Ibuki: Disclaimer! The author does not own any of the material appearing in the story. The OC's belong to their respective owners!
BGM: Hades' Infernal Theme (Kid Icarus: Uprising)
"Time! Space! Reality! It's more than just a boring ol' linear path! It's a prism of boundless entertainment! A single choice can branch out into infinite realities and infinite amusement from yours truly! Alternate universes created from the ones that we know and love! I am Lord Hades, your handsome guide to these wonderful and boundless fun of opportunities! Follow me, if you dare… and bask in the neverending torturous question of:"
SUPER RWBY: WHAT IF?
"What If!"
End BGM
"Oh, that poor galaxy. Samus and Chell are evil and are gonna take over the whole universe with an iron fist or two. Will anyone stop 'em? …That's up to anyone's imagination if they'd be successful or not! Hahahaha!"
He looked through the universes again with a hum until he found something that had caught his interest.
"Oho, what's this?" He wondered as he looked into it. "Oooh, interesting…"
He then smirked as he looked at the screen.
"We all know what happened in Towa City. Komaru's life gets turned upside down, meets her best friend and then proceeds to go on a robot busting adventure while spanking a few rotten kids' butts!"
He grinned.
"But let's say they have a plus one… wonder how that'll turn out? Let's find out, shall we?"
What If… Kokoro Was Born In Towa City?
"Reliving Komaru's horror? I'm down for that!"
BGM: Alice in the Children's Land (Danganronpa Another Episode: Ultra Despair Girls)
Komaru and Toko walked around the ruined Towa City, the former occasionally shooting down a Monokuma bot or two. As they kept walking, they found themselves nearing the hospital. Komaru looked up at the sign before letting out a sigh, walking inside with Toko, where she wondered how her life got to this point.
She closed her eyes, recalling how a Monokuma bot broke into her room and tried to kill her, followed by meeting up with Byakuya Togami and he gave her a weapon to defend herself with, then getting ambushed at a restaurant when she tried to get help, not to mention her first meeting with the Warriors of Hope and their boss, Monaca.
"You're a demon", they say… "We want to exterminate demons because they all suck", they say… "Put ol' Monaca in a wheelchair", they say! …Or maybe she was remembering that part wrong. Regardless, she had been put in their "Demon Hunting" game for their sick twisted amusement.
Luckily, Toko was able to come to her rescue… along with her creepy as hell alter ego that she had the displeasure of meeting, yet at the same time, Genocide Jack seemed to mean well? Regardless, she was able to help her out.
Then to her horror, the bridge was blown out from those Monokuma Kids so there was no way out of Towa City. A friend known as Yuta Asahina offered to swim to the other side to get help… only to get blown up in the middle of his swimming, much to Komaru's horror. Luckily, Toko was able to give her a pep talk.
And now she's here chasing after a Monokuma Kid that held a key to try and get her into the subway, only for their wild goose chase to end up in a hospital.
"Hey… Komaru? A-Are you day dreaming at a time like this?"
"O-oh! Sorry… I… I just went through a lot all at once."
"That's understandable, but we need to move. You can daydream when you're either dead or those brats are dead!"
"R-right!" Komaru nodded as they ran into the hospital, where they ignored the amount of corpses scattered around the hospital to the best of their ability.
As they turned the corner into a hallway, they would immediately spot a Monokuma Kid giggling as the kid ran into the Diagnosis Room.
"That kid just ran into the Diagnosis Room!" Toko said.
"How do you know it's the Diagnosis Room?"
"Ahem…" Toko pointed to the sign above the door that said "Diagnosis Room"."
"Ooooooh…" Komaru sweatdropped.
"You need glasses." Toko said as she pushed open the doors.
"I do not! I just… uh… had tunnel vision! Yeah…"
The two of them wandered into the room where they saw the Monokuma Kid waiting for them.
"Alright, you brat! You better have a good reason why you-"
"Ta-daaaah~!" The Monokuma Kid pulled out a present.
"...Ran… away… from us…?"
"Aww! How thoughtful!" Komaru smiled as she reached for the present.
"KOMARU, NO!" Toko exclaimed, yanking the present, throwing it to the ground and stomping it on the ground repeatedly.
"What are you-"
"This could be a trap! It could be something explosive! It could be-"
Some Break Bullets rolled out of a hole that Toko had made.
"...Be… that…"
"Congratulations, you became terrified of some ammo made for me." Komaru giggled.
Toko blushed a deep red. "Sh-shut up!" She grumbled, folding her arms.
The Monokuma Kid giggled and waved goodbye, proceeding to head out the door… only she suddenly started to convulse.
End BGM
"Agh! Nnngh!" The kid grunted as she clutched her head, proceeding to convulse violently as the Monokuma Head started to malfunction, shorting out in the process as she continued to convulse violently.
"That poor kid…" Komaru said as she ran over to help her, grabbing the helmet the moment the lights were shut off on the helmet.
"A-are you sure that's a g-good idea? This might be a trap!"
"I don't want whoever is in this to suffer! Besides, I don't think- hnngh- she's a- mmmmph - threat!"
Komaru kept tugging until she pulled off the Monokuma head, revealing a young girl with dirty blonde hair that reached her shoulder blades and a single small ahoge.
"Phew… glad I didn't tear her head off." She tossed the Monokuma head away.
Half an hour later…
"Mmm…" The young girl stirred on a bed, where Komaru was sitting on a stool and reading labels on medicine bottles out of boredom while Toko was keeping watch in case any Monokuma bot tried any funny business.
The young girl opened her eyes, revealing golden yellow eyes with star shaped irises. "Mmm…?"
"Hmm?" Komaru looked up. "Hey, are you okay?"
"ACK!" The girl yelped as she backed away and hit her back against a wall completely terrified. As far as she knew, she just woke up in an unknown environment with two complete strangers.
"Wait wait wait, it's okay! It's okay!" Komaru said, hugging her gently to calm her down. "It's gonna be okay… we're not going to hurt you… just take a deep breath. You're no longer in danger…"
One calmed down girl later…
"What's your name, little one?" Komaru asked after they brought her up to speed.
The girl pointed at herself. "M-My name?"
Komaru nodded quietly in response.
"It's…" She glanced down. "It's Kokoro."
"Just Kokoro…?" Toko wondered.
Kokoro nodded meekly. "Y-Yeah… Th-that's all I can remember… I-I'm sorry."
"It's okay if you can't remember the rest of your name, Kokoro. No need to apologize." Komaru said as she gently patted the younger girl on the shoulder and gave her a reassuring smile. She doesn't know her own full name… Could it be that this little girl sorta has like amnesia…? She guessed while frowning a bit at that thought. ...I guess that helmet must have messed up her brain really bad.
"Great… amnesia's slowing us down…" Toko muttered under her breath.
"It sounds like this isn't your first time with amnesia." Komaru teased.
"Y-you don't know the h-half of it…" Toko mumbled.
The trio then exited the room and proceeded to go around the hospital in search for the key, as Kokoro didn't have what they were looking for, all the while they were exchanging stories while occasionally shooting down a Monokuma robot.
"Hmm? A… weapon's shop…? Who puts a weapon shop in a hospital?" Toko wondered.
"Desperate times?" Komaru guessed with a shrug as they walked into the shop, where they would see armor and weapons in there. "Ooooh, let's see what we got here~!"
"Hmmm…" Kokoro looked around until she found a hunting bow with a quiver of arrows. "Yeah… this seems nice."
"Ooooh, this looks pretty good!" Komaru said, pulling out a blue and orange rocket launcher after putting on a vest. "Hehehe-"
"That's a Nerf Rocket Launcher. You're just gonna be hitting folks with foam missiles."
"Awwww…" Komaru pouted, tossing it behind her and then spotted a minigun. "Oooooh~!" Her eyes sparkled as she tried to pick it up.
…Problem was, it was too heavy to even move.
"Hnnngh! Nnnngh! How do people in movies do this?!"
"Props." Toko said calmly while Kokoro poked the arrows, feeling they were sharp as she smiled and put the quiver away.
Toko grabbed Komaru. "Come on, let's go before you throw your back out." She said as she pulled Komaru away.
"B-B-B-B-B-But…! But…! Awwwwww…"
BGM: Absolute Despair Girl (Danganronpa Another Episode: Ultra Despair Girls)
Some time later, after getting the right key…
"Wow, you're actually really good!" Komaru complimented as Kokoro fired arrows with precise aim, hitting the Monokuma bots in the heads. "You're a natural!"
Kokoro blushed. "Thanks…"
At that moment, an army of Monokuma bots charged directly at them. "Wah! There's too many of them!" Kokoro whimpered.
Toko took a step forward. "I'll handle this…" She pulled out her stun gun and electrocuted herself.
"KYAHAHAHAHAHA~! TIME TO MAKE YOU INTO MINIATURE TOYS~!" Genocider cackled as she lunged forward and proceeded to cut them all into ribbons.
"Mmmph…! Wh-what is…?" Kokoro whimpered, watching as a few Monokuma bots tried to get away, only to get slaughtered.
"Meet Genocide Jack… or Jill. Or just Genocider. Pick your poison." Komaru said.
"Aaaaaah~" Genocide Jill approached them with a hum. "I love the smell of dead robot teddy bears in the morn-" She spotted Kokoro. "Hmm? Oh my my~ Who's this little brat right here~?!" She pointed her scissors at her.
"Eeeek!" Kokoro yelped, hiding behind Komaru.
"Toko, don't scare her like that!" Komaru scolded. "This little girl right here isn't one of the bad guys!"
"Isn't one of the bad guys? KYAHAHAHA~! A likely story! Maybe this scamp right here is tagging along with us so that she can wait for the right time to stab us in the back after we lower our guards around her!"
"Wh-what?! N-No! I-I would never kill anyone in cold blood even if they deserve it! Honest!"
"Mmm, you're gonna have to try harder than that~!"
"Alright, let me bring you up to speed real quick."
"Aaaand allow me to fast forward a bit~!" Hades grinned.
Genocider sighed. "Ah, fiiiiine… she can stay with us." She looked straight into Kokoro's eyes. "But remember, this little scamp right here is your responsibility and your responsibility alone, got it~?! If something bad happened to Star Eyes, then it's on you~! KYAHAHAHA~!"
"Star Eyes?" Kokoro quietly mouthed while tilting her head in confusion.
"Ya know… I was thinking more of something like… Kokoron."
"PFFFT! Kokoron? You just added an N to her name!"
"It's cute." Komaru defended, causing Kokoro to blush.
"Oh, whatever. Keep the fluff~! KYAHAHAHA~!" She then zapped herself to get Toko back up and running.
End BGM
Later…
"Aaaagh, why is it so dark down here? I'm afraid of the dark…!" Toko whimpered.
"I told you, it's going to be fine. It's not that dark." Komaru reassured.
"She's right. It's not too bad…" Kokoro said.
"Ooooh, easy for you to say! It's more than dark enough… auuuuuugh! IS ANYONE THERE?! TURN ON THE LIGHTS, DAMMIT!"
Immediately, the lights turned on as they were surrounded by Monokuma kids sitting in bleachers as Masaru front flipped onto the stands.
"Ta-daaaaaah~! Hello demons! You're standing before the Lil' Ultimate PE, Masaru Daimon!"
"...Masaru…?" Kokoro wondered, seemingly recognizing him.
"Wha…?" Komaru turned to Kokoro. "You know this boy?"
Kokoro frowned. "I-I wish I never knew… but what I do know? I don't like it…"
"Augh, y-you're not making any sense, Star Eyes! Wh-what do you mean by that?!"
"Mmm… I can't put my finger on it, but I feel like I know him personally, but I don't know why…" Kokoro mumbled, seeing Masaru sneering at her.
"If y'all are done talking… welcome to the Killeseum!"
"...Kille-what now?" Toko deadpanned. "You call yourself a smart kid yet you don't know how to pronounce "colosseum" correctly."
"I do too!"
"Then what is this?" Toko asked.
"The Killesseum!"
"Colosseum."
"Killeseum!"
"Colosseum."
"Killeseum!"
"Colosseum."
"Killeseum!"
Toko smirked. "Roman Killeseum."
"YOU IDIOT! IT'S THE ROMAN COLOSSEUM!" Masaru yelled before blinking. "...Hey, wait, no…"
Komaru blinked. "What just happened?"
"I… think she tricked him."
"Aaah, I needed that…" Toko smiled.
"Rrrgh! Never mind that! You demons think you own the place and think you're all that, but when I'm through with you, you'll be added to my high score!"
"What do you mean high score?" Komaru asked nervously as Masaru clicked a button and showed off a literal mountain of corpses.
"Ta-daaaaah~!" Masaru smiled. "A pile of demons that I've killed myself!"
"Oh! OH! A mountain of corpses? This kid is after my own heart!" Hades said excitedly.
"Oh my gosh…" Komaru whispered in horror.
Kokoro teared up at the sight of it. "Enough of this needless violence, Masaru! This doesn't have to end like this!"
"Shut your mouth, traitor! You have no right to speak to me since the day you chose to side with the demons!"
"T-Traitor?!" Komaru exclaimed in shock as she and an equally shocked Toko looked toward Kokoro. "Kokoron, wh-what's he talking about?"
"I… I don't know…" Kokoro responded in genuine confusion.
"Is it because we saved her from being a "Monokuma kid"?" Komaru whispered.
"We? You were the one who yanked the head off!"
"You were with me, so it counts!"
"No, it doesn't!"
"SILENCE!" Masaru yelled. "You demons are all the same, thinking you know what's best for us! Well, I say no more! We're tired of being pushed around, we're tired of being told what to do… and you know what? Once we're all done here, Towa City will be a paradise for kids where no one will tell them what to do! And no one…"
Masaru started shaking. "No more… yelling… no more… screaming… n-no n-no more… a-alcohol smell…" He whimpered as he looked at his arm. "Huh… that's weird… why… why am I shaking…?" He wondered as he turned around. "Hey… hey stop it! STOP IT!"
He slammed his shaking wrist on the ground and started beating it up. "STOP IT! STOP! STOP IT! I! COMMAND! YOU! TO! STOP!"
"That's a one eighty…" Toko muttered.
"H-hey, is everything okay? We can talk about this!" Komaru said with concern. "Stop beating yourself up… come on down and… I can give you a nice hug! Please, just stop punching your own arm…"
Kokoro teared up again. "Masaru, please! Stop beating yourself up!"
"Hnngh! Stop! Shaking…!" Masaru panted as his arm stopped, but it was incredibly bruised. "Haaaa… good…"
Masaru turned around with a glare. "Alright… sorry about that… now it's time to show what a real Hero can do!" He exclaimed as a Monokuma Kid tossed him a controller as he grabbed it and proceeded to press a button as a mech rose out of the ground.
BGM: The Warriors of Hope (Danganronpa Another Episode: Ultra Despair Girls)
A Hero's Fury - HeroRobot Mark Guyver
Kokoro nocked an arrow into her bow while Komaru raised her Hacking Gun, where Toko had her stun gun at the ready if need be.
The mech revved up its drills and started to drill into the trio, but they quickly avoided it as Komaru shot at the armor.
"Hehehe! Get a load of this! GIGA DRILL BREAKER!"
"...Oh my god, this kid's a nerd!" Toko groaned as Komaru yanked Toko away from the drill attack.
"Oi! You dare call me a nerd? Then eat THIS!"
One of the drills went flying toward Toko, forcing her to get out of the way while Komaru shot at the robot.
Kokoro fired a few arrows but then glanced over at the controller that Masaru was playing with. He didn't notice her looking at him as he was fixated on clobbering the two teens. In fact, the audience was fixated on the duo as well.
I wonder… Kokoro aimed her bow directly at the controller. She took a deep breath and exhaled, letting the arrow loose as it pierced through the controller.
Bzzzzzt!
"Huh?!" Masaru wondered as the robot malfunctioned. "Come on, come on…! Work, dammit!" He complained. "This is the last time I get electronics from the Yen Sto-" Masaru noticed the arrow piercing through it as he looked to see Kokoro frowning at him. "...Not cool, traitor!"
"It's called fighting smart, Masaru."
"Aw, what's wrong? Didn't get protection for your controller?" Toko snarked as she tased herself.
"YOU KNOW WHAT THEY SAY ABOUT NO PROTECTION! Y'ALL GONNA GET FUUUUUUCKED~! KYAHAHAHAHAHAHA~!" Genocider cackled as she proceeded to rip MarkGuyver to shreds while Komaru sweatdropped as several parts went flying past her, none of them hitting her.
End BGM
"Um… uuuuh…" Masaru looked on in horror as all the Monokuma Kids started to crowd around him. "W-wait, I can fix this… I… I'm the Hero… I'm your Hero… right…?"
One of the Monokuma Kids grabbed him and pulled him in as they started beating him up as his headphones went flying away and landed near Kokoro's shoes. She gently picked it up and placed them around her neck.
"Farewell… Masaru…" Kokoro said, a tear escaping her eyes as they walked away from the Killeseum.
Later, after feeling their way around the subway and nearly getting crushed by falling debris…
"Hah… hah… okay… definitely not that way…" Kokoro panted, having tuned out Genocider's ways of getting "awakened" in her conversation with Komaru, complete with her sneezing to get Toko back to normal.
At that moment, two Monokuma kids came over with a flatscreen TV, and turned it on to reveal Jataro.
"Hmm…? Is this thing working? Hellooooo?" Jataro wondered before the static disappeared. "Ah, there we go…" He smiled before spotting Kokoro. "Kokoro Kinokoshi… this is a surprise…"
"Kinokoshi?" Komaru perked up. "I could've sworn I heard that name somewhere before…"
"Jataro…" Kokoro whispered.
"Ah ah, that's Jataro Kemuri to you… but anyway, you're probably wondering why you couldn't escape through the subway…"
"Yeah, considering it fell on top of us!" Komaru grumbled.
"Aaaah, well… the thing is is that if you try to escape Towa City… well, that wristband of yours will light up if you pass a certain threshold and… well… kaboooooooom."
Komaru gasped, remembering what happened earlier. "So… Yuta from earlier… he… you blew him up?!"
"Heeeey, it's not his fault… he tried to run away from our game and he paid the ultimate price… although, saying it out loud… I guess it really was his fault…"
"You're sick… you're sick sick sick SICK!" Toko yelled.
"Now now, I'm an artist after all… we artists tend to be quite… eccentric at best." Jataro said. "Why, take a look at my masterpiece~!"
The TV screen switched to several people dancing around and kicking their feet happily with Monokuma behind them… only strings appeared a few moments later as a string snapped off as one of their heads drooped down as they would also see everyone was chained together.
"Wh-what the…?!" Komaru exclaimed in disgust as the TV switched back to Jataro.
"Pretty cool, huh? Anyway, see you laaateeeeeer!" Jataro said as the Monokuma kids took off running as Komaru fell on her knees, tears in her eyes.
Kokoro's stomach did a few flips as she let out a groan. "Why is he so depraved…" She muttered with a grimace.
Later…
A few Monokumas were quickly shot down by Kokoro's arrows as Komaru ran over to someone under a cover and started to pull it off.
"Don't worry, the Monokumas won't hurt you anymo- WAAAAAAH?!" Komaru screeched as she fell on her butt as they saw a bandaged up Monokuma.
BGM: Despair Syndrome (Danganronpa Another Episode: Ultra Despair Girls)
"Monokuma infighting?" Toko wondered. "I think we can use this to our advantage… I hope."
"Oh thank you so much!" The bandaged Monokuma smiled happily and gave Komaru a hug.
"Eugh!" Komaru yelped as she pushed the Monokuma away. "I don't mind hugs, but I don't like it when it's from a killer teddy bear!"
"Oh…? Oooooh, right… but no worries, I'm a nice bear! The name's Shirokuma!"
"...Uh-huh." Toko narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "Omaru, shoot this idiot down."
"Wait wait wait wait! I have an AI! It's completely different than normal Monokumas!"
"O-Oh yeah…? Prove it!"
"I can draw, I can paint, I can… uh…"
"AI drawing and painting… we're doomed." Toko moaned. "Omaru, kill-"
"Wait wait wait! I can do more than that!" Shirokuma said. "I can read, dance, talk, guide you to safety, swim… okay, maybe not that last part-"
"Guide us to safety?" Komaru seemed intrigued.
"Probably guide us straight to shark infested waters! How can we trust this thing?"
"Oh, most Monokumas are black and white, yes? I'm white through and through!"
"...He's got us there." Kokoro admitted.
"Plus he's actually kinda cute!" Komaru giggled.
"Mmmm… I still don't trust you!" Toko glared.
"Follow meeeee! I can take you to the underground base!" Shirokuma said and walked off with the trio following her.
"Now when you say underground…" Toko glared.
"In the sewers~"
"Gross! If I see any carnivorous plants or a red shirt and blue overalls, I'm gonna cut loose!" Toko threatened.
"What about green and blue?" Komaru asked.
"I am NOT dressing up as a plumber!"
"How about a pink dress?" Komaru offered.
"Ewwww!"
"Oh, you stick in the mud…" Komaru sighed.
"Plumbers…?" Kokoro wondered to herself as they wandered off.
End BGM
One trip through the sewers later…
Shirokuma opened the door as the girls walked inside to see the huge base, not to mention a lot of adults in the area.
BGM: Secret Base ~ Left Behind By the Adults ~ (Danganronpa Another Episode: Ultra Despair Girls)
"Wh-what the…?!" An adult yelled. "What the hell's a kid doing down here?!"
"A kid?!" Another screamed. "I think those damn brats sent her here to kill us!"
"Mmmph!" Kokoro gulped and backed away in fear, but Komaru quickly put a protective arm in front of her.
"Wait, wait, wait! Don't hurt her! This girl here isn't a threat just like the rest of those kids out there! Believe me, she was with us when they threatened to kill us for trying to leave town!"
"I-I may not agree with her on a lot of things, but she's got a point, y-you know…?! Besides, if this girl was still with those brats, m-me and Omaru would be dead r-right now!" Toko agreed.
"Tch, a likely story! There's no way I'm trusting a damn kid! And there's no denying either that this girl must be a spy for those shitty kids! We should kill her while we have the chance!"
Kokoro quickly hid behind Komaru in fear while Toko slowly brought out her stun gun.
"What the hell is going on here?"
They would see a woman approaching them, where she looked to be about in her early thirties with dirty brown wavy hair that reached her shoulders and slanted hazel eyes. Her attire consists of a cream white button-up long-sleeved blouse that's loosely tucked-in, a pair of khaki chinos with a brown leather belt wrapped around the waist, a pair of dark brown moccasins, and a silver chain locket necklace hanging from her neck. Not to mention that she also had a cola-flavored lollipop on her mouth and a Monokuma Wristband on her left wrist.
Hmmm… her face kinda looks like Kokoron's, though much more grown up. Komaru thought to herself. …I wonder… could this be her mother?
"Mind your own fucking business, Alina! Can't you see that-"
Alina spotted Kokoro, her eyes slowly widening before composing herself. "Everyone, I order you all to leave this girl and her friends alone."
"Are you kidding me, Alina?!" One of the adults asked incredulously. "There's a freaking kid down here at our secret base! Who knows if that damn brat is just like one of those-"
Alina glared at them all, pulling out a loaded 9mm semi-automatic pistol and aimed it at them. "Did I stutter, you paranoid asshole? I said… leave. The girl. Alone."
The adults stiffened at the gun as they slowly backed away from the armed women and the trio of girls.
"Good. You three, please follow me. That includes you too, Shirokuma."
"We're right behind you, Alina."
The group followed Alina.
"H-hey, can we really trust this woman…?" Toko whispered.
"I dunno… but she really looks trustworthy to me compared to the other adults…" Kokoro said.
"G-good point…" She nodded, still wary about the pistol.
"Hey, Hiroko. We got some allies over here." Alina said.
"Hmm?" Hiroko blew out some smoke from her cigarette. "Heh, nice to meet you all. I'm Hiroko Hagakure-"
Hagakure…? There's no way Yasuhiro's mother is THIS hot. No way! Toko thought in disbelief.
"And, well, we've been marked by those brats too." Hiroko pulled up her wristband. "There's also a bunch of targets that are potentially still out there. A Hit List, if you will. Alina and I want to get as many of them as possible before the brats find 'em first."
"So… I take you two are good friends?" Komaru asked.
"Yes. Alina and I met a long time ago before this mess happened. I'm her right hand woman, believe it or not."
"Indeed, we're keeping our wits about us and we're locating other survivors while everyone else wallows in self pity and despair, just like that shameless creep, Haiji… a selfish coward who blames other people for his own problems and could care less about what happens to any innocent who gets caught in the crossfire…" Alina growled angrily.
"Now when you say he's a "shameless creep"... he's a perv?" Toko asked.
"That's one way of looking at it, yes."
"Omaru, remind me to shank him if he tries anything funny…" Toko said.
"Cut out his eyes?" Komaru asked.
"I was thinking of snipping it off."
Komaru grimaced while shuddering. "Is this what sympathetic pain feels like…?"
"Anyway, you introduced yourself yet or…?" Hiroko asked.
"Oh! Right… anyway, I'm Alina Kinokoshi."
"Kinokoshi…?" Komaru wondered, flashing back to what Jataro had said earlier. "Wait a sec, are you and Kokoron related to each other in some way…?"
"Now that you mentioned it… yes. This girl and I are related." Alina said. "More specifically, I am the mother of Kokoro Kinokoshi."
"MOTHER?!" Komaru and Toko yelled in unison.
"...Wha…?!" Kokoro said in surprise.
Hiroko chuckled. "My my… this got interesting~"
Toko looked back and forth between Kokoro and Alina. "H-how is this possible…?! H-how can you be that girl's mother...?! I-I get that both of you share almost the same face, b-but y-you two practically share different eye and hair colors…!"
Komaru sweatdropped. "Not all children are born to look exactly the same as their own parents, Toko."
"It still doesn't make sense!"
Kokoro looked at Alina in confusion. ""I'm sorry, but… do I… know you...?"
Alina's smile disappeared. "Koko… I-It's me… Don't you recognize your mother…?"
"Y-you… my… own mother?" Kokoro shook her head. "Sorry… I… I don't recall having a mother…" She frowned while Komaru and Toko grimaced.
Hiroko sighed sadly. "I knew this would happen…" She said quietly to herself.
"You… don't…? But…" Alina teared up. "Koko, I'm you're-"
Hiroko put her hand on Alina's shoulder. "That's enough, Li. Whatever happened to your daughter, I'm afraid that something bad has caused her to lose her memory of you."
"Right… your daughter was brainwashed to act like those Monokuma kids and, well, she was left amnesiac the moment her helmet was removed after it miraculously malfunctioned and short circuited." Komaru said, leaving both ladies in shock.
"Hmm… that explains why she's dressed up like those kids we saw running around in town…" Hiroko mused.
Later…
"You wanted to speak to me alone?" Komaru asked Alina while Hiroko was talking to Kokoro and Toko about the "Hit List".
"Yes…" She tried to fight her tears. "Komaru... I want you and Toko to look after my daughter in my place." She sighed. "To tell you the truth, I think she deserves to live a better life… away from me."
"A-away from you…? But Mrs. Kinokoshi, you're her mother! Shouldn't you be an active part of your daughter's life?"
Alina frowned sadly. "When my husband died years ago... I was pushed into wrongfully abusing and neglecting her as a way to cope with my own grief… I kept yelling at her for no good reason… I would often hit her whenever she made a mistake no matter how big or small it was… and…" She teared up in guilt. "...I would even leave her alone at our house to fend for herself just so that I could go waste my own fucking time drinking or smoking with my friends…" She shut her eyes tightly as tears fell from her face. "God… why the hell would a shitty parent like me sink into something low like that…?!"
Komaru put her hands over her mouth in horror. "Oh my…" She whispered, feeling a mixture of shock and sympathy for the woman. She never imagined that she was very abusive towards her before this whole mess started… however, she could also tell she felt genuinely guilty and remorseful toward her own daughter.
"So please… take good care of Kokoro for me, Komaru. My child may be the only family I have left… but she deserves to be with someone far better than me."
"I…" Komaru paused before looking at Alina with a serious yet reassuring expression. "I'll do my best, Mrs. Kinokoshi. I'll do my best to make sure that your daughter is safe as long as she's with me and Toko." She winked at her with a smile. "You can count on it."
Alina smiled in gratitude while wiping her tears. ""Thank you so much, Komaru. You have my blessing to take care of my baby girl." She chuckled lightly. ""But please just call me Alina. You don't have to sound so formal with me."
She took out a spare cola-flavored lollipop from her pocket. "Lollipop?"
"Don't mind if I do~" Komaru giggled as she accepted it and popped it into her mouth after taking off the wrapper. "Mmm… cola flavored?"
"Yeah… Believe it or not, I used to be a bit of a heavy smoker and drinker after Elio died." Alina chuckled. "But after this whole mess started, I figured that maybe it's best if I turn into a much healthier alternative and look out for my health more often. Y'know, as a way to put my act back together before I try to be a good mother to my child again?"
"That makes sense. Smokers do tend to switch to lollipops whenever they try to quit their habits." Komaru mused before smiling. "Personally, I think that you quitting cigarettes and alcohol is a sign that you're already moving yourself back on the right track. That and also you trying to give Kokoron a better life by giving me your blessing to look after her in your place." She added.
"Is that so…?" Alina smiled back. "Thank you, Komaru. I appreciate it."
"Heeeey, over here! This way" Shirokuma called out to her as Komaru walked off and reunited with Toko and Kokoro, leaving Alina by herself as she let out a sad sigh.
"You gonna be okay?" Hiroko asked.
"I'm… afraid… that my own daughter is going to hate me once she recovers all of her memories about her abusive past with me. I deeply regret the way I mistreated my daughter ever since Elio died… I really think I wasn't cut out to be a mother…"
"Don't beat yourself up too much, Li. Listen to me, you know what you did and you wish that you could go back in time and take back every single bad thing you did to your own child… but you can't." She smiled reassuringly. "Instead, you're taking this time right now to become a better person and do your best to atone for your past sins."
She gently patted her on the shoulder.
"And based on what you told me before about your daughter, I'm pretty sure that she'll come around to understand and forgive you one day."
Alina sighed sadly. "I just hope so, Hiroko…"
Later…
"Mmm…" Kokoro looked at Haiji Towa. There's something off about that man… I don't know why…
"Oh joy, it's this clown…" Hades mumbled. "Not to worry, I know the perfect solution for this clown!"
Haiji looked up at the trio. "Wah wah wah wah wah wah wah?" (Who the hell are you three?)
"Aaaand fast forwarding~!"
One drawn out "Wah wah" later…
"Wah wah wah wah wah?! WAH WAH WAH WAH WAH! Wah wah wah wah wah wah wah! (You're from the Future Foundation?! GET THE FUCK OUT OF HERE! I don't even want to see you here again!)
The trio walked out, completely bewildered by the man.
"Did you understand any of that?" Kokoro whispered.
"I don't know… all I heard was trumpets that sounded very familiar!" Toko said.
"You're welcome~!" Hades grinned.
Haiji blinked. "I don't know why, but I feel like I was being tuned out by trumpets… Wah wah wah wah-..."
A cross vein appeared on his forehead.
"WHOEVER'S DOING THAT, SHUT THE WAH WAH WAH!"
"Hehehe, too easy~!"
"Excuse me!" Shirokuma spoke up, catching the trio's attention. "It's too dangerous to be roaming around the city at night. You could stay here for the night!"
"Are you sure? You heard the man, didn't you? He was all "Wah wah wah wah"!" Komaru said. "...Oh, where did I hear that before… Pac-Man?"
"Not even close." Toko mumbled.
"Believe it or not, I speak in… "Wah wah"..." Shirokuma said. "Anyway, follow me!"
The group followed Shirokuma to some prison cells. "Here are the bedrooms!"
"A… prison cell…" Toko blinked.
"A prison cell repurposed as a bedroom~!"
Toko sweatdropped. "That doesn't make me feel any better!"
"Oh, before I leave…" Shirokuma handed them a wireless laptop. "This was made by Togami Group. It can send audio and video… it… wasn't really made for the public aside from groups like the police and the Future Foundation. You can use this if you get around the jamming radio waves emitted from Towa Hills by climbing Towa Tower."
"How do you know all this? Why couldn't you send other people over there?" Toko demanded.
"You're the only ones I trust who can fight the Monokumas and safely reach Towa Tower."
"Well, in that case, we should go!" Komaru said.
"Yeah!" Kokoro agreed.
"Oooooh… fiiiine…" Toko groaned.
While in their "room"...
Kokoro walked into a closet. "Phew… I can finally get out of this…" She said, pulling out some new clothes that she had found in an abandoned boutique before they ran into Shirokuma.
A few minutes later, Kokoro walked up to a full body mirror, taking a good look at herself i nher new outfit, which consists of a small caramel brown cardigan, a white v-neck sleeveless blouse with lace trims, along with a gray pleated tennis skirt. She was also wearing a pair of black no-show socks and a pair of low-cut white sneakers with black stripes. Additionally, she was wearing a black choker with a golden heart-shaped pendant, a mocha brown newsboy cap, and a brown leather satchel that hangs behind her back. She also chose to retain Masaru's wireless headphones as she kept them around her neck.
She even tied her hair into low twintails using a pair of black hair ties.
She let out a giggle. "Looking cute~" She said as she looked at the newsboy cap she wore. I don't know why, but I really like this cap!
She then fiddled around with an MP3 player that Shirokuma had given her, linking it up to Masaru's headphones and was thankful that it was compatible to the device as she closed her eyes and listened to some music.
End BGM
The next day at Towa Tower and meeting up with Taichi Fujisaki…
"Here we go…" Taichi typed into his computer while the trio were fending off the Monokumas that were coming their way. "Yes, this is it! The elevator's working!" He exclaimed as the girls approached him while the elevator made its way down to the bottom floor.
"Sweet!" Komaru smiled.
"We'll finally be able to see our families again… I can feel it!" Taichi exclaimed.
"So, do you have any family of your own?" Kokoro asked.
"I do… i have a kid named Chihi-"
The elevator doors opened up as a Beast Monokuma came barreling through and tore Taichi to shreds as he screamed while another Beast came running over to take care of the girls, letting out a roar.
"Toko!" Komaru cued.
"You don't have to tell me twice!" Toko said, electrocuting herself as she immediately charged in as Genocider and proceeded to wrestle with the Beast Monokuma, quickly overpowering it and cutting it to ribbons.
Once the other Beast Monokuma finished mauling and killing Taichi, it turned its attention to the duo as Komaru and Kokoro proceeded to fire at the beast, but it didn't slow down as blood dripped from its lower jaw, ready to kill the duo…
…And then Genocide Jack threw the other Beast into it to knock them both down and cut through them in a flash, dismantling them to nothing.
"KYAHAHAHAHAHAHA~! Fall, you pathetic beasts!" She cackled before tasing herself to get her back to normal.
The trio approached what remained of Taichi as Komaru knelt down and closed his eyes. "He didn't deserve this…" She whispered as they went into the elevator and went up.
Only… the elevator abruptly stopped as they looked at each other nervously and went inside, only to find themselves in another Killesseum where Jataro awaited them.
"Oh… hello there… I'm surprised you made your way here. Why were you running from me anyway…? Because the further you run away from me, the closer you get… because the Earth is round, no?"
"That… makes… no sense…?" Kokoro tilted her head. "Or does it…?"
"Ah, Kokoro… I'm surprised to see that you're actually still alive. I do wonder… was that helmet you wore before actually a dud…?" He chuckled. "Not like it matters to me anyway… and, uh… since when did you get new clothes?"
"Don't make me fight you, Jataro…" Kokoro said, ignoring his last comment. "I already lost Masaru… I don't want to lose you next."
"Okay, I'm curious…" Toko said. "Why do you even wear that mask in the first place? Is it because of some trauma or… does it not matter? Just take it off so we can see-"
"Ack! No! Don't do that! If you'll see me without my mask, your eyes will rot off and you'll die from my hideousness!" Jataro protested.
"...Wha…?"
"I more than likely had an accident coming out of my mother's womb… with my face all twisted, my hair pulled, my ears are about to fall off, my small crinkly nose, my dried up lips, my rotten gums… why else would you think my mother forced me to wear this? She always said I looked hideous and that's why I'm always wearing this stuffy mask! I am ugly!"
"Soooo… you got verbally abused… that's… sad." Toko frowned.
"So because of some verbal abuse, you sunk so low as to killing adults? That's unforgivable!" Komaru growled. "You and your sick twisted mind… it's inexcusable for such behavior, no matter WHAT the reason!"
"Do you… hate me…? Ehehehe, more of that… I like it when I'm hated. It makes me feel all special…! Ehehehe~!"
"Booooo! Booooooooooooooooo!" The Monokuma kids suddenly booed him. "Boo! Boooooo!"
"What… you're booing me…? Does that mean you hate me…?" He wondered before his eyes lit up. "Oh, wonderful! To be hated by all gives me such joy!"
"I think his mask doesn't provide enough oxygen for his brain…" Toko mumbled.
"Ahehehe~!" Jataro brought out his controller and proceeded to press a button, where a mech rose up from the ground.
BGM: Warriors of Hope
A Priest's Melancholy - PriestRobot Doctor von Gerolt
"Rise, Von Gerolt! Destroy these demons that hate me! After all… the only one who liked me was Big Sis Junko…"
"B-B-Big Sis J-Junko…?!" Toko said in surprise.
"Killing us because we "hate you" is… is totally unforgivable! You can't just kill someone because you hate them!" Komaru yelled.
"I can too… and I can prove it with this! Ehehehehe… fly, Doctor Von Gerolt!" Jataro said as the mech proceeded to launch bombs at the group.
"Jataro, stop this!" Kokoro pleaded.
"Oh, why won't I? This feels wonderful…. Ah, to be hated by all and get yelled at by Monaca… I want to drink some day old cocoa while she yells at me some more…"
"This kid needs a hobby…" Toko frowned as Komaru shot at the bombs with some Knockback bullets to knock the mech out of the sky, and all the while Kokoro nocked an arrow into her bow, thankful that she now had breathing room and fired at the controller, piercing through it.
"Ack!" Jataro yelped as the controller malfunctioned. "Awww, not even the controller likes me…" He pouted.
The mech started to malfunction as it proceeded to fire a missile after Genocider cut it to ribbons… only for the missile to come back and blew up on the mech, destroying it to nothing.
End BGM
"I'm sorry, Jataro… it had to be done…" Kokoro said as her eyes widened, realizing what was about to happen as the Monokuma kids started to crowd him. "JATARO, LOOK OUT!"
"Huh? Uh oh…!" Jataro whimpered as the Monokuma Kids grabbed a hold of him and started yanking at his mask. "Ack! No! Your eyeballs are gonna rot off! Please! Pleeeeeeeease!"
RRRRRRIIIIIIIIIIIP!
Toko blinked, seeing at Jataro's silky smooth face. "That mother definitely had some self esteem issues… was she jealous of his good looks…?"
"Your… eyes aren't rotting…?" Jataro wondered. "Am I actually not that ugly…? I'm… actually prett-"
The Monokuma Kids grabbed a hold of him.
"Waaaaaaah! Help meeeeeeeeee!"
He was yanked back as the Monokuma Kids proceeded to beat him up.
Komaru scowled. "Serves him right…"
"He doesn't deserve any of that… none of that verbal abuse, nothing… he, just like Masaru, deserved better treatment than being with Monaca…" Kokoro said as she approached Jataro's mask that was falling to the ground as she picked it up and put it away in her satchel.
"Come on, Kokoron… let's go." Komaru said as she walked off.
"Coming!" Kokoro nodded as she ran after them.
Once at the top…
"Listen, Komaru… about the Future Foundation-"
"Yeah yeah, we need to hurry and contact them, right?"
"Ah, no… it's just… aaah… forget it…" Toko sighed.
"Hmm?" Kokoro wondered curiously as Toko proceeded to set things up for Komaru and walked away.
"There you go…" Toko said as Komaru approached.
"Hello? Can anyone hear me? Someone please respond! Can you hear me?!"
Komaru slammed her hands on the desk in frustration. "Someone, please, answer me!" She pleaded. "CAN ANYONE HEAR ME?! I BEG YOU! PLEASE ANSWER ME!"
"Looks like it didn't work… that's too bad. Maybe we should just give up for now and-"
"Hello?"
"Eeeek!" Toko yelped in horror.
"Hey, it's working!" Kokoro smiled.
"Hello! This is… Foundation… This is Future Foundation!"
"Guh!" Toko immediately ran for it, confusing the heck out of Kokoro while Komaru was oblivious.
"H-hello?! Can you hear me?!" Komaru asked with relief.
"We can hear you… loud and clear… this is Future Foundation… Branch Number… Branch Number Fourteen."
Komaru's eyes widened in surprise.
"Makoto Naegi!"
"M-Makoto?!"
"Huh?! Komaru?!"
"Boom! Here's a cliffhanger for ya! See you later!"
Phew... this one took a bit longer for me to write than I thought it would, but it's done!
Ibuki: Ooooh boy, we're in this?
Deadpool: *punching in some numbers on his phone* Why wait for Toko to cut off Haiji's dick when you can have someone else do it rough~! Hey Wolvie, it's me, listen, I got a favo-
*Beep beep beep*
Deadpool: Awwwww, he hung up on me...
Anyway, this is part one of DarkRebellion's What If story! Stay tuned for part two!