Work Text:
Shuichi had done it. It was all over. The mastermind was defeated, Danganronpa had ended for good, and he had managed to save at least some of his friends. Shuichi sighed as he looked at the giant hole in the prison that Keebo had created for them. It was their ticket out of this hell hole. He was so glad to finally exit the Killing Game after all it had put him through. However, as he took a step forward, he looked to his left and that's when he saw it: Kaede’s death portrait. It reminded him of their promise, her leadership, and… his failure as a detective. Before Shuichi could break down crying again, Maki just grabbed him and pushed him through the hole. She had seen enough and wanted to leave before anything bad happened. Shuichi reluctantly agreed.
As the three walked through, Shuichi found himself becoming dizzy. They kept going further and further into the dark abyss before Shuichi could barely keep his eyes open. To his left, he heard a light thud and saw Himiko’s body hit the floor. A second later, Maki also hit the floor. Even though Shuichi tried incredibly hard, his eyes could not remain open as he eventually shut his eyes, feeling himself hit the hard floor.
…
…
…
“AAAHHHHHH!” Shuichi popped up, pushing his head forward. However, before he could react, he heard a loud *THUD* followed by a sudden rush of pain in his head. As his eyes slowly opened, he realized that he was in a chamber of sorts. He could see another chamber in front of him, but that was it. Shuichi started to panic and tried to find a way out. After screaming and kicking, he eventually found the button above him to release him from his prison. After pushing it, the door swung open, and Shuichi was quick to leave. Then, he noticed he was the last one there, with the other 15 pods being empty. Shuichi saw a door leading to a hallway. Scared and confused, Shuichi tip-topped to the door and opened it. He had to take this risk since he didn’t want anyone finding him so soon.
As soon as he did, he felt a rush of cool air hit his face, but more importantly, he heard something… familiar. He heard the faint sound of the piano coming from somewhere else. This piqued his interest so much that he completely forgot about the situation he was in and the pain in his head from hitting the pod. Shuichi, acting possessed by the melody, stupidly exited the room and began to walk around for a little bit. As the music grew louder, Shuichi knew he was getting closer to the source. No matter what it was, he was going to reach it. Eventually, he stopped in front of the door he thought was the source of the music. Gulping, Shuichi reached for the doorknob and opened it.
There, he saw a girl with blond hair, a pink vest, and a purple skirt playing the piano. Shuichi instantly recognized her.
“K-K-Kaede?”
The girl jumped and immediately turned around. As they both made eye contact with each other, they instantly teared up, remembering what happened in the Killing Game. Kaede quickly jumped up and ran up to him.
“SHUICHI!” Kaede screamed before almost tackling him to the ground. She pressed herself into his shoulder before beginning to cry.
“I’M SO SORRY! I shouldn't have gone against your plan in the beginning! I shouldn't have forced you to do anything! I’m sorry you had to go through that alone! I’m such a horrible person!”
Kaede began hyperventilating on Shuichi’s shoulder. Shuichi, immediately becoming protective of her, moved his arms around her before whispering to her “It’s not your fault, it was Tsumugi’s… You were just playing a game she forced you to play… there was nothing you could have done...”
This seemed to slightly cheer her up as she looked up at the detective with a small smile, even though she still had watery eyes. “Thanks, Shuichi. You know, you did extremely well in the trials. I saw you... since they were broadcasted live here.”
Shuichi almost forgot about all that part, but he didn’t really bother to remember those details right now since Shuichi was hung up on the compliment from Kaede. That made his mind go numb as he started blushing before responding to the pianist.
“T-Thank you Kaede. That means a lot.” The duo just stood there, hugging each other as their story was coming to a close. Shuichi only had one more request from the pianist.
“Kaede… can you… play me the piano? I thought I lost my chance to hear it and… I’ d-don’t want to lose it again…”
Kaede gave a smile brighter than the sun itself before wordlessly motioning Shuichi to sit down on the piano bench. Kaede smiled before asking Shuichi if he was ready. Shuichi immediately agreed.
Kaede quickly got herself ready and began to play. Shuichi instantly knew what song she was playing: Clair De Lune. It was beautiful when he first heard it, and with Kaede playing it, the melody felt natural and truly relaxing. Shuichi almost began closing his eyes, but that was stopped and he felt Kaede leaning on his shoulders with her head, still while playing the piano.
Wow… she really is amazing, isn’t she?
Shuichi smiled as he was bathed in Kaede’s warmth while the music flowed out of the piano. At this moment, Shuichi was truly at peace. He didn't have to worry about the Killing Game anymore and Kaede was still alive. He could ask for nothing more. However, all good things have to come to an end eventually, and Kaede’s piece eventually stopped.
“So… I heard that you also played this song after I… um… you know…” Kaede said, sidestepping the topic.
“How did you like it this time?” Kaede asked, not letting Shuichi respond or think about the previous topic too much.
“It was much MUCH better than before, Kaede. It feels more… heartfelt when someone is playing the song in front of you…”
“Yup, I agree with you there,” Kaede responded quickly. However, she soon noticed that Shuichi was intensely staring at the piano. Before bringing it up, Shuichi looked up at Kaede again.
“The piano is so interesting. Seeing how so many keys can be pressed to create such a beautiful song… it must be fun playing it…”
“YEA!” Kaede jumped, pumping her hands up. “It is really fun! I play it so often because every press of a key creates a new melody, some of which have never been played before!”
Right then, Kaede had an idea. She smiled brightly before pulling Shuichi closer to her.
“Hey Shuichi, how about I teach you how to play the piano.”
“R-Really, you would do that?”
“Of course Shuichi. Anything for you!”
“Wow…” Shuichi blushed as he looked away. “Thank you so much Kaede, it truly is an honor…”
Kaede just hummed before looking up at Shuichi. They were both staring at each other, just waiting for something to happen. It seemed like Shuichi had something to say, but was too shy to say it. Fortunately, Kaede already knew what he was gonna say, so she decided to take action.
With her left hand, Kaede slowly cupped his chin. She then looked back at him, and when Shuichi didn’t resist or complain, she went in for a kiss. Shuichi was initially extremely shocked, but once he got over it, he immediately started to kiss Kaede back. They were both extremely happy to be connected like this, feeling the softness of their lips. They both swore it felt like the other’s lips were made of marshmallows. However, before anything got too serious, the kiss had to end.
They both pulled back, red blushes sporting their faces while their ahoges were going every which way. They both smiled at each other, brighter than all the smiles they have ever shown to other people. They were each other’s sunshine in the darkness. They were each other’s support system in the Killing Game, and now, outside of it. They continued to stare at each other, as they felt no words were needed. Past the madness, past everything they experienced together, they properly conveyed their emotions and let that be their strength and motivation. They, and everyone else, got out of the Killing Game, but they were not taking their new freedoms for granted. Shuichi and Kaede wanted to spend every moment of their now free lives together. Individually, both Ultimates knew that the opposite person was their perfect romantic partner.