Down the Rabbit Hole (Danganronpa) (Rewrite)

Chapter 1 ~ Suffering

🌿Alright, this is the rewrite! Hoping people like the different direction I take this. If you are new here, this story was originally based on the manga "Alice in the Country of Hearts" with changes. It still is but I made a lot of differences this time. I still took the plot of being forced into a dangerous Wonderland, but this is more of an action and psychological story now. I got inspiration from other stuff too. So hopefully people like this like how people liked the original. Also, saying this now, that characters aren't going to be completely in character. This is a world where everyone looks like his old friends but aren't. They will have in character moments and out of character moments.

Warning! This story will have some dark themes. Specifically, this chapter has attempted suicide. So be careful reading it.🌿

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It had only been a few months since the killing game ended, releasing the three remaining survivors into a world that wanted them dead. Even though they convinced a good chunk of people to vote on ending Danganronpa for good, there was still the other half that wanted it to continue. Though the three couldn't actually force the killing games to stop, this halted production on future ones in the works, needing time to sway their audience back in support. The world broke out in protest on both sides, the once 'peaceful' world Tsumugi talked about now shattered.

Originally, the three agreed to be advocates against it, going to talk shows and starting social media accounts to tell their stories and spread the word. Unfortunately, a lot of this fell on deaf ears. One main argument being that this was just their fake personalities talking. The real them loved the franchise and should be brought back to give their opinions. This included talk about how every participant consented to this, meaning it shouldn't be a bad thing. No matter how hard the three fought, even their supporters began turning against them. Some didn't even care about the cause in the first place, just wanting the attention of their idols. Those ones specifically were easily swayed into hating them upon not getting the relationship they felt they deserved.

From riots to obsessive creeps, nothing was going their way. The three tried to stay together to keep each other from falling into despair and watch each other's backs, but that also eventually ended. Maki soon turned to a more violent direction, eventually snapping from all the harassment. She stopped coming home more often, leaving Himiko and Shuichi to their depressions. When she did come home, it was clear how much she was shutting her emotions down. Once the public caught wind of her activities, this sprouted more outrage, until she stopped coming home all together. The only reason the two knew she was still alive was because her work would sometimes be broadcasted on the news.

Himiko eventually couldn't take it anymore, suggesting to Shuichi that they try leaving the country. She took on the role of being the sole provider, saving up as much money as she could. Team Danganronpa was nice enough to give them a free house, it being in the contracts as a reward for winning, so rent wasn't something to worry about. While she did that, Shuichi couldn't even get himself to leave the bed, at this point just wishing death. This led to some fights, Himiko insisting this would go a lot faster if Shuichi helped. But nothing could convince him to get up. Eventually, she never came back, too.

Shuichi didn't notice it at first, barely awake most days. If it weren't for the fact that he still ate sometimes just to stay alive, he wouldn't have noticed the note she left. She gained enough money to move out of the country, apologizing for not taking Shuichi with. But this had become too much for her, making the decision to leave everything behind. He immediately tried calling Maki but she didn't answer, leading him to finally leaving the house to do his own investigation. He needed to find both of them, unable to handle losing the last two he had in his life. But no matter how hard he looked, both were practically gone from his life.