I worked on this animation for two and a half months as a celebration on my TikTok, and I’m so happy that it’s done and I can show it to everyone!
All the characters are from the game Danganrompa V3: Killing Harmony, and the audio is from Total Drama Island! I wanted to do something that was what an intro would look like if V3 had been made into a tv show like the other danganrompa games!
I drew everything myself and I am so so happy with how it turned out! It’s the biggest animation project I’ve done to date, over 1400 frames and a full minute long!
Kaito: Hey, the gas station has knives in pink, purple, and blue! Maki, confused: Alright? Are you getting one? Kaito: Nah, just telling you because you’re bi and like knives! :D
This chapter might be a little boring, because it is mostly dialogue, but most of it is important to the story.
I hope you guys enjoy the chapter.
Kaito felt like he had been hit by a car when he started coming around. His head was killing him. His body felt heavy, as if it were made of lead. He couldn’t quite move it completely, but he felt like he was getting some feeling back. He opened his eyes, and pretty much regretted it afterwards. Either he saw so much white to last him a lifetime that he’s starting to hallucinate the colour, or he was actually seeing the colour white. Either way, it made his headache a little worse. He closed his eyes to take in his surroundings as best he could. He couldn’t hear anything. The ground felt soft under him. Not soft like he was on a mattress. It was soft like he was laying on something that was padded. He didn’t feel like he was tied down, which was a relief. He remembered everything that happened in the lab. He didn’t feel like his back had been savaged into or his spine was messed with as he twitched his toes just to make sure. It give him more relief at that. He just felt a little numb where he had been stabbed with the needle. They must have just knocked him out and brought him to wherever this place is. He must have made more damage than he thought he did in the lab. At least he put the lab out of commission for a short while. But for how long?
Kaito opened his eyes again, feeling like his head had been cleared up a bit. He definitely didn’t hallucinate the colour white. Feeling like his body can function fully again, he slowly sat up. He took in everything. Well, not that there was much to take in anyways. He was in a 6x6 room. This room truly made him feel like he was in a mental hospital now. The floor, the walls the ceiling was padded. There was a tiny vent in the ceiling to circulate the air, but that’s all that Kaito had to the outside. There was no door, at least, not one that he could see. Not even a window on the door. There was nothing in the room either to keep Kaito occupied. There wasn’t even a fresh shirt for him to put on (his upper half was still bare). Kaito looked for a way out, but there was nothing. He tried to get himself off the ground, but his powers weren’t working. Did this place block his powers?
“HEY! LET ME OUT! LET ME OUTTA HERE!” Kaito screamed, his voice echoing around the room. He didn’t know if anyone could hear him, but he had to try. He was starting to go crazy in this room, and he had only been in it for a minute.
“Stop shouting. You’ll only lose your voice.”
Kaito’s body swung around so fast that he almost slipped over. Where did that voice come from? There was no one else in here other than him. Either he was losing it because of the sedative drug he was given, or there was a ghost in here with him.
“W-w-who’s there? Y-you’re not a g-g-ghost, are you?” He stuttered, feeling a chill run through his body.
“Don’t be stupid.” The voice scowled. “Search along the walls on the floor. You’ll find a hole there. I think a mouse must have gotten in here at some point.” Kaito tonight that the voice sounded familiar, but he couldn’t be sure. He listened to the voice, and got down on his stomach. He crawled slowly along the floor, keeping a close eye on the wall. It took him a minute, but he was able to find a small hole that only a mouse could fit through. He peaked through it as best he could. The hole was a tunnel that exited the room next door. Telling by the background, it was a room identical to his. Straining his eye to have a better look, he could see dark brown hair.
“Maki?!” Kaito found himself exclaiming out of impulse.
“Why do you sound so surprised? Who else were you expecting?” Maki replied. Kaito couldn’t see it, but he could picture her rolling her eyes. Telling by the fact that he was unable to use his powers, Maki was probably in the same position as him. Otherwise, she would be out of here by now. But that means…
“So this is-” he started to piece things together.
“-Isolation? Took you long enough to figure it out. You’re more stupid than I took you for.” Maki sighed, again sounding like she was rolling her eyes. Kaito felt uncomfortable laying down like this. He sat up, back against the wall. “So, what are you here for?”
“I kinda caused a bit of a riot in the lab.” Kaito smirked, remembering the look on everyone’s faces.
“Really now? You probably didn’t do that much damage though compared to my first days in that lab.” Maki seemed to smirk back, as if she were trying to make a game out of this.
“I don’t doubt that.” Kaito laughed. He pictured Maki not taking shit from anyone in that lab. He pictured her picking everyone up with her powers and throwing them. He pictured her wrecking the lab so much that it would take months to repair. Such chaos. Kaito wouldn’t mind that happening.
“Don’t suppose White told you how long I’d be in here for, did he?” Maki suddenly asked. She must have guessed that he had seen White, just like he wanted. Kaito felt like punching something as he was given a harsh reminder of what had happened in White’s office. But what good will that do?
“He said a month. But I told him what had really happened, so I’m hoping that it’ll lessen your sentence a bit.” Kaito explained, hoping to shed some light to the grim situation.
“Don’t bet on it.” Kaito could just about hear Maki mutter. “A month huh? Better than half a year I guess.”
“Six months?!” Kaito exclaimed.
“At least you’ve got, what? 24 hours I should think.” Maki sighed. 24 hours? Great. Kaito was thankful for the fact that he could talk to Maki. He might have lost his mind and feel claustrophobic if he didn’t. He didn’t know what the time was, so he doesn’t know if he should fall asleep or not. Actually, maybe he shouldn’t. If Maki was willing to talk to him now, he would like to see her open up a bit more to him.
“Hey, I want to say thank you. For what you did earlier. I don’t know what would’ve happened if you didn’t.” Kaito finally said. He needed to say it anyway. If he didn’t now, he doesn’t know if he’ll get another chance. Maki didn’t respond to that. At least e didn’t think that she did. He thought that he heard her mutter something, but he couldn’t be sure. “So, why did you help me?”
“I don’t know. Maybe I felt sorry for you. Or maybe because you were the first person in a long time that stood up for me. Call it returning a favour I guess.” Maki shrugged. Oh yeah. Kaito had almost forgotten all about that incident. Kaito didn’t want to see that as returning a favour, or him being pitied. The problem was is that Maki didn’t seem to want Kaito as a friend, so he couldn’t say that was her reason. “That was the first time in four years that I’ve actually used my powers.”
“Four-how long have you been here for?” Kaito suddenly found himself asking. He didn’t know if Maki was going to answer, but it would be great if she did.
“Let’s see. I was twelve when I was first brought in. I’m seventeen now so…five years. I think.” Maki sighed, seeming to be deep in thought. Five years? How has she kept her sanity for this long? “When you’ve been here as long as I have, you tend to lose count of the days. They don’t even let us celebrate Christmas or our birthdays here. The only way that I keep track of the years is keeping an eye on a calendar that’s hanging up in the lab somewhere.” No celebrating Christmas or birthdays? The things that makes us human, even the little things, have been stripped as much as possible. Kaito couldn’t imagine not being able to celebrate a birthday or Christmas. It would make him depressed.
“Five years…how have you not lost your mind yet?” Kaito commented somewhat absentmindedly.
“I don’t know. Guess I’m just so used to something like this that it’s normal to me now. I do miss the sun though. I’ve forgotten what it felt like on my skin.” Maki sighed. For once, Maki showed some emotion. She had been closing off her emotions so much that Kaito wondered if she remembered what it was like to feel anything. The way she spoke made Kaito think of her as a child that was lost and hurt. A child that wanted a friend and just wanted to be loved. Kaito wished that he could give her a hug right now at this moment. He didn’t want to hear her voice sounding like that ever again. He wanted her to feel accepted. He didn’t understand why the others were so scared of her and shunned her away. She didn’t deserve that. That’s when Kaito suddenly remembered something that Kokichi had called Maki on his second day in the Facility.
“Maki, I know that this might be a sensitive question for you, but why does everyone call you "Murder Girl”? You don’t seem like a bad person.“ Kaito asked, being careful with his words. He felt like he was close on getting Maki to open up more. He didn’t want that squandered because he was stupid enough to ask about a potentially sensitive topic.
"You don’t know me. You don’t know how much of a monster I am.” Maki scowled at him. That didn’t sound good. Kaito can’t let this go. But he can’t make it seem like she was being forced into it. It was her choice to talk about it after all.
“I understand if you don’t want to speak about it…but please help me to understand. It’s not like we’ve got anything else to talk about anyway.” Kaito gently probed. Maki went silent. This wasn’t a good sign. Maybe he went too far. He was ready to say something else, but Maki’s voice suddenly returned.
“You better brace yourself for a long and boring story then.” She sighed. Kaito crossed his legs to try to be in a better sitting position and listened as closely and as patiently as he can. “I grew up in an orphanage. I was ten years old when these two men started visiting it. They seemed like normal men at first. But now that I think about it, they were scouting for future talents. I overheard them talking about donating a huge sum of money to the orphanage if they took in a kid. The orphanage needed it, badly, so I volunteered to go. I didn’t want to, but I wanted to secure the future of the orphanage. However, I didn’t know of the Hell I would be put through.
The men that "adopted” me were scouts for an assassination cult. They pushed my body to the limits with training. Everyday I vomited. Every night I cried. After awhile, I became numb. I didn’t care about who I killed. I didn’t care if I was killing an innocent or not. One day however, I found that I had myself in a corner. And as my victim attacked me, I suddenly pushed them back with my mind, snapped their neck by accident. I freaked out. I went back to my boss and explained what had happened. He saw it as an opportunity to make a new weapon out of me. They made me do tests to see what I can do. “Harukawa, can you flip this car with your mind?”. Yeah. I could do it.
They got their weapon, but I got cheated out of my childhood.“
Kaito didn’t know how to comment on that. Maki was forced to become something that she shouldn’t have been. Her scars. Kaito knew that there was something off about them. A lot of them was from her training and her job as an assassin. And the monsters that "took her in” treated her more like a weapon. Kaito can’t even imagine how much of a strain had been put on her. She must have suffered so much. Kaito would do anything to take away her pain. If he could, he would erase the scars away from her body, help her to step away from the past after she is constantly reminded of it.
“How did you end up here?” Kaito hesitantly asked.
“White somehow found out about me.” Maki explained sadly. “Men attacked the cult and killed everyone in sight. At first I thought that they were there to help me, to rescue me, to teach me how to be normal finally. Guess life has a way of bringing me unhappiness. And keep reminding me that I’m a monster.”
“You’re not a monster.” Kaito snapped, angry at how much self hatred Maki was portraying. She should never say anything like that. She doesn’t deserve to because none of this was her fault. He needs to remind her of that.
“Momota, you know why everyone calls me "Murder Girl” now. When they found out what I was outside, they got scared of me.“ Maki sighed, dismissing all that Kaito had said. "I stopped using my powers in front of them, even if I needed to protect myself. But no matter how hard I tried to stop them from being scared of me, that’s all I’m good at doing. See? I am a monster.”
“Have you ever tired explaining to the others about your situation?” Kaito asked, hoping that she would say yes. However, there was something that told him that she wasn’t going to give him the answer that he wanted.
“You’re first to actually listen to me. And will probably be the last.” Maki sighed again.
“If you want, I can…you know…support you. Help you explain your story to everyone.” Kaito offered. He didn’t care if she said yes or no. He just wanted her to be reminded that she has someone to count on. After hearing her story, he made the decision that she deserved to have someone to have as a friend, even if she denies that.
“Why even bother? It’s clear that they’ve made up their minds about me.” Maki said. Her words sounded sharp at the start, but her voice softened as she spoke. “Even after not using my powers for four years, they don’t seem to trust me. Just because the guards and scientists blame whatever little incident that happens here on me. Just because of my so called "gift”. A guard trips over something, it was my fault. A scientist drops some dangerous equipment in the lab, I’m given nothing but blame. Even if I’m not in the same room as them, unless I’m in Isolation, people always find something to blame me for. Just because I’m a monster.“ There she goes again. Maki once again sounded like a lost child. Kaito desperately wanted to hug her, or say something to help her. But there was nothing that he and do. He didn’t know what to say either. He felt so useless like this. Maki deserved none of that. She should’ve been given at least one chance to have a friend, just one. Kaito wants to be her friend after all of this. More importantly, he wants her to be free. Free from everything in this hellhole. The first thing that Kaito needs to do however, is to find out what is going on and why everyone was here in the first place.
"Maki, I know I’ve already asked you this, but do you know why everyone is here? Anything could help, even the tiniest of details.” Kaito asked, desperate for answers.
“I…I’m sorry, Momota. I might have been here the longest, but even I don’t know what goes on here.” Maki said quietly, truly sounding regretful that she couldn’t give him more. “I don’t want to get you into more hot water, but if anyone knows, it’s White. There might be something in his office.” Of course! Why didn’t Kaito think of that before?! White’s office had to have something in it. A file on his computer. A journal in his desk. Hell, even a page that had notes on it would be of something help. There just had to be something in that office. It was a long shot, but it was worth a try.
“Thank you, Maki.” Kaito smiled, wishing that Maki could see how grateful he was. He suddenly thought of something that she needed to hear right now. “Hey, Maki. When-”
“Momota, I’m sorry, but I’m tired. I’m gonna try to get some sleep now.” Maki interrupted, letting out a quiet yawn as she said that. Kaito couldn’t blame her for saying that. After all, there is no sense of time. Kaito didn’t know what time it was, but he could hazard a guess depending on how long he had been out for.
“How can you sleep on a floor like this?” He muttered out loud without meaning to.
“When you’ve been in here as often as I have, you get used to it.” Maki answered as Kaito heard her shuffling around a little in her room, most likely trying to find a comfortable position to sleep in.
“Of course.” Kaito couldn’t help but feel stupid at that. He should’ve known that Maki would say something like that. However, there was one more thing that he needed to say to Maki. He needs to say it now, or else he might not get another chance.
“Listen, Maki. When I’ve found out what’s going on here, I’m getting everyone out. That includes you too. There’s no way in Hell that I’m leaving you behind.” Kaito said confidently. He didn’t know if Maki had heard it, having fallen asleep that quick, but he was glad to finally say that. Kaito shuffled away from the wall. He laid on his back in the centre of the room, staring up at the ceiling. He’ll get everyone out of here, that’s a promise. He’ll make sure everyone goes home. And maybe, he can take Maki home with him. So she could finally feel normal. And have a real family. With that in mind, Kaito turned to his side to try to get into a better sleeping position. He wasn’t sure did he dreamed it, or if it was real, but he thought that he heard Maki’s depressed and broken voice respond to him.
“Don’t try to give me hope, Momota. I lost that a long time ago.”
Kaito felt a lot better when he and Shuichi exited the bathroom. Thankfully, no one was looking at Kaito like they had done after his outburst. They all decided that Shuichi could handle everyone and went back to their own business. Kiyo was gone, most likely escorted to the lab for his turn. Kaito will have to find him later to apologise for what happened. Both he and Shuichi went back to where Kaito was sitting. As Kaito sat down, Shuichi started to rummage through the board games. He probably thought that a game of something might help Kaito feel more relaxed. Now that Kaito thought about it, playing a game does sound good right about now.
“Everything okay?” Kaede asked as she sat down at the table.
“Yeah. Kaito just got a little freaked out.” Shuichi answered, placing a game down on the table.
“Don’t worry, Kaito. Kiyo doesn’t mean to do it, but he does scare people a little when it comes to his powers.” Kaede smiled sympathetically as she remembered the first time Kiyo spoke to her about a spirit wanting to talk to her. Kaito smiled back, albeit a little wobbly. He looked back down at the paper in front of him. He still needs to write this letter. Maybe he’ll just tell his grandparents that he’s okay and he’s made new friends. The last thing that he needs to do is to scare them with the experiment that he went through. He was about to make a start when someone suddenly looked their arms around his shoulders from behind, causing him to let out an involuntary yelp.
“Were you scared, Kaito?” Kokichi laughed, revelling in the result of his childish prank. Kaito ignored him, but it didn’t stop him from being nosy. “Hey! Hey! What you doing there Kaito?”
“Should you not be touching me?” Kaito said, trying to hold back a laugh as he remembered his first day in the Facility.
“I already touched someone else a minute ago. I won’t be able to have your powers for another hour or so.” Kokichi said, sounding disappointed. Kaito normally wouldn’t be convinced as the boy has lied so too many times for him to count. However, seeing as how Kokichi wasn’t flying uncontrollably right now, Kaito had to take his word for it. “So what are you doing? Come on! Tell me!”
“Not that it’s any of your business, I’m writing a letter.” Kaito sighed, giving up. He knows that if he doesn’t say anything, Kokichi will just keep digging until he gets what he wants.
“To who?” Shuichi asked as he was in the middle of setting up the game.
“My grandparents.” Kaito answered, not looking up at his new friends.
“You’re allowed to write letters to your family?” Shuichi asked again, his voice laced with confusion.
“Yeah. Just like everyone else.” Kaito shrugged absentmindedly, again not even noticing how confused his friend was.
“Kaito, we don’t get to write letters to our families.” Kaede suddenly said, her voice laced with sadness and confusion.
“What?” Kaito exclaimed, his head snapping up so fast that he’s surprised that it didn’t detach from his body. He finally saw the looks that his friends were now giving. Minus Kokichi, they looked confused and hesitant to answer his question. Shuichi and Kaede were glancing each other uncomfortably. This was the first red flag.
“I don’t know what White had promised you, but it was obviously a lie.” Kokichi suddenly interjected, smiling like he had won the lottery. Red flag number two.
“Kaito, no one here contacts the outside world. We’re not even allowed outside.” Shuchi added after an uncomfortable minute. “The last time I spoke to my uncle was as I was going to school one morning. Three years ago.” The third red flag was getting ready to be raised. No one contacts the outside world at all? No one goes outside? Kaito suddenly glanced around the Lounge Area. He noticed an insect magazine that Gonta was looking at, and saw that it looked really old, creases along the magazine. The book that Maki was reading too seemed old and read many time before as there were clear and evident creases along the spine. The cartoon that Miu was currently watching was a mech cartoon that Kaito had seen before. The problem was that it was when he was a little kid and the show had stopped years ago. They don’t even repeat it anymore. Come to think of it, cartoons and documentaries that aired years ago were the only things that played on the TV. No news broadcasts or new shows. It was like time had stopped down here.
Kaito suddenly recalled something. It was on his first day. When everyone was asking him random questions. He didn’t make them out or think about them much at the time, but looking back on it now, a few of the questions were suddenly made crystal clear to him.
“Are my family still looking for me?”
“Do people still miss me?”
“Has anyone looked into my disappearance?”
Red flag number three has now been put up, higher and brighter than the previous two.
Ignoring his friends trying to speak to him, Kaito got up and started going to the door. He needs answers. He needs to speak to White. He’s the only man that can give Kaito the answers that he needs right now. The problem was that there was a guard standing in the way.
“I need to see Dr. White.” Kaito stated as he approached the guard. He didn’t know what he was thinking, but he hoped that the guard would listen to him.
“He’s not available.” The guard said emotionlessly. Kaito didn’t know if he was lying or not but he needed to get his point across.
“I need to speak with him, it’s important.” He argued, his tone sounding more urgent.
“Sit down.” The guard ordered, slowly reaching for his baton. Kaito didn’t notice, he didn’t care to do so.
“I need to see Dr. White.” He repeated. He didn’t notice it at first, but his body was suddenly off the ground. When he did notice that he was suddenly taller than the guard, he fought hard to hide his surprise. He wanted to stand firm with his choice to see White, that was what was important to him at that moment. However, he suddenly felt a jolt of electricity run through him again. He couldn’t hold back a scream as he suddenly crashed to the floor. He barely heard someone shouting his name. He looked up at the guard, holding his stomach in pain.
“Listen here, you freak! You don’t order me around!” The guard shouted, foaming at the mouth. He raised the baton, looking like he was ready to strike Kaito. Not giving him another electric shock, but a proper and possibly damaging strike like the baton was an iron pipe. The teenager put an arm up to try to defend himself. However, the guard’s arm was shaking. The guard looked at it and visibly went pale. Kaito had not doubt that his eyes were bulging out of their sockets as the man tried to force his arm to move. He looked around the room, his landing on what-no, who-he was searching for. Kaito turned around. Everyone in the room looked as pale as the guard, even Kokichi. Maki had stood up from where she was sitting. She wasn’t speaking or doing anything but standing there, staring at the guard coldly. Kaito didn’t even need to ask what was happening. Maki was using her powers to protect him. But why?
“Y-you! Stop this! I order-” the guard stuttered, panic lacing his voice. Maki only stared harder. She suddenly jerked her head a little. There was a sickening sound of multiple bones snapping at once. Kaito whipped his head around to look at the guard. His arm was completely mangled. All the bones in his arm was broken, ensuring that the man might have permanent damage if he isn’t taken to a hospital or have Rantaro heal him soon. While Kaito had a small sense of victory, the guard suddenly pulled out a small red button and pressed it. A door that was unseen to everyone earlier suddenly burst open. Without word or warning two guards rushed at Maki. She didn’t fight back, probably didn’t have a chance to, as she was suddenly shocked. Her voice turned into a loud, high pitched scream until she passed out on the floor completely. Her scream was so loud and ear shattering that it seemed to rattle the entire room.
“What is going on here?!” Dr White’s voice suddenly rang out. He was standing at the main door, looking around at the damage that had been done. The guard’s mangled arm. Kaito being helped to his feet by Shuichi and Kaede, still holding his abdomen. Maki laying unconscious on the ground, looking so still that she might as well be dead.
“It was the telekinetic bitch! She attacked me unprovoked, sir!” The injured guard shouted before Kaito could put a word in, pointing an accusing finger at the unconscious girl.
“That’s not-” Kaito was ready to argue, pushing himself away from Shuichi and Kaede before they could stop him.
“Again? When will that girl-put her in Isolation.” White sighed heavily. With that, the guards standing by Maki picked her up, one holding her arms and the other holding her legs. They lifted her up so quickly and haphazardly, that she almost flew out of their grasp. They carried her so carelessly that they didn’t care if they dropped her or not. Kaito couldn’t put a word in as she was carried out efficiently. None of the other Limitless spoke up for her or tried to tell the truth. Were they that scared of White?
“Doc. I need to speak to you. It’s extremely important.” Kaito suddenly spoke up, not quite sure what he was doing at this point.
“Very well. Escort Momota to my office. I’ll be there momentarily.” White sighed heavily, looking like he was at his wits end. Kaito didn’t hesitate in leaving as he was escorted by two guards out of the Lounge Area. He barely heard White barking orders at everyone else that was left behind. The only thing that he was focused on was getting answers. That’s all that matters right now.
Kaito felt sore when he finally woke up. His body was sore, his throat was sore, his arm was sore. It was so bad that he felt like he couldn’t move his body at all. He wasn’t sure how long he had been sleeping for, but he knew that it felt like hours. He was awake, but he couldn’t bring himself to open his eyes. It felt like his eyelids had been glued shut. Since he couldn’t open his eyes yet, he’ll have to rely on his other senses. He couldn’t hear anything at first, which made Kaito scared that he had gone deaf. However, the longer he laid there, his ears eventually picked up the quiet hum of a light up above him. Kaito felt something soft under his skin. Was he laying on a bed? It seemed to be that way as he was laying face down on it. For a brief minute, Kaito thought that he was back in his own bed, that he was at home in his room.
However, when Kaito finally opened his eyes, that nice thought had shattered. When Kaito opened his eyes, he was met with his now least favourite colour. White. He was in his room at the Facility. He remembered everything that had happened. The lab. The so called experiment. The pain. Uncaring, dark eyes. The soulless people. The deep wound on his arm. Kaito’s still bleary eyes drifted to his arm. And his whole body went stone cold. All along his forearm was a fresh, pink scar. His stomach churned and he felt an urge to throw up. His body felt immensely cold. He never believed that such people could exist in that lab. Why would they do that to him in the first place?
Kaito finally felt like his body could move. His stomach felt immensely empty but he wasn’t sure if he could eat. He didn’t know what was going on, but he needed to find out. He quickly redressed himself into some fresh clothing. He didn’t want to be in anything that he wore while he was in that lab. He needed to find out what was going on here. He hurriedly started making his way to the others. He didn’t even bother looking at the time. He assumed that everyone was in the Lounge Area so he made his way towards that.
“What are you doing here?!” A voice suddenly boomed behind him. Kaito jumped at that sudden shout. He turned to see a guard standing behind him. He couldn’t see the guard’s eyes, but he knows that the man was staring right into his soul. It was beyond intimidating. “It’s lunchtime! You’re meant to be in the cafeteria! Move!” Lunchtime? It was already afternoon. Kaito didn’t want to risk being put in that lab again so soon, or face any other kind of punishment. He quickly changed direction, heading to the cafeteria. There was everyone else. Almost all of them were sitting together. They all seemed to be normal. Talking, eating, laughing with each other. However, upon a closer look, Kaito couldn’t help, but feel like something was wrong.
“Kaito! Gonta save you a seat!” Gonta suddenly smiled, stopping him almost immediately. Kaito was quite surprised but quickly processed that as he was unceremoniously and impatiently pushed forward. He steadied himself as the door slammed shut and the guard that shoved him in stood in front of it. With heavy feet, he walked over to the empty chair. He was between Gonta and Tsumugi and sat opposite Shuichi.
“I’ll go get your meal, Kaito.” Kirumi suddenly announced as she stood up.
“No. Kirumi, you don’t have-” Kaito started to protest. He didn’t feel that hungry after everything that had happened. However, Kirumi had already made her way to the window, requesting for Kaito’s meal to be brought forward.
“You might as well go along with it.” Tsumugi whispered, gesturing towards Kirumi. “It’s plain to see that she is looking for something to do here.” Kaito sighed in defeat. Well, he might as well try to get some energy back. Kirumi promptly made her way back to the table, and gently placed a hot meal in front of Kaito with a glass of water. A huge roast beef with gravy, mashed potatoes and steamed vegetables. Seemed like a good enough meal to have since Kaito had involuntarily skipped breakfast. Kaito took a bite and let out a quiet sigh of satisfaction. Guess he was more hungry than he thought that he was after all. Almost everyone seemed relieved that he was eating. They must have somehow known about what had happened to him.
“Wow, Kaito! You look like you’ve been through Hell and back!” Kokichi laughed, spotting the drained look that Kaito had on his face. He was sitting next to Shuichi with Kaede on the other side of the navy blue haired boy. Kaito didn’t bother saying anything back because he felt like he had been put through Hell and back. He was a little surprised at how on Earth he walked here in the first place.
“Kokichi! Enough!” Keade scolded. Kokichi only snickered before shoving a huge piece of beef into his mouth. “Are you okay Kaito?”
“I feel like my arm has been savaged into. And didn’t even think that people like that had ever existed.” Kaito nodded, subconsciously covering up his new scar. He looked up at Shuichi. He still had dark circles under his eyes and was poking at the last of his food absentmindedly. “Hey, Shuichi? How are you holding up? When I saw you earlier, you looked very tired.”
“Still am. I might take a nap later if they allow it.” Shuichi sighed, rubbing his tired eyes. If they allow it? How tight are the rules here? “I was in the lab before you. Forced to go through an experiment around 2am I think.” 2am? If Kaito didn’t go through that this morning, he would’ve thought that scientists would need their test subjects to be wide awake. However, after what had happened, it was clear that those people didn’t care if they were wide awake or half asleep. They didn’t care if the Limitless were ill or healthy. So long as they did their experiments as if they were in a horror movie. How could this go on unnoticed? How could White not know what was going on here?
“Just wait until White hears about it.” Kaito muttered absentmindedly, not meaning to say it out loud.
“Even for a degenerate male, you’re stupid!” Tenko scowled, glaring a little at Kaito.
“What?” Kaito exclaimed, dropping his fork.
“Who do you think authorises the experiments?” Ryoma spoke up from the end of the table where he sat.
“Wait! So everyone-” Kaito started to ask, feeling like he had been punched in the stomach.
“-has gone through that and more? Yeah.” Rantaro finished sadly.
“It is certainly more like torture than experimentation.” Kiyo muttered from behind Kaito. He was sitting on his own, back turned to everyone else with his mask laying on the table close to him. Was he self conscious or something? Kaito didn’t dwell on it, deciding that it was none of his business. He looked around at everyone else. And that’s when he finally noticed. He didn’t know why he didn’t before. Maybe he was too caught up in the excitement of being somewhere that he could fit in. Maybe his brain didn’t want him to register it. Now he has however, he wished that he did before. Everyone had scars running up and down their skin. Some were old and faded, while others were fresh.
“This is fucked up.” Kaito muttered, not even trying to hold that in as he ran his fingers through his messy hair.
“Normally I don’t agree with such language, but you are correct.” Kirumi sighed, finally sitting down to finish off her meal. Kaito suddenly felt like he had lost his appetite all over again. White knows what’s going on after all. He’s the one that authorises this. That didn’t make any sense. Surely you would get more data from a Limitless by having them demonstrate what they can do. Not butcher them up like they’re not human. Kaito had to suppress a shudder as he remembered what Sara had said to him. About him not being human just because he had powers. How could anyone say that to another person, just because they’re different? Why would they do that? Something seemed horribly wrong.
“Why do they do this to us?” Kaito immediately asked.
“We don’t know. We’ve asked them many times, but they never answer.” Shuichi answered, looking uncomfortable.
“Even Atua can’t let me hear them because they block him out.” Angie added, looking very sad.
“Wouldn’t the first one here know more about it?” Kaito asked. It seemed logical that the first Limitless might know something, anything more than everyone else.
“I suspect so.” Shuichi muttered.
“So, who was the first one here?” Kaito asked. Almost everyone looked uncomfortable and silently asked him if he had lost his mind.
“Oh! That would be the Murder Girl!” Kokichi smiled as he pointed to a table somewhere behind him. Shuichi sat him down, giving him a silent no at what he had just done. Murder Girl? Kaito looked at who Kokichi was pointing at. Maki sat far away from everyone else. Her plate was fully cleared of all food. She had a book in her hands, just like the first time Kaito had seen her. She was far too wrapped up in her book to acknowledge anything or anyone else. Maki was the first Limitless. She has to know something about what goes on here.
“Oh no! You better not go over there.” Angie suddenly warns Kaito, catching everyone’s attention. “Atua tells me that you want to talk to Maki.” Kaito ignored the warning, getting up from his seat.
“Kaito, that’s not a good-and he’s gone.” Rantaro sighed in defeat as Kaito started walking away from the table.
“That idiot is going to get himself fucking killed.” Miu was heard, trying to be as quiet as she could.
“Neeheehee! I know right! Let’s watch the fun!” Kokichi grinned as his chair could be heard turning towards Kaito’s direction. Kaito ignored the anxious stares directed at his back. He didn’t really have much of a plan in mind. Just ask Maki what is going on and hopefully get some answers. He doesn’t know if he’ll get the answers that he wants, but it was worth trying. Maki didn’t seem to have heard him approach her. As he got closer to her, Kaito couldn’t help but notice the scars on her. There were so many, too many. It indicated that she has been here longer. But some of them didn’t look right. They didn’t look like they had been made with a scalpel. What happened to her?
“Hey. Maki right?” Kaito asked, trying not to think about the scars. Maki gave him a side look, but went back to reading her book. Okay, a bit rude, but he needs to keep trying. “Look I want to ask you something. It’s about what they do here.” Maki looked up at him again. However, her eyes suddenly trailed to his arm.
“You’ve already been subjected to the experiments. You know what goes on here.” She said in a monotone voice, before going back to reading. Kaito ignored the fact that she stared at his scar.
“Something still doesn’t add up. Could I please have some answers?” He asked, trying his best not to sound desperate.
“Please leave me alone.” Maki said, not looking up at him.
“But I-” Kaito tried again to reason with the girl. She suddenly slammed her book shut. It was so loud that it actually echoed a little. It made Kaito stop talking almost instantly.
“Momota, right?” Maki asked.
“I prefer Kaito-” Kaito tried to say.
“Momota, you know what goes on here.” Maki interrupted, looking up at Kaito with a warning I’m her eyes. “Now, please leave me alone. Everyone else does.” Kaito couldn’t be sure, but he thought that he heard a hint of sadness in her voice. It was small, almost untraceable, but it was there. Maki didn’t seem to notice or care. She got up, holding her book tightly in her hands. She started making her way to the door. However, the guard there stopped her from going any further.
“Where are you going?” He demanded.
“To my room.” Maki answered emotionlessly, not looking intimidated by the large man in front of her.
“You’re not scheduled to.” The guard sneered.
“I don’t care. I want to go to my room.” Maki said, once again void of all emotions. The guard didn’t like it. He grabbed the baton from his waist. He brought it close to Maki’s face, showing her the two, small, metal prongs on the end of it.
“Listen here, bitch-” he started to warn.
“It’s not nice to threaten a lady, you know.” Kaito suddenly interjected. He was standing behind Maki, arms crossed. Maki gave him a blank look. He couldn’t blame her for that. Again, he didn’t have a plan in mind. He just wanted her to trust him or something like that.
“Stay out of this, freak!” The guard warned.
“Listen here-” Kaito started. The guard suddenly jabbed him with the baton. Kaito couldn’t hold back a scream as electricity ran through his body. He fell back, holding his midriff tenderly. How many volts was that?! It felt more like lightening than anything else. Kaito looked up as the guard looked ready to strike him again.
“He’s new here!” Rantaro suddenly shouted, getting between the two. His voice was calm, but Kaito could tell that he was nervous. “Brought in yesterday. We’ve all been there, right? There’s no need for that.” The guard looked back and forth between the three. He seemed to be contemplating on shocking all three of them or not. He finally put his weapon away, giving Kaito immense form of relief. He didn’t know how he would handle another shock like that.
“Be sure that your friend is kept in check.” He warned, pointing a gloved finger at Rantaro. As Rantaro helped Kaito to his feet, the guard then turned to Maki, his tone becoming much more threatening. “And you! You go back over there! Or do you want to be put in Isolation again!” Maki seemed unchanged. She didn’t react to the words. However, she swiftly turned and went back to where she was sitting. Isolation? Schedule? Kaito was once again reminded that something was wrong. Despite what had happened, he was still determined to find the answers he needs. He’ll get them one way or another.
I couldn’t quite decide on what I wanted to write so I just did a couple of one shots.
Trigger warning: mentions of attempted suicide in the first one shot. I apologise if this is a sensitive topic for you guys.
Story 1: Talent Swap AU part 2 (continuation of the Talent Swap AU from Momoharu Week 2021)
“What do you want?” Kaito asked, arms crossed over his chest, standing in front of his Ultimate Lab. Maki stood in front of him, unfazed by how sharp and impatient his question was. She looked completely calm, the opposite of how the others had reacted a mere ten minutes ago. When the Ultimate Gremlin told everyone what his Ultimate Talent really was. Kaito didn’t know how Kokichi found out, but the Ultimate Magician did it anyway. And now that everyone else knows too. They should’ve decided to stay out of his way now that they know. So why the hell was Maki here?
“I…I wanted to thank you. For what you did in the trial.” Maki said, fiddling with one of her twin tails.
“Don’t get ahead of yourself. I only did it because I didn’t want to die.” Kaito huffed. The second trial was for the murder of Kirumi Tojo, the Ultimate Anthropologist. She was found by the pool, neck broken as the result of a fall from a high height. During the trial, Kaito and Maki had been accused of the murder, just because they were accounting for the fact that they were possibly together during the supposed time of the murder. Even with Gonta backing them up, not everyone was fully convinced. It wasn’t until Kaito said that he spoke with Ryoma Hoshi, the Ultimate Supreme Leader about the motive videos. And that was when Ryoma suddenly gave up. Turned out that his motive video was empty, no one was important to him in the outside world. He was going to commit suicide, when Kirumi tried to stop him from jumping. And he accidentally pushed her out of the window instead. It was a sad case that cost two people their lives.
Kaito tried to shake off the events that led up to this. He just wanted to let out more of his frustrations instead wasting time with some stupid little girl. Kaito turned, ready to go back to his solitude. That changed when Maki suddenly grabbed his wrist.
“Come with me.” Was all that she said before she started to turn.
“What? Hey!” Kaito exclaimed before Maki started to drag him behind her. For a girl, she was stronger than she looked. Maybe it was thanks to her astronaut training or something. “Do you wanna die?!”
Maki didn’t seem to hear the threat. If she did, she made sure to not seem phased by it, unlike Gonta when Kaito asked him that once (maybe he should try to apologise to the giant at some point). Maki continued to drag Kaito outside the main building, towards one of the grassy areas. Kaito wanted to pull away. Hell, he even wanted to knock her out just so she could leave him alone. But he couldn’t. He just allowed this stupid girl to drag him to where ever it as that she wanted to go.
“Why am I here?” Kaito asked when they finally stopped walking. Maki didn’t answer at first. She just looked at the sky for a few seconds, before looking at the ground. She took a couple of steps before sitting down on the grass.
“Lie down.” She suddenly said, patting a spot near her.
“Why?” Kaito asked again with a raised eyebrow.
“Please. Just humour me a little.” Maki said more than asked as she proceeded to lie down. She wasn’t forcing Kaito to stay. It was an open invitation. He could leave if he wanted. And he wanted to leave. So why wasn’t his body doing as he asked? He laid down. Maki didn’t say anything at first. She just looked up at the sky, the stars reflection glistening in her eyes. Kaito did the same, just wishing that he was doing something else instead.
He didn’t understand why people like the stars so much. There was nothing special about them. They were just balls of hot air burning away thousands of miles away from Earth. They were pointless. Sure people used them to navigate, maybe some still do, but nowadays, people don’t need to do that anymore. All the stars do now is just make pointless shapes in the sky, some telling old legends and stupid fairytales.
“Whenever I was stressed, or angry or just had a bad day, I’d spend hours under a starry night like this. I might have gotten into trouble for it, but it was worth it.” Maki smiled suddenly, turning her head to look at Kaito.
“What’s your point?” The assassin sighed, not seeing where this was going.
“My point is that you need to learn how to relax more.” Maki shrugged. Kaito looked at her with a raised eyebrow. “I get it. You’re the Ultimate Assassin, but I don’t think you want to be that.”
“You don’t know my life!” Kaito yelled, glaring at Maki. Who does she think she is?! She doesn’t know how fucked up his life was. How he was forced to toughen up and how to put on a facade. How every birthday and Christmas, his “toys” were literally weapons to kill. He still remembers being given an inactive grenade for his fifth birthday. How he wasn’t allowed to play with any of the children, or “new recruits” as they were called. How he was homeschooled and never allowed outside until he could do his first kill. How many scars he had gained, both mentally and physically, during the brutal training and from the assassinations he was sent to carry out. How every day he struggled to eat and how he was so sleep deprived at night. How he has to bear the burden of keeping the family business alive as the only heir and expected to find some random girl to have more heirs. Preferably male to keep the Momota name going. He was living in an eternal Hell. And there’s nothing that he can do to drag himself out of it.
“You’re right. I don’t. But I’m good at reading people.” Maki shrugged, looking right into Kaito’s eyes. “And I can tell that you’re a good person, like you “pretended” to be. I’ve seen your walls come down a few times. You’re not the terrifying monster that everyone thinks that you are. You just need to let people in to show them that.”
“What if I don’t want to?” Kaito defiantly asked, looking away from the red eyes that showed nothing but kindness.
“That’s your choice. But in the end, you’ll just damage yourself even more.” Maki sighed, watching the stars with droopy eyes. “Even if you can’t let everyone in, one person is enough. Sometimes it doesn’t hurt to talk. Just at least think about it for a bit.”
What was she now? The Ultimate Therapist? Ultimate Psychologist? This girl has clearly lost her mind. But then again, she made a point. Maybe…
Kaito glanced at Maki, wanting to say something again. Only, he was met with Maki’s peaceful, still face. She had done it again. She fell asleep by accident. Or was it on purpose this time? Either way, she made herself vulnerable to anything that could hurt her. If it was on purpose, was this her way to show that she treated the assassin? She was literally sleeping next to a killer and yet she didn’t seem to be worried about it for even a second. She just had this small smile on her face. She must be mad.
Kaito shook off those thoughts. As much as he had a huge chance to do it, he can’t kill her. Instead, he did what he did last time. He gently picked her up and took her back to her dorm room. Again the door was unlocked. Does this girl not lock her door?! Kaito shook that off as he gently placed Maki down on her bed. She shifted a little but stilled after a second. As Kaito tucked her under the covers, he felt like he couldn’t leave her. Without thinking, Kaito locked the door and sat down on the couch. His knife was hidden on the inside of his jacket. If anyone dared to try to pick the lock and do anything that will hurt Maki, Kaito would stop them. He won’t kill them, just scare them away. He should leave, but he can’t. He felt like he couldn’t leave Maki on her own like this. He barely knows this girl, and yet he wanted to stay. He just had this need to protect her.
What’s going on inside his head?
———————————————————————————
Story 2: Sick
Kaito was woken up by two things. One was that his girlfriend was no longer sleeping next to him, making his side of the bed a little cold. And two, there was a horrible, loud retching sound coming from the bathroom. He slowly got up, the bed creaking a little. The light was on in the bathroom and through a crack in the open door, Kaito could see Maki leaning over the toilet. She lifted her head up a little, only to lean over it and throwing up into it again. Kaito opened the door completely as Maki did that. He crouched down next to Maki and gently rubbed her back. He also pulled back her hair to keep it from getting ruined. It took a minute, but Maki was able to finally stop throwing up. She lifted her head up, her throat burning and sore from being sick. She looked at Kaito with bleary eyes. Kaito internally winced as he looked at her brightly flushed cheeks.
“Maki Roll, are you okay?” He asked automatically, and felt like punching himself for asking something so stupid. Maki clearly wasn’t alright. Maki nodded wearily as she flushed the toilet.
“I’m fine. Go back to sleep.” She moaned, slowly getting to her feet. She looked incredibly unstable, like she was going to faint at any second. Not wanting to see her hurt herself, Kaito promptly started to carry Maki bridal style. “H-hey!”
“You’re not fine.” Kaito muttered, carrying Maki back to the bedroom. He was being as careful as he could so that Maki wouldn’t feel like throwing up again. Once they got there, Kaito gently placed Maki on the bed, and proceeded to tuck her back in it. He winced as he touched her feverish forehead. “You’ve got a bad fever, you’ve thrown up pretty badly and you can barely stand, Maki Roll.”
“Don’t worry about me.” Maki rasped dismissively.
“Too late for that.” Kaito pouted. Maki sighed, knowing that Kaito wasn’t going to let this go that easily. Kaito could see that he won this round. Without saying a word, he went back to the bathroom, looking for the medicine that Maki needed. Maki begrudgingly took it, groaning in disgust at the fowl taste of the liquid. Satisfied, Kaito went back to the bathroom and cleaned it up. One that was done, he came back and started to get under the covers next to Maki.
“Don’t. I don’t want you to get sick too.” Maki groaned, trying to turn away from Kaito. She didn’t think that she could push him away in her state. However, Kaito immediately spooned her from behind, wrapping his arms around her. His grip wasn’t tight. It was just loose enough in case Maki had to rush back to the bathroom again during the night.
“I’m probably infected anyway. Besides, I’d be a shitty boyfriend if I wasn’t here for my girlfriend.” Kaito smiled proudly, brushing some stray hairs from Maki’s face.
“You really are an idiot. But you’re my idiot.” Maki smiled tiredly, unable to keep her eyes open any longer. After throwing up and taking the medicine, her energy was completely drained. She was fiercely pulled back into the realm of sleep.
“As much as I feel like I should be insulted, I’ll accept the compliment.” Kaito grinned after giving Maki a kiss on the cheek. Maki only mumbled incoherently. She went completely limp, breathing calmly and quietly as she slept. Kaito grinned silently, before he too went back to sleep, feeling proud that he could help for tonight.
Thank you everyone for enjoying these entries, they were all fun to write. Hope to have more fun for next year!
Again, ended up writing two prompts at the same time because I couldn’t decide on one.
Maki left the audition room with a small smile. She had been a long time fan of Danganronpa. People at her school were talking about it and she was drawn into it very easily. The thoughts of being in a killing game was thrilling. Unlike her home life. It wasn’t bad. She had a nice home, a family in high society, a higher achieving school. The perfect life. Perfect, but boring. There was no excitement for her. That was all that she wanted. Sure there were other options, but this was the only way that she saw to have some real fun in her life.
She had done the best that she could. Now her fate was in the hands of the people behind Danganronpa.
“You little bastard! The hell were you doing?!”
“I…I’m sorry!”
“You better be!”
Maki’s attention was suddenly changed as she heard the shouting. The other kids around her didn’t seem to take any notice. They just looked droned out like this was a regular and normal occurrence. Same thing went for any staff that were watching through the cameras it seemed. Maki, however, couldn’t ignore the scene. Standing in front of her were two boys. One shorter than the other. The shorter one had purple eyes and black hair with purple ends on some of the strands. The other boy was much taller than the first, stronger too. He had purple spiky hair and a stupid looking goatee. And he looked pissed off. His purple eyes narrowed like daggers as he seemed ready to punch the smaller boy. This bully was clearly going to win this if no one stepped in.
“Hey! Back off!” Maki shouted, getting between the two. She stood straight, arms crossed in front of her. She glared right up at the taller boy, who seemed to be baffled that she was standing up to him. The smaller boy shrinks behind Maki and hold onto her jacket, almost using her like a shield. She didn’t mind that in all honesty.
“Excuse me!” The bully exclaimed, trying to make himself look bigger.
“You heard me. Back! Off!” Maki warned, taking a daring step closer to him. He backed off a little as he took in her appearance.
“You think you’re so special just cause you go to a fancy school! That your folks are so rich!” He sneered as he realised what school Maki went to.
“That has nothing to do with this. Save that attitude for the game.” Maki warned again, gesturing at the camera in the room. The bully glanced up at it. He seemed to contemplate his actions. No matter how well he did at the audition, his actions might be taken into account later on. He needs to be careful. And then there was the sound of a name being called out.
“Whatever you say, Princess.” The bully shrugged, seeming to respond to the name that was being called out. “When I win, you’ll always remember my name: Kaito Momota!”
“You’re so full of yourself. I’m not afraid of you.” Maki rilled her eyes as she felt the smaller boy hold on to her school jacket even tighter.
“You better watch your back then.” Kaito continued to sneer, his eyes acting like knives as they pierced right into Maki. “You never know when I might kill you. I’m taking all that fame and fortune for myself.”
“Big talk from such a pathetic, little coward.” Maki challenged, deadpanned.
“Watch your mouth, you bitch!” Kaito growled, looking like he was going to raise a fist to her. However, his name was called out again, causing him to give up on what he wanted to do. He turned on his heels and started to walk away. Maki took a breath that she didn’t realise that she was holding. She didn’t realise that she was shaking until now. She steeled herself, she can’t make herself look weak. She turned to the other boy. He was still trembling and looked like he was going to cry. Maki needs to calm him down. Wanting to avoid any of the others waiting to pick on him too, she led the boy to a quieter part of the hall.
“Are you okay?” She asked as they felt like they had more open and quiet space.
“Yeah. I think so. Thank you.” The boy smiled, looking more visibly relaxed. He timidly held out a hand to shake. “I’m Kokichi Oma.”
“Maki Harukawa.” Maki smiled, shaking the hand offered to her. She frowned a little as she took in what had happened a few seconds ago. “You don’t seem the killing type. Why are you here?”
Kokichi fidgeted a little. He didn’t seem that he was comfortable with sharing this fact. Was he forced into this? He can back out if he didn’t want to. But there was something that Maki could sense inside him. Something that wanted to prove everyone else wrong about him.
“I just want to feel powerful for once, like nothing can hurt me.” Kokichi finally said. His voice was quiet but then he cleared his throat and tried to speak with more confidence. “And I want to lead people too. I want to try to make sure that I can get as many people to survive as I can by being a good leader.”
Maki couldn’t hold back a smile. She liked this boy’s spirit. While he did seem like an easy kill, she couldn’t deny how hard he wants to work towards doing the right thing. He wanted to be strong. He wanted to show that he had a lot of inner strength. There was a lot of potential in him. Above all else, he was honest. A fine quality in a leader. But despite that, Maki still needed to make something clear.
“If we both make it through the audition, stick close to me. I promise I’ll make sure that nothing happens to you.” She vowed. This made Kokichi’s smile to be brighter.
“Same to you.” He grinned, glad that he had someone that he could call a friend in this place.
Kaito sneered as he saw the two talking. Just another thing to piss him off. The Princess and the Freak. Perfect combination to bump off. He can’t wait to start killing them in the game.
———————————————————————————
Kaito didn’t understand what was going on. What was that dream?! No it didn’t feel like a dream. A memory? But how? He knows that the Kaito that he saw wasn’t him. He wasn’t an aggressive bully. Yeah, he can get sort tempered, but he’d never strike anyone without cause. And Maki…she was standing up to him. What was that?
That didn’t matter right now. There was another thing that was concerning him. He was alive! But he was going through Monokuma’s execution and died halfway through it. He shouldn’t be here. And yet here he was. In what seemed to be a hospital bed with a doctor shining a light into his eyes the second he opened them. When he glanced around, he saw a pod that was wide open with wires and what seemed to be a headset inside it. He could also see clothes hanging up. It looked like a school uniform, but not one that he could recognise. At least, that’s what he thought.
So the game was a VR simulation the entire time?! That’s the only explanation as to why Kaito was still alive and breathing. It also explains why his lungs didn’t feel like they were filling up with blood. If that’s the case then…
“Where are they?” Kaito asked, cutting off what the doctor was saying. What was the medical professional saying? Kaito wasn’t processing it. Never mind! He needs to get answers!
“Pardon?” The doctor asked, taken a little by surprise.
“Shuichi! Himiko! Tsumugi! Keebo! Maki Roll! Where are they?!” Kaito demanded, his body tensing up. He sat up, despite his body protesting it. That’s when he realised how weak he suddenly was. His body could barely move without him using whatever energy he had left in him. He was more skinny and his hair was longer and wasn’t spiked up, causing most of it to be in his face more.
“They are still in the game. Now let’s-” the doctor sighed, as if he had answered this a million times already.
“No!” Kaito shouted. With a sudden burst of strength he pushed the doctor away from him. The doctor was taken so off guard that he stumbled and fell backwards. Kaito ripped the IV lines out of his arm and scrambled out of the bed. After stumbling a little, he started running, leaving a trail of blood from where the IV was inserted. He ran down the corridor, hearing shouts and security being alerted. He ignored all that as he ran. This didn’t feel like a normal hospital. S he ran, he caught sight of very familiar names on each door. Hoshi, Iruma, Shinjugi, Amari. They’re all here. Wherever here was. Kaito tried not to think of that.
Yonaga, Oma, Tojo, Yumeno, Akamatsu, Harukawa-
There it was!
Harukawa!
Maki’s room!
As soon as Kaito intruded into the room, he slammed the door shut and jammed it with a chair that was close to him. People were pounding on the door and shouting for him to open it. He can’t. Not when he was this close. He looked around. The room was identical to his. A bed, an unrecognisable school uniform hung up, and a pod. Only the pod was closed, sealed shut. Swallowing a little, Kaito peered through the window. His eyes went so wide that they may as well be bulging out of his skull.
That was Maki! He could only see the lower half of her face thanks to a headset that reminded him of Miu’s VR invention, but he could still recognise her. She didn’t seem to know that he was there, watching her in horror. She was peaceful, as if she were merely sleeping. The only thing that told Kaito that she was alive, was the heart rate monitor beeping quietly in the background. It was hauntingly like she was Sleeping Beauty or Snow White, waiting for her Prince to wake her up. Kaito looked around, spotting a console by the pod. He needs to get her out of there! He can’t let Maki stay in there for a second longer! There was so much that he needs to tell her right now! He can’t wait!
As Kaito was looking for some kind of emergency shut off, the door was broken down. Various arms wrapped around Kaito, pulling him down to the ground. He struggled like a ferocious animal, determined to be free. Determined to save Maki!
“You can’t do this! Let me see her! Let her out! Maki Roll! Get off me! Maki Roll!” Kaito yelled, trying to fight back. His body betrayed him as he felt weaker the more he struggled. What happened to him?! What happened to his body?! Why didn’t it feel like his own?! Kaito couldn’t think anymore as a needle was suddenly stuck into his arm. Whatever it was filled with, was emptied into his system. And just like that, he passed out.
———————————————————————————
Kaito once again woke up. He didn’t need to ask where he was this time. He knew where he was. The same room that he woke up in. This time felt different. He could feel someone holding his hand. Someone being extremely gentle as if he was made of fragile glass. He looked out of the corner of his eye, spotting a girl with long, dark brown hair. Her head was bowed down, as if she were saying a prayer. But he could still see her tear streaked face, wishing that he could wipe the tears away.
“Maki Roll…”
This one was quite interesting to write. It was a challenge but I like a challenge when it comes to writing.
Not particularly proud of this one but I hope you guys still like it.
Let’s just say that I’m probably NEVER going to write a Mastermind AU anytime soon XD
Maki didn’t know what she was doing. She was heading over to her Ultimate Lab to check on something before training. She started to make her way to the training area, when she caught sight of someone lurking in the hallways. She didn’t see their face, they had their back to her. They were wearing very concealing clothes so she couldn’t make out any features from the back. She didn’t understand why they would hide themselves like this. There shouldn’t be a reason. Right?
Ignoring a red flag, Maki stalked this stranger. They didn’t seem to think to that anyone would be following them. They were being careless. Maki watched them carefully from the shadows. They were heading to the girl’s bathroom. She waited around the owner for a bit. She tried to think of an innocent reason for this, but the longer she waited, the more suspicious she became. No one takes that long in the bathroom. The person didn’t seem sick. They walked like they were alright. Keeping silent, Maki crept in. If this person really was here for an innocent reason, then she’ll just move on from this.
There was just one problem.
Maki was the only person in there. She looked in each stall, all of them were unlocked, doors open ajar. Maki couldn’t have imagined what she had seen. She knows that she saw somebody walking around. She looked at the small cleaning closet by the cubicles after double checking them.
“This is stupid.” Maki muttered to herself. She felt like an idiot as she felt along the tiles, pressing on each one. It was like those cliche things that happen in cartoons or detective shows. It was a long shot. But when Maki reseed on a tile, there was a small click. The wall opened a little. After gently pushing it, it opened even more, showing a dark corridor. At this point, Maki should’ve gone to get Kaito and Shuichi, but she didn’t want to raise the alarm just yet. She had a feeling about this. Not good or bad. Just this feeling that she needs to investigate this more first.
She crept along the short hallway, the secret passageway closing behind her. She didn’t panic. She knows that she can get out when she needs to. She could see another door that was open ajar. Maki knows that she needed to be careful now. She didn’t know where she was going but she needed to do this. She carefully pushed the door open a little more, just big enough to squeeze through. She closed the door as well before ducking behind a box. She peeked out, squinting a little as she was met with light in a darkened room. Because it was quite dark, she could make out a desk, various monitors and…is that a Monokuma head in a glass case that had wires poking out of it? She could also see someone sitting in front of the monitors. She took a better look, seeing all the rooms in the Academy on each one.
Maki ducked behind the box as she realised where she was. She found the Mastermind. The one behind this sick and twisted game!
Maki didn’t have a plan. She only had one thing in mind. Kill the Mastermind. Once the Mastermind is gone, the game is over. Everyone can go home. This nightmare would finally be over. Taking a deep breath, Maki turned to look back at the person sitting down. Only, they weren’t there anymore.
Maki scanned the room. The Mastermind was gone. It was like she was the only person in the room. It was very eerie. As Maki was cursing herself for not keeping an eye on the Mastermind, she was starting to think about getting out to tell everyone.
That was the plan until Maki sensed a change behind her. She didn’t physically feel it, but she suddenly felt like someone was right behind her. She couldn’t react in time. Whoever it was that was behind her grabbed her the instant she sensed them. Maki pushed and pulled as furiously as she could. She tried to pry this person off of her. Her elbow made contact with the attacker’s abdomen. Aside from a grunt, they didn’t react much. From the sound of it, they could be male. Maki tried again, but the attacker had tightened their grip, almost like they were attempting to squeeze the life out of her. She suddenly felt something soft pressed against her mouth and nose. She could smell something sweet but by time she noticed that, it was already too late. In mere seconds, she was falling in a black void.
———————————————————————————
Maki didn’t know how long she had been out for. She just found herself waking up on a soft bed. It felt more comfortable than the one in her room. She was covered by warm sheets. Not quite what she was expecting. She remembers what happened before she passed out. She would’ve thought that she would be dead or sleep in less than suitable conditions. The Mastermind should have at least killed her by now. They shouldn’t have her try to escape to tell everyone what she had found. So why was she alive?
There was something else as well. There was this presence of someone being right next to her. The bed felt like it was dipped a little by her side. She stared blearily at who it was. Their shape was a little fuzzy, she couldn’t make out any of their features. She thought that she could hear them, but she couldn’t make out the words. It was like she was trying to listen to this person whilst being held underwater. She closed her eyes again, waiting for her senses to come back to her. She could hear a little better now. And she could feel this person brushing some hair back from her face. That was when she opened her eyes again. And she saw an all too familiar face.
“Kaito?” Maki croaked out, her throat unexpectedly dry. She tried to sit up, but gentle hands eased her to lie back down.
“Take it easy. You’ve been out of it for a while.” Kaito spoke softly as to not overwhelm Maki.
“What…where…” she tried to ask, but she couldn’t figure out why she should ask first. She tried again to sit up, but went too fast as she felt very dizzy again.
“Slow down a bit.” Kaito spoke softly again, helping her to be eased into a sitting position. “I was starting to think that you were given too much of that drug. I’m glad that you’re okay.”
Maki didn’t quite process what he said. Her brain wasn’t fully awake still. She tried to look around at the room that she had awoken in. It wasn’t her dorm. It was roughly the same size it seemed. There wasn’t much in this room either. There was only a bed, a bedside table with a lamp (which was currently turned on with a dim light) and a wardrobe. There weren’t any windows, only two doors. One to leave the room and the other presumably for a bathroom. It wasn’t exactly the best room in the world but Maki has slept in worse conditions. After glancing around the room, her mind finally caught up to the reality of the situation. What Kaito had said hit her like a freight train. He pretty much admitted that he was responsible for knocking her out. If that was the case then…
“You…you’re the mastermind? Aren’t you?” Maki asked, her voice hesitant to ask. She didn’t notice it until now. His clothes, they were different. They looked similar. The only thing was that his coat, pants and slippers were black, and he wore one white shirt. The inside of the coat was a blood red with a galaxy pattern. And his right eye had red eye shadow in the shape of Monokuma’s right the eye.
“Wait!” Kaito exclaimed, looking like he was caught out by her question. That was a conformation for Maki. She never felt so betrayed before in her life. Kaito was the first person that made her feel like she was becoming her own person. She felt like she could be herself the more she started to be with Kaito. Despite her dislike for him at the start, she truly believed that she started to care for him. He was the one person that offered her a chance after everyone found out her Ultimate Talent.
Without giving Kaito a chance to explain, Maki immediately punched him. As he was stunned, she shoved him away from her. As he landed on ground, Maki leapt from the bed. She stumbled a little but managed to run to the door. She turned the handle, pushed and pulled, but it wasn’t opening. She was about to charge into it so that she could try to break it down, when Kaito suddenly wrapped his arms around her, pinning her arms to her sides.
“You traitor! Let me go!” Maki yelled, kicking the air as she was lifted off of the ground. How was Kaito this much stronger than her all of a sudden?! He pulled away from her when she punched him during the investigation of Tenko and Angie’s murder, all because he got scared by the mere thought of a “curse” looming around. She actually believed and felt like she was stronger than him. Had Kaito been holding back all this time?
Maki tried not to think about that. She kept thrashing as much as she could to get some leeway. However, that plan stopped short very quickly. Kaito had pulled out a cloth and covered her mouth and nose with it. Maki knew what was coming this time. She tried not to breathe. She kept trying to pull away, but without being able to breathe, it was a losing battle. After nearly a full minute, Maki was forced to give in. She was panting heavily. She couldn’t stop breathing in the sedative. She was blacking out fast. But before she lost consciousness, she heard Kaito say one thing:
“I’m sorry…I’m sorry…”
Why is he apologising? He’s the Mastermind…right?
———————————————————————————
Kaito watched as Maki’s eyes flickered closed. She went limp again, just like when he caught her before. This wasn’t how things were supposed to go. He didn’t want this. All that he wanted was for this to be over already. He was told to kill Maki the second she was discovered here. The damn bear said that if Kaito didn’t do anything, then the Mastermind would do it themselves. Kaito begged the bear to give him some time. He didn’t want to lose Maki. He didn’t want to lose his sidekick. She was too important to him. He’s only got a limited amount of time to convince Maki to join him and the Mastermind. If he doesn’t, then he’ll lose her.
And he can’t let one secret get out as to why he was doing this. He shuddered as he remembered how the bear just suddenly showed up, knocked him and rocked him to wake up here. And how the Mastermind threatened hm to join them. He just wishes how he shouldn’t have agreed to this. He’ll never shake off this regret.
Gently, Kaito picked her up and placed her back on the bed. Her face was still tense after what had happened. She’s not going to be please when she wakes up. He should’ve done it earlier but he didn’t want to scare Maki right away. Now he doesn’t have a choice. He pulled out a set of handcuffs and cuffed one of her hands to the bed frame. This is only temporary. Once she’s calmed down enough to listen, he take the cuffs off.
“Please forgive me.” Kaito whispered, brushing some strands of hair away from Maki’s face. Maki seemed to look more relaxed at that action, but he couldn’t be sure. He gave her a small peck on the cheek before leaving her. Maybe she just needs some time to calm down more. And he needs to rethink a couple of things. Kaito tried to get his head on straight as he locked the door behind, when he found Monokuma standing right in front of him.
“Well? Is she joining us?” He asked, sounding excited. If only Kaito could wipe that stupid permanent grin off his face.
“She will eventually.” Kaito shrugged, doing his best to make it look like nothing was wrong.
“You do realise that we might have to kill her, right?” Monokuma growled, unsheathing his claws.
“Give me time! I’ll get her to change her mind!” Kaito begged, his eyes going wide in fright. He can’t lose her! He can’t lose Maki! She’s the reason why he hasn’t lost his mind already!
“You better hurry up then before people realise that she’s missing.” Monokuma scowled. Kaito was about to protest when he felt a familiar pain in his chest. His hand shot up to his mouth as he started coughing. He felt something warm and wet in his palm as he could smell and taste something like copper. “By the way, tick tock! You’re running, out of time!”
Spoilers for post 2nd and 5th trial. I apologise for the tears that may or may not occur. It was originally going to be “Door” but I ended up writing two prompts at the same time by accident.
Maki wasn’t just mad. She was red hot furious.
She couldn’t believe what had happened. She believed that she was so careful. And still that little bastard somehow found out about her talent. He exposed her secret to everyone. Now she was a target for anyone that would take her out. Only because they now know her true talent. The Ultimate Assassin.
Maki didn’t know how long she had been in her Ultimate Lab for. She just ran straight here after Kokichi let it her secret. She didn’t bother trying to guard the door. There was no point anymore. She only focused on the moving targets ahead of her. She was either shooting a gun, firing a cross bow or launching throwing knives and axes at each on. The offending projectiles hit the targets dead centre. A perfect hit. As expected for her to have a perfect aim from all the traumatic training that she was forced to endure. Maki kept going like that until she decided to stop. She felt like her throat was becoming like sandpaper. Maybe she should get some water.
Feeling the need to cleanse her throat, she opened the door to her Lab. Only to be met with someone standing there. That idiot! Kaito Momota.
Kaito had his hand up, looking like he was going to knock on the door had it remained closed. He was wide eyed for a moment, clearly not expecting Maki to open it right then and there. He quickly shook it off as he smiled brightly. He opened his mouth to say something. Instead, he had the door slammed in his face. Maki suddenly changed her mind about getting a drink. At least for now. She decided to wait until Kaito left. Unfortunately he didn’t leave.
While he was there, he knocked on the door, asking Maki to come back out. He just wanted to talk. Or so he said. Maki shouted for him to leave, but he instead on staying until she finally left the Lab. Two can play at that game. Maki sat down, stubbornly leaning back on the door so she could keep the door from being forced open. Kaito kept on talking as he seemed to sit down too. After a while he stopped talking, blessing Maki with some relatively peace and quiet.
Maki sat there for so long that she didn’t realise she fell asleep until the morning announcement suddenly went off. She jolted awake in surprise. She felt stiff and that her back was painfully curved after she had drifted off to sleep. She didn’t think that something like that would happen. Guess this is what happens when you want to make sure that an idiot like Kaito doesn’t come in or do something even more stupid. It seemed quiet still outside so maybe Kaito finally gave up. Maki opened the door finally, ready to try to avoid everyone and get something to eat. Her stomach felt like it was eating itself since she didn’t have anything at all after the trial. Only things didn’t go the way she thought that they would. Again.
The second she opened the door, Kaito was standing there, smiling brightly like there was nothing wrong with the world. He greeted her like as thought Kokichi never revealed her secret. He was just getting in the way like always. The only thing that seemed to have changed was that he was holding a plate full of fresh food and offered it to her like she was his best friend or something. Despite the temptation to throw it into his face, her hunger had beaten her. Maki took the plate from Kaito. Before she could close the door to be left in peace, Kaito gently wrapped an arm around her and escorted her outside. Despite wanting to protest, Maki somehow found herself not being able to say no for once.
———————————————————————————
Maki didn’t know what she was doing here. She just moved automatically up those stairs to the highest point of the Academy. She just felt the need to be at the Ultimate Lab. Kaito’s Ultimate Lab. She had just witnessed his execution. In a way, she was happy. He had died halfway through the execution because of his illness. But it didn’t make up for the sadness that she was feeling. As she stood outside the Lab, she briefly wondered what Kaito was thinking when he stood outside her Lab that night. It didn’t seem like he had a solid plan but he somehow got her out.
But now that Maki was here, a part of her wishes that now it was the other way round. A way that she was the one trying to get Kaito out his Lab. Unfortunately, that wasn’t going to be the case. Kaito wasn’t going to be in the Ultimate Lab anymore.
So why did she come here?
Maki didn’t dwell on the question much. She just pushed open the door. It was light the first time she had opened it. But now it was heavy, as if something tried to prevent her from entering the room. When she stepped inside, the room was cold. Maki tried to make it feel warmer by imagining Kaito looked so excited like a little kid. He’d be pointing at anything and everything from the fake stars on the ceiling to the control console. He’d be spouting out things about space and saying “the impossible is possible, all you gotta do is make it so!” but this was proving to be impossible. No matter how hard she tried, the room just felt too cold and empty.
Sighing, Maki made her way to the chair by the console. Maybe sitting in the chair would make her feel better? Doesn’t hurt to try. Maki turned it a little to get ready to sit down. She stopped when she found something sitting there peacefully. It was one of Kaito’s coats. A fresh clean one that was folded up neatly. Perched on top of it was a folded up piece of paper with “Maki Roll” written neatly on it. Maki didn’t know that Kaito had neat handwriting. Biting her lip a little, Maki took the letter in her shaking hands, reading it carefully.
Hey Maki Roll.
Sorry that this is a lousy way of saying goodbye but it’s the best that I got. If you’re reading this then, it means that I’ve been executed. Hope I went out in style! Didn’t want to give the Build A Bear reject the satisfaction that he wanted, you know?
Anyway, I know that you’re going to be sad now that I’m gone, but I don’t want you to be. I want you to promise me something. Live out your life for yourself, love yourself. I want you to be happy. Honestly, the one thing that I’ll be picturing other than space when I die, will be seeing you smile and hearing you laugh. I know I haven’t heard you laugh yet, but doesn’t hurt to imagine right?
Another thing, keep your door open when you need help. You never know who’ll walk right in and help you. Also, even though I’m gone, I’ll be right with you. When you see the stars shining down on you, that’ll be me smiling at you. When you wear my coat, that’ll be me hugging you. I love you, and I want to make sure that you’ll be happy from now on. I’ll be cheering for you. Don’t forget: the impossible is possible, all you gotta do is make it so!
Take care of yourself.
With all my heart, Kaito.
Maki smiled tearfully as she wiped away the fresh tears that started to fall. As she looked at the paper, she made a note of the tiny specks of blood and dried tear stains. It showed that he was being genuine with his words and it hurt him to write this letter. A part of her wondered if he would’ve shown her this if he won the trail and beat the Mastermind like he and Kokichi had planned. Maybe not but it might not have made a difference. It wouldn’t have changed him succumbing to his illness. Maki would probably still come here if that had happened. She just wished that she had more time to tell him how she felt, just like he had done in this letter.
Looking down at the chair, Maki was still greeted with the coat. As delicately as she could she picked it up and wrapped it around her shoulders. Strange. It wasn’t stone cold like she thought it would be. It was warm. Almost as if Kaito had taken it off mere seconds ago. It really did feel like he was hugging her in a strange way. She slipped the letter into one of the pockets, wanting to keep it with her always. Feeling like she was a little better already, Maki stood up perfectly straight. It was strange but she felt like she could do almost anything now despite her grief. Kaito’s goodbye really lifted her up a bit. With a new purpose, Maki finally turned to leave the Lab. She had a promise to fulfil now. As she reached the door, Maki turned back to look in the room for a final time.
“Goodbye, Kaito.”
I cried writing the letter scene so I apologise if you guys cried too.
Doing this again since it was fun last year. Any artwork that is featured in this has been done by me. Momoharu Week is hosted by @momoharuevents
Maki didn’t know what to think or feel at this time.
Only a month after dating Kaito, both of them finally decided to let Maki be introduced to Kaito’s grandparents. This was the first time that Maki was a Ken to the humble household and meet the elders. She had been told of them and she knew that Kaito spoke about her too. It went a bit better than Maki was expecting. The elders were nice and open to her. They weren’t aware of her talent yet (Maki decided that it was too soon to tell them), so she didn’t have any worries at the moment. They also respected her boundaries, not getting too close in case they made her feel uncomfortable. The closet that either of them had gotten was Kaito’s grandmother holding Maki’s hands as they greeted each other. They would ask Maki questions, but not too many and let it go if Maki wasn’t comfortable about saying anything. They would listen to her as she spoke. They even shared stories about when they were young. Kaito’s grandmother even showed Maki some pictures of when Kaito was young, much to Kaito’s embarrassment (his face went bright red a few times). It was a bit strange to be so welcomed like this. It felt nice. It felt great.
But it also felt like Maki was suffocating.
She was able to put up her mask and pretend like everything was okay. However, deep down, she was quite uncomfortable. She didn’t know what it was. She felt like there were too many people in such a small space. It wasn’t like school where there more people but she could easily find somewhere quiet if she felt like it was too much. In the house, it felt like she was imprisoned, even though she was welcome to leave if she wanted to. It felt loud too. Even if the noise wasn’t deafening to everyone else, it was too Maki. It was just a strange sensation and Maki wasn’t sure how she should go through with it.
Maki was staying the night, but a part of her felt like she needed to run away. She thought that being in Kaito’s room and being away from the elders for a while would help. However, this feeling still lingered, continuing to make her feel like she was being smothered. Maybe it was a mistake to come here this soon. Trying to clear her head, Maki was able to slip out of the house and into the back garden. She went through the house so silently that she was sure that no one even sensed that she was awake. Maki gently closed the door behind her to try to keep some of the warmth in the house. She sat down on the stone bench, the grass tickling her bare feet. The night seemed to be peaceful. It wasn’t quiet thanks to cars going past as people were either coming home or starting their late shifts at work or going for a night out with friends. There was even the odd person or group of people walking past. But still, despite the noise, there was a bit of a calming atmosphere. Maybe it was because Maki was outside and she felt less like she was being pressured to stay.
Maybe this really was too soon. Maki felt like she should’ve just visited for a few hours and leave instead of staying the night. She felt like she should leave now. She can take care of herself so she wasn’t afraid of leaving so late at night. Maki was considering on leaving with an apology note to Kaito but she didn’t have a chance to go through with it. She didn’t even have a chance to go back inside or even stand up. She was so lost in thought that she jumped a little when someone gently draped a blanket over her shoulders. Maki flinched as she turned her head. Thankfully she relaxed as she saw Kaito’s grandmother standing behind her, wrapped up in a blue dressing gown.
“You looked like you were getting cold, dear.” The elderly woman sailed apologetically. Maki was about to politely decline but then she saw how blue her hands were. How did she not realise that she was indeed freezing? She must have been that deep in thought.
“Thank you.” Maki meekly spoke, instinctively wrapping the light purple blanket around her tightly. Her toes curled up as the cold started to affect them too.
“What’s on your mind?” Kaito’s grandmother asked as she carefully sat down next to Maki.
“It…it’s nothing…” Maki sighed. That feeling returned again. The one that made her feel like she was being smothered. It wasn’t as powerful as it was before. Maybe it was because she was outside or with only one person or maybe even both. Either way, it was too strong and felt like it was a struggle to contain.
“I may be old, and my eyesight might not be that good nowadays, but I know when someone’s troubled by something.” Kaito’s grandmother chuckled lightly. It wasn’t cruel or malicious towards Maki. It was kind and lighthearted. It made Maki seem like she had nothing to worry about. Especially after spotting a small glint of kindness in the woman’s eyes. “So why don’t you humour this old lady?” Maki hesitated. Should she?
Maki didn’t think long about it before her mouth suddenly opened and started talking before she could stop herself. A part of her was screaming at her to stop but she couldn’t. She truly didn’t want to. She laid out all of her thoughts and feelings that she had experienced today. The feeling of being enclosed and like she was a prisoner, even though she knew that she wasn’t. The sensation of not being used to people that were kind and their feelings of care were genuine. All of these alien thoughts and feelings that just came crashing to her like a freight train. All the while, Kaito’s grandmother sat there patiently. She didn’t interrupt or stop Maki from talking. She didn’t seem upset or angry. She just seemed to be at peace and full of all the patience in the world. She gave off this calming aura that gently encouraged Maki to keep letting out all of her troubles. By time Maki finished, she felt light. Light as in she was floating off of the bench right now. However, she still felt troubled. She just unloaded all of her troubles rather suddenly. A part of her felt like she shouldn’t have done it this late at night.
“I’m sorry. I’m just causing problems.” Maki sighed, slouching a little. She felt like she should get up and go back inside, but she couldn’t move. It felt like some invisible force was holding her down. And it seemed like it needed to be there and have her stay just a little longer.
“Maki, listen to me sweet heart. I know of your situation, or at least most of it. Kaito wouldn’t tell us the full story.” Kaito’s grandmother gently spoke, her hand comfortingly laying on Maki’s shoulder. Maki didn’t show it but she was thankful again for Kaito not telling his family about her talent, but that was besides the pint. She listened intently to the elder. “But what I do know was that the ones who adopted you weren’t the nicest of people. They may have taken you in, but they’re not family. Having a family doesn’t mean that you have to be related by blood or being forced to stay under their roof because you feel obligated to. Family is the people that you are close to and that you care about with all your heart. And they listen when you need a shoulder to cry on and to help make you feel better.
Take Kaito for instance. He cares so much about you, dear. Because of that, you are a part of this family now. I understand that this all strange and even frightening to you, but take your time with all of this. The last thing that we need is for you to feel like you shouldn’t be here. You have nothing to worry about with us. I know that we’ve only just met today, but already you feel like a granddaughter that I’ve never got to have. That is, if you’re okay with me saying such.”
It was like a switch had been flicked so suddenly. Those words deafened every other noise that dared to interrupt the peace. The voice was loud and clear despite having a frail sound. Maki felt like she had been changed so suddenly as the elder spoke to her. The feeling of being suffocated was suddenly erased, like it had never been there to begin with. Instead of being uncomfortable, Maki felt more comfort than she had ever had her whole life. She no longer felt like there was this invisible force that was weighing her down. She felt light, weightless. Like as though she could fly off into the stars at that moment. All the worries and doubts that she had and felt were washed away.
The feeling of that was so quick that Maki didn’t have any time to try to stop the tears from falling. She tried to stop them from flowing. Kaito’s grandmother seemed to have a teary smile herself. She opened her arms, being patient with Maki. She didn’t rush. She only waited. She allowed Maki to leave if she wanted to. Maki stayed. She found herself enveloped in a hug. It was so gentle that it felt like Maki was wrapped up in a second hug. The tears seemed to keep coming as all the emotions that Maki had felt were finally let out with full force. It was just what she needed.
Maki didn’t know how one she had cried for. She just kept going until the tears finally stopped running like a waterfall. By time they stopped, her body felt heavy with sleep. She felt like she needed to sleep for a hundred years after letting all of those tears out. As she pulled back slightly, Kaito’s grandmother gently wiped away any remaining tears that hadn’t dried up yet. They both sat there for a minute longer before they finally ent back inside. Maki still had the small blanket wrapped around her shoulders as she said goodnight to the elder. She crept into Kaito’s room. Kaito was still asleep, snoring quietly. Seems like he didn’t notice that Maki had left the bedroom in the first place. Maki slipped silently into the bed. She thought that she didn’t wake up her boyfriend until she felt the mattress shift.
“You okay, Maki Roll? You were gone for quite a while.” Kaito mumbled, his voice heavy with sleep. Maki’s lips curled up into a tired smile as she looked over her shoulder. Kaito looked so drowsy that she wasn’t sure if he’d fall asleep on her right then and there.
“I’m fine.” She reassured him, making sure that he was out at ease. Kaito didn’t give a coherent response to that. He only grumbled a little before his body slumped back down on the mattress. His arm however looped lazily around Maki. Maki waited until she heard him snoring quietly again. Then she sighed in content as she fell into a peaceful slumber, finally feeling like she had a family that night.
who’s a character that you would take personally if someone didn’t like them?, to start I would literally block & unfollow if I saw kevin or garth hate
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