A/N: Alright, with this, Danganronpa 4 is finally brought to a close. Writing this massive passion project Fanganronpa was exhausting, but ultimately rewarding, and I'm proud of the work I've put into this over the past year. Special thanks to my beta reader, danganronpa-21 on Tumblr, for sticking with me for this long. I couldn't have done this without you, nor could I have kept motivated to keep going to the very end without all the support of my readers!
With that said, how did you enjoy this Fanganronpa overall? Like it or hate it? What did you feel were its strong points? What did you feel I could have done better? Let me know your complete thoughts in your reviews below. As a side note, tomorrow's AO3 counterpart will contain one last artwork I commissioned for the Epilogue, so feel free to check it out when you have time. Enjoy!
Danganronpa 4: Next Generation Killing!
Epilogue: Finally Free!
Finally, we're outside! Kiki grinned, sun shining on her face once she and the others stepped through the demolished door.
"Chabashira-san must've been really strong to break down that door…even Gonta couldn't do it."
"Alright, in you go, degenerate."
Tenko's gruff voice and a slamming of a car door drew their attention to a nearby police cruiser. For once, Kokichi didn't give off a smug, victorious smile, nor did he make any taunts to the defeated Mastermind. Instead, he merely stared at the group of survivors, frowning in pity before he opened the passenger door and got into the car.
Kiki stood, frozen in place as she and Tsumugi locked eyes, separated by the pane of glass. The young Naegi's mismatched eyes reflected how hurt she felt by the knowledge that her best friend since grade school emotionally tortured her and actively tried to get her killed, while also reflecting her regret that she couldn't see it coming after Akki brainwashed her.
For Tsumugi's part, pain and betrayal loomed in her icy blue irises. Other than the subtle emotion in her eyes, the former cosplayer's expression seemed completely unreadable, not even a hint of a scowl on her face as she turned her heed away from her former friend.
Just as she was about to cry at the sudden severance of her longest friendship, Kiki felt a comforting arm wrap around her shoulders. She looked up and saw Shuichi staring down at her in concern. Comforted by his warm gesture, Kiki softly smiled and shook her head. They watched as Tenko and Kokichi drove off, the handcuffed and defeated Tsumugi in their custody.
Tsumugi… Kiki felt conflicted about seeing her former friend apprehended. I know that she forced us to play this game, that she did so many cruel things to us in the name of entertainment. I…I'm not sure I can forgive her for that. Even so…
"…Are you okay, Kiki?"
Kiki sighed "Honestly…no. Tsumugi was our friend…both in our past…and during this Killing Game. Knowing that she was willing to throw that away…I…I don't know how to reconcile that."
"It is rather difficult to accept…" Kirumi nodded in understanding. "Nobody would blame you if you had mixed feelings about it."
Kiki hummed. "Maybe my parents and my Uncle Hajime can help me process this…once I get back home." It's gonna be weird, though, seeing everyone again after just remembering them.
"She's probably going to jail for a long time…" Ryoma mused.
"I wouldn't be surprised if she got the death penalty for putting us through that shit…" Sokyu muttered, causing Kiki to turn pale.
I don't know if I can forgive her, but I don't want her to die! Shaking the thought from her head, she asked "By the way, Kirumi, Gonta…you guys were dating before…all of this. So…?"
"Gonta and I…have to discuss that." Kirumi admitted. "Our first priority is healing from the trauma of this Killing Game."
"Yeah…" Gonta agreed. "Gonta and Kirumi have plenty of time to talk about our relationship."
"Speaking of which…" Yui spoke up, laying a hand on Kiki's shoulder. "It's time for us to be on our way. Now that you're free, I'll be bringing each of you home."
"…Wait…" Kiki finally realized, glancing back at Ryoma and Sokyu. "What about Ryoma and Sokyu?"
Yui let out a heavy sigh. "Hoshi-kun still has an existing prison sentence to serve, so, unfortunately, I'm obligated to take him back to prison."
"But-!"
"Don't worry about me." Ryoma flashed her a wry, reassuring smile. "I'll be just fine in jail. Compared to this place, it'll be a welcome reprieve. And besides…now I have something to look forward to when I get out."
Kiki nodded and looked hopefully to Yui. "Is there any way we can get his sentence shortened?" Surely living through that hell is punishment enough!
"I'll…see what I can do. I can't promise anything, but I'll see what I can manage. As for Sokyu…" Sokyu averted his eyes, reminded of his own crimes. "The self-defense incident isn't prosecutable, but the attack on you is assault, battery, and attempted manslaughter at the very least. That being said…if neither you nor your family want to press charges, I…suppose I can…see what kind of leniency I can negotiate for him."
Kiki nodded fervently. "I already forgave Sokyu, so I'll convince my parents to go easy on him. I don't want anyone else to go to jail!"
Yui nodded. "Alright, I'll let my superiors know of your wishes."
Sokyu let out a sigh of relief before Shuichi asked hesitantly, "…What about the others…?" Kaede…what's going to happen to her…?
"A separate group of officers is going to stay behind and collect their remains." Yui assured him. "Once they're identified, they'll be sent to their respective families."
Shuichi nodded before a feminine voice called by the medical helicopter. "Hey, Keebo!" Miu waved. "It's time to go!"
Keebo nodded, turning to his friends. "Well, that's my Mom waiting for me."
"I should go, too." Mikan nodded, turning towards Kiki. "I'll be making regular visits to check on the status of your injuries, okay?"
Kiki smiled bashfully. "Thank you, Tsumiki-san."
With a soft smile, Mikan turned and ran over to the helicopter. "Okay, then…" Keebo smiled. "Guess I'll see you guys around."
"Make sure to keep in touch, okay, Keebo?" Kiki turned to the others. "That goes for everyone else, too. We've been through too much together to just go our separate ways after this."
Shuichi laughed. "Yeah, that's right. It's strange to admit, but I can't imagine my life without you guys."
"If my jail cell is willing to accept letters, I'll gladly write to you guys." Ryoma volunteered.
"That is one request I'll be happy to oblige." Kirumi agreed.
"Yeah…Gonta's handwriting isn't great, but Gonta will do his best!"
"If you guys still want to be my friend after this…" Sokyu smiled gratefully. "I'd be honored to keep in touch with everyone."
"Alright, then." Keebo nodded. "If you guys bring all your contact information to Hope's Peak, I can record it into my databanks."
Shuichi nodded. "Yeah, we can exchange info on the way home. Anyway, see you later, Keebo."
With one last wave, Keebo turned and ran over to Miu. Once they had boarded the helicopter, Yui clapped her hands.
"Okay, everyone! Let's get into the car and head back home!"
Kiki and Shuichi followed the others as they walked over to Yui's squad car. She stopped midstride and turned her head to stare back at the entrance to the school that had served as her prison, and almost became her grave.
We spent so much time wanting to escape, it's strange actually getting to do it now that we're free… Kiki mused. That place was hell, and I'm glad that we're all going home. But…
Kiki's lips tugged into a nostalgic smile. Memories of those alive and dead played before her eyes like a slideshow.
"Ooh, painting your nails, huh?"
"See, doesn't this feel better, having your hair taken care of?"
"It's okay, I suppose I can trust you with a small story."
"Then maybe I could actually be useful."
"Wow, Kiki, you look beautiful in that light pink bikini!"
"So you p-promise not to l-lie to me?"
"It's okay, you're not the first to tell me my singing sucks, and you probably won't be the last."
…Even if it was hell, I don't want to forget everything that happened there. Sure, we wept, we grieved, we suffered. But we also made friends and bonded together. We learned to trust each other and depend on each other. And even throughout all the death and despair, there were times when we could laugh and have fun…like things were almost normal. That place is filled with bad memories and nightmare fuel I'd just as soon forget. But that place also had happy, cherished memories, memories of friends that I wouldn't give up for anything!
"Ah, Kiki?"
"Hm?"
Kiki turned to see Shuichi's concerned stare. "Are you okay? The others are already in the car."
Kiki giggled and nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine, Shuichi. Just…lost in thought…" She slid her hand in his, threading their fingers together. "Come on, let's go home."
With bashful smiles, they walked over towards the car where Yui was waiting for them. Unbeknownst to them, the spirits of Jin, Sayaka, Leon, Chihiro, Mondo, Taka, Hifumi, Celeste, Sakura, Mukuro, and Junko were smiling at them as they silently bid Kiki farewell.
"Haha!" Ryoma laughed in a rare expression of jubilance. "I had no idea you had such a good sense of humor, Sokyu!"
Sokyu averted his eyes, cheeks reddened in a bashful expression. "…Never had friends to experiment with it before…my jokes really aren't that bad?"
Kirumi shook her head. "Not at all…they actually have a kind of charm to them."
"Yeah…Gonta thinks you should smile and laugh more often."
"I…I guess I can try…" Sokyu relented. "Just don't expect me to become a freakin' comedian or anything like that. Expressing myself feels…awkward, but…not unpleasant."
"It's the same with me." Ryoma nodded. "I never thought I'd have friends again, let alone share in joy with them."
"Gonta can help you both with that!" Gonta grinned, offering, "Oh! Gonta can show you Gonta's bug friends at home and-!"
"Shh!"
Hearing Yui's attempt to hush them, they stared curiously at the detective driving the vehicle. She gestured to the row of seats separating the two, causing them to peer over in curiosity.
Their eyes widened at the sight of Kiki and Shuichi, fast asleep. The young woman's face was tucked into his chest, and Shuichi's arm had wrapped protectively around her waist, holding her close.
"Oh, sorry." Gonta whispered. "Gonta will be quiet."
Kirumi nodded in agreement. "Let them sleep, they deserve it."
"They must've been really exhausted after that last trial." Sokyu observed.
"Yeah, especially Kiki." Ryoma hummed in agreement. "She's been the one leading us and keeping us alive for days. If it's been hell for us, it must have been torture for her and Shuichi."
"All the more reason to stay quiet and let them get some well-deserved rest." Kirumi advised.
Yui nodded, suggesting, "Why don't you all get some rest too? We've still got a long drive ahead of us, and besides, you all deserve to rest and recover too."
"Rest…" To their surprise, Sokyu was the first to agree to Yui's suggestion. "That sounds…nice…"
Everyone stared in shock as Sokyu leaned back in his seat and rested his hands under his head. His eyes gently closed, and light snores echoed in their ears.
"Sokyu fell asleep first?" Gonta nearly exclaimed.
"It must show how much he trusts us now." Kirumi mused with a soft smile. "Before, his paranoia was so great that we could barely get him to talk to us."
"Now he's letting his guard down and leaving himself vulnerable…" Ryoma concluded "I guess Kiki's influence did wonders for his capacity to trust others…" Letting out a small yawn, Kyoko tugged his cap over his eyes. "Well, I'm gonna catch some Z's too…"
The former tennis player's snoring added to Sokyu's. Turning to Gonta, Kirumi suggested "Why don't you close your eyes too, Gonta?"
"Okay…" Gonta nodded, letting out a great yawn and falling asleep next to his past girlfriend.
Smiling at how cute he looked, the young maid leaned against his shoulder. Letting her eyes gently fall shut, she succumbed to slumber, the only one of them not to fill the car with snoring.
Yui smiled, holding back the urge to giggle at the sight of her charges curled up in the back of the car like it was a slumber party. "Sleep tight, everyone. You'll be home before you know it…"
She turned her eyes back to the road ahead of her. Before she resumed her focus, however, she snuck one last look at Kiki and Shuichi. The detective duo continued their blissful slumber, their lips stretched into soft, contented smiles, knowing that when they awakened, freedom awaited them instead of death and despair.
CREDITS
WRITING
WiiFan2009
Makot0Naegi
ARTWORK
Okami2506
JT98
RaandomNoises
IwonnArts
Strikethat4