Chapter Text
"Wake up," a voice tells me. "Wake up," there was a scream and then I jolt up. White, that's all I see, a bright white empty space. My chest moves up and down as I sharply intake air. I scanned the room and found it wasn't quite as empty as I had thought. Medical supplies surrounded the area and a few of them were attached to me. One of which is a heart monitor that beeps on the quiet side which stood next to the bed I lay in. There's also another machine close by that connects to a mask that sat uncomfortably on my face. It was probably supplying me air.
'Is the game over,' I think aloud. Did I do it? Did I end danganronpa? Last I remembered I was crushed by the hydraulic press. I swear though I would have been dead right now. How am I alive? Did someone manage to stop the press? It couldn’t be possible tho? Maki had left us… left one of us to die. I stare at the blank ceiling lost in my thoughts. What happened to lead me here. All my notes were right, Danganronpa was a game Tsumugi was the mastermind. I should have had ended the game. Yet… I’m still breathing. I’m still living. I’m not dead.
The sound of chatter and running around was going on outside the room. Once the chatter faded a bit someone rushed into the room and to the side of the bed. She wears a white nurse’s outfit just as bright as the stupid room and also wears a just as stupid smile. In her hands, she securely holds a pile of clothes and a clipboard close to her chest. Her breathing staggers as she tries to catch it and start to speak.
"Good," she paused looking at her watch, "Afternoon." "It's great to see you awake after so long. I’m surprised you even came too, you weren’t looking too hot for a bit. Let's look at your chart." She holds the clipboard in front of her going through some papers attached to it. She mumbles to herself as she goes along. "Kokichi, age 18, 5'1, one of the Danganronpa 53 simulation victims, has been in a coma for the last 6 months." I vaguely hear the words that slip off her tongue and I attentively listen to learn more.
I spoke aloud to myself, "I was in a coma from a simulation." The lady jumps back a bit surprised, realizing that I was listening. "You weren't supposed to hear that." "Well I did and now you have to answer my questions. Where am I?” She ponders a moment collecting her thoughts. “Were in a hospital that also functions as a form of a rehabilitation center.” I tilt my head in confusion, “Rehabilitation center?” Her smile goes down.
“Oh sorry, my bad, you don’t know, of course. We here help teens who have been in horrible accidents recover and bring them back into regular society. Everyone on our floor was affected by the same horrible tv game simulation that you did. To which we were not allowed to talk about with our patients.” “And so after I died there I went into a coma,” I speak out loud to myself. "Yes." "And no one actually died?" “No. No one died. Everyone is awake now that you’re up. Though I heard one girl may have gone to jail.”
If the nurse’s last statement was any true it had to be Tsumugi of all people. The nurse hands me the clothes in her hands and unhooks me from several machines. “Go get changed in the bathroom right over there. Be careful though you did just wake up and all. I’ll be here if you need me. After that, I’ll take you to see everyone else in the common area," she points to a nearby door. I carefully walk into the bathroom and got changed as instructed. I was given black jeans, a checkered pattern long sleeve shirt, and plain socks with purple sneakers. I pull off the hospital gown to the best of my ability and stare a bit.
In front of me, the bathroom mirror reflects the things I hate most about myself, the scar that ran across my neck, and the golden eye that taunted me everywhere I went. Without the usual scarf attached to me and the perfectly picked contact which matches my other eye, I looked like a freak. My body like always was freakishly pale and thin which the coma didn't help with. I slip on the given clothes and try to hurry out of the bathroom before I take too long.
I walking out fully dressed and for the first time in what was probably a while, wearing clothes that fit me right. It felt weird, having clothes that cling to your body and shows it off to the world. That wasn’t anything I was used to. Most likely my ribs were protruding from my shirt. “Great your all ready.” The nurse claps her hands together. “I’ll take you to the main room where the others should be gathered.” It wasn’t a long walk from the room we were in, to the common area she spoke of.
There were 14 people gathered around the room either talking to someone or relaxing by themselves. I was supposed to know these people but when I look at them they just seemed to be the shells of people I once knew. These weren’t the people I knew in the killing game. They just happened to be in the same bodies. The nurse with me spoke up getting the attention of everyone in the room. “Good afternoon everyone! Our final patient just woke up this morning. Please make sure to treat him with love and respect just like you have been treating the others. That is all.”
Most of the group gave her a nod in agreement grudgingly. The nurse gave me a light push towards everyone and headed back out. Everyone went back to what they were doing, paying no mind to me. I don't know what to do keeping in mind the group had negative feelings towards me.
To be honest, they probably wouldn't want to talk to me, they all have something against me. Unless maybe Kaito… no. Even after all of that, he couldn’t have changed his mind about me. I sit down where I was standing in silence. Tears faintly prick my eyes and fall down my cheeks. I pushed everyone in the game away and now I have no one to go to. Isn’t this what I wanted? What was best for everyone? More tears fall down my face. ‘Stupid,’ I mumbled to myself. I quickly try to wipe away my tears. A delicate hand moves to my shoulder.
I look up to find Kaede Akamatsu, the ultimate pianist. The first blackened and falsely convicted. She originally attempted to be the group's leader and hope. Till she ruined everyone's spirits, set a plan to kill the mastermind, missed killing someone else, and then was convicted of the mastermind’s murder. I didn't like her she was too sweet and stayed too close to Mr. Detective man. “Hey, are you ok?" “I’m fine,” I angrily reply as I continue to wipe my tears. “Do you remember me by any chance? I won’t be surprised if you don’t.” “Your Kaede Akamatsu, of course, I would remember you,” I say harshly. “It sounds weird when you put it that way,” she laughs awkwardly. I try to look away from her. “I know when you first wake up it’s tough and all, but we’re here if you need it. Whatever happened aside,” she tries to console.
“Yeah right, everyone here hates me. And your just a failure of hope.” She winces at my words, “I wouldn’t quite say that.” "Yeah right. Keep dreaming," I start. She interrupts me, “There are some people who’ve been waiting to see you.” She’s probably lying, no one here would want to see me. This is probably all some sick joke to her. Kaede holds out a hand, “I’ll take you to them.”
I took the risk of being made to look like a fool and reach out for her hand. She pulls me up from the floor and starts to guide me to a corner of the room. Two men were sitting on the couch in the corner. One had a bob-looking haircut and wore a forest green turtleneck with black jeans with some dress shoes. They wore minimal makeup and read from a book in their hands. The other had short wavier-looking hair and wore more of a streetwear style. He was fidgeting with some rings he wore on his hands and was deep in conversation with the book boy. “Kokichi Ouma, just like you asked.”
The pair looked at me head to toe. “Somethings not right about him,” the bobbed hair man chuckles. ‘It’s probably cause of my scar isn’t it’, I think. “His hair isn’t styled that's why. Kaede could you give him a hair tie,” the wavy-haired man asked. “No problem.” Kaede hands over me a hair tie from her wrist to put up my hair. I blink a little then take it from her hand and put my hair up into a ponytail. “That’s much better.” “That wasn't what I was referring to but if you say so," Book boy then looks at my eyes and neck a bit too long. I totally called it. “Kokichi that’s…” “Korekiyo Shinguji and Rantaro Amami. I know.” Despite everyone’s changes, I could easily still tell who they were.
Korekiyo Shinguji, the ultimate anthropologist, blackened number three. An interesting man who did the double murder of Angie Yonaga and Tenko Chabashira all in 2 days. He was avoided by many and had a weird infatuation with his sister, a taboo relation of sorts. Severely traumatized and manipulated by the same mentioned women and one of the few people close to being just as smart as me.
Rantaro Amami the ultimate survivor, the first victim died by a shot put ball to the head. I liked him but he didn't last long. Stayed a bit away from others sorta like me. He was the unfortunate victim of Kaede’s failed murder and ended up dying at the hands of Tsumugi Shirogane. For someone of his skill to die that early is a shame.
Anyway, Rantaro had a bit more piercings than I remembered, some tattoos, and a bit more muscle. Korekiyo had a complete change with his bobbed haircut, lack of bandages, no mask, and little to no makeup. He also didn’t look as fragile as in the game, underweight sure but not as bad. And Kaede had her hair up in a ponytail like I did with some hair framing her face but that was the most different thing about her.
“Thank you, Kaede for bringing him to us,” Rantaro thanks her. “It’s no problem!” Kaede says. With that, she walks off to do something else. Rantaro made Korekiyo move down on the couch and motions for me to sit next to him. So these two were the ones waiting for me? Part of me had a hard time believing that but I didn't mind it being them of all people. “So you just got up huh,” Rantaro questions me. “Yeah, I did.” “You sound scared. Don’t worry I’m not going to hurt you,” he chuckles.
“So what’s the deal with this whole place. I know where here be “fixed” or whatever but like what goes on in this place,” I ask him. “We have set times we have to be in our room at, a set time we can get up in the morning. We all eat together at meals and then for the most part have free time besides the ever so often therapist meeting and group activities.” “So like in the…,” I start to say. “Yes,” Rantaro cut me off, “But don’t talk about it. Not here. You're not supposed to unless it’s with the therapist. But if you’re alone with someone in a bedroom go ahead, free-range. It’s more about not getting caught with the nurses.” “Oh Ok.” I’ll have to be careful about that.
But this felt so weird. It’s almost the same as before just… not. No ultimates, no death looming over our heads but that same routine as always. Was it to remind us of the horrors of before or did it just happen to be this way by chance. Either way, I won’t know. “Kokichi.” I was snapped out of my thoughts by Rantaro. “Are you ok?” I didn’t quite know how to respond. What was he asking anyway, I mean I just woke up from a 6-month coma why would I be ok. I gave him a response of silence. His face turns disappointed.
“Ah, what was I to expect. This is all new to you,” He breathes out. “I don’t even know why you would want to be here in the first place.” Be here? Did he mean the hospital or did he mean being with him and Korekiyo? “You never really liked being with anyone before.” Oh, He doesn’t think I want to be with them. “That’s not true,” I spoke up. “But I remember…” “It’s not true. I’m fine being here with you guys. It’s just the others that are the issue. It’s more that they don’t want to be around me at this point.” I laugh it off.
“I don’t know what happened since I was the first to go but I doubt their reasoning was good anyway.” Korekiyo gives Rantaro a sparing glance. “Trust me, their reasoning was plenty good enough,” I told him, “Just ask Korekiyo.” He sighs, “Maybe later. Best to talk about this in private.” It was like Rantaro didn’t want to hear the truth, he didn’t want to know what happened. But he’s probably heard it already at some point from the mouths of everyone else. Why though is he choosing to ignore it? If I were him I wouldn’t. I would take it as a sorta warning.
Rantaro, what is it about you and Korekiyo that makes you guys want me around so bad? If you had half a brain then you would listen to the others I mean it seems like Korekiyo at the very least has accepted what I've done. Maybe it’s time you do the same thing.