[A/N] Apologies for the ridiculously long hiatus, lovelies. That SHOULD hopefully be the last one in the series (no promises). Thank you so much for bearing with me and being such a wonderful audience. Also, at this point, I'm going to say that Free Time Events are basically required reading at this point. If any new readers have not yet read the Free Time Events, please check them out here: https://www.wattpad.com/story/250876944-drldod-free-time-events
Gou, January 9th, 6:55 am
"Gou. Gou. GOU! You have to wake up! Please!"
My eyes snap open. It takes me a sec to realize nobody was actually talking to me. Agh. It's been a long time since I've had a nightmare like that. Chimon and Fujiko are snuggled up, one in each of my arms, on the bed. When we stopped feeling the need to watch Yuu, we'd decided to sleep in our own rooms again, but tonight, we chose to slumber party the fuck out of this shit. Ren, Azumi, and Yuu each use futons, and Ren's managed to steal Azumi's blanket in his sleep. I chuckle softly, being careful not to wake the others. "Good morning," I murmur fondly.
The door suddenly unlocks and slams open. Fujiko squeals, startled. "GOOOOOOOOD MORNING, EVERYBODY! IT'S YOUR FIRST DAY OF INVESTIGATION! RISEEEEE AND SHINE, MY SWEET CHICKADEES!"
"Goddamn," Yuu groans, "my first dream-free sleep in months gets interrupted by my real life nightmare."
"Well, it's good to know it worked, at least," Chimon responds sleepily, rubbing his eyes.
"Where are we to begin, Monokuma?" Azumi asks, shockingly unbothered.
"Puhuhu! Well, you all never got the chance to pick a memento from Wakumi, did you? Maybe it would be right to give her room a once-over!"
"I would say that the most important mystery to me is how to win your guys' love, but this one is actually really damn important," Ren sighs, offering a hand to Azumi.
"It's a good thing I look super cute in my pj's, cause it doesn't seem like I'm gonna get to put on makeup." Fujiko stretches and then jumps out of the bed with enthusiasm.
"Nahhhhh, I'm getting into clothes, I don't even care," Yuu objects. Azumi can't hold back a smirk.
"C'mon, all. Get dressed. Grab something small to eat while we work. Meet outside her room in ten minutes. It's time to stare into the depths of this hell so we can find out what it really is!" I encourage. I swore to Wakumi I was ending this. I will end this.
"Just for the record," Ren interrupts as everyone begins to file out of my bedroom, "y'all are hot with bedhead." I knock on my helmet playfully, reminding him that I wear it even to sleep. He cackles.
The silence is deafening. There's not even a ticking clock, it's just the sounds of my own breath and the process of getting ready. We started this war as sixteen friends, and now there are six. If I can be proud of anything in this fucking mess... I'm proud that Azumi, Chimon, Fujiko, Ren, and Yuu are still loud. In fact, they never really were the assertive ones, back when this all began. But in the absence of a lot of strong voices– Kana, Wakumi, Keiji– they still refuse to lay down. In this silence, in this rumination, I cry. They're tears made out of a combination of pretty much every emotion you could imagine. And, my God, how many of my big words did I learn from people like Azumi and Sayuri? Rumination. Gossamer.
I stop by the kitchen to grab myself a few apples, scolding Chimon lightly for snagging chips instead of anything healthier. He snickers good-naturedly, puts them back, and cuts up a pomelo.
Shortly thereafter, the six of us reunite. "You have 48 hours!" Monokuma announces. I take a deep, shuddering breath and turn the door knob.
Her room is tidy. I see that a few of us are surprised by that, but I'm not too taken-aback. She may have been a temperamental storm, but first of all, she's a first-mate, and she made it KNOWN to me that she would dutifully clean the ship whenever asked. Second, she had the role of the traitor. She was Tozen's killer and she knew she would die as a result. A sun-faded flag hangs proudly over her bedpost. A model ship sits on her bedside table and a long strand of net adorns her wall for her to climb on. My heart feels heavy and we're all quiet.
YOU ARE READING
Danganronpa: Locked Doors of Despair
Fanfiction16 Talented high school students drafted for a one-month enrichment program are up for a rude awakening: they're actually here to participate in a killing game.
