Apnornagnad

Makoto Awakens

"Nng..."

Makoto Naegi's naehead nached. His eyes fluttered open to look at his new unfamiliar surroundings. Not a speck of dust on his garments, no scratches or strange items. His ahoge was still intact, good. Makoto rose up and swiveled his head around, eyes widened in surprise.

A city. Buildings reached for the stars, but weren't skyscrapers. The afternoon sun beat down on his hoodie, warm and comforting. Makoto had somehow ended up in a park, laying in a patch of grass. The most noticeable feature was the peculiar statue in the middle. "Is this...Jabberwock Park? Like in the Neo World Program?" Makoto asked aloud.

"I don't think so," a stoic voice answered behind him. The voice scared Naegg, and so he crawled back in alarm.

It was Kyoko Kirigiri, the Ultimate Detective. Her lavender eyes pierced his own, not a trace of emotion could be detected.

"Ah-! Kyoko! Why are we in Jabberwock Park?" Mac fired at her.

"We aren't in the Neo World Program. I feel normal, but perhaps we are being deceived."

"I think we are, because...I'm here..." A new person had joined their conversation. It was Chihiro Fujisaki, the Ultimate Programmer.

"Ch-Chihiro! You're alive again!" The egg eggsclaimed.

"Hey, don't forget about me," another voice rang out. Mondo Owada, the Ultimate Biker Gang Leader trotted up to them, his hair bouncing with each step.

"BROOO!!!" Someone hollered. Kiyotaka Ishimaru, the Ultimate Moral Compass, bounded up to Mondo, delaying him. The two embraced, tears cascading down their cheeks, mouths stretched into grins.

"I thought I'd never see you again!!!" Taka cried.

"Same here, bro. Same here."

Ishmar placed his hand on Monmon's cheek, and then cried out, "I CAN'T BELIEVE IT'S NOT BUTTER!!!"

";w;" went Chihiro.

"If they're all alive, then maybe this is a dream or something..." Makoto spoke.

"If this was all a dream, it should be a nightmare," scoffed Byakuya Togami, Ultimate Affluent Progeny.

"M-Master!" Toko Fukawa, the Ultimate Writing Prodigy, squealed from behind the statue.

"This whole ordeal is quite perplexing," Kiri commented.

"Ahh...that was a good stretch. Now where are the doughnuts?" A peppy voice questioned. It came from Aoi Asahina, the Ultimate Swimming Pro. Her large doughnuts moved with her movements, enticing Makoto. But he and his ahoge knew better.

"Hina, suppress your hunger for now until we have a firm grasp on this situation," a familiar voice bellowed. Sakura Ogami, the Ultimate Martial Artist.

"Ahh! This has gotta be the occult!" cried Yasuhiro Hagakure, the Ultimate Clairvoyant. The weed addict began to run amok, tearing out his bushy hair. Suddenly, Yasuless swung backward, and crashed onto the ground.

"Man, this guy's always been a pain!" A baseball bounced off from his forehead, and onto the ground. Makoto heard someone's hand slapping against something- it was Leon Kuwata, the Ultimate Baseball Star. Makoto had chosen to never divulge what he thought the slapping sounds were.

"Ah, I haven't felt a breeze like this for quite some time. It's almost refreshing, being trapped in Hope's Peak for so long." This person's words were imbued with elegance, containing a strange but all too familiar accent. Celestia Ludenberg, the Ultimate Gambler. However, her true name was Taeko Yasuhiro.

"This flowing wind empowers me to write! I can feel words coursing through my veins, and they must leak onto the paper! My princess, it is dedicated to you!" Hifumi Yamada, the Ultimate Fanfic Creator, pranced around happily, trying to fly. But his excessive weight dragged him down.

As more of Makoto's old classmates began to swarm together, their eyes shone with hope. All of the despair teeming from Hope's Peak had diminished, as they were now alive. But were they really...? "Excuse me, It's really you, right? Makoto Naegi?" Makoto turned around.

It was Sayaka Maizono, the Ultimate Pop Sensation. She was crouching down to peer at him, her soft pink lips curled into a smile, her eyes closed and content. It was Sayaka...

"Sayaka..." Mac n' Cheese breathed.

"I know what you're thinking. You probably hate me for trying to frame you, and I caused you to break your promise. I'm sorry!" Sayaka then bowed, flustering the child.

"N-No, I should be the one who's sorry! I was too gullible and wasn't strong enough to protect you..." The two were kneeling with silence hanging between them.

"But that's what makes you, you. That's why you're the Ultimate Hope." Kyoko was standing above him. For a second, Makoto could detect jealousy cracking in the air.

"Pardon me, but...this is really the 78th class, right?" A distinct yet unwavering voice came from a few feet away from everyone. Their features began to instantly remind the classmates of someone, someone who they have never met in person, as their true self. Mukuro Ikusaba, the Ultimate Soldier. She wasn't dressed up as Junko, but it was her. The real Mukuro.

Makoto rose to his feet and began to make his way over to her. "Mukuro...? Is it really you? You're not dead?!" Even though Mukuro tried to keep up a calm facade, relief reflected in her eyes for just a bit.

"I hope so...I really do. I do not appear to be wounded, and for some reason, it feels as if a burden has been taken off my heart."

Naeggles chuckled. "Perhaps it's because you've finally found hope."

"Ah...has anyone seen Junko anywhere?"

"RIGHT THE FUCK HERE, BITCHES!!!" A figure shadowed the sunny rays, but then leaped out of the way. Junko Enoshima, the Ultimate Fashionista flawlessly landed onto the ground, grinning devilishly. Recoiling from her skeptical nature, everyone stepped back. Mukuro advanced and guarded Makoto, willing to guard him against her own sister.

Junko wasn't just the Ultimate Fashionista, she was also Ultimate Despair. United with Mukuro and countless others, they wrought havoc upon the world. Beginning the Tragedy, sparking wars, and forcing numerous people into killing games. The very origin of despair lay before their very eyes. "I bet you all missed me so much, it filled you with despair!!!" Junko taunted.

Then, a snake-like item appeared midair. It swooped down, and cracked the air like thunder. Junko had been whipped. Instead of yowling in agony, the girl let out a lusty moan. "P-Please, don't...that hurts..." she whimpered. The whip disappeared, leaving the witnesses baffled.

"What'd...What'd I say? I only said despai-" Junko cried out agony due to the whip reappearing, but it didn't sound like she was in pain. Maybe she was enjoying it...?

"It should start to make sense what's happening now. Tell them, Naegi!" Byakuya ordered.

"Uh...Well it seems that whenever Junko says 'despair', or does something that can induce it, she gets whipped."

"What a bummer..." Junko mourned.

"But why? And where is that thing coming from anyway?" Hina questioned.

"Perhaps we are in an artificial world," Celeste concluded.

"Hell no! Most of us are alive again, and somehow I can really feel it!" Butter protested.

All of the formerly deceased nodded in agreement. What was going on here...?