(DISCONTINUED! REWRITE IS OUT NOW) Down the Rabbit Hole {Danganronpa}

Chapter 21 ~ Anger Issues

Shuichi coughed, struggling not to choke on his food. Out of all the questions that could've been asked, why was it that one? Kaito noticed him coughing and immediately went to get him a glass of water. He hid a smug smile, knowing he had asked the right question. It didn't surprise him that Kokichi said something about him. And he had a pretty good idea what. Handing Shuichi the glass, Kaito patiently waited, ready to ask the question again.

"Figures he would say something bad about me," he said, laughing as if it was a joke. "Tell me what it is."

Shuichi finished chugging the water down, giving Kaito a nervous look. He didn't want to say the actual words. The actual truth. Taking deep breaths, he tried stalling, acting as if he was in a bit of pain. He tried to think quickly, knowing he wasn't the best at lying anymore. Thinking through what little was said about Kaito, Shuichi decided to go for a half truth again.

"He said to avoid you," he mumbled, looking away. "Even dragged me away from almost talking to you one time when I was here." He paused for a second, thinking carefully on his next words. "And when you showed up a the house, he yelled at me to hide, pushing me under the bed before opening the door."

Kaito stared at him, waiting for Shuichi to continue. When it became clear that was the end of the story, he narrowed his eyes, not believing it.

"Didn't he tell you why you should stay away from me," Kaito asked.

"No," Shuichi said, picking up the fork again to finish eating and avoid talking.

Kaito snatched the fork from Shuichi, throwing it to the wall. Shuichi squeaked at the sudden movement, knowing he had said the wrong answer. He stood up in his chair, backing away from Kaito, who glared at him.

"I-It's the truth!" He attempted to sound angry, hoping it would seem more convincing.

But it seemed useless as Kaito grabbed Shuichi's arm, pulling him closer. He couldn't control his temper but wouldn't allow Shuichi to run away. Sighing, he held Shuichi in a tight grip, forcing Shuichi to sit back down. Shuichi winced, beginning to put up a fight.

"Stop it," Kaito growled. "You're not in danger!" His tone didn't match his words, failing to stop Shuichi. Without thinking, he took his sword out. "Look!" He throw it at the wall, right next to the fork.

Shuichi stared at the sword in disbelief. Kaito no longer being in possession of a weapon did calm Shuichi a bit. Despite that Kaito could easily harm him with just his bare hands, he decided to stop struggling, staying still. It wasn't like struggling was getting him too far anyways. If he did plan on running, he would need to wait for a perfect opportunity when Kaito wasn't holding onto him.

Kaito smiled, his anger decreasing a bit. "Good. Now let's try this again." He kept one hand on Shuichi's shoulder, holding him down and applying some pressure.

"He didn't say-" Shuichi started, interrupted by Kaito clamping his hand over his mouth.

"You know... I really hate liars."

Shuichi gulped, not wanting to get on Kaito's bad side. If he wasn't already there, that is. But what could he do? Was it even all that bad to tell the truth? What would Kaito even do?

Losing any patience he had left, Kaito decided to straight up ask what he wanted to know. "Do you know that I killed you?"

All color faded from Shuichi's face, his eyes widening. He could only guess how long Kaito knew, wondering where they would go from here. Kaito made no act to try to kill him, meaning that wasn't his intention. Then why does it even matter? What would this information do? From what Shuichi could tell, nothing. The sword remained in the corner, being unneeded.

Shuichi took a deep breath before answering. "Yes... He did."

Silence filled the room as Shuichi waited for a reaction. Neither moved, Kaito's grip neither lightening nor hardening. Anxiety filled within Shuichi with each passing second. The sound of a nearby clock ticking could be heard, along with some muffled yelling from the assassins outside. Though the voices didn't last long, leaving just the constant sound of ticking.

After what felt like hours, Kaito finally moved, letting go of Shuichi's shoulder. He walked over to a drawer, taking out another fork. Shuichi watched Kaito closely as he walked back over, handing the fork to Shuichi. He looked up at Kaito, giving a puzzled look.

"I know what you're wondering," Kaito mumbled. "But no. I don't want to kill you." He gave a smile of assurance, patting Shuichi's back.

Slowly, Shuichi began eating again, sighing in relief. He believed Kaito, seeing no reason not to.

Kaito looked towards the doorway, contemplating something. "Wait here, alright?"

Shuichi nodded, not looking up.

"Seriously. It would be a pain to have to chase you down." He gave a nervous laugh. When Shuichi made no attempt to stand, Kaito slowly left the kitchen, heading to his room.

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🌿Fuck. Life.🌿