89Disclaimer: Day 240... still don't own Danganronpa... sad days.
Chapter 1: What Comes After
Sayaka Maizono. A girl considered to be equal parts beautiful and talented. Intelligent, and graceful. Loving, and kind. A persona crafted from many years of necessity and paranoia.
It goes without saying, however, that there were still things she kept hidden.
Whether it was her risqué modeling, her ESP-based abilities or her occasional depressive episodes; she considered herself an expert in deception.
So, it was a shock to the model that a simple rejection would affect her so badly.
'Should you really be so surprised though? "Naegi-kun" has been on your mind for years now. Not only that, but he happens to be the only one in this hell-hole that trusts you.' The voice scoffed. 'Or I should say, he did trust you.'
"STOP IT!"
Wrapping a pillow around her head, Sayaka tried to tune out the world around her. It was futile of course, as the mocking voice was, in reality, her own subconscious.
The one thing she was unable to hide things from.
Growling in aggravation, the teen forced herself out of bed and into the shower. The morning announcement would trigger soon so she may as well get ready for it.
She certainly wasn't going to fall asleep again at any rate.
The water cascaded down her back as a light moan of reprieve tore its way through her throat.
'I feel so foolish…'
It was the first time in what felt like years that she could not even force a smile. It astounded her. Even when she received the worst news of her life she was able to act like she was fine.
But right now? It seemed impossible.
"Naegi-kun..."
As the saying goes, 'you don't know what you have until it's gone.'
The anxiety that had been bubbling up ever since arriving in this screwed up place had finally reached its peak. Without Makoto to help level it out-
"I can't do this."
Her mental state was deteriorating. She couldn't salvage it, not by herself.
Looking into the mirror, she took note of the dark circles under her eyes and the marks of abrasion running along her body. Clear signs of sleep deprivation and lack of self-care.
She was a mess.
"I can't do this alone…" her head fell as sobs began wracking their way through her body.
"I'm so sorry Naegi-kun…"
"Ah, Maizono-san! Good Morning-are you doing alright, today?"
Sayaka nodded numbly to the question presented by the Moral Compass. Walking past him she took a seat at one of the tables as far from the group as possible.
She could feel the stares from the other students but she couldn't bring herself to care.
The only one she did care about wasn't here yet. Not that she could speak to him even if he were.
"Ah… I see… Well that's good then! Glad to hear it!"
Taka smiled widely before walking back into the kitchen to grab some food. This left Sayaka under scrutiny from everyone else.
She had managed to clear away any signs that implied she had been crying. Though forcing positive emotions in her current state remained futile, it seemed.
At least the others seemed willing to leave her be-
"Hey Maizono-chan, how are you feeling?"
Damnit.
Failing a smile, Sayaka looked into the eyes of the athlete with an expression that greatly unnerved him and everyone else present.
"I'm fine. Thanks, Kuwata-kun."
Gulping at the tone, he managed to half-heartedly force out, "Ah… right, right. Of course. No problem…" before running away from the situation.
Subtle.
Forcing a piece of toast down her throat she drank her glass of water and sighed mournfully.
Honestly, she did not want to be here. At all. However, she knew that since she didn't eat yesterday she had to have something. Plus, if she never showed up to the cafeteria Kiyotaka undoubtedly would have bothered her until she did.
She wished to avoid that at all costs.
Looking over at the main table, her complexion cleared dramatically just by seeing Makoto alive and well.
Though the number of girls talking to him did not help lower her feelings of anxiety any.
Finishing her toast, she began to nervously chew her lip as she took in the situation in front of her.
Why did this bother her so much? It was getting ridiculous!
"Well! It appears that everyone is here, so let's start this meeting-AHH!"
Time froze as Taka tripped over an ill-placed chair; his bowl of cereal sent flying towards Junko.
Well, Sayaka thought it was flying towards the model in any case. Instead of getting hit, however, the girl moved. Far faster than Sayaka thought possible.
'How did she do that!?'
The idol wasn't sure, but it was evident that many of the others shared in her confusion. Kyoko, Byakuya and Sakura, on the other hand, looked intrigued by the development.
Junko, interestingly enough, appeared the most startled. Almost as if the model had made a mistake, somehow.
What was going on?
"Ah my bad guys," the pink-haired girl recovered. "I'm used to being hit on a lot so I took some fighting classes. My reflexes are scarily accurate at times! Haha..."
It looked as if most people present believed her explanation.
Though the aforementioned three, plus her, remained unconvinced.
"Yes well," Taka started awkwardly. "I apologize for that mishap Enoshima-san. I'm going to get more food and then we can reconvene for our meeting."
Sayaka sighed.
She really didn't want to be here for this.
A short while later Taka rejoined the group.
"Alright! So, what is the plan for today going to be?"
His exuberant question was met with a rather subdued reception. Barely audible mumbles and incoherent grumblings being the extent of it.
"Oh…" He coughed into his hand. "Well, this simply won't do! We must set forth and explore, see if there are any escape paths or clues we missed-!"
"What's the point?"
Junko's question was straight to the point. It caused him to falter.
"Wha-what do you mean, Enoshima-san?"
The model rolled her eyes.
"I meannnnn what's the point in us using our energy to look for a way out, duh!" Taking the confused looks in she sighed dramatically before elaborating. "We've been searching for some 'uber-secret' exit for days now and we haven't found anything. I honestly don't think the mastermind is someone who would leave something so convenient just lying around, guys."
Her explanation was worded in a way that seemed out of character for the air-headed model. That being said, no one could deny the validity in the girls' words. Even Kiyotaka had gone silent.
"I disagree, Enoshima-san. There must be a way out of here! We just have to work together and we can find it."
Makoto's voice was quiet but his words were motivating. To most, anyway.
"Preposterous." Byakuya snorted. "Trying to find an exit, like Enoshima-san said, is pointless. There is simply no way the mastermind would make such a simple mistake after setting everything up."
He got up from the table, a smirk clear on his face.
"If you want to leave, you have to follow the rules. Kill someone and graduate." Walking towards the exit of the cafeteria he paused and looked over his shoulder; a manic grin startling all present. "Don't forget: this is a game plain and simple. And I WILL be the victor."
With those bone-chilling words, the Ultimate Affluent Progeny left the room. Makoto hung his head realizing that his words had been negated and that the room's oppressive atmosphere had only escalated further.
Taka, of course, tried once again to get back some semblance of control but ultimately, he couldn't. The downcast expressions on everyone's faces were enough to show that the meeting was a failure.
"Sorry, guys. I didn't mean to do that…" Junko spoke, getting up from her seat. "Excuse me."
Sayaka watched idly as the pink-haired girl walked away, wishing that she could find the energy to do so herself.
"This is what happens when you do not adapt." Celestia bit out; a pristine smile upon her face. "The reason that everyone is worried so much about this 'killing game' is simply because all of you hold unnecessary attachments to the outside world. Just let go of them and accept your new life here, as I have."
Having said her piece, the gambler got up and walked away as gracefully as possible. Mondo, Leon, and Chihiro all followed soon after.
Sayaka decided to take the chance while it was available and joined a short distance behind.
The depressing conclusion to the meeting combined with her inability to talk to Makoto would up only worsening her mood. If it wasn't for the food she just consumed she had no doubt that she would begin dry heaving.
Locking herself in her room she sat on her bed and stared blankly at a wall. Such an action was not something she would ordinarily consider productive and in her line of work stopping to take a break was alien to her.
Of course, being an idol had never prepared her for something like this.
'You sure about that, Sayaka-chan? For someone who was "unprepared", you planned out a murder pretty efficiently.'
"SHUT UP! LEAVE ME ALONE, ALREADY!"
Sayaka threw herself face-first into her bed, trying and failing once more to silence the echoes in her mind.
Of course, it was never that simple.
'Leave you alone!?' it cried incredulously. 'Why should I? Someone like you doesn't deserve any reprieve. You're fake and sad and alone. You're pathetic.'
The idol willed herself not to cry. But damnit if it wasn't difficult to hold them back.
'Naegi-kun please come talk to me… I miss you so much.'
A knock on her door interrupted her thoughts. Looking up, startled, she wiped her face off with some spare tissues and walked towards it hesitantly.
Hoping against hope that it was Makoto she gently opened the door.
"Kirigiri…san?"
The pink-haired girl stared at the distraught girl for a few seconds before speaking softly.
"May I come in for a minute? I wished to discuss something with you."
Sayaka weighed the pros and cons of the situation. There was something about this girl that rubbed her the wrong way. It could have been the way she talked to her the other day but deep down, she knew it wasn't that.
She hated how the girl saw right through her.
"Yeah," Sayaka relented. "Come in."
Stepping inside the room, the mysterious girl looked around as if examining the state of things.
Immediately, she felt as if she were on trial.
Just who is this girl?
"You're not doing too well, are you?"
The singer snorted at the question.
"What tipped you off? The way I look, the way I act, or my disaster of a bedroom."
Kyoko chuckled at that.
"Touché." Cocking her head to the side, the girl analyzed the blue-haired teen in front of her. "I know I alluded to this before, and I think only Enoshima-san and I suspect something but…" she trailed off. "Something happened between you and Naegi-kun, correct?"
Sayaka turned away from her and grasped her sleeve.
"So, you don't know what happened then?" no use in hiding it, she supposed.
There was a pause.
"No, no I don't." Sayaka sighed in relief. "However," the mysterious girl continued. "I noticed he was clutching his chest earlier today as if in pain."
It was a leading statement as if saying 'did you have anything to do with that?'
Sayaka remained silent. Though that in itself was an answer.
"I see."
Kyoko spoke quietly.
"I won't bother you with any more questions. I was just curious is all." She turned away from the idol. "Thank you for your time. Have a good night Maizono-san."
Without waiting for a response, the silver-haired girl left the room as silently as she had entered it. As intrusive as the visit was Sayaka could not deny that it had helped to quiet her thoughts substantially.
'Someone is already beginning to suspect you now. Are you going to do something about it?'
She almost wished the other girl stayed longer.
Almost.
She wasn't sure how long it had been since Kyoko left her room. An hour? Two hours? For all she knew it far exceeded that.
She was just too numb to give it any mind.
"Maybe I should eat something." The idol decided. "It's probably throwing me off."
Taking a peek at her PDA she found it was nearly Nighttime but not quite. If she was quick about it she could grab a snack from the cafeteria before it closed.
With a plan now in mind, she began making herself presentable for the off-chance she ran into someone. Pleased with the results, she made to open her door when-
"Wait, what? My door is stuck?" She frowned. "Is something blocking it?"
It almost felt like there was something jammed in front of it, halting her progress.
Narrowing her eyes, she continued jostling with the door until, with a good shove, she finally forced it open.
Peeking around the door frame, she stepped outside with an annoyed expression on her face.
"Alright, what the hell was-?"
Her voice got caught in her throat.
Lying on the floor, blood dripping from a cut on the back of their neck lay one of her classmates.
"Enoshima…san…?"
Then she screamed.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
Arc I - To Survive: Deadly Life
A/N: Just wanted to give a quick thank you for the support you guys are showing this story already. :) I'm aware this fandom is relatively small so review counts are generally down (unless it's just people submitting OC's which this story won't be incorporating). Keep it up. It seriously helps :).
Update Schedule: This story is set up into different arcs (equivalent to the in-game 'chapters'), which will help dictate when things are uploaded. Every week or two, depending on reader response, I'll upload the next chapter in a given arc. When an arc is done, I'll take some time to spruce up the next one and the cycle will repeat until completion. This allows me to avoid giving you guys cliffhangers that won't be answered for some time.
Reviewer Responses (In the future I'll respond to the longer ones to avoid making the update seem longer than it really is lol):
Doomqwer: Thanks man:). Hope you enjoyed this chapter too!
Angel Wraith: Thanks! Yeah, I realize it may have been a bit unclear. Makoto was basically apologizing for cutting her out of his life for a while. He is too nice after all. :p
Guest 1: :D hope this update kept your intrigue up!
Reader: Ikr!? So rude ;D 3
Guest 2: No speaky that language xd
TigerWarrior199: Ooooo I'll take that as a major compliment :). Hope your interest has increased!
Guest 3: Ikr ;/ poor sweet boi.
I'll see ya next time!