Epilogue: The Book of God's Sweetest Hope
Warning: This fic contained intense violence, lots of cursing, character death, gore and blood, sexual innuendos, and possible spoilers for the Danganronpa series, most notably the first one. But hey, everyone lurking in this fandom has at least played the first Danganronpa so there was no need to worry much there. Either case, congrats on reaching the final chapter! :D
With that said, please enjoy!
The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him.
They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads.
There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light.
And they will reign forever and ever.
"One…"
"Two…"
"Three…!"
The vault was blasted wide open.
Scouring through the debris were hundreds of officers, all a part of the Special Assault Team. Armed rifles with green laser pointers, they had originally found themselves in the Dungeon, having effectively blown their way through Cell #09 to get to where they are now.
They separated themselves, allowing Sōshun Murasame to walk in and lead the charge.
Sōshun was a young man in his mid-20s with brown hair and hazel eyes. He wore a black suit over his white shirt. Tied neatly in his collar was a midnight blue tie with a pin at the end. On his right arm was a white and red cuff that had a notable insignia. His face was notably clean and honest as well.
He kept himself armed as well, his eyes scanning the room they were in. With the vault having taken hits, Sōshun noticed that the door after the vault was similarly blown, but not by them. He carefully stepped over the crease of the blown-up door, allowing the SAT officers to follow behind him.
Together, they found themselves in a large open room with a stage and everything.
The Auditorium.
And what's more, there were five people sitting on the ground, looking at them in amazement.
The officers pointed their guns toward the five, all of them quickly holding their hands in the air.
"F-Fuck, don't shoot!" the one with blonde hair exclaimed. "D-Don't fucking shoot! We're unarmed!"
Sōshun gave wary glances to the team of officers behind him. He gestured for them to check the entire facility, allowing them to separate in large groups. Only two officers remained by his side to make sure these five people weren't much of a threat.
And from the looks of it, Sōshun imagined it to be so…
He gave another look toward the officers, gesturing for them to disengage their firearms.
Once they did so, Sōshun squatted down to the five: Abigail, Arthur, Haruto, Holland, and Mimi. All of whom had done just as Jin Kirigiri had asked them to do as he went out like a missile aimed directly toward the sky. Based on their faces, they seemed relieved that after all this time… help had finally arrived.
"Who are you?" Abigail simply asked.
"Don't worry," Sōshun assured the five. "I'm one of the good guys. Sōshun Murasame, Future Foundation Agent of the Osaka District and Former Ultimate Student Council President."
He blinked.
Then, he slowly stood up, pressing his finger against the commlink in his ear.
His eyebrows furrowed and his hopeful smile shifted into a grimace.
It was the worst of news that he was hoping not to hear.
He removed his finger and glanced down at the five survivors.
One question exited his lips:
"...What the hell happened here?"
EPILOGUE: THE BOOK OF GOD'S SWEETEST HOPE
Zuno Noshino signed off on some paperwork as he kept himself occupied in the Headmaster's office.
Five years had passed since his involvement at St. Esther's and things couldn't be better for him. He had a well-paying job, a nice-looking office, and he was in charge of the future Hope of the world. He couldn't have asked for a more comforting and enjoyable job than what he had now.
After finishing his paperwork, Zuno straightened out each piece of paper and tucked them into his nearby desk drawer.
The door slammed open.
And a person that Zuno knew well, stormed right in, panic stricken on his face. Zuno raised an eyebrow. He certainly didn't expect to see this person looking as distraught as they normally did. If anything, they were always more civil and well… Zuno chuckled and shook his head, standing up and clasping his hands together.
"Well, aren't you in good spirits today!" Zuno grinned. "Where's the fire?"
"...You need to see this, sir," the person seriously told him.
Zuno raised an eyebrow.
"Earlier today, five young students were found locked up inside the abandoned St. Esther's prison. Eyewitness accounts report seeing a rocket ship flying from this prison and subsequently blowing up, alerting authorities to arrive at the scene. Among these young students include:
Holland Delaney
Isadora De La Vega
Haruto Walker
Abigail Ellsworth
And one Arthur Kingston, heir to the Kingston Family, who has been missing for five years, only to resurface in what was described to be yet another Tragedy..."
"...Authorities have revealed that within this abandoned prison facility were old experiments conducted by members of the #1 school in Japan, Hope's Peak Academy, in an attempt to artificially create Ultimates. One such member was current-day Headmaster, Zuno Noshino, who has scheduled a press meeting to speak of his involvement. More updates, coming shortly…"
Holland folded his arms as he watched the news media play out on screen.
He had half-expected this part of the news media to be covered up, but to his surprise, it was hitting as number one trending on many social media sites. Holland deduced that this was probably the Future Foundation's doing, as their excursion of the Killing Game Arena was led by one of Osaka's top Future Foundation operatives.
In all honesty, Holland was glad.
Because in the end, it just meant that the last person to get his comeuppance, Zuno Noshino, was finally going to get it. He didn't know the man personally, but to know how much he had caused everything for their current circumstances to play out…
It really was karma deserved.
Though, who was he to talk about this?
He was an Artificial Ultimate after all.
Holland folded his arms as his focus remained directed upon the television screen. He didn't even notice Mimi leave the room she had been interrogated in and approach him with relief in her eyes.
Plopping down on the seat next to him, Mimi sighed in relief.
"All the animals in St. Esther's have been moved back to their natural habitats or donated to the farms," Mimi looked down sadly, hugging Sailor Penguin tightly. "I'm going to miss Brucey."
"...He'll miss you too," Holland simply responded. "You and your tendency to overfeed him."
"Hey!" Mimi pouted.
The two stopped for a moment before chuckling and smiling respectively. To think that it was finally over for them. To think that they had finally escaped that month-long nightmare. To think of all the lives that had been lost for them. In the end, they escaped, and they had won! They had won!
"Do you know what happened to Arthur?" Mimi suddenly asked. "I… haven't heard much about him since we were taken here."
"...He's been arrested," Holland folded his arms. "I think he confessed to being involved in the Tragedy five years ago. So, the Future Foundation has him locked up in one of their secure cells."
"Oh, I see," Mimi looked down. "And what about Mr. Kirigiri?"
Holland raised an eyebrow.
"...And where's this coming from?" Holland asked. "He placed us in a month-long Killing Game and practically forced everyone to kill each other. A lot of people died because of him."
"Yeah, I know, but…" Mimi looked saddened. "Even though he was a terrible person, I still feel bad. Mr. Kirigiri never asked for any of this. And behind that Devil mask he had to wear, I… still think he was a good person."
"...Was it because of his True Hope speech?" Holland asked.
"Not just that," Mimi shook her head. "But he kept his promise. Mr. Murasame said that the only reason they found us in the first place was because a rocket ship was blown up into the air from the facility."
"...You think that was Jin?" Holland questioned.
"Who else would it be?" Mimi frowned. "Mr. Kirigiri said he was going to let freedom be within our grasp. And they also said they never found Mr. Kirigiri's body so…"
Holland kept his arms folded.
He didn't want to think about the man who had placed them in so much torture. But at the same time, he also couldn't blame him either. Jin had gone through the same thing thanks to Arthur. From the sounds of it, he had less freedom than they did in their situation. But at the same time, he could never forgive him. Not for what he did to Zuri…
A tear dropped from his eye.
Both Holland and Mimi looked surprised at this.
"H-Holland?" Mimi blinked. "Are you…?"
"Ah, that's right…" Holland chuckled. "I forgot we made that little promise to each other. Do you remember, Mimi?"
"...Stay strong until we escape, right?" Mimi softly smiled.
"Y-Yeah…" Holland chuckled, wiping his eyes. "I think I've been holding it in for too long."
No matter how hard Holland tried to wipe his tears away, more would always take his place. And soon enough, Mimi was slowly joining in. The only difference here was they were no longer tears of anguish for who they had lost. They were tears of relief for what they had accomplished. Tears for who they had accomplished this for…
"A-Aw man, that's not fair Holland," Mimi slowly wiped away her tears. "That's so not fair. I wanted to c-cry first…"
The two chuckled in between tears.
Once again, they knew it to be so.
It was all over now.
They did it.
They escaped.
They were free to cry whenever they wanted now…
Abigail walked into the infirmary of Osaka's Future Foundation's base of operations.
For the past hour or so, Haruto had been subjected to treatment regarding his broken leg. With the only people actually patching his wound being a robotic snake and Abigail, it was a miracle that he didn't get any infections growing on his leg throughout his time in that Killing Game. As she entered the room, she could see Haruto talking to the nurse… A rather thin and clumsy looking nurse who seemed really nervous on trying to tell Haruto what was wrong with his leg.
"So, I really can't play basketball anymore, now, can I?" Haruto gruffly sighed.
"I-I'm sorry," the nurse sheepishly looked down. "Your leg has healed but… I-I'm afraid any more strains on your leg and the muscles will tear. I did everything I could to make walking less painful but for the rest of your life…"
"Nah, it's fine," Haruto sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Thanks nurse."
"I-I'm sorry… I-I'm so sorry… I-I wish I could've done more!" the nurse started to sob.
"S-Sweet Jesus, this isn't something to get yourself worked up over!" Haruto blinked. "It's fine! Seriously!"
"Wow, back in the real world and already making girls cry," Abigail snorted, amused.
She walked over to him, forcing the nurse to stop sobbing and instead start sniffling. She could see that Abigail had to come to visit. Wiping away her tears, she gave them a look of understanding and bowed her head, apologetically.
"I-I'm sorry, I… I'll get going now!" the nurse squeaked before running off.
Haruto shook his head at this, noticing Abigail's amused look. That nurse was a character and a half. And to be honest, it was also a little bit exhausting to talk to her. The constant apologizing, sobbing, and even threats to please him for forgiveness… definitely uncomfortable. Which was why he had to wonder how someone like her ended up as an honest-to-goodness Ultimate Nurse.
Unlike him.
An artificial…
Abigail pulled up a chair to sit next to him.
Haruto was sitting on an infirmary bed and had his legs raised up for any more diagnosis. To be in this position was oddly familiar for her. Didn't take long for Abigail to wonder why. Back in the prison, it was her on that infirmary bed and Haruto by her side. This time, it was the other way around. It reminded her of…
Her face started to heat up.
Quickly, she cleared her throat.
"Um, so, how are you doing?" Abigail asked. "Is the injury any…"
"Just as that Devil bastard said," Haruto sighed. "Can't play basketball anymore. Can't even jump or do anything that'll risk tearing muscles. Fucking sucks but hey, that's what happens when you decide to get some surgical treatment to become an Ultimate. You get taken away to prison and play a fucking death game…"
Abigail couldn't even share the sentiments here. At least with him, he did it willingly. For her, she was forced into it. Into a life that she didn't want. She felt disgusted to be in this body. Absolutely disgusted…
"Hey, but at least, we survived," Abigail tried to look at the good side of things. "At least… we discovered the truth."
Abigail glanced away.
Haruto noticed how ashamed she felt. He couldn't imagine how she must be feeling right now. From his understanding, what happened to them was pretty much the reason why she had suffered so much. Why her sister had…
Instinctively, Haruto placed a hand on hers.
Abigail's face heated and Haruto instinctively removed it.
Crap.
Maybe that wasn't the right thing to do.
"S-Sorry, I just thought that maybe you–" Haruto rubbed the back of his neck before feeling Abigail's hand on his.
Her face was redder than his. Haruto looked surprised. He didn't know why he was surprised but he was definitely surprised. The artificial Ultimate Equestrian had inched closer, unresponsive for a moment but definitely needing this quiet moment. After a few minutes, she suddenly spoke up, hiding her embarrassed face.
"H-Hey, do you remember that pact we made?" Abigail timidly asked.
"Pact, what p–" Haruto cut himself off before remembering what exactly she was talking about.
"Actually, I want to add on to that idea," Abigail started to hug her knees as she cuddled up to the former basketball player. "How about we make a pact?"
"A pact?" Haruto blinked.
"Yes," Abigail smiled, placing her head on his shoulder. "Once we get out together… I want our first kiss to happen right at that moment."
"O-Oh, that pact," Haruto looked just as embarrassed.
He scratched his cheek.
"Um, you wanna go through with it now?" Haruto rubbed the back of his neck. "I mean, haha… Like…"
"Well, we are past due," Abigail bit her lip. "I mean, I said I wanted our first kiss to happen right at the moment we were able to escape. And yet, we've escaped and we're here and it's been hours and maybe I'm acting like a total idiot here and–"
"Hey Abby?" Haruto squeezed Abigail's hands.
Abigail stopped talking and glanced at him curiously.
"...That's still cheesy as fuck," Haruto couldn't help but laugh.
Abigail pouted.
She prepared to slug him on the arm, but Haruto pulled her closer. They were within contact. Both of their faces heated up to an incredible degree. Embarrassment was practically urging them to back the fuck away. But desire was urging them to stay where they were and commit. And for the first time, Haruto gave her a smile.
"And you know what?" he chuckled. "I fucking love you for that…"
Abigail quickly shot him a warm smile.
"I fucking love you too, you big idiot," Abigail said.
They leaned forward and pressed their lips against one another.
They made contact and they stayed like that for what seemed like an eternity. Like an eternity they wished they could stay in before reality brought them back to the current world. Both of them tasted their lips and flushed even harder.
"Fuck, we really… Does this mean…" Haruto muttered to himself.
Instinctively, Abigail squeezed Haruto's hand even tighter. The artificial Ultimate Equestrian timidly nodded her head as an answer. She bit her lip, struggling to give a verbal response. Frankly, she could tell deep down that Haruto was enjoying it. So, when she finally said…
"Yeah, I guess so," Abigail leaned her head against his shoulder. "So, I guess, whatever happens next…"
"...It's us artificial fucks against the rest of the real world," Haruto finished her thought with a smile. "Yeah. I like the sound of that."
He brushed his fingers against hers, finally finding a moment to interlock their hands together.
"Yeah, me too," Abigail slowly gave him a smile.
They never moved for the next few minutes.
Because after a long month of torture, they finally made it official. That it was truly the two of them. Two of them. Together. Just as they had always wanted. Tch, if there was anything they could say was good about their St. Esther, it really had to be the fact that they met each other…
They wouldn't have it any other way…
"...Recent update, Arthur Kingston, son of Alexander Kingston of the Kingston Family, has just been taken into custody after confessing to being the main culprit behind the five-year Tragedy of Hope's Peak Academy. According to Kingston, throughout his supposed disappearance, he was actually living here, in Osaka, Japan, posing as an Ultimate student at Hope's Peak Academy. With the reveal of Artificial Ultimates being among us, Arthur faces charges of…"
As the news report continued to ramble on and on about his crimes, Arthur Kingston sat in the darkest corner of his cell, little expression on what would've been his cold face. No longer did he look like a prince. His dark blue hair, usually neat and majestic, was now disheveled. His clothes, once sophisticated and an insight of his royal status, were replaced with an orange jumpsuit, signifying his peasant status.
He hadn't gotten a wink of sleep since he was placed here. In fact, his mind was nothing more than a big whirlwind of emotions that he never knew just how hard he had suppressed. To think that his life was all over. To think that the consequences of escaping the Kingston life to embark on freedom has finally resulted in his fate…
Written in the cards for him, he imagined.
As the television continued to play Arthur's crime on constant repeat, the fallen Kingston could do nothing but think about everything that had happened to him. He remembered Kyoko. He remembered Jin. He remembered the lives of everyone that had fallen by his hands. His fellow survivors, all living the life they deserved while he was here… deserving nothing less. Deserving nothing but to rot away in a prison of his own making.
He heard a door open from a distance.
Arthur expected it to be those Future Foundation operatives wanting to speak to him again. Same old things about the part he played in the Tragedy. Same old things about the incident at St. Esther's. His part of the story for everything. Honestly, it was quite tiresome for him. Was it so much to ask that he just be left alone in this cage of his…?
He felt a presence stand outside his cell and the former snowboarder could do nothing but sigh.
"What do you want now–" he was about to say before…
"...Arthur…"
Arthur widened his eyes.
He turned his head to see a familiar face. A young woman standing on the other end of the bars, looking older than when he had seen her last. Slowly, Arthur stood up, approaching her as if she was an old spirit that had come to visit him. As if she was a vision of his past that Arthur never thought he would see again…
"L-Louise?" Arthur blinked.
The moment he walked forward, his adopted sister simply backed away, disgust visible on her face. He didn't want to admit it, but that hurt. A lot. His face grimaced and he stopped a few inches from the light that shined through the bars. He made sure to keep his distance, hoping to make her feel a little comfortable.
For a detention center, that was tough but…
"Um, you look… You've grown," Arthur rubbed the back of his neck.
"Well yes, that's what happens to people after five years," Louise folded her arms, disappointed.
Again, another few spiteful words that hurt to hear from his own family. Arthur never thought these words would hurt, but here he was now. For the longest time, he had grown to hate his family. His father. His mother. Even his adopted sister. But now that she was standing here, Arthur couldn't feel the same hatred he had felt since his time back home. If anything, he felt… relieved to see her.
The same couldn't be said for her, however.
"Look at yourself," Louise spoke to him, disgusted. "Five years have passed and you're exposed for being some serial killer."
"Mass murderer actually," Arthur corrected, looking ashamed.
"Oh, screw off it, Arthur," Louise's face twisted with frustration. "You know what I meant!"
Louise let out a heavy breath and ran her fingers through her hair. She paced back and forth, clearly not wanting to be here. And the more Arthur watched her, the more he wondered whether or not the bars were a good thing for him. He kept his eyes on her, curiously, before a question popped into his head.
"...Why are you here?" Arthur furrowed his eyebrows.
Louise stopped pacing and turned back.
"Isn't it obvious?" Louise shook her head.
It was.
"...Father," Arthur bitterly spat.
Louise simply nodded. Now, it was Arthur's turn to pace back and forth. Unlike Louise however, the way he paced was like some sort of caged animal. Frustration and resentment were well in his face as he gritted his teeth. The last thing he wanted was to hear about him…
"And what does he want now, I suppose?" Arthur scoffed. "To pay off the media? Have this all be swept under the rug? Typical Father. To do everything for his–"
"Father disowned you," Louise interrupted.
Arthur paused, looking toward his adoptive sister in surprise.
"W-What?" Arthur blinked.
"It was shortly after you were exposed as the culprit of this Tragedy," Louise folded her arms. "Father was furious. Practically disowned you as his son. Because, in his own words, as far as the Kingstons are concerned, Arthur Kingston died five years ago."
Arthur couldn't believe that. Or rather, he didn't want to believe that. For years, Alexander Kingston was grooming him to be the perfect heir of the Kingston Family. For years, he was pressured to be next-in-line for the family name. That was the whole reason why he left all those years ago. To hear that he did this… It was…
Arthur forced a scoff, trying to remain unbothered by this.
"S-So what?" Arthur forced himself to calm down. "D-Did you just come here to bring me the message? Was this Father's way of rubbing it in my–"
"Father wants nothing to do with you," Louise shook her head. "I came here of my own volition."
Arthur blinked again.
"W-Why?" he asked.
"...Because I want to know," Louise bit her lip. "Why? How?"
Slowly, realization began to set in for the former snowboarder. He made a quick mental note of all the times his own adoptive sister looked at him with such disgust and horror. Like he was a completely different person. He realized it then that the look of disgust and horror was simply a mask to disguise how she really felt about all this. An expression of betrayal…
The betrayed look knowing that behind those bars was the brother she had practically grown up with.
"How could you do this to 16 other people?!" Louise yelled at him, frustratedly. "Arthur! These were young students! Not much older than me and you! How could you have…"
Arthur went silent.
"These were kids with hopes and dreams for the future!" Louise continued, tears forming from the corners of her eyes. "And you killed them. You threw them into some fucking twisted game and killed them! They had families and friends waiting for them, Arthur! Do you know what that bloody feeling feels like?! To lose someone you could call–"
"Of course I do!" Arthur suddenly snapped.
Louise stepped back. The snowboarder realized too late that yelling at her was something he had little liberty to do in his position. But the truth of the matter was that it was the same damn speech he had heard from Jin when he berated him for his actions. And while Jin was no better than he was, to hear it from his adoptive sister was hurting him all too well.
"...Of course I do," Arthur grimaced, looking down. "Louise, Father… Father had another daughter I never knew about."
Louise narrowed her eyes.
"Her name was Ina Hamamura," Arthur frowned. "She's my half-sister. She died but she… She was still of Kingston blood. I…"
Arthur trailed off, noticing how much Louise considered this revelation. He couldn't grasp what exactly was that expression on her face. Perhaps she figured that this was an attempt at trying to turn her against her adoptive father. But Arthur knew that no matter what it was, Louise wouldn't budge…
"So?" Louise simply said. "And did you kill her when you were trapped in your little Killing Game?"
Arthur blinked.
"W-What?" Arthur blinked. "N-No. I… I uh…"
"Was it your fault that she died?" Louise reiterated her question.
Arthur paused.
He didn't respond.
But no response was all Louise needed to just look at her own adoptive brother in disapproval. She shook her head and turned the other way.
"You were always like this Arthur," Louise wiped her tears. "I used to look up to you as my big brother. Now, I see that you're nothing but a selfish monster. You always have been. Don't expect me to come back."
Arthur widened his eyes and quickly held onto the bars. He reached his hand out to Louise but just seeing her turn her back on him was all that he needed to see to know that he was losing her. Panic sung within him as he called out to her one last time.
"W-Wait, please, Louise, don't leave!" Arthur exclaimed. "Louise please! This wasn't what I wanted!"
Louise stopped as Arthur's voice filled with anguish.
"...Louise, please," Arthur begged. "You don't know what it was like. The amount of pressure and work Father was making me do. It was suffocating. It was a bloody prison back home. I ran away because I wanted to get away from him! I wanted to be free from Father forever! That's all I wanted!"
Arthur's eyes filled with tears.
Slowly, Louise turned her head, her face still disgusted.
"Well, you got what you wanted then," Louise snarked. "You're free from Father. Only problem is that you went from one prison to another."
Louise shook her head and headed toward the exit.
"Goodbye Arthur," she told him.
With that being her last words to him, Arthur could feel the despairing agony set in for him. He banged his hands against the bars that kept him locked in his cage. He started to sob bitterly. He made noises that even he couldn't really describe. But they were the noises of someone who had truly lost everything. The noises of someone who thought they could fit in as the Hope of the world.
"L-LOUIIIISSSEEE!" Arthur screamed between his tears. "Urk… Aghhhhhhh…. AGHHHHHHHHH! AGHHHHHHHH!"
The true Corrupted Hope locked up to let the rest of his life rot away, forever.
Once Haruto was discharged from the Infirmary, Abigail made sure to hold onto his hand tightly, escorting him back toward the Waiting Room where Holland and Mimi would be waiting for them.
The two had long stopped crying together and had kept their attention fixated on the latest news reports about their rescue. When they turned their gaze toward Haruto and Abigail walking in, hand-in-hand…
A mischievous smile crept up on Mimi's face and Holland couldn't look more supportive than anything else.
"Finally," Mimi giggled.
"W-What?" Haruto blinked, before glancing at their hands. "Oh. This? Ah… It's ah…"
Both Haruto and Abigail folded into a reddened blush of embarrassment. They avoided looking at each other. Even though they had just made it official, they were still as awkward as ever when it came to this sort of thing. Romance. How Haruto and Abigail didn't expect this to be the thing that would come out of their experience.
Haruto held Abigail's hand tightly and started to growl.
"O-Oh, fuck off!" Haruto avoided the teasing smiles. "Yeah! We're official! So what?"
"...It's about time," Holland shrugged.
"Pft, it really was about damn time," Abigail had to agree, giving Haruto a sly look.
She locked her arms with him and pecked him on the chin. Haruto blinked and had to keep himself from smiling in front of the others. Next, with a sly smirk, Abigail had dragged Haruto to the last two vacant seats and sat next to each other.
"Awww, you two are so cute together!" Mimi giggled.
"Y-Yeah, yeah, yeah," Haruto cleared his throat, his face redder than ever. "Couple of the year. Yadda yadda. What the fuck…"
On cue, the door to the Interrogation that Holland and Mimi had already been through opened, letting out their savior, Sōshun Murasame, to head directly toward them. From the look on his honest face, it was clear that nothing good news was on the horizon for them…
Sōshun clapped his hands together and smiled.
"Alright, good news," Sōshun smiled. "We've managed to contact your parents about your safety. We'll be giving you private jets for a ride home."
"O-Oh, I don't think that's a good–" Haruto glanced at Abigail before shaking his head toward Sōshun.
Instantly, Abigail placed a hand over his shoulder, easing his discomfort with what this meant. The artificial Ultimate Equestrian could only give Sōshun a rather serious expression but made sure to give her boyfriend a comforting gaze.
"It's fine," Abigail squeezed Haruto's hand. "Really. I… I was serious about there being something I needed to do…"
Haruto glanced at Abigail, unsure.
"Are you sure about this?" Haruto asked. "I mean, I could…"
"Hey, no need to worry," Sōshun told the two. "We'll have some Future Foundation operatives assist you in any stuff you want to do for the sake of your other friends that…"
He trailed off, slightly grimacing at the thought of what had happened.
"...They'll take you anywhere you want," Sōshun assured them. "Because I'm sure you all want to put to rest some things for people that… didn't make it. Last wishes kind of deal."
He could see the looks of agreement on specifically two people's faces.
"...Anywhere, right?" Holland raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah," Sōshun nodded. "It's only fair…"
"...There is one place in mind for me," Mimi looked down.
Sōshun nodded once more with a smile.
"Give me names," Sōshun smiled. "I'll arrange it."
...
...
...
...
...
...
Dylan Quint was one of two people who survived that car crash and yet was in the most agony.
Abigail lost track of time, but she knew that it had been a while since she had last visited. Dylan Quint had been in that coma since forever. He and her other friends were labeled as incompetent by her mother and here he rested… never knowing that.
She grimaced.
Speak of the Devil…
Abigail could recognize the stench of the horse stables anywhere. It was her mother's favorite place to hang out. Second place being her own room, where she dabbled in constant makeup for show purposes. Abigail gave a sigh and turned to see Francine Ellsworth, standing right there in the middle of the hospital hallway.
Just seeing her face though, if she wasn't disgusted before she was as sure as hell disgusted now. After everything she had learned…
"I'd thought I'd find you here," Francine smiled. "You always loved to visit this poor boy."
Abigail could tell that Francine was trying her best to hold it all in.
"Oh Abigail, I missed—" Francine was about to approach her but Abigail simply stepped back.
Abigail could see how desperate her mother wanted to hug her, but the young artificial equestrian wasn't having it. She raised her hand up and kept her distance. Abigail had to note that it took a while before Francine noticed how disgusted she looked.
"Abigail?" Francine blinked. "W-What's wrong?"
Abigail didn't know how to respond at first.
Truly, there were so many ways she could really answer her mother. She could yell at her and call her the meanest names she could think of. She could cry ugly tears and blame her for all the emotional damage she was forced to endure. She could just stay quiet and be petty enough for her mother to beg for her attention.
All good options and yet, Abigail chose a different one.
"One million dollars, mom," Abigail said. "Five hundred thousand for me. Five hundred thousand for Ashlen. All for what? To turn us into your perfect little daughters?"
It took a moment before Francine understood what exactly her daughter was referring to. Tears started to form through the windows of her eyes and yet they did little to faze Abigail's resolve on the matter.
"A-Abigail no, that's not," Francine stepped forward and tried to grab her hand but Abigail slapped it away.
"Don't touch me," she calmly shook her head. "Seriously, don't fucking touch me."
In earlier years, Francine would've berated her for such foul language. Nowadays, it didn't seem like she really wanted to. And really, Abigail couldn't care less if she did berate her…
"Did you know that for the longest time I blamed myself for Ashlen's death?" Abigail asked. "I blamed myself for it because I thought that I could've been strong enough to stop her. But then, I learned that the only reason why she wanted to end it all… It was all because of you. Because of your stupid desire to make the Ellsworth family name great again."
"Abigail, I—" Francine was about to say before Abigail started to raise her voice.
"No, fuck no, mom," Abigail shook her head, looking visibly angry. "I don't want to hear your fucking excuses. You… You fucking changed me. You fucking turned me into someone I don't even know. Into some goddamn freak—"
"Abby, you're not a freak," Francine tried to say. "Don't say that about yourself. You're an Ultimate. You're the Hope for the Ellsworth—"
"I'm an Artificial Ultimate mom!" Abigail yelled. "All my horse-riding skills? They're all fake! It's the whole damn reason why I was fucking taken away and forced to kill my own fucking friends!"
Francine didn't say anything in response to that comment.
She had seen on the news of her own daughter surviving an incident at some prison. She didn't exactly know the specifics, but to hear her daughter say that the reason why she was forced into that situation was because of her Talent… Because of what she did to her own daughter. That was enough to let some tears stray down her face.
"Abby, I'm sorry," Francine tried to say. "I'm so, so sorry… I just… I just wanted our family to be happy again."
Abigail gave her a pitiful laugh.
"What family?" Abigail scoffed. "You're the only Ellsworth left."
Francine blinked.
"Only Ellsworth left, what…" Francine slowly widened her eyes over what she was implying.
Abigail shook her head.
"The only reason why I came back here is so I can say goodbye," she revealed. "To Dylan. And to you. Goodbye forever, mom."
Abigail brushed past her but Francine caught her wrist and held on tight. She could see that she was practically shaking. Her face, completely distraught. Just as she was all those years ago when they found Ashlen. Tears dripped from her eyes as Abigail could see her mother practically begging her to stay…
"No, Abby, please," Francine said. "Abigail please. Don't do this. Please don't do this. You… You're the only one I have left. Please…"
Abigail said nothing.
Honestly, she felt a little bad for her mother. But her anger outweighed her guilt. She thought back to all the mistakes her mother made. How little effort she made to change. The moment she lost Ashlen, the next thing she did was force Abigail to take her place. No mother would be as terrible as to do something like that…
Abigail simply gave Francine a scornful look.
"And who's fault was that, mom?" Abigail frowned.
Seeing Francine's expression widen in shock, Abigail took the opportunity to forcefully remove her mother's hands from her wrist. Once she easily succeeded, Abigail stormed away from her mother, leaving behind the distraught woman to grieve alone.
And the further she had distanced herself from her mother, the freer she felt.
The freer she felt from the chains of being an Ellsworth…
Haruto tapped his finger against the table.
Nervousness wasn't a feeling he'd thought he would have when it came to meeting with beloved family members of all people. At least in his case, it was just one specific family member. He glanced at his watch. He checked how well he was dressed. He made sure that he was at the right address and that everything was perfect for this one occasion.
It was times like these that Haruto wished Abigail was with him.
He could've used the company. But in respect to her wishes, he allowed her to face her own demons alone. Perhaps that was the correct inspiration to face this demon alone as well. Though, he hoped that whatever she was doing, she was still going to turn out fine. Because they promised to meet each other after they had finished reconnecting with their past.
Meet each other and start all over.
Together.
Haruto chuckled to himself.
He couldn't believe it. Out of all the shit he had to go through… Breaking his leg and losing the thing he loved the most, nearly becoming the culprit of a murder, nearly dying so many damn times… Yet, through it all, he had somehow managed to snag himself a girlfriend. A girl that he loved very much.
What kind of fate was that?
Haruto felt the wind blow against him and the smell of expensive kerosene pass by him and come to a complete stop.
When Haruto turned his head, he saw a limousine parked next to the outdoor seating of the coffee shop he had chosen. The nervous anxious he had tinged on the fact that whoever was behind this vehicle would be happy to see him. Well, Haruto figured that they wouldn't be happy… but at the very least, they could at least try and reconnect… right?
The door opened.
And Haruto felt a little blown away by what he saw.
His little brother, Shiota, tall and handsome and looking like some rich dude on the cover of Women's Finest. Haruto slowly stood up, blinking profusely. He walked over to his brother, who could only give him the flattest of expressions. Two bodyguards had come out, ready to defend him if need be, but his little brother waved them away. Frankly, Haruto wasn't sure what to make of his brother's reaction. Deep down, however, he knew…
Haruto gave him a sheepish smile and rubbed the back of his neck.
"W-Well, fuck me, uh…" Haruto chuckled. "Shiota. Fuck. You… You've changed. A lot."
Shiota didn't say anything but incited a deep breath.
"And you looked exactly the same since you left me with Father," Shiota folded his arms.
Haruto didn't say anything about that.
Just mentioning the old man was making this more awkward than it needed to be. The artificial Ultimate rubbed the back of his neck, unable to formulate a response to continue this conversation. Fortunately, Shiota found a way to salvage it, albeit with a sigh.
"...I heard about what happened to you," Shiota said. "I'm sorry…"
Haruto blinked before shaking his head.
"Nah, don't be," Haruto chuckled, looking down. "Let's be honest. You know I deserved it. After what I did to you. Leaving you behind with that fuck, I…"
He grimaced.
"I'm sorry," Haruto apologized. "I really am. Turns out, basketball ain't all it was meant to be. And I shouldn't have left you alone to fight by yourself. I should've been…"
"A better brother?" Shiota simply suggested. "Of course you should've."
Haruto looked down.
"...You abandoned me with him," Shiota bitterly said. "You were never there when I needed you. I had to endure everything by myself. And when I confronted you, you called me a pussy and a lapdog."
"Shiota, I–" Haruto was about to say before Shiota shook his head.
"...But you were right," Shiota continued. "I was a pussy. I was a lapdog. Because between you and me, you were always stronger than I was…"
Haruto blinked.
"…I just wished you could've taught me to be as strong as you," Shiota folded his arms and glanced away. "Instead of pushing me away like that."
Haruto didn't say anything but watch Shiota turn back to the limousine. He could tell that the emotion of seeing his older brother return after all these years were getting to him. And now, Haruto was willing to do whatever it took to get him back. Even if the process had to be slow.
He glanced toward his coffee and cleared his throat.
"Hey, you uh…" Haruto spoke up, forcing Shiota to stop. "You remember when Dad asked you to make coffee that one time and he asked you to add sugar to it. Only, you couldn't tell the fucking difference between salt and sugar and gave him a fuck load of salt. The face Dad made when he took one sip from that cup—"
"Dad was pissed but you were fucking cackling till you fell out of your chair," Shiota couldn't help himself but smile. "Yeah I remember. Dad told me to quit smiling but that only made it worse for me."
"Yeah… It was… It was a fucking riot," Haruto chuckled, before eyeing some salt.
He cleared his throat.
"You know… We could do the same thing again," Haruto chuckled. "We're at a coffee shop and we got a good fucking salt shaker right here. All we need is Dad's stupid face and we're golden."
"Dad is going to get mad at me," Shiota sighed.
He turned back.
And to Haruto's surprise, his little brother was smiling toward him.
"I'd like that," Shiota smiled.
Just like he used to.
His brother has yet to accept him back. But Haruto was fine with that. Because as far as he was concerned, he really missed Shiota. He missed the good ole days where he was the little brother he could have fun with. And if this was what it took to plant the seed of progress, then fuck it.
Haruto was taking it.
Mimi wandered the harbor with slight unease.
For starters, she had never been to Japan. She's seen pictures here and there about how cool and traditional it all was and the Japanese harbors were no different. Unlike the American ones she had often seen with their docks off the bay area, the Japanese ones practically had homes situated right next to specific boats.
Like a parking garage for boats.
Cats pranced around the neighborhood, allowing Mimi to admire and coo at their presence. American harbors never had these small creatures roaming around a harbor of all places. The most they had were seagulls and the occasional rat running around. Honestly, it was a surreal experience and one that Mimi wouldn't mind sticking around in.
She glossed over the house numbers before settling on the one she was looking for:
A house near the harbor with nary a boat in sight, with the numbers 7854 engraved on its corner.
She kept Sailor Penguin close to her side as she slowly knocked on the door. Based on the information she was given, this was supposed to be where Kaito Kizuchi lived. And yet, nobody had responded. Nobody had bothered to respond, that is… She pushed her glasses up and continued to knock.
"Mr. Kizuchi?" Mimi asked.
Perhaps he only knew Japanese…
"Mr. Kizuchi?" Mimi continued.
No response.
Maybe he was busy.
Busy…
Mimi turned away from the house but instantly saw an older gentleman, approaching her, surprised and curious as to why someone like her was doing so at the front door. He seemed to be carrying a bucket of fish. A clear indicator that this sailor/fisherman business was a family legacy. Yuumi truly didn't need to be an artificial Talent just for this…
"Are you… Mr. Kizuchi?" Mimi asked, curiously.
The older gentleman examined her thoroughly before allowing his eyes to land on the plush penguin she carried. Sailor Penguin. He returned Mimi's question with a saddened gaze and dropped his bucket of fish. Then, that saddened gaze intensified…
"...I know you," the older man said. "You were with my granddaughter in that prison… Yes?"
Mimi wordlessly nodded and slowly handed Sailor Penguin along with a book tucked underneath the plush toy's flippers. But the older man she knew for a fact to be Kaito Kizuchi didn't bother to take him back.
"You took good care of Sailor Penguin," Kaito tried to say. "Good. Yuumi would've wanted it that way."
"...You know…" Mimi slowly realized.
"I knew a few weeks ago," Kaito simply said. "Before you were found. Before all of this was revealed. The moment the winds started to move differently… I just knew that something happened to Yuumi… She… She just wanted to travel the world. I… should've stopped her."
Kaito walked over to the steps of his front porch and stared out toward the open ocean horizon. He truly did live in a neighborhood with the best view. Even though he had a hunch or premonition that something did happen to her, to finally get that confirmation hit him harder than it needed to.
Mimi took a seat next to Kaito and hugged Sailor Penguin tightly.
"Yuumi…" Mimi spoke her name again. "She was my best friend. I… didn't know her for that long but when I was with her, it felt like we knew each other for a long time."
"That's the way the tides work," Kaito said. "Funny isn't it?"
Mimi didn't say anything.
"...Did she suffer?" Kaito asked. "When she was in Hell. Did she…?"
Mimi wasn't sure how to respond to that. It was definitely the worst moment of Yuumi's life she would have to imagine. Her keeping secrets from her wasn't doing her any favors either. Mimi didn't want to lie, but she also didn't want to tell him much of the truth either. So, instead Mimi gave the best response she could muster up…
"...It was hard for her," Mimi revealed. "But, I think… I think maybe wherever Yuumi is now. I think she's doing fine."
Kaito considered that response before nodding.
"...Thank you," he simply said.
The old man and the young former witch girl sat on that front porch for a little longer. Because for a while, they both enjoyed the heavy sounds of the waves crashing down against the harbor walls and the seagulls culling in the air. Cats scampered by, minding their own businesses and the smell of the sea wavered into their faces.
Finally, Kaito spoke up.
"You didn't come all this way to just give me Sailor Penguin, did you?" Kaito chuckled.
"Well, that's the right thing to do isn't it?" Mimi blinked. "I mean, Yuumi would've–"
"Keep him," Kaito shook his head.
Mimi was surprised when he said this. She glanced at the toy penguin she had been practically carrying around for a long time. Carrying around for the sake of having Yuumi right by her side. She thought it'd be fair to allow Yuumi's grandfather to keep him but for him to relinquish the penguin to her…
"I'm an old man," Kaito laughed. "My time is coming to an end. After that, all these toys that Yuumi had. They'll be donated to some young kids Yuumi never knew. I don't think Yuumi would've wanted that. I think she would've liked it if she had someone she could trust… watch over her friends."
Kaito slowly stood up.
"Speaking of, want to see Captain Walrus?" Kaito asked Mimi.
"I'd love to," Mimi nodded at the old sailor.
Kaito smiled and walked toward his door. He unlocked it, opening it up but before he could enter, Mimi suddenly stood up and called out to him.
"Um, wait, Mr. Kizuchi, before you do," Mimi began. "I… I want to give you something else first."
Kaito blinked.
"Sailor Penguin wasn't the only thing I wanted to give to you," Mimi looked down before taking the book that Sailor Penguin had been carrying with him. "Um… I wrote a book. It was originally meant for Yuumi but… I couldn't give it to her. If anything, I want you to have it."
Mimi handed Kaito the book she had written.
Curiously, Kaito took the book and read the title:
The Mermaid Who Fears the Ocean
"O-Oh!" Mimi suddenly realized. "B-But you might not be able to read English! I'll try to translate it into Japanese real–"
"If I can speak English, then I can read English," Kaito chuckled before holding onto the book. "Thank you…"
Mimi paused before nodding back toward Kaito.
That was when Kaito headed back inside his own home to retrieve Captain Walrus for Mimi to take. And as Mimi was left alone outside for a moment, she glanced at Sailor Penguin and his missing eye. She brushed her fingers against the comfy toy and oddly enough, she could feel Yuumi by her side. Mimi had done what she wanted to do.
She brought Sailor Penguin home.
Yet, according to Kaito, Sailor Penguin was already home this entire time. With her. She was his home. Just knowing that was enough to get Mimi to hug the plush toy tightly. She squeezed all her might and closed her eyes. Because the more she squeezed, the more she felt it.
The presence of Yuumi Kizuchi's spirit, watching over her and her old crewmate…
Holland looked out the car window to see a house that was as normal as normal gets.
For a moment, Holland wasn't sure if he had the right address. He read it over and over again. The address that Sōshun Murasame had provided him. But the more he read it, the more likely it seemed. He unbuckled his seatbelt and took a deep breath. A hand reached out, grabbing his wrist.
Holland turned to see Natalie Delaney, who had been sitting by his side with panicked concern in her eyes.
The flight back to his mother was an emotional one to say the least. The moment Holland was able to leave the private jet, Natalie had immediately showered him with tears and emotional hugs. To see that her own son had returned from an incident that was so horrific. It terrified her. And for a moment, Holland wanted to apologize to her for making her worry like this.
But he remembered the promise he made to himself.
It was him thinking he needed to do everything for his mother that got him into that nasty incident at St. Esther's. It was that level of thinking that forced him to change who he was as a person. He truly was a momma's boy… And thinking about it now, he never needed to be. Natalie was painfully clear about that and he just… never listened.
This time.
Things were different.
He glanced at Natalie, who looked at him with the concerned look any mother would have when they finally get their son back from a traumatic event. She tried to verbalize a question. It took a bit, but finally she was able to let it out.
"H-Holland," she took a deep breath. "Are you sure you want to do this yourself? You know I can come with you, right?"
Holland placed a hand over his mother's and gave her a small appreciative smile.
"Thanks Mom," Holland thanked, before slowly removing her hand from his wrist. "...But trust me. I got this. This is something I need to do for myself and myself only…"
Natalie blinked and instantly felt her tears creep out the corner of her eyes.
"M-Mom?" Holland blinked.
"No, no, you're right," Natalie wiped away those tears, embarrassed. "You're… You're not my little boy anymore. I'm just… I just thought I lost you so I…"
Holland gave his mother a softer expression.
"...You've really grown up," Natalie simply told him.
Holland smiled.
"Thank you, for everything Mom," Holland said before opening the door.
The moment he stepped out, he could smell the scent of freedom once more. The scent of finally being able to stand on his own without anyone holding him back. The scent that he should've experienced all those years ago and blinded himself to. He glanced toward the house he had wanted to visit and glanced back toward his mother, who gestured for him to move along.
"I'll be here when you're finished," Natalie smiled at Holland.
Holland smiled back and nodded.
Then, like a baby bird trying to fly for the first time, Holland stepped forward and moved toward the door of the house. He glanced around warily, wondering if anyone was home. He hoped they were because he desperately needed some closure. He curled his fingers and gave a firm knock on the door.
It took a bit.
But the sound of the door unlocking from within and it slowly opening, was enough to tell Holland that he had picked a good time to visit. Standing behind the door was a noticeably teary-eyed Hana, who glanced at the young man in surprise.
"Um, hi…" Holland greeted. "I was told that this is where… Hana… lives? I'm–"
"I know who you are," Hana simply said, opening the door a little wider. "You're Holland Delaney. You survived the Incident at St. Esther's. It's all over the news. Um, they just reported the names of all the victims, so I assume you're here because of…"
"Zuri," Holland firmly said.
Hana expected as much.
She nodded her head.
"...May I… May I come in?" Holland questioned, albeit a little awkwardly.
"Zuri and I go way back. Since elementary school I would say. She was my best friend and well, we did pretty much everything together."
Hana had handed Holland a can of Sprite.
The moment the artificial Ultimate had stepped inside Hana's room, he could see an array of decor that told him exactly what kind of person Hana was. Posters of Dream Palm hung on the wall. Pictures of Hana and Zuri and two others he figured to be Laurel and Venessa were situated on stands.
He wandered around a bit more, noticing just how decorated the place was of Dream Palm stuff. That's when he noticed it. A guitar leaning against the ground with a leaf insignia on it. Hana's guitar. He squatted down… remembering how much Zuri reminisced about playing with the band again.
Hana caught him staring at it a little too long and laughed to herself, popping open a can of soda for herself.
"Oh that?" she smiled. "That's my old guitar. I… I touch it sometimes, but I haven't actually used nor practiced since… Well…"
Holland understood what she was referring to but said nothing.
"So, um, what about you?" Hana asked. "How close were you to Zuri? Because… I doubt you'd be visiting if you weren't so I'm just… I'm just curious."
Holland turned back to her and instantly Hana cleared her throat.
"Um, I'm… I'm sorry," Hana shook her head. "If I'm bringing back memories you don't want to… Oh God. I'm so sorry. That was so insensitive of me. I just–"
"I loved her," Holland simply revealed.
Hana stopped stuttering and looked at him, surprised.
"I… really did," Holland paced around the room before landing on a picture of the entire band together in one frame. "She… She gave me a chance when no one else would. And she was… She was everything to me."
He sighed.
"Even now I… I still regret not being able to save her like she did for me," Holland revealed. "All I did was beg… Begged her not to die. Pathetic, isn't it…?"
Hana shook her head, setting her soda aside.
"Not at all," Hana smiled softly to herself. "That's just Zuri. She… She was the best of all of us."
There was a moment of silence as Holland could see that Hana was holding back more tears that were slowly starting to come out. The words she said about Zuri. He had to agree. Zuri truly was the best. Of the people in that prison… Zuri was truly the light of his life. The best thing that had ever happened to him.
To both of them, he'd imagine…
"...Zuri asked me to come here, by the way," Holland revealed.
Hana looked at Holland, surprised.
"...I heard that she caused Dream Palm to break up," Holland said. "During her last moments, she wanted me to live so I could visit you and pass on a message for her."
Hana started to look pained.
"...Zuri said she's sorry," Holland revealed. "For everything. For causing the band to break up."
Hana hugged herself and tried to hold back tears.
"...So, she really did blame herself for the band breaking up," Hana said.
Holland blinked, raising an eyebrow.
"W-What do you mean…?" Holland asked.
"God, that's so like Zuri…" Hana frowned. "Zuri blames herself for things that just aren't her fault. We didn't break up because of her. We broke up because things just working out for us anymore. Everyone just… They just wanted to go solo so they could work on themselves. That was all. Zuri… God. To think that she carried that burden over her for the longest time…"
Was that so?
It did sound like Zuri to burden herself with stuff that wasn't even her fault. It also sounded like Zuri to blame herself for things that were way out of her control. Holland sighed to himself before smiling to himself. That did sound like Zuri. It… Heh.
"...Classic Zuri, right?" Holland chuckled.
Hana couldn't help herself but smile at that.
"Y-Yeah, classic Zuri," Hana simply said.
Another moment of silence between the two before Hana suddenly spoke up and cleared her throat. She glanced toward Holland with a smile.
"Hey, actually, do you want to listen to it?" Hana asked.
"...Listen to what?" Holland blinked.
"One of Zuri's solos," Hana smiled, taking out her phone and typing something in. "When she went her own separate way as an Ultimate, well, she posted a lot of musical covers. But this one… This one she had saved and never released. She just sent it to me for a keepsake. Her first original…"
Hana scrolled through her phone for a bit before finding the MP3 file that Zuri had sent it through.
She pressed the play.
But the moment Holland heard the first single notes being strummed, his eyes widened.
He couldn't say anything else.
Because it didn't take long before Zuri's voice came out through Hana's phone with perfect harmony. The lyrics were the same and the song was just as he remembered it back at St. Esther's. And despite how shocked he was, Holland went silent, listening attentively to the piece…
At the ocean where Hope resides
A warm hand touching me with the tides...
The Russian cold was always hard to navigate through.
Mr. Marakovich hauled the last of the food they needed to last the winter. For him and his three sons. Losing the oldest, Victor, was hard enough, but losing the second oldest really took a toll on how much Mr. Marakovich really wanted to live in this damn country. It wasn't like he could leave. He lived in a family of four and was barely scraping enough money to help them survive.
To brave a winter like this was the only way they could survive.
Mr. Marakovich walked through the door and the moment he did, his three sons rushed over to him with anxious looks on their faces. Mr. Marakovich's mind came to the worst possible conclusion. Because the last time they looked like this, their second oldest was arrested and sent to die in the gulags…
He let his three sons drag him to his rundown couch to look at what was being broadcasted on their poorly configured television set. A news report in Russian depicting what had happened in Japan. The incident at St. Esther's.
A list of names…
Victims of the incident…
A casualty and picture…
Victor Marakovich.
In the end, he truly did lose his eldest son. Mr. Marakovich dropped everything then and there and slumped onto his couch. He didn't know what to say. He didn't know what to think. He had heard of Victor escaping the harsh realities of their country's military, and he hoped that his son was doing fine wherever he was at…
But to see him on the news…
Listed as a casualty of some incident…
He held in some tears but felt his sons coil up to his side. All of them were equally in tears. God. They hadn't felt like this since their second eldest had passed. Mr. Marakovich wanted to stay strong for his sons, but one look from them told him that it was okay.
So, he cried anyway.
Him and his sons.
I see you with your unchanging face
Yet it brings a smile to my otherworldly grace...
One moment, Mr. Rowan was hard at work grading papers and the next moment, the name Carter Franklin came up.
The St. Esther's incident was the talking point of the year.
The discovery of bodies at an abandoned prison with only five survivors. An arrest being made. Secret illegal experimentation being uncovered within the facility and not only that but casualties. At first, Mr. Rowan thought that the name, Carter Franklin was just a mistake. That maybe it must've been some other poor chap named Carter Franklin…
But when they showed his picture, Mr. Rowan finally knew it to be true.
He had leaned back against his chair, slowly taking off his reading glasses in surprise as Carter's mugshot was broadcasted live on television and his status declared to be deceased. He never expected this turn of events. He knew Carter to be a capable writer and yet… According to the media, he turned himself into an Ultimate to be skilled and talented…
Why?
For what reason?
Mr. Rowan didn't understand at the time but to see Carter's face on that television screen before unceremoniously being switched to a different face… He grimaced slightly. It was always a scary thought to think about. To realize that a student you knew well was now reported to be dead in such a highly publicized incident…
Mr. Rowan turned his attention back to the papers he had graded.
He took a deep breath.
Then, slowly, he stood back up.
With this new revelation, he realized he was going to need to take a break. Perhaps… Perhaps he still knew the Franklin family's household. Because he was curious. Curious enough to truly wonder whether they had received the news of what had happened to their child…
I feel your sadness under the rain
I confessed to share that pain...
Hikaru Mura couldn't believe his eyes when he watched the news.
It wasn't that long ago since he had woken up from his nap. From what the doctors had said, he had nearly overworked himself to death. Had the police not been there to talk about his daughter, he may have never made it to the hospital in time. Ah. His daughter… To speak of her now…
The news had just revealed more information about the list of deceased kids that were involved in the incident at St. Esther's.
One of whom was the name of his own daughter: Cassandra Mura.
While not much detail was spread after that, the news of his daughter's death had him practically shaking and devastated. He couldn't take his eyes off of the television screen. His cries of anguish were audibly heard by many of the nurses and doctors. To think that the daughter he had loved so much was now gone…
To think that he worked so hard for her that he even got to spend the best days of his life with her.
Regret and guilt were ever so visible on his face as he wept into the hospital blankets. He refused to touch his food and he refused to say anything else to anyone. He refused the comfort, and he refused the company. All his efforts had been thrown out the window. Had he not… Had he just been better…
He turned his head after hearing footsteps.
At first, he thought it was the nurse. He was ready to yell at her to leave him alone. Leave him alone and let him grieve… But imagine his shock when he didn't see the nurse but instead, Abagail Veers, who had come back with 'Get Well' cards and flowers all meant for him. Hikaru blinked.
He made little response.
But judging by the redness in her eyes, it looked as if she had been torn over the news as well. Hikaru had every right to yell at her and ask why she was here. But he didn't. He just didn't have it in him to fight this. Hikaru tried to turn his head away from her… He tried to avoid looking at her, hoping she would go away…
But Abagail had dropped her flowers and card and rushed over to his side, pulling him into an embrace.
The moment he felt her touch, he broke down instantly.
Both of them did.
Because the truth of the matter was that Abagail Veers may have been a bad mother, but Hikaru was no better. They both could have done things differently. They both could have prevented this. And it was that thought that forced both of them to mourn together…
It's a Hope together in prison
With two hands to cope and a sweet mission
For lovers to elope forever and ever
An unknown figure folded their arms as they watched the news list out the names of the victims.
For the past few hours, the news media had been playing nothing but the incident at St. Esther's. To be frank, the figure was surprised that such an incident was being publicly revealed like this. If this were back then, it would've been swept under the rug. Classic government removal.
The figure watched the news on a screen projector as they oversaw a team of people move weapons into crates. Behind this figure was a flag, showcasing a skull with a fiery red X spray painted over it. An absolute classic. And as they watched the news media list out the names of the victims again, their eyes never stopped stumbling whenever the name Ina Hamamura was mentioned.
They kept their arms folded.
For Ina to perish in the St. Esther's incident, they had to admit that it was indeed a worthy repentance for the trouble she had caused them all a few years back as their top revolutionary. They shook their heads and simply turned away from the screen projector, heading back inside their office.
They had seen enough.
Whatever this St. Esther's incident could entail for the rest of the world; they weren't sure just yet. But what they did know was that a change was coming because of it.
They chuckled to themselves.
Perhaps Hope was inevitable for their demon-free future… wasn't it?
It's a Hope where two can see
It's a love born from a tragedy
Talia Wayward served the next customers their meal and sighed in relief.
It was always the same at the Dalton Diner. Nonstop service. Nonstop stress. It was all she needed to get on with her life. With Jared missing, she knew she wouldn't be able to handle it if she had decided to stop and rest. So, she kept on pushing through her roller skates, taking plate after plate and serving dish after dish.
But today was different.
Because like everywhere else in the world, the news was broadcasted and Jared's name was mentioned, forcing her to halt after the last plate she had to serve. She turned to the television hung in the corner of the ceiling as a face she recognized all too well was broadcasted to the diner. She wanted this to be a sick joke but…
It was true.
With his blue hair and police uniform, Jared's image was plastered across the screen for a short while on the list of casualties.
And almost instantly, Talia stopped what she was doing. She didn't move. She felt the entire world… the impatient customers and Eliza in the kitchen… grow quiet. She slowly dropped to her knees, alerting some of the diner guests who rushed to her aid. Her eyes trembled and her hands instinctively reached toward the scar over her neck.
To think that the police officer that she had grown to care for was now…
Goddamn it.
She tried hard not to cry in front of so many people, but with everyone's worried and concerned looks, it was unlikely that she would ever be successful in this regard. Because truthfully, Jared wasn't just some police friend she met when he visited the diner for the first time. He was literally the only other person who understood her.
Literally, the one guy she…
Talia didn't move from the ground for the longest time as the same impatient customers rushed to her side, all attempting to comfort her over the news…
Funny.
This was all it took. Because for the first time in her line of work, she had finally decided to stop and rest for a bit. Stop and rest…
To mourn…
It's a love born from a tragedy
The 'Old Days' pawnshop never looked better than it had been now.
A young man who was sharply dressed and had a jacket draped over his shoulders could do nothing but admire the building that he had full ownership over. He had blonde hair almost in the style of a buzzcut and sunglasses propped over his face. He spat out a piece of gum and handed the lease agreement toward a woman. Under the agreement was his signature:
Kunitaro Higa
Once he handed in the lease, the woman handed him the keys with a satisfied smile. But no one was more satisfied than this young man. With a grin, he hoisted a boombox over his shoulder and dangled the keys through his fingers. He shone a grin and started to dance over toward the door.
Then, with the keys he had gotten, he unlocked the door and entered.
It was official.
The new and improved 'Old Days' pawnshop was now open for business, operating under the correct manager this time. The best manager they could find…
It's a Hope for two lovers
To elope forever
Maggie LaDroubi.
When that name popped up on the list of casualties, it was like Harry Harbreak just saw a ghost.
Maggie LaDroubi.
Now that was a name he hadn't heard in a long time. He had to admit that when she revealed that she had cheated on him, he was hurt and broken for the longest time. But at the same time, he had to admit that despite it all, the mere mention of her name still held a special place in his heart.
He kept his eye on the monitor for a little too long, before finally, a girl wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tightly. For a moment, his escape through his past memories was broken by his current reality: his new girlfriend. A girl who was good to him and someone he just loved very much.
Harry couldn't help himself but smile as the picture switched away from Maggie to a different victim, allowing the young man to break away from the news media a lot more easily. He laughed at his girlfriend's giggle as he wrapped his arms around her.
Maggie LaDroubi was old news.
And to be frank, he was sad to see that she had gotten involved in such a horrible incident. It bothered him slightly, but at the same time, he knew that he was going to be okay. Because he had his new girlfriend to take care of him.
A new girlfriend that he could shower with more love than he ever could've imagined.
And a sweet mission for two
Our hands will remain connected forever
Junichi Mashiro said nothing when Mayu's face was shown on the list of the casualties.
How could he when he was being taken into custody under suspicion of child abuse?
Because based on the eHandbooks that the Future Foundation had uncovered from this incident, Mayu's eHandbook still had her Motive Video. A Motive Video that showcased the true side of Junichi Mashiro. The arrest wasn't easy. Junichi had tried to fight back against it. And for an old man, he was violent.
Very damn violent.
He struggled against his handcuffs as the police did a full investigation of his room. Shock collars of every kind were found. Not even ones for dogs but literally made for humans. For Mashiro Co, it definitely did not make them look good. And frankly, it made Junichi Mashiro look worse as he was escorted out of the building.
And as he was pushed into the elevator that led into his apartment, Junichi did nothing but curse his own granddaughter for her role in this. Curse his own dead granddaughter… whose image was currently on the flat TV screen he had decided to watch the news report in. And yet, the more he cursed Mayu's name, the less power Junichi was losing…
Whatever will happen to the Mashiro Co at this point… no one knew.
But for Junichi Mashiro, after finally being exposed for the cruel blackguard he was…
…It was over.
Finally over.
(Yeah yeah)
Forever
The truth couldn't have hit harder when they saw that Titus Erskine's name had popped up under the list of victim's names.
Zensyth and Flora Erskine sat next to an urn with the cremated remains of Flint, watching the news together. They couldn't believe it. It had been five years since they were told that Titus Erskine was dead. That he had unceremoniously died after getting into an accident. For the longest time, they were distraught…
So imagine their surprises when they learned that Titus was among the many casualties that had occurred at St. Esther's. That all this time, their Little Titan was alive… That they had been lied to by that school…
If Flint were still alive, he would've done everything possible to sue the school. But he was gone and Zensyth and Flora had little fight when it came to these legal proceedings. It was aggravating and cruel. Zensyth latched onto her mother's arm tightly as the reality of her own son being alive all this time truly hit her…
That he had been alive for the past five years…
…until he wasn't.
God.
If only they knew. They could've helped. They could've looked for him. But they didn't. And it was all because of their own arrogance of knowing how much her child could've been better than he already was. If Zensyth could turn back to time, she would. But she couldn't. And for the rest of her and Flora's life…
…They weren't going to live this down.
And both Zensyth and Flora couldn't stop themselves from crying over the young man that they had truly lost…
Born from a tragedy
Kaito Kizuchi placed his reading glasses on and slowly opened the book that Mimi had given him.
He did say that he could read English, but he didn't say just how well he could read it. Fortunately for him, Mimi's story was simple. Concise. Easily understood. And the pictures that Mimi had drawn were a big help as well. Almost instantly, it reminded Kaito of the old sailor's tales that he used to tell Yuumi when she was a little girl.
As he flipped through page after page, he found himself smiling brightly at all of the significant details of the titular character. Perhaps because the entire story was just adorable or perhaps it was because it was indeed well-written. At least, that was what Kaito had originally thought. Because it took him five pages to realize what the story was really about.
That bright smile slowly faded into a somber one.
The Mermaid Who Feared The Ocean…
That was literally Yuumi, wasn't it? Heh. Kaito brushed his fingers against a picture of Yuumi as a mermaid. Tears welled up in Kaito's eyes as he continued to read the story. By the time he reached the end, a hopeful breath escaped his lips, his eyes immediately scanning through the last thing that was written:
For: Yuumi Kizuchi
From: Mimi Kazoo (Your Bestest Friend)
Kaito couldn't stop the tears from streaming down his face.
(Yeah yeah)
In a prison overseas
Zuno Noshino was practically bombarded by the press.
News of his involvement in the St. Esther's experiments had spread practically all across Japan. With the Future Foundation having found documents after documents of all their misdeeds, it was safe to say that Noshino was finding himself under the hottest fire of Hell. Forgotten names of unordinary students, piling unto whatever conscience he had…
Flash photography practically blinded him as he struggled to answer even the basics of questions from the nearest reporters. Angry parents were in the back, practically in tears. Parents of those unordinary students that had lost their lives. And even further in the back, were two men that he recognized all too well:
Detectives Kumaichi Suzuki and Kou Inuzuka.
Both of them, watching with intrigue in their eyes. Zuno knew that right after this was over, they were going to have to interrogate him on what the hell he had done. To think that he had expected today to be a day just like any other… And yet here he was, exposed for conspiracy of illegal experimentations and what was pretty much, mass murder…
Zuno, sweating profusely, glanced toward his Steering Committee accomplices, all of whom had turned a blind eye to his situation, feigning disgusted looks over what he had supposedly done "by himself."
He glanced at Koichi Kizakura, who stood to the side with his fedora lowered. Whether it was to hide his eyes from the bright flashing lights remained to be unseen…
…Because in reality, Koichi was hiding a satisfied smirk.
Zuno finally got what was coming to him.
And Koichi could only hope wherever he was, Jin was able to see his former friend get his just desserts…
It's our Hope
It's our moment
Mimi sat at the end of the docks, holding onto both Sailor Penguin and the new addition to her crew: Captain Walrus.
The waves crashed against the seashore. Mimi felt a cold breeze unlike anything she ever experienced. Because this wasn't a cold breeze that would freeze someone half to death. It was more of a spiritual cold breeze. The breeze of a spirit passing by Mimi, supplying her with enough Hope to look toward the future. The breeze of the open ocean that Yuumi loved to explore so much…
Mimi breathed in the fresh ocean smell and held both Sailor Penguin and Captain Walrus tightly, as all three of them watched the sun slowly begin to set over the open horizon. She could see boats returning home and seagulls fly in a beautiful dance-like pattern. She could see fishes and dolphins jump out of the ocean, something she never thought she'd be able to see in Japan of all places.
And as she continued to watch over the open seas, she thought back to the lessons she had learned back during her time at St. Esther's. She thought back to the last lesson Jin had taught them all. Taught her specifically…
This beauty and feeling of freedom…
This was Hope.
Wasn't it?
She closed her eyes and straightened her posture. She breathed in the fresh air and slowly, her lips widened into a warm smile. For the first time since her time in Hell…
…she was free.
It's our time
To elope forever
When Abigail's private jet landed, Haruto was already at the runway waiting for her.
By the looks on both of their faces, they had both managed to plant the seeds for the new beginnings that they wished to have. Abigail had finally done what she needed to do this entire time. Something she should've done a long time ago. And just seeing Haruto stand there with that goofy smile on his face…
It was enough for her to run up to him and jump into his open arms. Haruto held her tight and spun her around for a moment, both of them eager to start their new lives and right some of their wrongs. And while Abigail had completed her goal of disowning her mother, Haruto still had some work to do but that's okay.
He knew it was going to be okay.
Because as fucking cheesy as it sounded, he had Abigail.
And she was all he was ever going to need moving forward.
Both of them looked at each other with open smiles and reddened faces. It didn't take long before Abigail slowly pulled him in for a kiss. Closing their eyes, they savored their moment. Their hands interlocked with one another as Haruto slowly led Abigail to a limousine that Shiota had allowed him to borrow for a day.
Entering it, the limousine pulled away from the airport and drove directly toward who knows where. It didn't matter really. As long as it was some place where they could build a future and commit to new beginnings together, it was going to be okay. Because again, they had each other.
Abigail held onto Haruto's hand tightly and rested her head against Haruto's shoulder for comfort.
Haruto on the other hand rested his head against hers.
And through it all, the two couldn't stop smiling as they quite literally drove off into the sunset…
To the freedom they deserved…
It's my Hope...
A tear slid down Holland's eye.
It was definitely a song he knew all too well. It was definitely it. He knew this because he had listened to it a lot since Zuri had passed. But what did this mean? Was this some kind of cruel twist of ironic fate at its finest? Or was it a call for something else? Holland wasn't sure but he stood still, almost shocked to hear the same song on Hana's phone.
Hana noticed his expression and paused the music before she could sing the final line.
Confused, she walked up to him.
"Hey, are you okay?" Hana blinked.
Holland quickly snapped out of his daze.
"H-Huh?" Holland asked. "Uh, y-yes. Yes I am. I just… That song. I… I heard it before. Back at St. Esther's, she made that song for... Me…"
"Did she?" Hana blinked, glancing at the file.
But for some reason, she didn't seem relatively bothered by this revelation. She scrolled through the music for a moment before looking at Holland with the happiest smile she could muster. From the looks of it, Holland figured perhaps Hana realized the true meaning behind this…
"Hahaha," Hana giggled. "She must've loved you too, didn't she?"
"...What?" Holland blinked.
"Holland," Hana smiled. "Based on the news, they said that you guys lost some parts of your memories throughout your time there, right?"
Holland slowly nodded.
"...Zuri made this song for me just to tell me how much I meant to her," Hana revealed. "If she lost her memories of already making this song back at that prison, and just made it again for you…"
"...She… She made it… to tell me how much I meant to her…" Holland blinked, before feeling another tear fall out of his eye. "She…"
"...really loved you, Holland," Hana confirmed. "You and I… are the only people in the entire world who knows about her original piece. And I think… I think that's what Zuri intended for this song to be from the very beginning."
"...Only the people she cared for the most got to hear it," Holland said. "...No wonder she was so insistent on trying to make it perfect for me…"
Hana nodded toward him before looking back at her phone. She furrowed her eyebrows and tapped her chin.
"...W-What's wrong?" Holland asked.
"...You know, now that I'm looking at this again," Hana said. "Zuri never actually gave it a title. Said she had trouble coming up with one…"
Holland already knew where this was going.
And when Hana turned to look at him, expectantly, he knew exactly what he wanted to answer.
"...Got any suggestions?" Hana asked. "For Zuri's sake?"
Holland simply nodded.
"Just one…" he began. "How about…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…Sweet Hope?"
THE END
I finally did it. Finally, after about 2 years and a half, Corrupted Hope has finally ended!
Some people got off with happy endings! Some people got off with tearful closures! And some people got absolutely shit on! Take that Junichi Mashiro and Francine Ellsworth and Zuno Noshino! I might be forgetting about other people but specifically get fucked all those three!
Anyway, it really has been a blast. Like even now, I can't believe that Corrupted Hope is finally finished. I never even thought that I would be capable enough to finish a story until now! Not only that, but the amount of love and attention this fic has gotten over the years, it really means a lot to me. Even if Chapter 1 is deservedly terrible and the story does get better like around end of Chapter 2. My writing has evolved and so has my narrative-handling skills :D But it's time to talk about some characters here:
Abigail Ellsworth. I would like to thank oddlyillregular for submitting her to Corrupted. I have to admit. Abigail was a really tough cookie to write. I struggled on trying to make sure she was like Gwen from Total Drama but was straying too far into Cassandra territory. So, it came to a point where I needed to find a way to differentiate the two. Lo and behold, I gave her insomnia. Gave her some plot to work with for Chapter 2 and onward! Speaking of plot, when I accepted Abigail, there was literally one plot I was trying to reach toward for her: Her entire backstory between her and Ashlen. The Ashlen was also an Ultimate twist wasn't something I thought of until later. And her and Haruto getting together. Wasn't thought of until sometime in Chapter 2 XD Either case, Abigail was always supposed to live far... even survive, but occasionally I considered killing her in Chapter 4 or making the mastermind... for some reason. Glad I didn't! :D All in all, Abigail still remains to be one of my favorite characters to write and if others can't see that then... Then... I dunno.
Arthur Kingston. Yeah, I would like to thank SinWriter7 for submitting this goddamn bastard of a character... Alright, to be fair, it was me that made him a bastard of a character in the first place. Arthur Kingston was always going to be a bastard, through and through. He was a lot like Byakuya if he had more emotion put into it. Emotions like love, greed, and jealousy... All thrown into a Byakuya Togami type character. Obviously, one of the biggest twists was him and Ina being revealed as half-siblings. Still love that moment to death. But the other twist... Arthur was the mastermind of the Tragedy, was a pretty fun and devious twist that I had been waiting so long to reveal. Of course, I had to workshop through that for a long time because I struggled between wanting him to come out as heroic or straight up villainous. And the circumstances of the Tragedy were a bit different back then too... But as you can see, I prompted for what you have now. Arthur Kingston is a scumbag forever and ever and deserves to rot in prison for what he did. Definitely one of the most messed up characters I have ever written... but still. Loved writing him all the same :D He was always going to survive and suffer the consequences of his action, that was no different but man... for him to just get abandoned by everyone. Serves him right for killing Mondo :D
Haruto Walker. I would like to skibidi thank theotakureader101 all the way from Ohio for one of my favorite characters to write from the get-go. The moment I wrote him, was the moment he became my most favorite character to ever write throughout the entire cast. A personal bias for me since he was pretty much the Mondo Owada variant of this cast. From the moment I wrote him, he stole the scene for me in every way possible and goddamn, I love this guy to death. Obviously, many of you know that breaking his leg was a choice that just came out of nowhere and yet definitely was really fun to write :D Sorry you goon... but it definitely helped pave the way for him to rizz up Abigail. Because good Lord, I love Abigail X Haruto as a ship. Came out of nowhere, but goddamn, it's nice. Originally, I had him as a Chapter 4 killer, but it really didn't feel right to kill a guy who literally lost his Talent... not like he deserved one in the first place. So, here he stands, as a Survivor with his Abigailussy- Anyway, can I move away from Amogus Vocab? :D Thanks
Holland Delaney. The Trial MVP himself. Fun fact, Holland was the first person ever accepted into my fic, and it happened within ten minutes after he was submitted by sempiternity! Thank you so much for giving me your boy, and what a mistake it was because I met you and your sharp teeth :D Holland was definitely another heavy hitter when I wrote because I got down his character trait and his personality down to a tee. It was always in my plans to have him be the Chapter 1 attempted murderer and then go from underdog status to full-on Trial Protagonist. However, somewhere in the plans, I had him die in Chapter 4 to pave way for Zuri to be the true Protagonist... But then, I thought, nah, and switched Holland and Zuri up so she would die instead. It made more sense, and it thoroughly broke him for a bit :D Definitely one of the saddest moments I had to write ;-; But regardless, Holland was definitely making it far and for him to survive, good on him! Man deserves it! Loved writing him and seriously, definitely one of the best characters in the story :)
Mimi Kazoo. First off, thank you to Idraegan- Oh... Wait. You go by Grandma Sue now. Thank you, Grandma Sue, for submitting Mimi :D I'll be honest. If I was still in Chapter 1, I would have never seen Mimi getting this far and living. Because originally, I contemplated having her pinned as a Chapter 3 death, never knowing what arc to put her through. But after she lost Yuumi... and began her Ina hate spree... and lost Maggie... and Barracuda... Yeah. It was a no-brainer. I had to make her live. Mimi as a character is what I describe to be the actual heart of all the survivors. She survived so much because she lost so much, and in the end, while she's not the smartest in Trials, she served to bring Hope unto others... And bring Hope she did in the Final Trial which is just so fitting for her character. Of course, I had trouble juggling when to reveal her tragic past... Which I definitely did a little early, but goddamn, Mimi was still a great character to write for and honestly, really glad Mimi was like the miracle child for Grandma. Because without Mimi, there would be no Beaute Morose on the other story :D
Speaking of which, if you want more stories like Corrupted Hope, check out:
Danganronpa: Twisted Tragedy by SilverMark16 (Hey! That's me! It's the sequel to Corrupted Hope and if you like my style of writing and how I did things here, consider checking that out! It has a different vibe and a whole new Killing Game with a new cast of characters for you to enjoy :D)
Danganronpa: Algorithmic Alteration by Otterplay (A story written by my friend who was somehow inspired by Corrupted Hope. It's a big cast of 20 people and definitely a much more unique and also really damn funny fic than my drama soap opera fest of stories! :D)
I would recommend Danganronpa: Obscurity's Disgrace by ExtraMeme but I promised this goober that I would make him catch strays so, here's a stray for you bud. You don't get a cool comment on your story like mine and Nathan's did! Hmph! -.-
Either case, seriously, I... I really didn't think I would come this far to finally close the book on Corrupted Hope. To all those that stuck with me to the end, seriously, thank you. Thank you so much. It really means a lot to me. 800K words and 54 chapters. 55 chapters now? Eh, who knows. But just seriously, like, all the positivity and love you gave this story are the true heroes to making it flourish and shine. Seriously, could not and would not have done it without all of you guys on my Discord and you guys on FF who actively read. Like, again... Thank you so much.
Corrupted Hope has ended.
So, as always, just please let me know how I did with my first ever DR SYOC fic :D Did you love it? Did you hate it? Are there things I could've worked on? Yes. Yes of course. But most important, please tell me about your favorite moments throughout this fic. What was your favorite case? What was your favorite revelation? Your favorite twist? Favorite character? You all know how much I love hearing your thoughts and reviews so just... lay it on me!
Until then, I'll see you all in Twisted Tragedy.
The happiest and funnest fic on-
Wait-
"Nothing?"
Sōshun Murasame folded his arms as he paced back and forth within the Future Foundation's breakroom. As his fellow co-workers helped themselves to cups of coffee, Sōshun seemed to be the only person who was keeping a keen head on this topic. That was just classic Sōshun. Top of the class… Top agent of Future Foundation Osaka District… Top of everything really.
But this one thing…
He just couldn't get a clear grasp on what it meant. He rubbed his chin, his mind practically driving him crazy as he thought about those three words that each of the survivors had given him to work with. And out of all five of them, only Arthur seemed to know the most about it. The most about…
"Doesn't make sense," Sōshun shook his head. "Arthur Kingston said he heard Jin Kirigiri and some guy named Credence mention an organization. An organization that apparently ran the whole show. And yet you found nothing about it."
"I'm telling you," his fellow co-worker shook his head. "That Kingston kid must've been mistaken or just crazy. Probably the latter. Since y'know. Bastard killed 16 Ultimates five years ago."
"He couldn't have," Sōshun disagreed. "To host a similar event to the Tragedy at the prison where it all started is too coincidental and definitely something Jin Kirigiri couldn't have pulled off alone."
"And yet, we found little evidence telling us otherwise," another co-worker sighed, sipping his coffee.
He considered the circumstances for a bit before turning to Sōshun.
"...Y'know, if there really was a big secret organization that organized this, why haven't we heard of it?" that coffee-drinking coworker asked.
"Because it's secret, duh," the first unnamed coworker responded.
"No, but like, if it was secret, you'd think there would be rumors or something about it," the coffee-drinking coworker laughed. "Or do you think they're so good at their job that they would remain hidden from the Future Foundation of all people?"
Both coworkers laughed and yet Sōshun found nothing to be amused by.
They were clearly taking this as seriously as possible, treating Arthur's claims as nothing but some old wives tale. But Sōshun knew better. Just as it was impossible for one disgraced Headmaster to organize a Killing Game at a prison, it was just as impossible for one student to organize a Killing Game from five years ago, all without getting caught or interrupted until the very end.
Something was going on here.
And Sōshun wasn't going to rest until he uncovered the truth.
He turned to his two coworkers.
"Keep searching," he ordered. "We're going to do whatever it takes to find out more about this New World Order–"
"-Survivors claimed that the one who had trapped them in torment was one Jin Kirigiri, former Headmaster of Hope's Peak, and father of Kyoko Kirigiri, one of the past victims from the Tragedy of Hope's Peak Academy, five years ago. As of now, his whereabouts are currently unknown. Sources say he may have perished in the rocket ship as an attempt to escape while others, believe he may still be alive. Residents are asked to keep..."
A puff of smoke evaporated into the air.
The smoker tipped his fedora down as he showed off his malicious toothy grin in amusement. Keeping his rolled up burning banknotes clenched between his fingers, he lounged back against his seat, feet on the coffee table. Like a rich man bathing in a tub filled with cash. He kept his ears open as the sound of the news media played in front of someone sitting a grand throne, overlooking a magnificent, red-stained window.
It didn't take long for someone to turn off the TV, unphased and quiet. Clearly, they had enough of what the news had to cover in regard to the incident at St. Esther's. With the silence beginning to take over the large throne room, the smoker took the initiative to speak up with a hoarse laugh, his lungs taking a hit from the smoke he had breathed in.
"Well, well, well," the smoker widened his grin. "Looks like Kirigiri put that rocket ship I funded to good use. Fucker went out with a bang! Heh. Poor bastard. Never even figured out the true reason why his daughter and her friends were put in that game five years ago… Must suck to lose out on a valuable deck, right babe?"
A kitchen knife was thrown right at the coffee table, narrowly missing his ankles.
The smoker barely flinched.
His head turned toward the woman, who sat on the corner of a dining table, swinging her legs back and forth as her mask's glowing red eyes met with the smoker's blue eyes. She held out another kitchen knife, slowly caressing her finger against the sharpest tip of the blade with a heavy breath. As if she was getting aroused by simply touching it…
"Oh you," the woman giggled. Her red eyes flashed from the darkness, and her voice hinted at murderous intent. "Call me 'babe' again, and I'll make you wish lung cancer was the worst way you will die~"
"Ouch, touchy," the smoker chuckled, raising his hands defensively.
The doors slowly slid open, and a familiar armored knight walked in.
Credence had returned, his gaze as menacing as it usually was. Both the smoker and the woman turned to face him. The smoker removed his foot from the table. The woman jumped off hers and instantly approached the knight, extending her arms to invite him for a big hug. She giggled as she did so.
"Credence~" the woman giggled. "You're back! How was the trip? Did you eat the lunch I prepared for you? Apples and a PJ Sandwich! Delicious, wasn't it?"
Credence unsheathed his sword and pointed it at the woman, practically threatening her to back away.
"Doth not be mine mother," Credence spoke behind his knight's helm.
"It's 'thou'," the smoker retorted from the side, before muttering under his breath, "LARPing fuck…"
Credence paid no heed to what the smoker had said and gently shoved the woman aside. He cared little for the reunion after he had flown out to St. Esther's to eliminate Jin Kirigiri. In fact, deep down, the knight was slightly worried. Because while Jin Kirigiri had in fact been eliminated, it wasn't by his own blade. He had to wonder…
The knight slowly approached the throne. He stopped by the first set of steps that led directly toward that beautiful, red-stained window and large looming throne. Then, Credence dropped to one knee and bowed his head, offering his own sword as tribute, like a knight bowing to his king.
"Grandmaster," Credence spoke up. "I hast returned."
"Oi," the smoker snarled, banging his fist onto the arms of his chair. "For the last time, we ain't in the fucking Dark Ages."
"Oh, let the young man have his fun," the woman giggled behind her mask, practically enjoying the scenery. Her voice shifted into a more disgusted tone. "It's better than having to stand near your nasty stench, after all…"
"The fuck you say to me?" the smoker turned to the woman. "You forget who you're talking to bitch?!"
"Sounds like someone needs some soap in your mouth," the woman teased with a threatening tone. "Or rather, your throat..."
"Try me, cunt!" the smoker cursed.
"Now, now, there's no need for such foul language," the voice of the person sitting on the throne remarked.
The Grandmaster.
And for someone to wield such a title, their voice sounded ominously innocent. Almost as if they were much younger than any of the three in the room. Almost as if they were someone with the best of intentions. Almost passing for someone that could lure children into some backroom to murder them…
The Grandmaster's chair turned.
A masked figure, who had been sitting there for quite some time, stood up and slowly strolled down the stairs, walking directly toward Credence. The knight still kept his head bowed down out of respect and the sword offered up for him to take…
The Grandmaster stood at 5'7.
Yet, even with his height being a bit shorter than average, he still radiated that mysterious and twisted aura that many of these people in the room carried. He wore what seemed to be a dark green militaristic coat. Underneath was a white collared shirt and a black tie. He also wore dark green pants and black military boots as well as black gloves and a black cloak with a stand-up collar.
But most compelling of his appearance was the mask/helmet he wore:
His head was of a black and white teddy bear. White and innocent looking on the left. Black and menacing looking on the right. In fact, the right side had the signature jagged red eye that everyone in the room had in some shape or form. However, this one was much similar to White Collar's in which it was slightly shattered and cracked, radiating a more menacing red glow than all the others did.
Covering the left ear was a military hat that tipped down toward the side. The mask had an unchanging amused grin, like a cartoon character. And as he stomped down the stairs and stopped before Credence, the Grandmaster leaned forward with his hands behind his back, practically grinning at Credence's antics.
"Grandmaster…" Credence slowly said. "Jin Kirigiri hast been eliminated. Just as thou asked–"
"It's 'hath', Credence," Grandmaster corrected in a sing-songy tone, wagging his finger toward the knight. "Jeez, your Old English seriously needs a lot of work if you want to be as good as your idol."
Grandmaster shrugged. Chuckling, he stepped toward the side of the bowing Credence, approaching the smoker and the woman respectively. He placed his hand behind his back and practically skipped around the room with childish amusement.
He paused for a brief moment.
"Oh, but you didn't actually kill him now did you?" Grandmaster chuckled. "Sure, he died but it wasn't by your blade. What a pity…"
"Grandmaster, I apologize…" Credence said, keeping his head lowered in shame.
"Hey, hey, no need to apologize!" Grandmaster held up his hands defensively. "There was nothing you could do after all. We all knew Jin Kirigiri wasn't fit to run a Killing Game. Especially the one taking place at St. Esther. I mean, he was… like a mad dog who got let off his leash a little too soon…"
Grandmaster walked toward the woman, pointing an uneasy grin in her direction. The woman shamefully tucked her kitchen knife away, underneath the outfit she wore. Then, Grandmaster continued.
"...Like… a miniscule leech, leeching off on our money and resources to satisfy his needs…" Grandmaster pointed a glowing red gaze toward the smoker. "Using a patsy, to satisfy his sickening entertainment…"
The smoker folded his arms and turned his head, muttering obscenities under his breath.
It was clear that Grandmaster was annoyed.
Something that made all three masked figures in the room relatively uneasy. But the Grandmaster continued to sound as innocent and cheerful as possible, clapping his hands together with an iconic and familiar laugh.
"Pu…hu…hu…" Grandmaster laughed, slowly clapping his hands together. "Ah but, I suppose, despite its ups and downs, St. Esther's Killing Game went out on a high note. Despite how unfair everything turned out, we had clear winners and clear losers…"
He glanced toward Credence, who was practically bowing down to nothing at this point.
"Credence… you can get up now," Grandmaster ordered.
"G-Grandmaster!" Credence quickly did as he was told.
Chuckling to himself, Grandmaster slowly walked toward the door that led to his grand office.
"So, you're still calling that game a success?" the smoker glanced at him. "You know how much Jin Kirigiri fucked up, right? Fucked up harder than he can fuck a–"
"Finish that sentence, I dare you~" the woman aimed a kitchen knife toward the smoker, her voice definitely implying how much she wanted to lodge the knife in his throat.
"Jin Kirigiri may have broken my rules…" Grandmaster placed his hand on the door handle. "But in the end, I can't see anyone else more deserving of victory than our five winners. To survive such an unfair game… True Hope was truly on their side… wouldn't you say?"
Grandmaster opened his door and gestured for them all to follow him.
"Now then, shall we…?" his jagged red eye glowed.
Grandmaster had led the woman, the smoker, and Credence into a large amphitheater.
The only light in the room was on them. And as they all walked out on stage, all four of them could see silhouettes. Silhouettes that belonged to hundreds of people sitting in assigned spots, practically overwhelming this entire scenery with sadistic, twisted, and murderous auras. Silhouettes of different shapes and sizes, all wearing masks of different kinds, all wearing outfits that carried the same jagged red eye insignia, all assisted with plush animals that stood by their side. All people that were a part of their one big organization:
New World Order.
When the four appeared on stage, the crowds erupted in thunderous applause. Grandmaster's jagged red eye glowed as everyone else's dimmed down. He stepped forward and held onto a microphone prepared just for him. Then, he spoke, his innocent voice vibrating off of this great theater.
"Welcome back, members of our New World Order," Grandmaster spoke with excitement. "It's that time of the year again. As you all may know, our St. Esther's Killing Game had recently ended. There were some complications during its broadcast… But in the end, it was a huge success…"
Grandmaster paced back and forth on stage.
"Pu… hu… hu…" Grandmaster slowly laughed. "But with the end of every Killing Game, there's always a sequel to look forward to, am I right?"
Grandmaster stopped, allowing his jagged red eye to glow, airing off an aura of malicious intent.
"Now then…" Grandmaster's grin widened as he tilted his head, his glowing eye intensifying.
…
…
…
…
…
…
…WhO wAnTs tO Go nExT?"
SPECIAL THANKS TO THIS AMAZING CAST:
Abigail Ellsworth - The Ultimate Equestrian (oddlyillregular)
Arthur Kingston - The Ultimate Snowboarder (SinWriter7)
Barracuda - The Ultimate Personal Trainer (Weekaro)
Carter Franklin - The Ultimate Opinion Columnist (armadas)
Cassandra Mura - The Ultimate ? (ExtraMeme)
Haruto Walker - The Ultimate Basketball Player (theotakureader101)
Holland Delaney - The Ultimate Game Designer (Sempi)
Ina Hamamura - The Ultimate Revolutionary (VividIsSleeping)
Jared Ceartas - The Ultimate Police Officer (Otterplay)
Kanenoshin Amao - The Ultimate Pawnbroker (benkj6)
Maggie LaDroubi - The Ultimate Supermodel (Project Drama)
Mayu Mashiro - The Ultimate Heiress (zetsunaflame)
Mimi Kazoo - The Ultimate Fairytale Writer (Idraegan)
Titus Erskine - The Ultimate Conductor (Lidamek)
Yuumi Kizuchi - The Ultimate Sailor (Shamelles410)
Zuri Auraline - The Ultimate Bassist (CandleFire45)