danganronpa - deluded | fanganronpa

[ deluded - the end ]

Question of The Day:

How did you guys like Deluded? Should I make another Fangan?

Guys. I'll make my ramble at the end of this, but it's sure been a journey. This isn't the final part of Deluded. There's an epilogue after this, but honestly, I think this sums up the story in the most bittersweet ending I could muster up.

I'll save it for the epilogue. I love you guys, we did this together.

-

Akira stepped back, her entire body quivering. "WHAT!?"

"Ahah! Don't look so surprised!" Yuuna cheered, waving her legs around like a child would. "Yep, yep! Akira is the Mastermind! Haha, I knew I'd need to make a character to write from the perspective of. Without her, I wouldn't have a protagonist, so technically she's the reason the Killing Game exists."

"No! I-I can't be the Mastermind!" Akira cried, tears welling up in her eyes for the hundredth time that day. "Please! You can't do this to me! I would never force my friends to do this!"

"You didn't. I did, but still, without you, there'd be no Killing Game, so you're technically the Mastermind," Yuuna shrugged. "...Why do you think Shinako tried to frame you? I told her that ' Akira was the Mastermind! '. I forgot to mention that you didn't exactly know you were... Boohoo. So, are your friends gonna hate you now or what?"

Rei stepped in front of the traumatized archer protectively. "No. Akira had no control over this. Even if all of our thoughts, feelings, lives, are scripted, I... can't help but feel my connection with her is real, even though it's not. I won't let you pin us against each other like this."

"R-Rei?" Akira sniffled.

"Awww, how cute. You're right about that part, though. Your connection with her is scripted! Oh, how adorable would it be for the stoic, tough one of the group to warm up and show her emotional side to our protagonist?" Yuuna cooed. "You don't know anything about her. Every single time you've shown weakness. Every single time you've shown your emotions, your soft side... it was fake."

"Why would you tell us this?!" Chiemi cried. "Why?! So we aren't upset when someone else gets murdered and we have to do this all over again?!"

"No. Because I'm giving Akira a choice. I won't write what she picks." To prove it, Yuuna broke the pencil with her teeth and spit the granite out somewhere off the chair. "...It all depends on the ' bonds ' she has with her ' friends '."

"What the fuck do you want with me now?" Akira spat. "You're disgusting."

"Oh, but how could you say that to me? Or, more specifically, you?" Yuuna laughed. "We're one and the same, Akira! I wrote you as a self-insert - you're supposed to represent how I would react in a Killing Game! Truth be told, Akira Sashiki isn't real, because she's actually Yuuna!"

Akira shut up when she was told that.

"Good, you're quiet. Here are your two options..."  Yuuna put up her index finger. "One, you stay here and allow me to finish this book. One more student will die. This student will commit suicide, though I won't tell you who it is. After this, the book will be ' completed ' and you'll be stuck here together, though you'll be stuck together with the other students. I won't have any need to write more script, so you'll be free to bond as real people."

B-Being stuck in a book forever sounds like Hell... but... is it worth it to stay with my friends? Agh, I don't know!

Yuuna put up another finger. "Option two: since Tokihiko kinda ruined the plans, I'll end the book right here and now. Your friends? They'll all be dead, as you won't be here to continue the story and I won't write any more script. Akira Sashiki won't exist either, of course, but you'll be a real person. That person you'll be is me. Yuuna."

"You're not making me pick between those two..." Akira breathed out. "I can't. Please. Don't make me do this."

"If she won't pick, I'll pick for her." Rei stood up straight. "...She's going back."

"W-What?!" Akira cried. "No! You- You'll die! I can't leave you!"

"If you stay, I might be the student that kills themselves anyway." Rei shrugs. "Your life is important. We don't even have lives. You do. I want you to live it. Without us."

"I can't." Akira repeated it over and over, like a mantra. "I can't I can't I can't."

"I know you're actually this super crazy person, but I care about you too much to let you rot here with us!" Chiemi shouted, moving to stand next to Rei. "You gotta go back. I'd rather die than stay alive knowing everything I've done was just... fake."

"Ch- I can't." Akira cried.

"Listen to yourself!" Obokata hissed. "You said to Raizo that you'd keep your promise. You promised him you'd end the Killing Game, so do it! The only way to end it is to dump the script!"

"Y-You too?" Akira cried. "No- N-Naoki? You agree with me, right?"

Naoki sighed and looked to the side. "Listen. I kinda agree with these tools. I think you could use this opportunity to maybe... get help about this ' Dang-an-rope-burn ' addiction. See a therapist. Make friends who actually exist instead of writing your own."

"Nao-" She couldn't finish before she let out a choked sob, pulling all of them into a hug. "I- Y-You guys-"

"So, is it decided? You gonna listen to your friends and do the best thing for you?" Yuuna asked seriously, fiddling with the broken pencil. "'Cause if so, I'm ready to end this thing right now."

Akira inhaled sharply. "You're right. Yeah. I'm ready to end this right now."

"Great!" Yuuna hopped down from her chair and pulled out a hard-cover book. "Just gotta get rid of this. It's the script. Without it, really, you'll snap out of your book persona. Say your final goodbyes while I get my match out."

Akira turned to the group and didn't even protest as they all engulfed her in a hug. "This- I can't believe this is it, guys. I'm gonna miss you all so much, oh God."

"Same." Chiemi breathed out. Somehow, the response made her laugh.

"I know it was all fake and I shouldn't get emotional over things that never even happened, but... God, I just feel like it was real." Akira continued. "I'm so sorry."

"Hurry up!" Yuuna snapped from behind her, holding the lit match above the book, but not quite burning it. "I wanna get this show on the road."

Akira pulled away from the hug and wiped her tear-stained cheeks. "I promise I'll remember all of you. Even if you're dead and not real, I'll remember so you can live on in me."

"That's all I could ask of you." Obokata smiled in glee, taking off Mutsumi's prized scarf and wrapping it around her neck. "Here, take this as a memory of 'Sumi and I. We're a trio, after all."

Rei perked up and took off her glasses, punched out the lenses, and shoved them on Akira's nose. "Take my glasses! I can see just fine without them."

Chiemi reached up into her hair and pulled out the scrunchie keeping her ponytail up, allowing it to fall down to her shoulders, wrapping it around Akira's braid. "And my scrunchie! It matches anything, I swear."

Naoki took off the ribbon around his neck and leaned down so he could put it securely around hers. "Here. It's not much. Hope you don't get called a popcorn container for wearing it."

Akira snickered through her tears. "Thanks, you guys. I'm gonna miss you all. I love you guys so much."

Yuuna nodded once Akira was finished, dropping the match and watching the book burn.

-

HOOOOOLY SHIT ALL THAT'S LEFT IS THE FUCKING EPILOGUE

IT'S SO HARD TO WRITE THIS, I GOT TOO ATTACHED TO ALL 16 OF MY BABIES

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA THE ENDING'S GONNA BE SO SAD D: