their crimes. I believed I was destined to follow their legacy of suffering and destruction. And when I thought I killed Kiki…I figured that was proven right…that I had no choice but to give in to the same worst impulses that guided my Uncle Jutaro."

"Sokyu…" Kiki muttered, her heart going out to the misunderstood boy.

"But…despite all odds…I found forgiveness…I found acceptance…I found…friends…"

Sokyu lifted his head up, tears brimming in his eyes. Smiling softly, he wiped the moisture from his face.

"And thanks to them…I realized I can't let my old man and my Uncle Jutaro define me! I don't have to be the bad guy people make me out to be. I can choose a different path than they did. I'm Sokyu Akafuku! I'm brash, hotheaded, and I don't trust easily. But I'm not a malicious person! I appreciate when people come to my aid, and I always pay back my debts. For better or for worse, those things are what make me Sokyu Akafuku…AND NOBODY CAN TAKE THAT AWAY FROM ME!"

"W-What's going on…?" Tsumugi scowled. "Fictional characters can't rebel against their creator! It's…it's impossible!"

"I told you, we're not your fictional characters you can make do whatever you want!" Kiki narrowed her eyes and scowling at Tsumugi. "We've had enough of your sick game! We're going to end this right now! We won't let this end the way you want!"

"To end this Killing Game…and end it forever…" Shuichi declared "We will reject Danganronpa!"

"H-Hold on, everyone." Tsumugi stammered. "We can find a better ending and-"

"You may think this Killing Game is fiction, a work of your own creation…but to us, the Killing Game is real tragedy! The pain we felt isn't fictional to us! That's why we have to stop it! We won't let this happen ever again!"

"I-Impossible, it's not going to stop. Cuz that's what the world wants. As long as the world wants Killing Games, Danganronpa will not end!"

"Then we have to change it!" Kiki cried.

"There's no way you can change it! You can't change the outside-"

"We reject your battle of hope and despair!" Shuichi interjected. "We refuse to bow to your demands!"

"…Are you serious?"

Sokyu raised his brow at how Tsumugi's voice faded from Junko's to her regular tone. "Are you getting flustered? Your Junko cosplay seems to be missing its voice now."

"Are you crazy? What about hope? What about despair?"

Keebo threw his hands in the air. "Do whatever you want with hope and despair."

Gonta nodded. "We've already decided to quit this Killing Game!"

"I don't care about being part of your fictional world." Kirumi concurred. "I will refuse any and all of your requests to be a part of it."

"That's right!" Shuichi exclaimed. "This Class Trial is over!"

"No! Not yet!" Monokuma interrupted. "This game is gonna continue!"

"The Killing Game will continue!" Tsumugi desperately agreed.

"This Class Trial will go on forever and ever!"

Kiki and Shuichi shared a glance, smirked, and nodded. "Okay…we're fine with that." Kiki announced.

Tsumugi and Monokuma's jaws fell to the floor. "NANI?!"

Shuichi nodded. "That's right, if you intend to drag this out, then we'll just stand here until the audience gets bored."

"B-B-B-But…" Tsumugi sputtered "If we decide to call a Voting Time, and none of you vote for anybody…you'll all be executed. Then only I, the Mastermind, will survive! Do you all really want to throw your lives away?!"

Shuichi nodded. "We'd gladly use our lives to stop this Killing Game from ever happening again. We're abandoning this game. We won't play your game anymore, Monokuma."

"I won't let you abandon this game. I definitely won't let you!"

"Yeah!" Monokuma angrily raised his paws in the air. "I still need you guys to keep playing the game! Do the Class Trial right! Or the audience is gonna get bored!"

"Fine, be bored…" Kiki retorted. "We're not here for your entertainment. We've been trying to survive! You're the ones who want us to be entertaining! Even if we end up making the entire audience hate us, we're not gonna stop. We're going to end our tragedy here."

Ryoma nodded. "Just give up already and stop the game."

"No…" Tsumugi shook her head. "The outside world doesn't want that. They don't want Danganronpa to end!" She turned towards the screens surrounding them. "Hey! You guys don't want this amazing Killing Game to end, right? They don't want this kind of ending! They want the Killing Games to continue!"

"…What?" Gonta asked incredulously.

"That…will be the outside world's…decision!"

"Then let's let them decide."

"Huh?" Tsumugi turned towards a strangely confident Kiki.

"Let's make our cases right to the audience. Let's have one final argument, myself and Shuichi for ending the Killing Game, you for continuing your sick series!"

Shuichi nodded. "Yeah…we just have to convince them…we know we can convince the world! We owe it to everyone who's died to try!"

"I said it's impossible!" Tsumugi shrieked. "For you all to change the outside world-"

"The impossible is possible!" Kiki declared. "All you gotta do is make it so!"

"…Kh!?"

"Gonta won't just be fiction!"

"Kiki, Shuichi, I believe in you two." Kirumi smiled while Sokyu grinned.

"You two better end this Killing Game, you hear me?"

"Go get her, kids." Ryoma's lips tugged in a wry smirk.

"If you believe you can convince the audience to abandon watching this…" Keebo smiled. "Then I'll stand by you."

"There's no way…you can persuade them like that!" Tsumugi growled. "They all love the Killing Games! They can't get enough Danganronpa!"

"I'm giving the world what it wants!" Monokuma roared. "I won't let hypocrites interfere!"

"Ready, Shuichi?" Kiki asked, leading the young detective to smile and thread their hands together.

"I wouldn't have it any other way! Let's convince the outside world that Tsumugi's sick entertainment isn't worth watching!"

With that final declaration, and a nod from Kiki, the two locked eyes with the Mastermind. An intense battle of wills ensued, one that would determine the fate of the world.