Neo Killing Game - Danganronpa x My Hero Academia

Chapter 8 : The End of the Beginning - Part 3 - Deadly Life

The day started normally; the same as usual. Well, as normal as life in a killing game can be.

Yaomomo sighed, aimlessly wandering the halls of the library, running her calloused fingertips against the infinitely many dusty spines of books. She ignored the filthy feeling of gathering dirt on her skin as she left a clean streak along the shelves.

She didn't care about anything anymore.

Cynthia's dying moments replayed in her head far more often than she would've liked. She couldn't help but eternally see visions of spears impaling the blue-haired girl's body, piercing her organs -keep walking- a shower of blood raining from the puncture wounds tunneling through her limp figure, splattering the ground with crimson streaks as she lay dying -one step, two steps-, her final words dedicated to her master, her friend, her only friend -one foot in front of the other-, who betrayed her by using that hell-forsaken device, the device that wound up killing so many innocent people right in front of her eyes -it's okay- and she couldn't do anything about it -it's okay- and it was all her fault her fucking fault for even suggesting they use that device -it's okay- and she should've died instead of them and it's not okay, it's not fucking okay so stop trying to convince yourself it is-

"Yaomomo?" The Detective blinked. Once, twice. Shouto was suddenly standing in front of her, a hand on her forearm. She was standing between two massive bookshelves, her dusty fingers against the wood. There was something wet on her face; she reached up with her clean hand and felt tears. How'd they get here? How long have I stood here? "Yaomomo, are you okay?"

"Y-Yeah. Yeah, I'm okay." Her voice was monotonous. She wiped away the tears, brushed the dust off of her left hand on her skirt. Her companion stepped back. "Why are you here?"

"I was looking for our classmates. Something feels wrong, and I don't know why. But I trust my gut feeling." Shouto sighed and ran a hand through his mussed hair. "I feel like something bad has happened."

Yaomomo could feel a knot forming in the base of her gut. Her palms began to sweat; she wrung them together anxiously. "We're... in a Killing Game," she murmured. "If something's wrong... then..."

She didn't finish her sentence; she didn't have to, judging by the way Shouto visibly jolted. Yaomomo stared at her feet. "Who haven't you seen today..?" she inquired, her voice so soft that one would have to strain to hear it in the silent library.

"Tsuyu, Nejire, Tamaki, and Denki," he replied, anxiety clear in the trembling of his voice. "Come on, we have to find them." Shouto reached out a hand and grabbed her by the wrist, dragging her in a beeline for the door. Yaomomo obliged.

I wonder who we can save today.

I also wonder who's already too far gone to be revived.

They made their way up the stairs; since the Ultimate Punishment had occurred, most of the students had holed up in their rooms, or something of the like. Hitoshi was the one oddity; he hid out in a closet on the fourth floor, rummaging through the dozens of musty boxes in the dark little space. Yaomomo once tried to ask what he was doing, but he mumbled something gibberish and kept at his work. She only ever tried interrupting him to bring him a tray of food and drink during mealtimes.

Now, he was still in his dusty corner, fingers fumbling through another dusty box. The flickering lightbulb overhead crackled as the duo opened the door a crack.

"Come on... come on, I have to... find... something..." The violette could be heard frantically mumbling, his quiet voice accompanied by the clanking of a heap of metal being shifted around. Yaomomo peered over Shouto's shoulder to see Hitoshi digging through a cardboard box of metal gadgets. His eyes were wide with some sort of deranged panic as his hands jerked through the contents.