Chapter Text
Ouma was still screaming as the nurses rushed into his room. They all gathered around him, trying to hold his shaking body. But Ouma just shoved them away
“Please calm down!” one of the nurses cried, “you’re okay now, okay?”
Ouma couldn't hear them though. Their words were like white noise in the background of his sobs. He started to cry even more. Tears and snot felt like a stream, long and unending. He let them fall, his helplessness burning up inside him as they ran down.
His head began to throb with flashing memories. As he held his forehead. He could remember all the things he said, did and felt in the game. In his head, a migraine erupted and it felt like torture. The pain ran all the way through his head and back.
One of the nurses ran circles around his back, and Ouma’s crying began to decrescendo. Now, he only sniffled a little bit, his eyes and nose red.
He felt stupid and humiliated as he wiped the remnants of his tears. He was so weak and dumb for crying in front of these nurses who he didn’t know. Only now did he get a chance to look at the woman in front of him.
She had black hair to her back with choppy bangs. She was a long sleeved pink shirt with a nurse apron over herself. Ironically, she had bandages all over her legs and arms. In her hands were a small clipboard with who knows what. Her face was very rueful; her eyes seem to be melancholic as she stood in her front of him. She seemed to be young yet mature. Most likely in her twenties if she’s a nurse here. On her chest was a name tag that read, “Mikan.” The word for mandarin orange in Japanese.
Mikan turned to the others behind her. “You guys can leave, I can take it from here.”
“But are you sure?” One of them asked, “I mean, this patient will be extremely unstable considering how he acted in the-”
“I don’t want to hear about it,” she snapped, “you should never say things that like, especially in front of me.” Her expression darkened and the other nurse trembled in front of her.
“O-okay,” the nurse squeaked before hurrying with the others to leave. Lots of whispers emerged from the crowd. Ouma could only hear bits and pieces like, “you sure it’s okay?” and “it’s Mikan, she went through this, it’s going to be okay.”
“Okay,” the head nurse turned around, “I'm going to ask you some questions, so can you answer them?” She had a completely different face now. A smile glimmered from her lips, and all signs of hatred were completely erased. What is she? A fucking crazy? Ouma thought.
Ouma nodded, his head bobbled weakly up and down, as the sign of a yes.
The nurse cleared her throat, “Do you remember your name, age, grade, and any other basic knowledge?”
Ouma nodded and replied, “Ouma Kokichi, high schooler.” The nurse started to write on her clipboard, but he couldn’t tell what it was.
“Do you know where you are?”
“A fucking hospital,” Ouma spat out.
The nurse smiled, a lying smile Ouma noted, as if she dealt with sarcastic comments right when someone nearly died.
“You’re in the Hope’s Peak Hospital,” she replied, her smiling unwavering, “it’s a hospital designated for patients who have went through being in the Neo World Program. The Neo World Program designs the world of Danganronpa, which as you may have realized-”
“Is a lie.” Ouma finished. The realization hit Ouma faster than the speed of light. Mikan’s jaw dropped just a little bit before raising her cheekbones into a small smile. Ouma began to hate that smile even more. He hated when adults lie to him, as if he was a weak child. They were internally mocking him, criticizing every little word that sprouted from his mouth. It’s easy to tell the difference between the truth when people lie to him all the time.
“Yes,” The nurse whispered, “it was all just a lie.”
The two fell into silence as Ouma looked down to his lap. Everything was just a lie? I’m not a killer or a evil person? Everything in there was fake? He didn’t know if he should be happy or shocked.
In the game, he already could tell that they were being watched by an audience. A third party had to be involved if Monokuma had to go by the rules. When he figured this out, he thought that we were in some sort of theater or movie. But he didn’t know everything about the reality show. He still had some questions that lingered in his brain.
“Now I know you must be very confused, but I have one last question for you,” she said. Ouma swallowed down his spit and his fears.
“Do you remember the time when or before you auditioned for danganronpa?”
Ouma blinked. He hadn't really thought about the time. He tried thinking back to when he auditioned, but he realized it was harder than he thought.
What was it? He thought. In his mind, he tried to going back to the crevices of his memories, but all that he got was a void of confusion. He couldn’t remember his childhood or his youth. Heck, he couldn’t remember his parents at all. The only thing he could remember was the events of the 53rd season of Danganronpa.
Kokichi was so lost in thought that he didn’t realize that he was staring off into space. Mikan sighed, “I’ll take that as a no then.” She started scribbling on her clipboard, until Ouma cleared his throat.
“Why?” He rasped, “why can’t I remember anything?” There was no tone to his voice. His voice was the definition of empty, just as empty as his heart and his brain.
“Where are my memories? What have you done?” He was tearing up again, eyes wetting themselves. He started gasping in short breaths, and his hand was shaking. For an unknown reason, terror started filling his lungs. It was as if he was drowning in fear, yet he couldn’t swim.
“Wh-who the fuck am I?” He cried. He was getting dizzy now, and he could feel his heart banged against his chest. As sweat ran down his forehead, he felt Mikan’s cool hands grab his own with a tight grip.
“You’re okay,” she said, “just take deep breaths, okay? Follow my lead.” She started to breath through her nose and out her mouth. The (former) supreme leader tried, with shaking breaths and hiccups, to calm down.
“You’re safe here, you don’t have to be afraid.” While Mikan held his hands, Ouma began to relax. His heart slowed down, and he felt much cooler. Although the sweat had not gone away, he had stopped shaking and he could breathe properly now. All the phobia that was previously in him had gone out.
“T-that was a panic attack, wasn’t it?” Ouma mumbled. He saw a bit of hesitation flash on the nurse’s face before it turned normal again.
The nurse sighed, “yes, that was a panic attack.”
Ouma looked confused. With his eyebrows drawn, he thought of all the terrors and questions in his brain.
“I’m so sorry,” she said.
Mikan looked despaired. Her mouth was pointed downwards, a grim expression to be sure. Her eyes flicked down at Ouma’s face, full of misery. It was as if he reminded her of something, an momento of the past.
Ouma had enough of crying and being scared. He didn’t die for nothing. With the most steeliest gaze he could muster, he glared at the nurse and growled out, “Explain.”
The nurse now looked puzzled, “What do you want me to explain?”
Frustration bubbled up from inside him as he spat, “Everything! Why the hell did I have a panic attack? Why can’t I remember anything at all? Why the fuck am I in a hospital?”
The nurse didn’t flinch, she merely sighed. After swallowing whatever was in her mouth, she replied, “You have been in a season of Danganronpa. So, that means you have went through the Neo World Program. The Neo world program is a programmed machine that lets the user go into a world that was programmed into.”
Ouma scrunched his eyebrows together in confusion.
“Think of it as virtual reality,” Mikan explained, “the directors put you into a machine and from there you saw a different reality. However, they had to suppress your actual memories and create new ones. This is for the new persona they make for the show. Sometimes, your personality is very similar to the one you actually have. Other times, it can be a complete 180 degree turn from who you are.”
Ouma couldn’t help but wonder which of the two he was. He hoped it was the second one. If he was still an manipulative, evil, dangerous bitch, he wouldn’t be able to stand himself.
“When the user of the Neo World Program wakes up, they won’t immediately remember everything. They will receive their memories as time passes by. This is normal for everyone, and Hope’s Peak Hospital was created to help people regain their strength and memories. But the longer you stay in the Neo World Program, the more time it will take for you to regain your memories.”
“Unfortunately,” she continued, “sometimes, you will experience emotional symptoms like panic attacks, depression, anxiety. Nonetheless, this is perfectly normal and everyone you knew who died before has gone through this same process.”
“Wait, so everyone else who died isn’t dead?” Ouma asked.
MIkan nodded. His heart raced. He wouldn’t admit it, but he really wanted to see them. Everyone one of their deaths crushed their heart when he saw them. Also, thoughts of spending time in the hospital alone terrified him.
“Because you have spent a long time in the Neo World Program. Adjusting to your life must be very hard. So, I have assigned someone to help you in recovery.”
As soon as she said that, the white door opened up. Ouma saw the intricate fabric on the person’s shirt, He walked in with such a loose demeanor and a casual smile that Ouma could recognize. The supreme ruler’s jaw dropped as he stared at someone he wished he had more time to talk to. Someone he wished they could have worked together. Someone he wished hadn’t died.
“A-Amami?” Ouma asked, “w-what are you doing here?”