Being with me

A lie

Kokichi wasn't even sure how long it's been. He felt like he had been with Leader forever and he had forgotten how it was like before him. It's not like Kokichi minded, he liked Leader a lot. The artificial being had helped him cope for the longest of time, it helped to see words of strength and confidence coming from a mouth that looked like his rather than someone else's. It helped to hear the many stories of strength come from Leader, about all the hatred, distrust, near death experiences, losses, and death itself. All from a confident being that bore his face.

Kokichi came home, he hated his home environment but since he grew aware of the fact that Leader is always in his room somewhere, he grew neutral feelings to it. Running up to his room and closing his door, Kokichi walked in on Leader sitting in his case, looking at the clock. "Leader?" Kokichi asked with light concern as he looked at Leader's face. It was blank and expressionless, it looked serious, his glass eyes looking in anticipation for a certain time to come. "L-Leader!" Kokichi called again and Leader turned his head. "I heard you once you know." He said, a grin attempting to form on his face.

"W-why are you like that? I-is something wrong?!" Kokichi asked frantically as he looked at Leader acting strangely. Leader closed his eyes, the grin fleeting. "Season 54." He simply said. "Eh?" Kokichi replied. "Danganronpa season 54. It's starting soon." Leader barely elaborated. "W-what is that supposed to mean?!" Kokichi exclaimed. He was still a fan of Danganronpa of course but now he couldn't feel the same hype he did when he heard the announcements of the other seasons. Of course he can't, this could mean that he could lose Leader. What's going to happen to Leader?

Leader looked at Kokichi with a grin. "That look of despair on your face, I can tell you know what I'm about to say." He noted and Kokichi felt a tear fall down his cheek. "Don't cry, are you really that naive? Of course, I was unable to stay until the very beginning. I'm a washed up season 53 puppet, I'm not needed anymore." Leader continued. "W-what will happen to you?" Kokichi choked out another tearful question. "Not too long from now, this body of mine will expire. I'll be motionless, practically dead. Then the team will come to your door and ask for me back." Leader explained.

Kokichi wiped another stray tear. Leader was right, his existence was too good to last. He was going to fleet away from Kokichi's reality, fleeting into a distant memory. He saw Leader raise his hand and slowly point a finger at Kokichi. "Don't be a coward, I expect better than that from you." Leader said with a grin, but it looked like it was struggling. "L-Leader you don't understand..! Y-you never understand.. I-I'm hopeless w-without you..! You're so.. you're so important to me.. you helped me see potential in me..!" Kokichi began in a tangent of sobs and cries. "Yeah but that potential is fading away with you acting like that." Leader stated and Kokichi's breath hitched in his throat.

Leader grinned as he put down his hand. He got up on his knees and beckoned Kokichi forth. When Kokichi approached him, Leader held his face in his hands. Kokichi was welcomed by the same feeling of warm resin touching his skin. Leader kept silent as Kokichi kept crying into his hands. "You tried to kill yourself one time, I walked in on you with all of that rope. Or when I noticed that secret blade you hid and I went all my way to hide it." He said and he grinned in satisfaction when he saw Kokichi's eyes widened.

"Yes, it's gone because of me. Because I can't help but to get sick of all of that self inflicted harm and all of those words of 'I'm weak, I'm better off dead' and how I'm 'your only hope of becoming strong.' You're an idiot really. You don't need something like me to prove your strength, you have to find it yourself and you sure as hell won't find it by trying to destroy yourself. You know how I grew so 'strong?' It's easy. I said 'I want to live.' And so I went on with that will to live." Leader said with serious eyes. "B-but that was because—" "the real world is a killing game too in its own way. They can kill you any minute, right? Even you can kill you any minute. You can't just excuse it all just because it's not Danganronpa, the real world is still it's own killing game and you have to win. You have to live." Leader shut him down with another piece of powerful advice.

Leader grinned at Kokichi, it looked somewhat menacing. "Still. You're an idiot, you don't even realize your own growing strength. You keep excusing it, thinking that I'm only like this because I was in some measly killing game as an Ultimate Supreme Leader." Leader began. "W-what do you mean?" Kokichi asked. "Just because I died, just because I saw others die doesn't mean I'm stronger than you. I'd be damned if you never noticed but you know, I can't make myself unwind faster. When you shove me some place to hide, I hear your battle. I hear your struggling and the loud noises and voices. I hear you." Leader added. Kokichi realized that the grin was actually an attempt at a genuine smile. Kokichi remained silent. "I remember a lot, y'know. Like when I first heard you first say 'I'll create my own path' to that brute. Do you remember?" Leader continued, Kokichi sobbed. "Remember when you came home that one time and went to treat your own wounds without a word? Remember when you said 'I'll get them to stop hurting me.' That same day? Or when you started to talk back to those maggots that call themselves parents? Or even when I lied and you always doubted my word, wanting to find a possible truth." Leader finished off with a smile.

"I..I..." Kokichi was lost for words. He could hear the ticking time of the clock on the wall of his room. He felt balljointed fingers running themselves on his cheeks and under his eyes. Kokichi was going to miss the feeling of the smooth and warm resin running alongside his soft flesh. "You're strong too. You're growing that strength, you started to pave your own way. I can see it now, you want to live, don't you?" Leader asked. Kokichi slowly nodded. "Say it." Leader ordered.

"I.. I want.. I want to l-live.." Kokichi said between sobs.

"What?" Leader asked with feigned innocence.

"I-I want.. to live..!"

"Whaaat?"

"I.. I WANT TO LIVE..!"

Leader smiled in satisfaction. It was a glorious sight to see the once suicidal and self loathing Kokichi now basically screaming how he wanted to live. The genuine emotion coursing through the voice as it finally found and vocalized the will to live.

"Then live." Leader said with a smile and Kokichi looked up at him with wide eyes, tears still falling from them. "I'm glad that even a liar like you can be honest and tell me. I mean even if you did lie to me right here and now that you didn't want to live, I would've told you otherwise. Since you see, I see that will to live in you. I see your strength. You just let everyone else bury it." Leader said.

His body started to slow down. His hands barely staying on Kokichi's face as the rest of his body shook. It seemed like such a struggle for him to even stay "alive." Leader slowly leaned into Kokichi's face, a smile on his face.

"You're strong.. I believe in you.. I want you live and that is not..."

before he could finish, Leader's body suddenly grew limp as it fell over into the case. Kokichi hiccuped as he heard the popping sound of the key unlocking from leader's back and into the case. It looked worn out, it was definitely impossible to wind up Leader once again. Kokichi wiped his tears and began to adjust Leader properly into his case. Kokichi positioned him until he was laying on his back, his arms crossed over his chest and his hands gingerly holding the key. Kokichi placed Leader's hat on his head and gently lifted his body to place the cape under him.

Kokichi looked down to see the still face that looked like his. The purple eyes still open and a smile on Leader's face. The face of a painted on smile of a doll. Kokichi leaned into the case.

"A lie.." he whispered into the case with a sad smile.