Seventeen (Kokichi Ouma x Reader)

Chapter Nine - Renewal

Dropping the device on the floor beside your feet, you shifted your attention back to the rounded white enclosure, it's presence seeming more threatening with the addition of your headset. The entirety of it was smooth, giving the impression of there being no exit or way of escape. But as you pressed your palm on the area ahead of you, you could feel the wall give under your touch, opening slowly to reveal what awaited outside your confinement. The lights were somehow brighter than the interior as you shielded your eyes from the blinding glow, a minute passing before everything became clear.

The first thing you noticed were the pods, a number of tall structures lined up against the walls of the room you found yourself in, the place itself being entirely unfamiliar. Everything was cloaked in white, eerily pristine as the smell of iodoform paralleled that of a hospital. Goosebumps formed on your arms as you stepped over the threshold of your pod, the cool air hitting your arms briskly, though you paid no attention to the unpleasantness. The only thing you could find yourself focusing on was the sight before you.

Though some of the other pods remained closed, most were open just like yours was, familiar faces stumbling out of them with the similar baffled expressions. The panic you felt previously grew as your heart sped up, recognizing each and every person who made their way out of the pods. They were your classmates, all the people who were thrown into the killing game with you. All the people who died in the game with you

Watching in awe, you saw as Kaede stumbled out from her confinement, nearly tripping as one of her hands subconsciously clutched at her neck. Her face was pallid as she glanced around in a similar way to you, spotting Rantaro with a mixture of fear and remorse in her eyes. He, on the other hand, failed to notice, running his fingers through his hair with a pained disposition. The rest of the students acted in a similar manner to the two of them, leaving you to observe their actions in a morbid curiosity. Ryoma coughed roughly into his sleeve, Kirumi approaching him apologetically as she comfortingly placed a hand on his shoulder, Gonta doing the same for the panicked Miu who had retreated into a corner.

You felt the anxiety begin to settle once you spotted Miu, the sight of her face calming your mind. She was alright, she was alive. With little reserve you began to make your way towards her, feeling the sting of tears build up in the corners of your eyes, though the motion of a pod opening a few feet away stopped you in your tracks. A figure clad in red stepped out slowly as she clutched the space over her heart, blanching as she looked around to meet your tentative gaze. Before you could react, however, she turned away in shame, clenching her fist with white knuckles. You wanted to say something, anything to her, but fear rooted you to your place as the memories of what she did played through your mind.

The sight of Maki was enough to paralyze your movements, any thoughts of getting to Miu being replaced with pure anxiety. The most you could do was watch as the pods around you opened one by one, more of your peers emerging until all of the structures were vacant, the students voices filling the air with confused chatter and emotional reunions. But out of all of them, only one voice brought you out of your haze as it called out from behind you, it's tone filled with disbelief, "(y/n)!?"

Turning on your heel, you were met with a familiar form a few feet away, his small stature in a rigid state of shock. The violet eyes you knew so well were bloodshot, a tear escaping from the corner as he mouthed your name once more. In a second you were running to him with little reserve, Kokichi following suit as he wrapped his arms securely around your waist, lifting you into the air with a painfully tight grip. You buried your head in his shoulder as he twirled you around, earning the faintest giggle from your lips.

As he set you down you refused to release the embrace, failing to stifle a sob as you held him as close as you could, feeling him stroke your hair in an effort to soothe you. Even as he did so you couldn't help but feel a few of his own tears land on your shoulder, growing more consistent the longer he held you. After a few minutes Kokichi spoke, voice hoarse and he whispered just loud enough for you to hear, "I thought you were dead. T-There was blood... you weren't breathing. The announcement played, a-and oh my god I thought I lost you, (y/n). I thought I lost you..."