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

Chapter 25 ~ Peaceful Solution

Maki and Shuichi froze where they were, swords clashed together, as they tried to think of how to respond. Shuichi knew there was no way he was winning a fight with Maki. Not unless winning meant being cut up into tiny pieces. And yet, he didn't back down, staring directly into Maki's eyes with a serious look. To which Maki replied with a glare, beginning to move her sword for her next attack. But it wasn't in a quick, determined till the end kind of movement. It was clear to anyone that Maki was hesitant, giving Shuichi time to prepare for his next move. Looking up, he realized that night had fallen, making a light bulb go off on he top of his head.

"Put your sword down and I'll put away mine," Shuichi said, looking back into Maki's eyes.

"Excuse me," she asked in annoyance and disbelief.

"You heard me. I don't want to fight." He slowly began to lower his word, hoping Maki would do so as well.

She scoffed. "Never lower your weapon in a place like this. Do you want to die?"

Hearing Maki say her signature catchphrase made him want to laugh. Even though his Maki wasn't dead, it had been a while since he heard that. Maki noticed the amusement in his eyes and raised her sword to his neck, replacing his amusement with fear.

"Wait a second," Shuichi shouted, taking a step back. "Listen. Just put your sword down and we can all talk this out." He was aware just how ridiculous that sounded but was trying anyways.

Kaito chuckled, walking between the two and standing in front of Shuichi. Both Maki and Shuichi took a step back, unsure what Kaito was going to do.

"You're crazy if you think you can end a fight just like that," Kaito sneered, shaking his head. "Have you not been paying attention to the world you are in?"

"Oh shut up, Kaito," Maki said. "You don't even realized what country you're in half the time."

Kaito snarled at her, crossing his arms. Shuichi moved between them once more, sighing in annoyance.

"Just sit down," Shuichi yelled, losing his patience and confidence. "Both of you. Right now."

The two quietly stared at him, looking both offended but curious. They both knew Shuichi couldn't force them and would be stupid for trying. Which is why his command interested them. Wanting to know where he was going with this, the two did as he said and sat down in the grass. Shuichi gave a shocked expression before changing it to a small smile and sitting next to them.

"Tell me, what do you all usually do? Well, besides killing."

Maki and Kaito exchanged a look, hoping the other knew what Shuichi was getting at. When neither answered, Maki cleared her throat.

"This is a world in the middle of a war," She declared, narrowing her eyes. "What exactly do you think we-"

"I like taking long walks," Kaito said, interrupting Maki. He rubbed the back of his neck, looking down. "Sometimes I sleep outside under the stars."

Maki gave him a cold stare, about ready to slice Kaito's head off. "So you've been getting lost on purpose?" Her voice dripped with venom, her hand clutching her sword. 

"No!" Kaito rolled his eyes and shook his head. "I've just found use in it. If I'm forced to sleep outside then I might as well enjoy it. Besides, look at those stars!" He pointed towards te sky and looked at the stars in amazement.

Maki scoffed in return, turning to stare at Shuichi. "What is the point of this?"

Shuichi took a second to think of an answer, not quite sure himself. He had hoped they'd have a bonding moment like in the killing game. But it was obvious these two's stubbornness would get in the way. He turned to look at Kaito, who seemed too infatuated in the stars to notice. This caused Shuichi to smile once again, answering Maki without thinking.

"Just look at the stars," he said, laying onto his back to get a better look.

Hearing what Shuichi said, Kaito smiled then laid back as well. Maki stared at the two in complete anger. All of this had felt like a waste of time and she was losing her patience. But as the two payed no mind to her, she decided to see what was so fascinating about the sky, laying back like them. At first, she found this completely useless and debated on just leaving. However, the longer she stared at the stars, the calmer she got. She began the relax and felt her eyes getting heavy. Turning her head, she saw Kaito had already fallen asleep. With little hesitation, she did the same.

Shuichi watched as the two fell asleep, feeling accomplished. Realizing there weren't any threats, he closed his eyes and slept as well.