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

Chapter 26 ~ Terrible Wake Up Call

Shuichi slowly began to wake up, feeling a sudden warmth and the lack of a ground. Opening his eyes wide open, he noticed Kaito carrying him, Maki not too far behind. Looking up, he saw the sun slowly coming to a rise, causing him to shield his eyes. He didn't bother asking where they were going, deciding to have a little faith in them this one time. Still, he tried to keep his guard up, knowing it wouldn't take much to spark violence.

To Shuichi's surprise, Maki went her separate way, saying nothing to either of them. He wasn't sure whether that was comforting or not, turning his attention back to their surroundings. Kaito headed down a hall, unlocking a room and walking in. The room was galaxy themed, with a bit of a mess of papers and weapons scattered all across the floor. Kaito set Shuichi down on the floor, closing and locking the door. Shuichi's anxiety finally started to rise, not feeling totally safe in this situation. 

Kaito pulled out a white board with some familiar faces on it. If it weren't for the galaxy theme, Shuichi would've mistaken this for Kokichi's room at this point. 

"Uh, Kaito," Shuichi started, inching closer to the door. "Why did you bring me here?"

"Well I couldn't leave you sleeping in the grass," Kaito said, crossing his arms. "Besides, I thought maybe you could tag along on my mission. Learn more about the world."

Shuichi raised an eyebrow, seeing this as a very bad idea. "I really don't want to watch more people die..." His voice trailed off, Kaito's execution flashing in his mind. He took a deep breath, trying to calm down quickly.

"Too bad. You don't have a choice." Kaito turned his attention back to the white board, crossing out a few faces and replacing them with new ones. 

Shuichi gulped, silently trying to open the door. Though he knew he'd need a key, he figured it was worth a shot.

"Look, I should probably check on Kirumi or Kokichi-"

A knife suddenly flew past his head, going straight into the door and causing him to freeze. His heart stopped, scared to turn around and face Kaito.

"Don't say his name," Kaito said, slowly walking up to him. "Hanging around someone like him will just get you killed. Stick with me, and no one will lay a finger on you. And if we keep training, you'll eventually be able to hold a fight on your own! That's something Kokichi wouldn't teach you."

Shuichi slowly turned, seeing a proud look on Kaito's face. His hand continued pulling on the doornob as his other hand pulled out the knife.

"That won't be necessary," Shuichi said. "Because I'm not staying in this world."

Kaito's expression went blank, tilting his head. "What?"

"I-I plan on returning to my world eventually. I... I just-" Shuichi pulled out the bottle, seeing it closer to getting full. "I just need to fill this back up and then I'll be gone."

Kaito narrowed his eyes. "And how do you fill it up?"

"Uh... making... friends...?" Shuichi felt stupid for saying it but knew that was the least of his worries. "The more I interact with you all, the more full it-"

"So you've been using us? Is that why you tried so hard to get Maki and I to stop fighting? So that we could all have a calm moment and then you could go home?" His face got dark as he got closer to Shuichi. 

"No! That's not it at all! I knew you two in my world and I-"

"Give me the bottle."

"... what?"

"Give it. I've decided you aren't going back."

Shuichi stared in confusion, clutching the bottle in his hand now. He searched for any signs that Kaito wasn't serious, only being met with a look that could kill.

"Are you going to hand it over? Or will I have to cut off a hand first?"

Shuichi looked around the room for any possible escape, knowing Kaito wasn't joking about that. With no way out, Shuichi tried to think fast, holding out the hand with the knife and causing Kaito to take a step back. This caused Kaito to laugh as he picked up a nearby weapon.

"Cut off a hand it is!" He cheered, seeming happy with the thought. 

As Kaito came charging at him, Shuichi quickly dove out of the way, Kaito's sword hitting the door. Shuichi let out a useless scream, quickly scrambling over to the various other weapons on the ground. He grabbed the first sword he could get, dropping the knife, and quickly held it up to block Kaito's next attack. Kaito gave a look of surprise before giving an unsettling smile. Shuichi moved out of the way once again, heading to the door and trying to break it open. Kaito laughed at his useless attempt, running up behind him and striking. Shuichi barely got a second to move out of the way, the sword cutting into Shuichi's arm. 

Thanks to luck, it was only a mere cut. But it was enough to make him drop the bottle, it falling and rolling around on the ground. Before Shuichi could reach for it, Kaito jammed the sword into Shuichi's hoodie sleeve and into the wall, holding Shuichi in place. Shuichi franticly tried pulling it out and reaching for the bottle, but it wouldn't budge and he was too far. Kaito chuckled, grabbing the bottle off the ground and examining it.

"What would happen if I broke it," Kaito asked, looking back at Shuichi.

Shuichi shook, unsure how to answer. He wasn't quite sure. Sure, he knew if he himself broke it then he would be stuck there forever. But what if someone else broke it? Could someone else even break it? There is no doubt in his mind that Kokichi would've broken it without a second thought if he could. So obviously it wasn't that easy.

"Alright, don't answer. I'll just find out myself." Kaito raised his hand, about to smash it onto the gorund, when the door suddenly broke open.

Everything happened so fast. Kaito was on the ground, bleeding. Shuichi was no longer stuck, someone dragging him out of the room. And the bottle was now in someone else's hands. It took a bit for his mind to process before finally seeing who it was that saved him. For once, it wasn't Kokichi or Himiko. Instead, running at an inhuman speed through the halls, was Kirumi.

---

🌿Aha I've officially gone off the path of the mangas because I've forgotten them. I mean I already did deviate a lot but at this point there isn't much going back. Anyways, aye, new update. If anyone even cares anymore. I won't blame you if you don't. This thing was on hold for a long time. An upload schedule is NOT coming back but I'll try to not take forever. But we all already know I'm bad at keeping that promise.🌿