Afterlife: A Danganronpa Fanfiction

✧ 2 | Welcome Home ✧

     My eyes filled with tears the exact second they met Makoto's. I just couldn't keep myself from crying, and my legs wouldn't stop until I was able to embrace my brother in a long hug. "M-Makoto... I-Is it really you? I'm so used to lies and deceipt that lead to Despair, that I don't know what to trust anymore..."

     "Komaru..." His voice vibrated in his chest against my head nuzzled into it. "I'm right here. No more lies. No more Despair for either of us. It's my job to make sure of that, remember? We're going to go home..." I looked up at him from below. "And we're going to find Mom and Dad too, right?" My eyes lit up.

     Makoto stared down at me with an unhappy face. "Future Foundation already did. They were mauled by Monokumas... The day you were first imprisoned. I'm sorry." My body trembled. I thought there'd be a possibility that I'd be able to see them again. So much for ʜᴏᴘᴇ. The least it could've done was kept them alive. My brother tried to comfort me, knowing I was clearly upset. "I hate that it has to be this way, but... I've learned over these past few years that there will always be sacrifices. Where there's Despair, Hope will follow soon after. It's a balance in life, and losing Mom and Dad was a sacrifice that made its way for the rest of us. So don't cry... Carry on the ʜᴏᴘᴇ that saved you so that you can make up for the ᴅᴇsᴘᴀɪʀ."

     "He's right, you know," a purple-haired young woman added. Ms. Kyoko had every right to speak up as well. She went through everything right beside him. "I lost my father to ᴅᴇsᴘᴀɪʀ, but look now - Your brother and I are the principal and vice principal of the place that made us suffer the most. Turn your sorrows into something better. Live for those who couldn't." She smiled a bit, making me feel slightly less heartbroken.

     While I spoke to Makoto and Kyoko about the specifics of our situations, Touko was still having some anxiety as she neared Byakuya. "U-Um, s-so I did as I was asked... Am I going to be promoted, M-Ma... Byakuya?" The tall man with blonde hair turned to her with a look of disgust. "I suppose so... But first, I advise that you bathe. You smell disgusting. Were there not showers in the city, or are you really just that lazy to find one?" Touko took a step back when he said this. Although it deeply hurt her feelings, the way Byakuya spoke to her was something she quickly accepted years ago. "S-Sorry! I was planning on taking one as soon as we got home. A-About that promotion though, i-it's a yes?" He nodded. "Yes, yes, fine. Just get in the helicopter, Fukawa." The saddened girl followed him into the helicopter, in which me and the others went to inside as well.

     The three of us, Makoto, Kyoko and I, sat down in the backseat of the helicopter, leaving Byakuya as the pilot with Touko as the front passenger. I was so eager to finally be leaving this place, but gazing out the window as we started to takeoff, I realized Towa City had begun to grow on me, despite the events that went on. I'll never forget how much we went through... Looking back on the moments of crying, waiting, fighting... I don't regret them one bit.

***

     Hours of flying blurred due to my distractions of talking with everyone on the helicopter, as well as the breathtaking view of every town we passed over. I couldn't believe that I had forgotten what the world was like in just a matter of several months - innocent, vulnerable, and beautiful - simply because darkness shrouded my vision of all of the good things left in it. Red skies and streets filled with lifeless bodies were the only thing I knew, but for once, I could know something better.

     "We're almost there. Be ready to depart soon," Byakuya said when a city that I had once knew started coming into view. The skyscrapers, parks, beaches... I was remembering them again. I couldn't wait to experience them all after such a long time, especially since I had a new friend to share these moments with.

     As soon as we landed in an airport, supposedly owned by Future Foundation, everyone exited the helicopter and headed into the main building. "Wait in the lobby for just a few minutes, okay, Komaru?" Makoto asked of me. "I just have a few papers to file out regarding the recent events, then I'm free to spend time with you the rest of the day doing whatever you want to do. It'll only be a few minutes." I nodded to confirm that I was fine with waiting, and with that, he and Kyoko walked off to their office. Byakuya soon followed. Touko sighed beside me, quite dramatically so, basically begging me indirectly to question it.

     I rolled my eyes jokingly before turning to my friend. "Hmm. Is something bothering you, Touko? I can't really tell by the somber look on your face." My partner in crime pushed her pointer fingers together once again. "Well... I mean, if you're really insisting," She started. "I-I'm just nervous about beginning my time as an official Future Foundation member, I guess? What with all the work having to be done and M-"

     "You got the job?!" I interrupted excitedly. "Congrats! I knew you'd be promoted!" Touko chuckled awkwardly and scratched the back of her head. "Heh, thanks... My problem is how I might act around Master. You've seen how I get." My understanding of this claim was pretty thorough. During my time in Towa City, getting to know Fukawa was a little... Weird. Between learning about her haunting past and stopping in the middle of conversations to wait for her to snap out of some odd fantasies, there was nothing new that she could tell me that would be shocking. "Of course, I get it," I replied. "Doesn't Byakuya at least like you a little bit, though? The way you talk about him makes me think you two have some kind of connection." The relationship between Touko and Byakuya, although spoken of often, was still vague to me. All I knew was that she liked him.

     She nodded. "O-Of course he does! Master always acknowledges my presence, even if it's not in the nicest way." I gesture for her to go on. "A-And he lets me know if I'm disgusting, which is quite often actually... B-But I'm sure it's out of concern. That has to mean something!" The desperate tone in her voice really showed.

     Touko's response, while it could be interpreted as normal in her mind, didn't sound as great as I imagined their relationship would be. Byakuya treated her in a way that made her think it was okay, when it really wasn't. "Are you sure that's what you want out of this?" I asked before she quickly scoffed. "Not every romance starts out passionate. That'd make for a very badly-written genre of books, you know." She sighs again. "Besides, it might change now that I get to be closer to him. No, it will change." The determination in the burgundy-haired girl's eyes made me sad, but I didn't want to hurt her feelings, so I simply agreed. Makoto made his way back into the lobby after a while, with Byakuya and Kyoko arriving soon after. "Well, we're on break now. What's the plan?"

***

     A black car with Future Foundation's logo imprinted on it turned onto a lonely street... One that was quite blurry of a memory, but not too much to forget. I could never forget... This street was where I spent my childhood playing with my brother and enjoying the scent of summer barbecues cooked by my father. Never again would I be able to smell it... He was gone, as was his one true talent that I should've appreciated more as a kid. The aroma of my dad's special hamburgers faded into the misty air, giving me a final moment with it, and him, before disappearing forever.

     Once the car turned into the driveway of our old house, Makoto parked, and the two of us exited. If only they were here now. What I would give for them to be.

     "I know," Makoto muttered dishearteningly, putting one hand on my shoulder. We walked closer to the front door. "It almost feels wrong to be here, but like I said before... Hope will get us through this tough time." He dug in his pocket for the key, then placed it into the keyhole. "I come back here every day after work, so I'm used to it." His hand gripped the doorknob. "The only thing I should be telling you right now is..." The door cracked open with one turn of the knob, and I made my way in. I could feel myself on the verge of crying again as a sense of familiarity hit me once again.

     "Welcome home."