Beneath the Mask (remake) danganronpa mastermind makoto au

Chapter 2

Everyone was silent as their former leader sat on the throne, eyes focused on each and every one in the room.

Hmm... Kyouko mused to herself. Maybe Naegi's sharp wit wasn't the only trait that was shared between them...

"Eh? You don't have any questions for me? I thought you guys were bursting with them. Oh well," He slowly reached out for the red button next to him. "If you don't have any thing to say..."

"Wait!"

"Huh?" He glanced back at the direction of the voice. A slight smile grew on his face once he saw who it was.

"Ah, Kirigiri. I knew that out of everyone else, you would be the first one to respond."

She lowered her hand. "What happened to Naegi back at those days that caused him to make you?"

The smile on his face grew wider as he put his hand away from the button. "That, my dear, is a good question. A question that I can't refuse to answer."

"As you already know...All of you, Makoto included, were all in the same class together." His expression then grew soft as he smiled peacefully. It almost made them think that person up there was their kind hearted, painfully hopeful leader they all grew to love and respect. "Those was the happiest days of his life."

"But," Then his expression darkened, bringing them back to the reality of the situation. "Not everything was all puppies and rainbows back at that hell of a school. For what you didn't know was that Makoto was being bullied."

Aoi, Chihiro, Yasuhiro, and Touko all froze.

"W-What?" The Ultimate Swimmer Pro blurted it out in shock.

"How long has this been going on?" Kyouko asked.

The brunet was silent.

"Naegi." Kyouko said sharply. "I know you can hear me. How long has this been going on?"

He remained silent.

"Tell me."

Knowing that he couldn't keep it a secret any longer, he held on to his pants tightly. "...Ever since high school started. I thought I could keep it a secret so I wouldn't be a burden to anyone else....I didn't even tell my parents. I..I just didn't want anyone to worry about me. So I kept on a mask to hide my true feelings from everyone. Who would've known that it was so convincing, I became the mask I wore, innocently believing that everything would be okay...That everything would turn out alright in the end.."

"Look where it got me now." He said with a bitter smile. "I led you guys into my own trap just because I was too scared and insecure to speak up about how I truly feel...Now we're trapped in a school with no way to escape, forced to kill each other like it's some kind of sick game! Monokuma was right..I really am a monster. I...I don't deserve to be with you-"

"Snap out of it!"

He then looked up to see Chiriro with a stern look on his face. "You're not a monster, you hear me! You're Naegi Makoto, our leader and the Ultimate Hope!"

His eyes lit up with a hint of hope as he looked at the boy before him. "Chihiro..."

"Yeah! You were just caught up in Junko's web, just like the rest of us!" Aoi chirped.

"Don't give up, Naegi." Byakuya said with his typical frown. "Or else I'll never forgive you."

"You're a part of us now, whether you like or not." Kyouko added. "So don't just throw yourself away like this, Naegi. So please...come back to us."

Everyone then stopped to hear a small chuckle slowly come out before he ended up bursting in laughter. The brunet then looked at the "students" before him with a mischievous glint in his crimson irises. "I gotta say that was a amazing performance! Watching you guys belt out such kind words was so inspiring. It's no wonder that he trust you guys so much!"

"What was that for, you creep?!" Aoi shouted in frustration. "Are you some kind of sadist?"

The joy on his face slowly faded into a calm and slightly tiresome expression, as if she personally struck a nerve with him. "A murderer, an arsonist, an delinquent...You can accuse me of many different things." She then froze once she felt his piercing gaze at her. In a flash, the atmosphere once again grew even heavier than the last, instantly reminding the others of their current situation. "But a sadist isn't one of them."

"Well," He said with a somewhat easygoing yet still serious tone. "It's not like I didn't have any other reason to deceive you like that. Even though the looks of your faces was a little funny.."

"A little...?" Yasuhiro muttered to himself.

"Jokes aside, I merely wanted to show you how I was created. The more emotions he hid away, the more I could feel in return. One by one, I've witnessed everything he'd been through and everything he felt. His pain and suffering due to being pushed around, his frustration and anger towards the people who bullied him mercilessly, his longing for a better life.....His hopes and his dreams....But most of all, the wonderful memories he'd shared with you. Both in the present and in the past."

Kyouko averted her eyes from everyone in thought. So that's why he was looking at us like that earlier..

"Luckily for him," A smile grew on his face. "it didn't take them to long to stop."

"Then...that means..." Touko paused. "You..."

"No. I didn't kill them. As much as I wanted them to suffer just like he did, I knew that he would suffer even more if he had blood in his hands. So I took the easy route and reported them to the principal. I may be the true Mastermind, but I do not believe that the end justify the means. And although we were 'partners' at the time, even I thought that her plans were....disturbing to say the least. So after I wiped all of your memories and watched you and Makoto survive the game, I waited carefully for the right time to strike back."

"But how did you-"

"I could see everything that he see, same goes for how he feels and tastes and hears. It was only a matter of time until I could influence him without taking control or hurting anyone else in the process."

Kyouko remained stagnant. "So all this time during the investigations? And the court cases?"

He lightly smirked. "I don't really believe in handholding. I know that he is able and willing to succeed without my help. However, even heroes need some guidance from time to time. But I'm getting off topic. Now, before I press this button and end this little song-and-dance, do anyone else have any questions?"

Everyone was silent. "No? Well then..." He then smiled mischievously. "Since you guys still got the answer wrong...It's PUNISHMENT TIME!" He smashed the button with his fist, causing the entire school to shake.

Everyone shut their eyes, bracing for the brutal executions that await them.

But it didn't happen.

When Chihiro and the rest of the survivors opened their eyes, they looked up in shock to see a bright light shining before them.

"Ah, my mistake!" He gently bumped his head with his own fist while sticking out his tongue. "Looks like I pressed the wrong button. Sorry!"

Even Kyouko was shocked. "You...You're letting us go?"

He looked up at the female detective with as much respect as his polar counterpart did. If she didn't knew any better, it almost felt like the Makoto they knew was in front of her.

"It's like I said before. I don't believe in murder. Besides, I made a promise to keep him happy. And I know he's in good hands." He let out a small lighthearted chuckle.

"I can feel it...He's waking up soon. He'll probably wonder why the exit's open. Then again I probably won't even need to remind him. Once he wakes up, me and him will merge and become one and the same again. Just as it should be."

"Well then," Kyouko smiled. "Tell him that we're waiting for him once he wakes up."

His eyes lit up with a faint sense of joy before he closed his eyes with a smile on his face.

"I will."