Archive of Our Own

Part 0

1. April 24^th. An infant enters the world to meet loving blue eyes, and the whisper of ‘Aoi’ on her scrunched, red face.
   
2. Her first word, much to her parents’ amusement, is ‘donuts’.
   
3. Her favourite food, perhaps coincidentally, ends up being donuts, too.
   
4. Aoi, true to her name, inherits the same rich blue eyes that her parents both share. Eyes like the ocean, they’d always say. It was only natural she’d fall in love with the freedom of water.
   
5. Aoi Asahina grows up a cheerful girl. She sings when she walks, hums when she thinks, smiles at strangers, waves at every animal she sees. Everyone with the pleasure of meeting her adores her. And even if they don’t, most learn to. She tries to get along with everyone she can. It’s just how she is. A cheerful girl. A friendly girl.
   
6. She grows up strong. She grows up competitive. She runs miles, tosses balls, vaults poles. Swims. By god, she swims. She’s the best damn swimmer in the whole little town.
   
7. By elementary school, she’s breaking records in every single swim meet she goes to.
   
8. By middle school, she’s breaking records across the nation.
   
9. Somewhere along the way, she meets her partner in crime (aka her baby brother, squishy-cheeks, Yun-yun, mini-Aoi, dinosaur kid and however else she can think of to embarrass him) Yuta Asahina. Suddenly, this tiny boy – he’ll always be tiny to his proud big sister – is cheering the loudest in the crowd. For her.
   
10. At her first race during Nationals, he’s holding the gaudiest, most absurd, glittery, multicoloured sign with her name on it that she’s ever seen. She swears he’s hung inflatable donut charms off the side of it to make it worse. She may or may not have pretended her name wasn’t Aoi for that brief moment in time.
    
11. When she wins, however, he uses the trademark Asahina speed to be at her side in seconds, yelling I knew you could do it. I knew it, I knew it, I knew it.
    
12. She never told him, but she’s sure he knows: he’s the biggest and the best support she could ever, ever hope for.
    
13. Aoi doesn’t know what she would do without him.
    
    

Part 1

1. Aoi Asahina is invited to Hope’s Peak Academy for the first time.
   
2. Before she leaves home, she cries, her parents cry, Yuta claps her on the shoulder and tells her she better watch out. He’s not going to let her surpass him so easily; older sister or not. Aoi grins through her falling tears and says you’re on.
   
3. She wishes she could be there when he wins every track and field meet in the state.
   
4. The school gives her a title. She’s a swimmer. Nobody expects any less from the shining, smiling girl who has swum on the Olympic stage.
   
5. The feeling of plunging into the world underwater makes her happier than anyone could be. But she won’t stop there – she will push herself harder and harder. Try different things. Join many more sports. She will make the most of her strength – athleticism – and she will go neck-to-neck with anyone who challenges her. That’s her nature. She couldn’t care less about being the best. She wants to fight the best. She wants the thrill of competition.
   
6. Life at Hope’s Peak Academy, is, well, just that. Being among the elite has its ups and downs. The 78^th class especially – her homeroom – is full of uptight, self-righteous pricks. But she loves them anyway. She loves stupidly energetic Mondo, hopeful optimist Makoto, cynical Touko, moody Celeste. She loves the rest of them, too – try-hard-Leon, rule enforcer Kiyotaka, sweetheart Chihiro and pop-princess Sayaka; but she loves Sakura the most.
   
7. Sakura Oogami is her bestest best friend in the entire universe.
   
8. They train together, eat lunch together, swap stories, have sleepovers, study, bake, spar. They do everything together.
   
9. Until they can’t, anymore.
   
10. The world starts to crumble before Aoi knows it.
    
11. Or maybe it was crumbling long before she was ever aware.
    
12. Days blur together, one after another. Bolt after bolt, tear after tear. Door after door. Lock after lock.
    
13. Her homeroom, now grim faced, work together as one of the only known groups of survivors. Survivors of what would soon be referred to as The Tragedy.
    
14. With the other students, she promises the headmaster of Hope’s Peak Academy that she will stay there, in the walls of the school, to keep herself safe.
    
15. To keep all of them safe.
    
    

Part 1 (reprise)

1. Aoi Asahina enters Hope’s Peak Academy for the second time.
   
2. She never got the chance to go back home, but remembers clearly wrapping her arms tight around her parents and ruffling her younger brother’s hair.
   
3. It’s barely been a day and she misses them already.
   
4. Then the insanity begins.
   
5. An animatronic bear. A game – a killing game.
   
6. The school must have been a trap. Everything that could permit access to the outside world has been bolted, locked, screwed down to an inch of its life. There is no way out.
   
7. But murder.
   
   

Part 2

1. She’s had enough.
   
2. People keep dying all around her. All these strangers – stupid (dead) Mondo! Naïve Makoto! Filthy-mouthed Touko! Two-faced (dead) Celeste! She hates them, or wants to. She wants to hate them so badly. Cowardly (dead) Leon, overemotional (dead) Kiyotaka. Dead Chihiro, dead Sayaka.
   
3. She’s crying. She wants to go home already.
   
4. She doesn’t even know if there’s a home to go back to.
   
5. If you want to know what happened to the Asahina family, graduate and you’ll find out!
   
6. Stupid video. Stupid, stupid, stupid motive.
   
7. But that was in the past now. She’s stronger than those that went. Stronger… stronger than them…
   
8. Traitor Sakura.
   
9. Oh.
   
10. There’s no way Aoi would believe it. If there was ever anyone she could trust in this hell it would be Sakura Oogami. Strong, beautiful Sakura. The Sakura whom everyone can’t stop blaming.
    
11. And for what?
    
12. FOR WHAT?
    
13. FOR WHAT REASON DO THEY HAVE
    
    TO BLAME SAKURA
    
    FOR ANYTHING?
    
    

Part 2.5

1. Sakura.
   
2. Sakura is dead.
   
3. Somebody.
   
   Somebody killed Sakura.

4. They won’t get away with it.
   
5. When Sakura goes down, everyone else is going down with her.
   
6. Innocent or otherwise. Aoi doesn’t care anymore.
   
7. Justice will be served.
   
8. Aoi will make sure of it.
   
9. She’ll make sure her best friend is avenged.
   
10. She’ll make sure of it.
    
    

Part 2 (reprise)

1. She’s really had enough this time.
   
2. There’s nothing left. They killed each other for nothing. All these people, Sakura included, everyone she knew in this whole stupid school.
   
3. When she gets out – what hope is there, anyway?
   
4. If Monokuma... if the mastermind… if Junko Enoshima was really right about the outside world… then…
   
5. What… would be the point…?
   
   

YOU’VE GOT THAT WRONG

1. Makoto Naegi, the boy who’s earned the title of SHSL Hope, does just what the title implies: gives the final survivors hope.
   
2. That’s what they are, aren’t they? Survivors. From The Tragedy. From the Mutual Killing Game. They survived.
   
3. Aoi doesn’t smile, but she lets Makoto deal the finishing blow.
   
4. So long, Junko Enoshima.
   
   

SHSL DESPAIR WON’T DIE

1. So long, Junko Enoshima…?

AS LONG AS ONE OF THEM REMAINS, DESPAIR WILL REVIVE OVER AND OVER AGAIN

2. Remains? Who… remains?
   
3. Or better yet, where are they?
   
4. Where are the remnants of despair?
   
   

Part 3

1. The Future Foundation want to arrest Makoto Naegi.
   
2. Aoi Asahina, along with Kyouko Kirigiri, attend the board meeting alongside him, protesting the entire way. It’s no use.
   
3. The game begins again, an echo of a game not long past.
   
4. Another? Another Mutual Killing Game?
   
5. Chisa Yukizome falls from the chandelier, dead.
   
6. Daisaku Bandai falls victim to poison, courtesy of the order not to witness violence.
   
7. Makoto Naegi cannot run from his own death.
   
8. So Aoi runs for him. She grabs him and runs as fast as her legs will take her, complains rather teasingly that it should be the other way around, but she doesn’t stop. An Asahina never stops. She won’t stop until this is over. She won’t stop until the bitter end.
   
9. (She’s crying. She wants to go home already.)
   
10. (She just wants to see her family again.)
    
11. (She’s scared.)
    
12. (Why did this have to happen?)
    
13. (Why again?)
    
14. (Why now?)
    
15. (Why?)
    
16. “I’m here,” says Makoto, expression radiant as Aoi remembers. “Don’t give up hope.”
    
17. “And besides, I’m SHSL Good Luck, remember?” He raises a finger to his mouth. “Believe in my luck with me.”
    
18. She wipes her tears. Makoto Naegi, always ready to save the day. It’s the best part about him. His hopeful, optimistic, naïve self.
    
19. “Thank you.” She says.
    
20. Maybe things will turn out okay in the end.
    
    

Part 4

1. Aoi Asahina is murdered in her sleep.
   
2. In the forefront of her mind, she thinks what an absolute tragedy.
   
3. Yuta and Sakura smile sadly before her.
   
4. “This is home,” they say, hands outstretched as Aoi cries her final tears - both in agony and disbelief. “Welcome home.”