Faces of the moon

Lv 1: The throne

This chapter is for all the nice ppl who read and commented on this story. Ily<3

Shuichi

The space behind the checkered door was pitch black. Not really like darkness and I got a feeling that flashlights would help to light the it up. Instead it felt more solid which was strange since it clearly contained regular air. It was like my touch and sight were in a disagreement. It also didn't cast any shadow on my body. I could see myself just as clearly as in the light.

I carefully put my foot down and felt solid ground even though I could see anything. I stepped out and started walking. It's risky I know the ground might just crumble underneath me. But I didn't think it would.

I looked back in the direction I'd come from. Gonta stood nervously in the doorway. "It's ok!" I tried to sound reassuring. He looked up at me and and back down. The large boy took a few careful steps before running up to me.

"Gonta, be careful!" Tsumugi also stepped out. She looked surprised and stumbled a little bit forward. She regained her balance, smiled and started jogging towards us.

Then the rest followed. As the last one entered the door shut closed and vanished.

"What the hell!?", Kaito said.

"Son of a bitch!" Miu walk back and tried to reached for it.

"It's no use.", Keebo assured her. "And besides since this place is just hypothetical, he can't trap us any more than we already are. I suggest that we keep walking forward. We're bound to end up somewhere."

"That sounds logical. But it doesn't make me feel any better." Himiko rapped her arms around her shoulder like she's cold.

"I agree with Keebo.", Tsumugi said and took the lead. "It'ts the best thing we can do now at least."

As everyone walked after Tsumugi, I heard quick footsteps and Maki was beside me.

"Hey Shuichi.", she said. "About what Kokichi said."

"Yes?"

"He said that your blabbering was getting boring or something like that. Did you talk to him?"

"Yes I did. I tried to convince him to let us out of here. I knew that he could make me loose if he wanted to."

Maki nodded. "So what did you say?"

"That I didn't want him to die. That I wanted to save him. That we wanted to save him. I guess that was the important part."

"What part?"

"That we all care for him, not just me."

"Do you care for him?"

"Well I guess. I care for all my friends." I glanced at her. "Don't you?"

"No."

We kept walking in silence until the space started to shift. It brightened and and the platform we stood on lowers. Walls rose around us until we stood in the middle of a big arena. It filled with rows after rows with seats but instead of people the audience was filled with stuffed animals in bright colors. The roof consisted of a large glass dome. The sky behind it was blue and clear.

The last thing to appear was the playground. A chess board was painted onto the floor and the figures emerged from from it. They broke trough the ground as easily as if it were water. I had to step aside as a large horse head took my place. And of course Kokichi himself. He sat on a high throne decorated with gold and shining gemstones. He was wearing his usual outfit but in different to the Kokichi I knew he had dark pink hair and eyes the color of blood. On his head he wore crown the glittered it the sun and he had a big teddy bear in his lap. I resist the urge laugh.

"Welcome nishishi!" Kokichi tilted his head barely catching the crown before it fell off.

"Why is his hair pink?", Kaito whispered to the assassin standing beside him.

"Maybe he's cosplaying as someone.", Tsumugi answered even though the question clearly wasn't directed at her. "But I don't know who."

"I don't know what I expected Kokichi's core to look like but not this. Or wait... this is actually exactly what I expected.", Himiko said.

"I don't think this is his core, Himiko."

The pink haired Kokichi rested his head on the teddy bear. He looked down at us with an evil smile playing on his lips.

"What do you want Kokichi?!" Keebo raised his voice obviously uncomfortable under Kokichi's stare.

"What I want? I want you to die!", Kokichi giggled. "I want you to suffer and burn. I want you to fall into completely despair so that your ghost will hunt the living world, forever." His state was piercing. "Hihi- just kidding. You know I love you Keeboy. Don't you?"

I shuddered, and when I looked at Keebo... He was shaking. "You- you..."

"Stop it Kokichi!", I yelled. I was getting really irritated by now. "He's just messing with you."

"Of course! I knew that!" The robot shaked his head and went back to normal.

I looked back at Kokichi and met his gaze. Even though I already knew the answer I still asked. "This isn't the core is it?"

"Of course not! Did you really thing it would be that easy? I'm very disappointed in you, Shuichi." He didn't look very sad though. "You're going to entertain me. With a game."

"So we're going to play chess.", Kaito said with a raised eyebrow. "I don't even know the rules!"

"Well I didn't expect you to.", Kokichi hummed. "You have the brain capacity of a pig. But that just gives me an advantage!"

"You little...!" He didn't get to finish because Miu got first.

"Don't you worry! I happen to be an expert at chess!", Miu said proudly. "I'll beat this brat into a plump!"

"Oh really!" Kokichi smile reached from ear to ear and made me shudder.