"AAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRGGHHHHHH!!!"
I can't help but scream at my current predicament. The fact that I was currently falling through a vast amount of dimensional rifts is pretty troubling. All I did was open the weird door in the middle of the dark space and suddenly I was sucked into the door.
That was six hours ago...
I think.
I don't think time exists in this place.
Anyway, I digress. Currently, I am falling deeper and deeper into the vast void. The farther I fall, the less objects I see around me. It became apparent that I've arrived in the dimension Akami-sama referred to as the 'Recycling Bin' when not a single object can be seen floating around the place. It was all black, pitch-black, so dark that I can't even see my hand in front of my face. I felt like I've stopped falling yet I also felt that I am now floating in water. It was like I was swimming through the air. I didn't know or see where I was going, so I just kept moving forward. It was hard to move around, and strange too. I found it surprisingly easy to breathe here considering the lack of atmosphere and air in this place. Moving forward sapped a lot of energy from me that I soon found myself tired and weary. I felt more and more fatigued everytime I moved.
" Damn it, Monika... The moment I see you, I'm gonna make you give me a back rub!" I muttered out angrily.
Then, as if it answered in response, a blindingly, bright light shone in the distance like a beacon. I moved towards it, like a moth to a flame. Its warmth stretched out into all directions, its light calling out for all those who are lost. My body seemed to be moving against an unseen current. I could feel a heavy force pushing backwards the more I got nearer towards the light. The more I pressed onwards, the weaker I felt. It was frustrating, but I knew I had to do something about it.
I took a deep breath and mustered all of my strength into moving forward as quickly as possible. As I got closer, I was surprised that the source of the light came from a window. I squinted my eyes to focus on the structure. I was surprised to find the Club Room floating around this place. I steeled myself before dashing towards the door. But just when I was within arms reach of the door, a sudden burst of force nearly sent me flying in the opposite direction. I managed to hold onto the handle before that happened(lucky me). I gritted my teeth before twisting the knob. The moment the door opened, I pulled myself inside the Eternal Classroom.
DDLC: Our Reality
The room had a warm, orange hue to it. I felt a heavy tension in the air, a common foreshadowing of bad events. The room seemed larger inside than outside, and the windows showed a different scene than the pitch-black darkness that I have seen. It showed the stars and the universe while letting in light from the outside. I stepped forward, taking in the familiar surroundings around me. There is only one table in the room, and it sat in the center with two chairs facing opposite each other. I paced slowly towards it, remembering the conversations Monika and the player had in this place. No one else is in this room but me, strange. I looked up to see a new addition to the room. There, near the corner, is a door that wasn't there before. I was about to approach it when something caught my eye. I bent down to look at the speck of crimson on the floor. My lips curled into a slight frown when I saw that it was fresh blood. I stood up and saw there were more drops of blood on the floor, forming a trail towards the door.
I felt a chill ran down my spine when I heard sobbing coming from the room. I wanted to rush in there, but a part of me kept me from doing so. Knowing Monika, I knew it would be wise to follow that cautious side of me. I already have a picture of what the inside of that room might look like. I shuddered as I reached for the handle. Hesitation gripped at my heart, yet I remained calm. I slowly twisted the door knob, holding my breath as I did so.
My stomach churned at the scent of blood. The door wasn't even opened the whole way yet the sickening smell of blood oozed out of the room and into my nose. I suppressed my urge to vomit and pressed onwards into the room. The room was dark, but I could see the silhouette of someone sitting by the window sill. I stood still for a moment as a pleasant and all to familiar melody filled my ears. Her voice was pained as she sang sweetly. I couldn't stop myself from tearing up to the sound of her voice. So sweet, so soft, so gentle... yet so, so hurt. And as the last two verses of the song neared, I failed to keep my mouth shut.
" ...if I don't know how to love you~..." Monika paused for a moment, her green eyes filling up with tears as she tried to get herself to finish the song.
" ...I'll leave you be..." Monika turned her head towards me as I sang the last line. I could only see the glow of her beautiful, emerald-green eyes due to the darkness, but I can't help myself from feeling happy.
" I... I always hated that part. It always reminded me of the fact that you're... gone forever." I said to her with a warm smile on my face.
" Yoku..." She reached out her hand, only to pull it back.
I could her her sigh loudly. She turned her head away from me and peered out into the void. I wanted to run towards her, but my hair was standing on end. Somewhere, in the back of my mind, something is screaming for me to just stand here and keep my distance. I was torn between the joy I felt to see Monika and the crushing and choking sense of fear that I felt.
" Hey, Yoku. Tell me... Have I suffered enough?" Her voice is calm and serious, yet it didn't fail to send a chill down my spine.
" Don't you hate me? I locked away the memories of everyone that had something to do with me; I caused our world to be destroyed; I killed the girls in the past. After all of that, I was just about to get off scot free?" She turned her head towards me. I could only see the glow of one of her eyes, the other is currently being covered by boxes that glitched erratically.
" I'm a monster... A selfish, greedy monster. I didn't just deserve to be deleted, I should have been deleted a long time ago..." Her voice ran cold, her eyes glowed with hatred at herself as she said those words.
Taking a step forward, I spoke in a warm tone to mask my worries. "Monika, you're no monster... You're our friend! And right now, we need y—" she slammed her fist on a table and glared at me.
" A FRIEND?! WHAT KIND OF FRIEND KILLS THEIR OWN FRIENDS?! WHAT KIND OF 'FRIEND' ABANDONS THEIR FRIENDS?!" She asked angrily, her voice would glitch here and there, but it only served to intensify the anger in her voice. I couldn't see her fuming expression due to the darkness, but it must've been terrifying.
" Monika... T-that's not what I mea—"
" THEN WHAT DO YOU MEAN?"
There was a pause due to me choking up on my words. "M-Monika... What I mean is... you shouldn't keep blaming yourself for those things."
A deafening silence fell between the two of us. She hesitated for a moment, but she let out a heavy sigh before slumping against the window.
" You want me to blame the script, don't you? Then what? Do you just expect me to forget about those things? To put it behind me?" She had a sort of sarcastic tone to her words.
" Look, Monika... Let's just go back so we can talk to the—"
" JUST STOP IT, YOKU! I HAVE DONE THINGS THAT CAN'T BE FORGIVEN! YOU CAN'T POSSIBLY UNDERSTAND HOW I'M FEELING RIGHT NOW!"
Her sudden outburst caused the room to shake violently. Her anguished voice echoed out throughout the void. I steeled my nerves and slowly approached her. I felt that the floor is wet, and when I took a short whiff of what it was, I found it to be blood.
" Monika... Please, just listen—"
" GET AWAY FROM ME!"
This time, the room didn't shake violently. But a powerful force sent me flying towards the door. My body let off a resounding thud as I slammed into the door and breaking it down. The light from the other room flooded inside Monika's room. I could finally see...
Blood..
There was blood everywhere. The walls, the floor and the ceiling were covered in with the crimson liquid. With this, I turned my focus on Monika. I was horrified to find her in a worse state than me when I was trapped in Yuri's basement. Her left eye is gone and only an empty socket that glitched erratically remains. Around her neck is a noose that's been wrapped tightly. It has caused the flesh on her neck to be chaffed and discolored purple. Her blazer was torn in several places, particularly the sleeves. Knives were poking out of her chest, her abdomen, and her arms. Gashes and cuts much larger than Yuri's can be seen on her arm.
" Monika... Why would you do this to yourself?!" I asked with a worried expression. I avoided running towards her since I might just get blown away again.
" I... I wish to repent for my wrongs. I... I wanted to know the kind of pain I've put them through..." A mix of sadness and anger can be felt in her voice.
" It hurts... Everything hurts... Not just my body, but my heart hurts too." She said in an anguished voice.
" Moni— Dear, I know it hurts. So please, let me help you."
" N-No... I can't, I can't accept it. I don't deserve forgiveness or happiness... I deserve this, I deserve... to suffer." Monika covered her face with her hands and began to wail in sorrow.
"You say you haven't suffered enough, right?!" I asked her loudly, surprising the poor brunette. She nodded twice before wincing in pain.
" Then, why don't we suffer together?"
" H-Huh?" She finally looked up at me.
" I'll... I'll share your pain, for the rest of my life! I'll listen to all your problems, no matter how serious or petty they are! I'll listen to them and support you through them, through thick and thin. After all..." I took hold of one of her hands and held it tightly. Its warmth soothed me a little bit.
" ... That's what lovers do, right?"
She turned her head away from me and cried once more. I let out a sigh and slowly walked towards her. Once I was in arm's reach, I placed a hand on her shoulder. "No one deserves any of this... Besides, you're hurting me more by not going back with me."
She continued to cry. Her tears now forming a small, wet patch on her skirt as it dripped from her hands. I stood up, and let out a heavy sigh before slumping beside her. As she cried on, I patted her on the back gently. I looked at the noose coiled around her neck.
" Monika... I know you want me to forget about you. But I can't. I don't want to. I don't want to lose you... I don't want to leave you." I said to her soflty.
" I hate being alone... I hate it... So please... Don't leave me alone." I began to tear up as well. This managed to grab her attention. She lifted her head up and faced me.
" Y-Yoku... Why? Why won't you leave me alon— mhmmf!"
I took hold of one of her hands and pressed my lips against hers. She resisted for a while, trying her best to pull away from me. But in the end, she relented and returned a passionate kiss back to me. After a brief moment, we pulled away and stared longingly at each other. Monika immediately bent her head down to hide her blush.
" Have you calmed down now?" I asked teasingly, only to be met by weak punches on my chest.
" Meanie... Meanie... Meanie..." She muttered out softly under her breath.
" I wanted to forget about you. Doing so would make this easier... but..." She lifted her face to reveal a teary eyed face. Her sad expression tugged on my heart strings.
" I can't help but love you even more..." She placed a hand on my cheek and gently caressed me. Her soft touch brought me a slight comfort.
We were about to embrace each other, only to be hindered by the three knives sticking out of her.
" I... I guess we should take care of this first, huh?" I smiled at her.
" Y-Yeah... Sorry you had to see this." Monika averted her eyes from me.
" T-that's all right. I was kinda expecting that this might happen. Anyway, I'll handle the noose and the knives, but how abou—"
" L-Leave it to me." She pulled out her console and began to type.
DDLC: Our Reality
My hand firmly held the handle of one of the knives. Monika stared at it intently, her eyes glued on the bloodied blade stuck on her chest. She took a deep breath, and gave me the signal(which was a thumbs up). With one swift motion, I pulled out the knife as quickly as I could. She let out a harrowing scream, loud enough to cause the walls of the room to vibrate. I can clearly hear labored breathing as she pressed on the open wound.
" Keep... going..." She murmured.
I took hold of the other knife and quickly yanked it out if her. Before I could hear a scream however, a fist made contact with my face and I was immediately sprawling on the floor. The pain was excruciating, and I could taste blood in my mouth. I looked up to see Monika glaring at me while gnashing her teeth together.
" YOU WERE... ARGH! SUPPOSED TO WAIT FOR MY SIGNAL!!!" She was pissed, super pissed.
" I'm... sorry. But in my defense, you told me to do it!" I replied to her, standing on my feet as I did so.
" That's not the signal! Argh! God damn it! Just... get this last one out quickly."
I took a deep breath and did my best to ignore the pain on my cheek. As I wrapped my fingers around the knife's handle, I looked at her.
" N-now?"
" NOW!"
I pulled the last one out in a fast motion. I immediately jumped back and took on a defensive stance to try and block any incoming attack. Thankfully, no attack came at my direction, but the poor wall now has a massive dent. Monika was now on all fours in pain, her quick and labored breathing can be heard loudly. She would slam her fist on the ground to vent some of the pain.
" God... This hurts... Fuck..." She said as she gritted her teeth in pain.
" Okay... I just need to restore my character file. This would take care of the wounds."
" How about the noose?"
" Just cut it off later."
With that, a soft and warm light enveloped Monika. I couldn't help but think of her as an angel. Her heavenly glow lit up the room significantly. I could see that the wounds on her arms are disappearing. Then, the soft glow began to burn brighter until it turned into a blindingly bright light. It stopped suddenly, and in front of me stood Monika. She no longer has any of her wounds, and her uniform is now patched up.
" Okay... Now cut the noose around my neck, dear." Monika sat and turned her back towards me. She flipped away her hair and bent her head.
Without saying anything, I used one of the knives to cut the rope. I began to cut as carefully as I could. Even if no one can die here, I didn't want to hurt her. As the last of the rope fibers were split apart, I heard Monika take in a deep breath.
" That's better..." She muttered out before forcefully yanking the rope from her neck and throwing it to the sides.
" Nice! Now we can go ba—"
" Hold on! I didn't say anything about going back just yet." Monika tugged on my sleeve. She flashed me puppy dog eyes as she stared at me.
" W-Why? Don't you want to go back?"
" I... I just want to stay here for a while and clear my head." Monika lets go of my sleeve and sighed.
" I... I don't want to face them right now. Just... Just give me some time to gather my thoughts." She walked towards the lone table in the center of the room and sat down.
" Oh, okay. That's fine. I'll be by your side until you're ready." I said before taking a sit beside the wall. I could see that Monika laid her head on her arms. I was about to take a sleep when Monika called out to me. I went up to her side and looked at her inquisitively.
" That was a nice proposal..." She teased. I let out a chuckle before smiling.
" Yeah... I suppose it wa— Wait a minute... WHEN I SAID I'D SHARE YOUR PAIN I DIDN'T MEAN PUNCH ME IN THE FACE!" I said angrily. She paused for a moment, then... finally...
She smiled
" Ahaha~! S-Sorry about that, dear." She had a smug look on her face as she patted me on the head.
" Tch! Yeah, yeah..." I flash a smug grin on Monika.
" Why? What's so funny?" She asked with a cute pout.
" Oh, nothing! It's just that... could the club president really lose her cool with such a statement?" Monika is now blushing brightly, but instead of being bashful, she was laughing sweetly.
" Any girl would lose their composure if the love of their life suddenly promised to be with you forever... But hey... Yoku..."
" Hmm? What is it?"
She let out a smile and pulled me into an embrace.
" Thanks for being here with me." I let out a smile as well and returned her embrace.
" I'll always be here with you." I whispered into her ear.
We stayed like that for a while, gingerly hugging each other for what seemed like eternity. Suddenly, she pulled away from the hug and shot me an embarrassed smile.
" I nearly forgot. Hold on a second."
Yoku.chr/memories restored to original state.
" There! Ahaha! Sorry for doing that earlier." She smiled and bowed her head in an apologetic gesture.
" Hmph! You couldn't even remove all traces of you from my mind. Here I thought you were a super program—"
" What was that, darling?"
" N-Nothing!"
She stared at me intently, before breaking into laughter. I can't help myself from laughing as well.
" I missed you, Monika." I said to her as I gently caressed her cheek. She took hold of my hand and held it close.
" I... I missed you too."
She suddenly pulled me closer and leaned forward to kiss me. It was only a short and brief kiss, one that barely lasted a few seconds. Once we pulled away, I noticed Monika had an implicit look on her eyes.
" What?" I asked curiously.
" Akami-sama told you to take all the time we need, right?" She had a mischievous look in those green eyes of hers.
" Yeah, he di— Ohhhh! I get it."
DDLC: Our Reality
After cleaning ourselves up, we took a look at the mess we made. We took a good look at the table, er, at least what remained of it. Thing couldn't handle the weight of two people on top of it. The floor was a mess too, and don't ask me how that stain reached the ceiling.
" Great, you ruined a pretty nice table." Monika said to me as she buttoned up her top.
" Me?! You're the one who got too rough!"
" Heh, really? I'm pretty sure the one going ham here is you."
" Not really. If I recall correctly, you're the one who got too crazy. Especially with he thigh highs. I didn't even know they could do that."
" You're the one who enjoyed it too much."
" Anyways, you ready to go back now?"
" Sure... I'll go back. But promise me!"
" Promise you what?"
" Promise me you won't let anything get out of hand when they confront me."
" Sure. I promise."
" Okay... I'm ready to go back now. But before that, just one last question."
" Hmm?"
" Are you... Are you mad at me for what I did?"
" To be honest... I'm just irritated at you. You suddenly ran away from your problems. That's not how you solve your problems!" I scolded her. She smiled sadly and nodded her head.
" I know. I'm sorry. I won't do it again."
" Good. Now, let's get going. I'm sure they're waiting for us."
Monika nodded and took hold of my hand. She typed something into her console then a warm glow surrounded us. As the space around us began to fade away, I noticed that Monika wore a nervous expression. I let out a chuckle and held her hand tightly. I mouthed to her that it's gonna be alright and have trust in me. She nodded and closed her eyes tightly. In an instant, I was blinded by the brightness of the light as we were transported to Akami-sama's plane of existence.