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Sonia Nevermind, a princess a long ways from home, lay in her bed in the Grape House. It’s tacky decorations already seemed to be gnawing at her – it was so unlike any of her regal and ornate decorations from home. More importantly, however, is that it had been awhile since she, or any of her new-found friends, had eaten. That was what Monokuma had decided for them: no one eats, and no one leaves the fun house until someone murders – until one of her friends dies. Once again, she and her friends were in a predicament like no other. They were being forced to kill each other. The horrific thought never stopped disturbing her, why did this have to happen to them? Sonia had been lying in bed for a few hours now, unable to sleep due to the stress of their situation. She sat up and sighed. Food never sounded better – this intense hunger she felt was an entirely new experience for her. She had never wanted, and she had never needed anything in her home country, as everything was delivered and done for her before she could even ask for it.
In the midst of her constantly rumbling belly, and the fear and stress brought on by the horrific situation she was in, she felt the feeling of despair begin to creep inside. The feeling of no way out, no happy ending, no possible solution, no positive option whatsoever – just despair. At least, there was no solution that she wanted. Feeling restless, Sonia stood up from her bed, feeling light-headed as she did so. She didn’t know where her feet would take her but sitting in this room any longer would suffocate her. Sonia slowly stepped out into the Grape House hallway and into the lobby. She felt strange wondering the halls in her pajamas – her favorite soft button down light-blue matching shirt and loose pants – but with no one around, it made it feel somewhat sneaky, somewhat fun. It was quiet, and Sonia guessed that the other Grape House residents were probably asleep by now. Checking the clock, Sonia could see that it was apparently deep into the night, 3 AM.
Sonia sat in one of the lobby chairs, unsure of what to do with herself. The aching in her stomach kept her mind from wandering for long, and she wondered how her friends were holding up. Running through each of them in her mind’s eye, she froze on one face in particular: Gundham Tanaka. He was an interesting one, but not in a bad way. His booming voice had a way of making her smile, and his interesting stories never got old. He had his adorable Dark Devas of Destruction, and a powerful presence about him in general. When she thought of him, her heart began to pick up its pace, making her momentarily forget her hunger.
Unable to think of anyone else, Sonia began to make her way down to the Grape House lobby on the first floor and pressed the elevator button. She felt alone, and maybe Gundham would be the person who could help soothe her. They had been spending quite a bit of time together, and she never regretted a moment spent with him. He even let her feed his Dark Devas of Destruction sunflower seeds – “An honor of the most high,” as he had put it. She had never felt more proud in that moment.
Ding.
The elevator had arrived, and Sonia stepped inside. As she waited for the elevator to open, she began to feel nervous. ‘What if he turns me away?’ She thought. Anxiety began to mix with her hungry stomach and made her feel sick. It was too late to turn back now, though. She had to press on, she had to see him. It was a calling that she didn’t quite understand herself. She just had to be with him, hear his voice, at least see his face. Was it the dread of the incoming starvation that made her want to be by him? Was it the loneliness she felt this night? Sonia blushed as she thought of the reasons behind her actions – was she in love?
Exiting the elevator, Sonia slowly made her way up the Strawberry House stairs. She felt tired, and each stair step was like climbing Mount Everest itself. The blinding lights that never turned off in the house didn’t help either – it made her feel confused about what time it even really was. Sonia walked to the end of the boys’ hall and stopped in front of Gundham’s room. She put up a shaky hand but lost her nerve and clutched her hands to her chest. “Why am I so nervous? It’s just Gundham – we are friends,” she whispered to herself. Her small pep-talk helped some, at least enough to make her actually knock on the door. Sonia waited for a moment, but she heard no noise. Suddenly, she felt like a fool. Why would he answer the door? He might think it’s someone out to trick and murder him. He wouldn’t be expecting anyone at this hour, and he would probably be asleep anyways. Her thoughts taunted her, and as she turned to go, she heard the door begin to open.
Sonia turned her head and saw Gundham standing there, looking surprised at his unexpected visitor. “Sonia?” he pondered aloud, his eyes as wide as saucers. “What brings the pleasure of this midnight meeting?” he asked. Sonia felt herself blush – she had not thought this adventure all the way through. “Gundham, I…” she trailed off. She turned all the way around to face him, and sheepishly continued, “I came to see you,” she finished with a small smile. Gundham’s blushing was always adorable to Sonia, and this time was no exception. “O-Oh, I see. Well… Would you like to come in…?” He asked, seemingly unsure if that was the appropriate thing to ask or not. Sonia smiled her best, sweet smile at him, “I thought you’d never ask!” she exclaimed excitedly, and louder than she meant to. Gundham smiled back at her, and that’s when she noticed he wasn’t wearing his usual scarf – as a matter of fact, she had never seen him in what she assumed were his pajamas. In very Gundham fashion, his t-shirt was black, and the shorts he wore were black, too. Sonia giggled, and followed him inside. His room was identical to her room in the Grape House, as they were both staying in the Deluxe Rooms. However, there was a cage in the corner of the room for his Dark Devas. Sonia stood in the middle of the room, glancing around. It had been awhile since she had been to a boy’s room in the middle of the night, after all.
Gundham walked over to his bed and sat on the edge, “Would you care to join me?” He glanced at the spot beside him, then up at her. He felt naked without his usual scarf around his face, and thus had no way of hiding any emotions plastered on his face. He felt nervous at what was conspiring in his bedroom – why had Sonia randomly came to his door at such an odd hour?
Sonia nodded, and sat on the bed with him. “I’m sorry if I woke you,” Sonia apologized. “You do not have to worry, for nothing catches me off guard,” he replied with a smug smile and proud chuckle. “That, and I was not asleep,” he added with a small tilt of his head. Sonia looked up at him, “You could not sleep either?” Gundham paused for a moment, “…No, I couldn’t. There has been a lot on my mind recently.” Sonia placed her hands on her lap, pressing them into her legs. “I too am worried for… well… everything. I do not want to see anymore friends die. I do not want to starve, either. But what can we do?” Sonia’s fears for their current situation came flooding back. Feeling anxious, she wrapped her arms around her stomach and pulled her legs up onto the bed with her. She wanted all of the suffering to disappear, but the miracle they were hoping for still had not shown up. Gundham, having noticed Sonia’s sudden reaction, looked over at her, “Please do not fear, Sonia. You must face danger with your head held high.” Sonia kept her head down. He sounded sincere, truthful, peaceful. Sonia felt the tears begin to well-up in her eyes. She couldn’t help her over-flow of emotions, as the stress of the day and the pain of hunger had made her lose her composure. “I don’t want this,” she said through her now flowing tears, “I don’t want anyone to die, but if they don’t, then this is also it for us!” she exclaimed. She had completely let go now, and she was crying profusely. It was a deep cry, one filled with despair.
“Sonia…” Gundham said, surprised. He lifted his hands awkwardly, unsure what to do. A crying girl was a very different situation from a hurt animal. His history of avoiding people had not trained him well for this situation. Soon enough, Gundham placed his shaking hands on her shoulder. He felt more acutely aware of his naked scarred arm – after all, he didn’t sleep with his bandages on. He wondered if Sonia would be scared, or even disgusted. He cursed himself for his rush of nervousness – a trait that he had long trained to get rid of.
Sonia felt Gundham’s tender and warm touch, a comfort she had not felt from him before. The gentleness of the touch felt like it was at complete odds compared to his usual booming voice and larger than life persona – but at the same time, wholly him. Eventually she found her face buried in his shirt, her hands gripping his shirt and her tears still flowing.
This was the closest they had ever physically been. Gundham was peculiar about letting people touch him, and he would even tell about how his skin was poisonous to mere humans. Most people did not even dare come near to him at all. However, he noticed, that Sonia seemed to have no bad reaction to being so close to him. In the last few days, she seemed to even go out of her way to be beside him. It was strange, and it was new – this human companionship. Sonia continued to cry into Gundham’s chest, and deep down, Gundham felt like he was fulfilling an important duty to her. They sat this way for a while, and he dared not to move a muscle as she leaned into him. Gundham placed his scarred hand under Sonia’s chin to gently lift her out of his now damp shirt. “A princess should not cry in the face of adversity,” he said in an unusually soft voice. Sonia was no longer crying profusely, but her eyes were still damp from her episode. She could feel her now puffy eyes and stained cheeks and felt embarrassed for how she had dumped her emotions on him out of the blue.
“I’m sorry- “Sonia began, but Gundham only shook his head. “You do not need to apologize to me, but, maybe to my Dark Devas of Destruction who are trying to sleep?” They both glanced to the cage in the corner of the room, finding that the Dark Devas had crawled out of the cage and were sitting on top, watching with what Sonia swore looked like worried expressions. Gudnham’s comment caused Sonia to smile. “I am sorry Dark Devas, I did not mean to disturb your rest,” she called over to them, wiping the remaining tear drops from her face. The Dark Devas climbed down from the cage, and promptly climbed up Gundham’s leg and jumped over to Sonia’s lap. Sonia began to laugh as they rubbed their small, furry faces on her hands, and one crawled up her arm to sit on her shoulder.
Gundham was shocked – his Dark Devas never took to anyone other than himself. “Dark Devas – do not tell me you have found a new master before your old one has even departed from this world?” he asked in a serious tone. His furrowed brows only caused Sonia to laugh, and the Dark Devas continued to cheer her up. “However,” he continued, “If a new master must be chosen, I do not see an issue with it being you, Sonia.” Sonia began to pet Jum-P, “I think we can take care of them together, don’t you?” The idea caused Gundham to blush once more, “I – I suppose that would not be a problem. My Dark Devas have already made up their minds, as well.” Gundham found his heart racing at the idea of being partners with Sonia in raising his Dark Devas. He had never had a partner in his animal raising and breeding, and he had convinced himself he didn’t want, or need one. However, the idea of partaking in the daily tasks with Sonia made him feel differently. Ever since he was young he had felt like an outcast, and he mostly avoided people; Sonia had become an outlier in this usual routine, and he found himself enjoying every moment of it.
Gundham scooted back onto the bed, his back against the wall, and Sonia did the same. The Dark Devas huddled together on one end of the bed and laid down. Sonia had been in his room for a while now, her feelings of sadness in her heart were beginning to dissipate, “I felt alone, and horrific from not eating for so long,” Sonia began, breaking the silence, “and I felt like you were the only person I could go to.”
Gundham closed his eyes, “Why me?” His sudden question took Sonia off guard. “B-Because we are friends,” she answered him earnestly, turning her body to face him. Gundham looked at her, his arms now crossed over his chest, the damp spot on his shirt still visible from her tears – however, he did not mind. “What if I simply acted as your friend to lure you to your death?” his expression was stone cold, “Like the spider and the fly?” Although he was dead serious, Sonia simply couldn’t believe that it was true. “I trust you, I don’t think you would do that to me – or any of our friends!” she exclaimed. Sonia watched as Gundham’s expression fell, his defenses seemed to have been cracked. He looked away from her earnest gaze, “You are not afraid of me?” he whispered, staring down at his hands. Sonia grabbed his hands and squeezed them tightly. “No, I could never be afraid of you, Gundham. We make the most wonderful team.”
Gundham’s face, once again, turned a bright red as she grabbed his hands. While this journey started out as a pitiful one full of despair, maybe it would end as something more? He was looking at her like a deer in headlights, “I do not usually let humans touch me, due to the danger of the situation, but it seems you have become the exception,” he murmured, his face still a bright red. Sonia laughed at this, her cheerful voice filling the room, and Gundham responded with an embarrassed “What is so funny?” Sonia continued to chuckle, “You are very cute when you are embarrassed!” That line was what really turned the heat up in his face, as now his cheeks all the way up to his ears were colored a fire-truck red. “I- I am not… hold on,” he stuttered, the words not finding the correct formation. He was quiet for a quick moment, looking down with an embarrassed frown. “Cute is not the word to be used to describe me, Gundham Tanaka! The Dark Lord of Ice! The bringer of pandemonium!” His voice boomed, and his hands were in the air now, pointed towards the ceiling, full of pride as he always was.
Sonia tilted her head and smiled as Gundham proclaimed his un-cute-ness to the world. “Gundham, can I ask you a question?” she asked, her smile now looking more somber than before. Gundham lowered his hands slowly, looking in her direction. “If we get out of here, will I be able to see you again?” Sonia bit her lip, the weight of her words felt like it lay heavy in the room.
“My Dark Lady,” Gundham tentatively laid his hand on hers – his courage in the situation was slowly cultivating itself. It was the first time he had ever called her that name out loud to her face, although to others and in his own head, it was a common occurrence. “Do not doubt – for surely we will escape this place. As for what fate has in store afterwards? The details are fuzzy, as even I am having a hard time reading what is in store, but I can promise you this: we will be together – as what is a Dark Lord of Ice without his Dark Queen? We have already decided to take care of the Dark Devas together, have we not?” Gundham squeezed Sonia’s hand, as he felt confident in his words. Maybe it was the intense hunger they both felt, or the honesty and deliriousness that often comes with the late hours of the night that caused them both to let down their emotional guards, but, he shared his heart confidently anyway, as he did not know if he would ever get the chance to again.
Sonia was relieved to hear his words of affirmation. It was his own way of explaining to her how he felt, and she loved the uniqueness in it. She understood him completely, where others always seemed to get lost, or turn away from him. Not only that, but Gundham seemed to understand her quirks, as well. Sonia used her free hand and laid it on Gundham’s cheek, and he closed his eyes as she did so. “A promise it is, then, my Dark Lord,” she ran her thumb under his eye, lightly passing over his facial scar.
Gundham opened his eyes at the feeling of Sonia touching his scar, “I am sorry if my battle scars disturb you, my princess. It is probably not becoming to royalty such as you.” Sonia simply smiled, “They don’t disturb me, Gundham. I think they make you who you are, a fine young man, and I love every one of them.” Sonia slowly leaned in and lightly kissed Gundham’s facial scar – first above his eye, then below his eye. Upon pulling back, Sonia could see the blush in his cheeks intensify greatly once more. Sonia could feel her own cheeks flush. She had seen such cute gestures in her dramas she loved to watch so much, and the moment simply could not be passed up.
Gundham was in total shock at Sonia’s sudden show of affection, she had kissed his face! No one had ever dared to ever touch him, let alone kiss him. And in this night Sonia had done both in one sitting. He found himself smiling an embarrassed smile as he began to understand that Sonia has accepted him entirely for who he is. Gundham furrowed his brow, suddenly determined to make this interesting mid-night meeting one to remember. He took both of his hands and grabbed Sonia’s shoulders. He could see the look of surprise and expectancy in her face as he leaned in to her. Before he knew it, their lips met. It was soft, timid, and sweet. His heart felt like it was beating out of his chest as their mouths moved against each other in a slow, yet excited, fashion. What felt like a blissful eternity soon came to too quick of an end. Gundham pulled back slowly, allowing the last remnants of their kiss to linger just a moment longer. He realized he had never let go of her shoulders, and sheepishly dropped his hands slowly.
Sonia’s heart was racing, and her heart felt like it would explode from the happiness she felt. The happiness of hope, a future, maybe one spent together with Gundham. “I am glad I came over, Gundham,” she said softly, still recovering from the kiss they shared. “It is, however, probably almost morning time,” she reminded the both of them. They were both quiet, but Sonia couldn’t help but have the biggest smile she ever did smile plastered on her face – the feeling of hope and love coursed through her very soul. Gundham smiled back at her, the joy in her own smile mirrored in his. Neither of them wanted the moment to be over, but they knew that they needed rest to conserve as much energy as possible.
“I would say a princess needs her beauty sleep, but, you cannot be any more beautiful, my Dark Princess,” Gundham said matter-of-factly. Sonia began to laugh aloud, enjoying his cheesy line. “I appreciate the compliment, but I should get some sleep,” she prodded his shoulder with her pointer finger, “and so should you, Lord of the Night.” Gundham nodded in agreement. “Would you like me to accompany you to your room?” he asked. He saw Sonia look surprised, which caused him to realize his miswording. “I mean, escort you to your room, to ensure you arrive safely. Then, I will come back to my room, confident that you are alright,” he over-explained quickly, his hands waving in front of him, as if he was physically trying to dispel the misunderstanding. “I would love that, Gundham,” Sonia laughed and once more grabbed his hands, but this time it was to lower them from the defense position.
Sonia left the bed, sure not to disturb the Dark Devas asleep near the foot of the bed, and Gundham followed suit. She opened his door, and they stepped out into the Strawberry House hallway. They walked silently together down the stairs and waited patiently at the elevator. Sonia slipped her hand into his, and they held hands for the first time. It was a night full of firsts for them, and the joy it brought both of them was much needed due to their horrific situation. Sonia had all but forgotten the reality of their lives, but even just one night full of joy was something to be appreciative about.
Ding.
They entered the elevator together, still hand in hand. They eventually made their way to Sonia’s door, and knew it was time to say goodbye. Sonia turned to face Gundham, “Well, this is it, I suppose,” she yawned and smiled up at him. “Sonia,” Gundham gently placed his forehead against hers, “no matter what happens, I will always remember this night as one full of great joy. This feeling of happiness that you have given me is one that I have never tasted before.” Sonia squeezed his hand she was still holding, “I could not agree more, Gundham.” They embraced one another, taking each other in, attempting to remember the feeling and warmth of each other. There was still the fear at the back of their minds that their situation could change in an instant – in this killing game, it was difficult to tell what would happen next. They embraced in the hall for a moment longer, and Sonia eventually opened her door, and stepped inside after saying goodbye, feeling much better than she did when she first started out to see him. It was a good choice, Sonia thought, to pay a visit to her beloved Gundham.
Gundham walked back to his room, and sat on the edge of his bed, his head in his hands. He knew what he had to do. He could not let her die here, he could not let any of them die here. He knew he must do something, and that he would never forgive himself if he did not protect Sonia in any way that he could – until the bitter end. He began to formulate his plan – he would have to kill to save her. To save them all. “I am sorry, Sonia,” he gasped, tears suddenly falling down his face. He grabbed at his hair, and he cried. He had not cried in quite some time, not since he was a kid. “I have to break our promise, but I have to, so that you can live on. There is no way I can let you die such an ungraceful death here, in this hell house,” he continued aloud, slamming his fist on the bed. Hearing their master’s sobs, the Dark Devas came running to his side, finding their places on his lap and shoulders. Gundham mourned for the gift of love that he himself would have to lose so quickly after it was gained – a weakness that was as beautiful to him as it was tragic. He was not ashamed of this weakness – no, not at all. In fact, this weakness gave him a sense of pride. The tears continued to fall, but he knew his resolve was made. “I love you, Sonia,” he said aloud, a small smile beginning to form on his lips. “Please forgive me for breaking our promise. But I do not do it to hurt you, I am doing it to save you, so that you can live on. Even if it means you must live on without me.” For Gundham knew: there is no greater love than to lay one’s life down for one’s friends.
END