Chapter Text
They won.
They survived .
Looking into the blinding light of the hole that Kiibo just destroyed, Shuichi knew he should be happier. Sure, he was (ironically) quite hopeful of the promise of the future right in front of him and his fellow survivors, but he thought of it as more so bittersweet. The things they experienced together in such a short time were obviously going to have lasting effects on their psyches. It was going to take a long time for the 3 of them to heal from the loss of all their friends. Shuichi knew that Kaitos death was especially going to haunt both him and Maki for a very long time, but the rest could be said about their other friends deaths. The 3 of them each lost people very important to them, but a particular sting was how alone he felt. Their once class of 16 was whittled down to 3.
He missed everyone. He missed Kirumi and how dependable she was. Shuichi understood she only acted the way she did out of self-preservation. The killing game brought out the worst of everyone like that, making them act in ways they would never for the sake of survival, slowly breaking down their spirits until they acted out of desperation. It was only natural people would want to survive. He missed Tenko and Angie, and he knew Himiko missed them more than he ever could. Tenko was starting to warm up to him as a friend before she was ripped from this world, and Angie was just another case of the killing game bringing out the worst in people. He missed Gonta and Miu. Both of them were lost within hours of each other. Gontas kindness and love for insects could never be shared again, and Miu – though at times made him and everyone else very uncomfortable – at times would alleviate the mood and make him able to forget where they were, even if only for a second. Shuichi knew his fellow survivors may not share the same opinion, but he did miss Kokichi too. In a cruel way, his dynamic with Miu was a perfect escape from their living hell. He was tricky to understand, but his intelligence and wittiness would be missed by Shuichi. And Kaito. God, Kaito. He knew Maki was still very shaken over his death, and he was too. His positivity was something they all needed in a situation like that. Without Kaito, he honestly didn't know if he would have made it that far. And though he only died mere minutes ago, he missed Kiibo. The subpar robot who just wanted to fit in ended up sacrificing himself for the 3 of them to have the chance at escaping this hell even after finding out his only purpose was a puppet for a sick show.
He missed Kaede. She was his first friend in that god-awful killing game and he knew if she were here right now she would know what to do and Shuichi didn't realize how much it hurts without her or anyone for that matter and god, his eyes were stinging with the telltale signs of tears. He clenched his jaw and held them back. He had spent so much time reminiscing, but it wasn't going to get him anywhere. He looked back, Maki and Himiko were still staring at the bright chasm in the dome, presumably reflecting on the past weeks the same way he just was.
“Come on. Let's go see what's on the other side. We’ll check things out together,” He spoke to the two behind him. It snapped them out of their thoughts, Shuichi noticing teary eyes in both of them. He wanted to cry too, but decided to start moving forward toward the exit that Kiibo left behind.
The 3 survivors started their trek through the rubble. He tried his best to ignore the remnants of the ultimate labs, now nothing more than cruel reminders of who they lost on the way. All the memories made there with people that didn't exist anymore no longer mattered. All they could do was keep moving forward. Himiko slipped a few times on the way, but eventually, the trio made their way to the hole in the cage. It was blinding, Shuichi took a mental note about how though he thinks there is truth and freedom on the other side, there are no real promises about the outcome of their futures. It could be almost anything, including something very negative, such as that “Team Danganronpa” Tsumugi had mentioned during the final trial. It could also be a world where he and his friends were treated like fictional characters with no one to actually see them as people, or even a despair-ridden world where there was nothing but hopelessness wherever they turned. But maybe Tsumugi could have been lying. Maybe the world was normal. Maybe they would be able to leave this place together and find a way to move forward in a peaceful world. He could tell Maki and Himiko were thinking similar thoughts. Fueled by thoughts of the future, Shuichi steeled his resolve and took a step through the light.
In truth, nothing could have prepared him for what would happen when he walked through to the other side. A few steps in and he realized the light wasn't ending. He looked behind him for Maki or Himiko but they were nowhere around him. He didn't know what to do, he felt fear but he wasn't panicking. He felt tired if anything and that tiredness was growing by the second. Is this how it ends? Shuichi thought. A cruel finale to strip away all hope one last time? The building tiredness made him feel like he would collapse any second. At least if I die, I get to see them again, were his last thoughts before the bright white faded to black.
…
When Shuichi woke up his first thoughts were that he was still in that place of white light. Turning his head he noticed he wasn't there anymore, but instead in a place that looked like a hospital room. The lights he thought to be the same as he saw before he passed out were just the overhead lights of his room. He was laying in a rather uncomfortable hospital bed with some machines hooked up to his body, presumably tracking his vitals.
His mind immediately raced to thoughts of Himiko and Maki, if he was here then they had to be, right?
He tried to get up, but his body didn’t respond the way he wanted it to. His limbs were sore like they'd been unused for several days straight. How long was he out for? He pushed his body as hard as he could, throwing himself off his bed onto the cold floor. His whole body ached with how hard he was pushing it after being sedentary for what he assumed was at least a couple of days. Using the wall, he pushed himself onto his feet. His legs felt like jelly, he could barely stand but he couldn't afford to have his legs give out now. He needed to find them, to be sure that they were all ok.
Shuichi finally made his way to the doorway and pushed it open. His body seemed to be adjusting to the strain, or it might just be adrenaline keeping him going. Whatever it was he gave it no mind and kept going. He had no clue where to go but knew he couldn't stop moving.
He made it halfway down a hallway before a man in a lab coat turned a corner and spotted him. Panic filled Shuichi's body. It was the first person outside of his class that he’d seen in weeks, but there was no way of telling, so he turned and ran.
Shuichi instantly heard the footsteps of the man in the labcoat quicken to catch up with him. He ran as fast as he could, but it proved to not be enough as the lab coat man swiftly caught up with him. Shuichi didn't understand how poorly his body was performing. His muscles couldn't have atrophied yet, right? There's no way he was out that long… right? The lab coat man didn't get a chance to grab him because he fell to the floor on his knees there in the hallway. His thoughts were racing. How long was I really out for? What does this man want? Where are Himiko and Maki? Lost in thought, he didn't notice the lab coat man had moved directly in front of him.
“Shuichi Saihara” The man sternly spoke. Shuichi's head snapped upwards to look at him. How did the man know Shuichi's name? He must have been part of that Team Danganronpa Tsumugi mentioned in the final trial. That must mean he knew where Himiko and Maki were!
“Where are they!” Shuichi rasped out. He put a hand to his throat, not expecting such hoarseness. He coughed a few times and tried again, “Where are Himiko and Maki!?”
Not perfect, but better.
The man looked down at him with a cold stare. “Follow me back to your room. Your physical and mental health must be assessed.” He offered Shuichi his hand.
Shuichi recoiled from the offer, not wanting to oblige until he got his answers. “Tell me about Himiko and Maki and I’ll go with you.” He tried his hardest to have authority in his voice, but it was hard with the condition of his voice.
The man sighed before dropping his extended arm. “They are not my patients, I am unsure of which room they reside in at the moment, now please follow, you need your assessments.” He stepped closer to Shuichi and extended an arm again.
Shuichi was still caught up on his answer. Not sure which room they reside in . So they were here? He would need to find out eventually, but he doubted his abilities to escape from the man. Perhaps he could instead get other answers to his questions though.
“Where am I?” He took the man's hand and stood up, trying his best to remain stable.
The man seemed pleased that Shuichi was finally following his directions. “The Team Danganronpa private hospital. Third floor. Simulation recovery floor.”
So he was right about it being related to that Team Danganronpa- wait, that last thing? “Simulation?” Shuichi repeated. He liked the mans bluntness, but he wasnt sure if he wanted the answer, he was unsure if he could take the truth.
“Yes, simulation. The killing game was a prototype for a new show. Very poor results by the way.” The man kept walking as if he didn't just tell Shuichi life-changing information.
Shuichi froze in the middle of the hallway. The man noticed and stopped too, turning around with the same cold stare. His breathing quickened and his heart started racing. “None of it… was real…”
The man noticed his mistake in his bluntness. “I suppose I should not have dumped that on you all at once-” Shuichi abruptly cut him off.
“Is everyone else alive?! Did anyone really die?!” He yelled at the man. “Where are they?!” He was losing his balance, too many thoughts and emotions flooding his head all at once. Could he see everyone again?
“The three winners are the only ones awake now, but we have hypothesized that the surrogate will be the one to wake next.”
So they’d be seeing Kiibo up next. That's good. He needed to thank the robot for his sacrifice in the end, even though it may have been for nothing.
“You sound like you have an idea of who will wake up when,” judging from Kiibo waking next, Shuichi had an inkling of an idea of what he would say next, but he wanted to confirm for himself.
The man looked down at him as if contemplating something before speaking, “The speculation is that once the surrogate wakes the mastermind will follow. After her then the astronaut and so on.”
So Shuichi's assumption was right. His heart rate kept increasing. “So the reverse order of how they died.” After Kiibo would be Tsumugi. Was he even ready to face her? How much longer did he have before he would need to see her again? He felt like he was going to throw up. His legs felt weak again. Why couldn’t have been any other order, Shuichi would have even taken a random order over this.
“Why?” He asked, a slight shake in his voice.
“Why the order of waking?” The man raised an eyebrow at Shuichi who meekly nodded his head. “You can imagine it like everyone's brain needs time to wake up. All the games were turned off at the same time, so the brains that were most active near the end of the game are going to have more ease waking up compared to someone who had an early death. Think of it as a reward for lasting so long.”
A reward? Shuichi couldn't take any more of this, he heard too much. He fell to the floor once more, hyperventilating and eyes brimmed with tears. A reward ?! A savage reminder that it still was nothing but a game, a simulation. Nothing that happened mattered. He touched his forehead to the cold floor. He watched his best friends die and it did not matter. A voice shook him out of his thoughts.
“Stand. We were on our way to the physical and mental evaluations.” Shuichi was glad for the man's straightforwardness, he hoped it would guide his thoughts away from the bad ones. He wiped his tears and looked up to the man extending a hand for him again. Shuichi took his hand without any protest this time, choosing to not let go in case his legs gave out again.
It may have been a simulation, all the trauma may have been for nothing, but he would get to see everyone again. It was going to take a while, – Shuichi knew that – especially for Kaede to wake up, but he could see them all again.
So he went with the lab coat man, wondering how he would tell Maki and Himiko.