Naegi's introduction to such a charming school... (CW:Danganronpa Spoilers!)

[cloversandcranes]

Bathroom Woes (TW:Mention of unpleasant memories of bathrooms)

[When Makoto opened his eyes, he had expected to see the ceiling of his room on the ship. He had been on the way to the Future Foundation for his trial and had turned in for the night, anxious about the charges he would face. He didn't feel like what he did was wrong but he knew that the Future Foundation wouldn't see it that way.

After all, he did take international terrorists under his wing to save them from their deaths. And when the foundation found out he had let them go to live on an island without supervision? Well, he certainly didn't expect them to look at his situation favorably, despite what some of his friends told him.

He expected to see one of his friends waking him up when he opened his eyes. What he saw instead, filled him with dread. This wasn't his room on the ship. This wasn't even somewhere else he recognized. It was a surprisingly clean bathroom, no blood smears on the walls and floors like the ones he had seen in the broken world.

Groaning in pain and confusion, he rubbed the sides of his head in an attempt to stop the pounding of his head. He felt terrible. His throat was dry and scratchy, his head throbbed in pain and his fists felt raw for some reason. He lifted his hand to his eye level but saw no injuries that would explain the pain he felt. What he saw instead made him pale. Six tally marks were on the inside of his wrist and were sensitive to the touch. They also itched.

Staring at his reflection in the broken mirror, he looked down at his sore knuckles and flexed them, wincing at the pain that radiated through his hand at the movement.]

What...happened here?


Breathe

[Exiting out of the bathroom did little to curb his panic, as the halls outside reminded him of the halls in Hope's Peak Academy. With the anxiety clouding his mind, the halls looked ominous and foreboding as conflicting memories filled his head. The first year at Hope's Peak, walking with his friends...The killing game, finding corpses of those friends, and walking to the elevator to commence the trial...

His panic rose as he took in the surroundings. Muttering to himself, he tried to calm his breathing as his breath quickened in fear. Focus Makoto...It's not Hope's Peak. You're fine...It's not...The windows! The sight of the unblocked windows brought hope to Makoto as the dread slowly left him. It wasn't Hope's Peak! He wasn't back in that school!

Closing his eyes, he put a hand to his chest and tried to smooth out his breathing, remembering The Ultimate Therapist's teachings as he calmed down. Breath Makoto...That's it...You're not there...It's okay.

Opening his eyes, he decided to walk to the windows to see if they could be opened. Tugging on the windows, he tried opening them to no avail. Why wasn't he surprised...Sighing, he put a hand to his chin in thought, completely missing the sound of someone walking towards him.]



((OOC:Sorry for only having two prompts. It's my mother's birthday and I wanted to finish this before I burned out. Wildcards are very welcome. You can contact me at CeyahWolfsong or at Discord at Anne#6966))

Comments

Bathroom Woes

[moraloutrage]

[Kiyotaka Ishimaru had set foot into the bathroom simply to do some business. But all of that is immediately forgotten once he sees that familiar boy standing by a broken mirror. He freezes up and goes pale as a ghost as he beholds him.]

N... Naegi-kun?!

[Could it really be him? His dear friend and classmate who disappeared from this school months ago? He had come to think he was truly gone... and yet here he is, in the flesh!]

HELLO!

[cloversandcranes]

[Makoto froze when he heard the voice, his breath catching at the familiar tone and timbre of an old friend. Unable to stop himself, he slowly turned to look at the image of Ishimaru Kiyotaka standing there with him in the bathroom.]

Ish-Ishimaru-kun?

[What was he doing here? It wasn't possible! He had seen Ishimaru's corpse himself! But here he is...and he wasn't covered in blood like Makoto's nightmares!]

H-How?

[moraloutrage]

[He takes a shallow breath, tears building in his eyes as he stares down the long-lost friend. With each moment, the reality of this situation sets in more firmly. Makoto is here. He is back!]

I... I... I am so overjoyed to see you again! [It's a mess of emotions, really. He doesn't look too joyful! But he is happy to see Makoto here again. It actually takes him a moment to process Makoto's response, to which he blinks.]

...Ah! Of course. You must be surprised to see me as well. Con...considering my untimely death! Rest assured, I feel quite alive here. There is nothing to worry about!

Sorry I'm late!

[cloversandcranes]

[Makoto gaped at the image of his friend, images of his death and their time together flashing through his brain. It couldn't be...could it?]

I-Ishimaru-kun? I...

[He hesitated as both joy and grief warred inside him at the sight of his friend. Ishimaru looked better. He wasn't his mixed self or his nearly comatose self after Mondo died. He looked...Alive. Tears started running down his face as he stared at Ishimaru.]

It's...good to see you again.

[All the words he wanted to say to him...desperate apologies and questions he wanted to ask, wouldn't come out.]

No worries!

[moraloutrage]

[It's been a long, hard road here in Yogen. One in which he had dipped back into either of those states occasionally. But through this all, he has endured and he has lived. His own expression is increasingly marred by his own tears as he stares at his friend. After all this time, he had lost hope of seeing his Hope's Peak classmates again. And yet, here was Makoto, a living restoration of that hope.]

...Th-thank you. ...Ah... How are you feeling? Are you well, Naegi-kun? How long have you been here? This place, do you know or remember anything about it...?

Late again. Sorry about that

[cloversandcranes]

[Giving a small smile at Ishimaru, he wiped his eyes and took a deep breath. Seeing Ishimaru there in front of him, crying with him, and looking happy filled him with hope. He didn't know where he was but he wasn't alone.]

I am okay. Confused but okay.

[Makoto blinked in confusion at his friend's words. He had been here before?]

I've...been here before? I...I don't remember.

[The hope he felt faded as dread rose up in his thoughts. He was here before? Why didn't he remember? And forget that...]

Ishimaru-kun, forgive me but how is this possible? You...died.

It's all good!

[moraloutrage]

[He tries to wipe his own tears away as he faces Naegi. He has to be strong! He's been the one representing their class here with the disappearances of the others, after all. It is heartening to see that Makoto seems to be in good health.

And then there's the mention of his death. Even if Ishimaru brought it up already, it's still not the happiest subject for him to dwell on.]

I... I know that this seems unbelievable. But right now, we are in a place that is... beyond life and death. [He's been led to believe this is part of the afterlife, but he's not sure if he wants to dump the knowledge on Makoto that he might be dead too now.]

The impossible is possible here. A number of months ago, you and some of our other classmates were here too. But you disappeared... a-and now, here you are once more. I believe that has happened a few times... students disappearing and then reappearing without their memories of this school. [It did happen with Kaede recently too.]

But do not worry! I am here to help you get back onto your feet here!!

[cloversandcranes]

[Makoto gaped at his friend in shock at the words he was saying. A place beyond life and death? How was this possible? And how did he get here?

Shaking his head in confusion, he watched Ishimaru talk in bewildered awe. Here was his friend talking to him again, alive and like how he was before Mondo's execution. It was a relief, filling Makoto with a warmth he probably shouldn't feel considering the situation he was in. But he couldn't help it. Seeing his friend so determined and happy to see him again healed some of the wounds he had from the killing game.]

I...I believe you. Well, it's hard to believe all of this is happening but I trust you.

[Another set of tears threatened to come but he wiped them away before they could fall. Smiling through watery eyes, he gave a small laugh as he watched Ishimaru try to get his emotions together.]

Well...You should show me this place while we're here. If this is where we're stuck, I need to know what I'm dealing with here.

[moraloutrage]

Yes, of course! There is much more to see beyond this bathroom!

[Ishimaru tries to regain his composure, now that there's a task to focus on. He goes to lead Makoto out of the bathroom.]

Just follow me, Naegi-kun. I will give you the grand tour of Yogen High School!

Breathe

[notsosou]

[It's still weird, seeing the school empty over break at this point. Which only makes anyone unfamiliar in the halls stand out more, head turned by the sound of the slightly frantic rattling.]

Those ones don't open... You're on the second floor anyway, ahaha. It's a bit of a jump.

[He's seen Subaru make it but Subaru is like. Subaru. Some kind of living piece of the sun. Shin's doing his own thinking. This can only be someone new so...]

It's been really cold outside, I'd just head straight to the dorms if I were you.

[So this guy knows he's not stuck in the school building... stuck on the school grounds is something Shin can lead up to later.]

Re: Breathe

[cloversandcranes]

[Makoto jumped when he heard a voice and turned quickly to see who it was. A young man with teal hair was standing there, eyeing him curiously as Makoto stood there in shock. Staring at the man in confusion, his senses returned and he backed away from the window and scratched his cheek in embarrassment.]

I-Um...I wasn't going to jump...I just wanted to see if the windows were blocked...Wait...why are you here?

[Any embarrassment he felt swiftly left him as he looked more at the man. Was he a student of this place? Maybe he knew how to get out of here? And why he was here?]

Um...Excuse me, but do you know how I got here? I was in a ship before closing my eyes and now I'm here at a school?

[notsosou]

[Oh boy. Well he can answer one of those first...]

Ah, I was on my way back from the fourth floor. The Gardening Club plants don't exactly take holidays...

[Not too much was needed... Just some watering, making sure the room was still warm, and keeping an eye out for any weird leaf spots or things to ask Nene about (there were none, as far as he could tell). That's a bit of a pat answer though.]

Why we're here... good question.

[He's going to find out eventually, Shin... It's sure something to spring on someone but. Maybe it's best to get it out of the way, in this case? Shin's been reluctant to with other new people, but he already seems the sort to keep asking and, eventually, get an answer.]

Ahaha, well... I might as well come out and say it. This is an afterlife, apparently. Err... I don't think your boat trip ended well, s-sorry.

[Although Nene's death was far in the future of where her memories stopped, so maybe this guy reached his destination.]

As far as we all know... supposedly if you graduate, you reincarnate. [There's a note of skepticism in his voice. After the massacre that was finals... he's even less inclined to give the school the time of day. Lucky this guy missed them.] Something happens, at least. We got a phone call from someone who got out last year; something about a perk...

[Maybe if he keeps going in bouncing ideas mode he can smoothly slide past that 'you're dead' thing.]

I HAVE RETURNED! Sorry I'm so late

[cloversandcranes]

Wait...what?!

[Makoto gaped at the man as he spoke, confusion mixing into horror at the casual mention of his death. He died?! What about his friends?! Did they make it? A small voice whispered that at least he didn't have to worry about the trial anymore.]

B-but...I don't feel differently! A-and I don't remember anything about my death! Shouldn't you have some inkling about your own death?!

[Especially since all the death he has seen were gruesome in some way. He hoped his friends and sister were okay. And who would protect the remnants?! As Makoto panicked, he heard the man continue and blinked in complete befuddlement at him.]

I...What?

no worries!

[notsosou]

Well, that kind of trauma... the mind tries to protect you from it sometimes, right? [He's not going to mention the Counselor who can erase memories either, this is already more than enough.] Ahaha, maybe don't think about it too hard.

[He remembers his own death, so he knows it's true, but it's prudent if this guy doesn't just take him at his word... Maybe.]

N-nevermind, that's a bit much all at once, isn't it? The point is... you're not where you were, so you really should pick out a dorm room. While you're here.

And... maybe stay away from Komaeda.

[It's been a while since he's warned anyone new about him, but the memory of Komaeda killing those two finals-failing students is fresh and Shin is petty. Not to mention, this guy already seems like the sort of person Komaeda would have 'fun' with...]

Re: no worries!

[cloversandcranes]

[Makoto nodded reluctantly at the words that the man said. It could be, he knew how easily memories could be lost after all. Trying to take it all in, he blinked at the change of subject and tilted his head in confusion. A dorm room? That makes sense he supposed, he was in a large school. The more he stared at the hall, the more it reminded him of Hope's Peak.

At the mention of his upperclassman, he stared at the man in shock.]

Komaeda? As in Komaeda Nagito?

[What was he doing here? Did something happen to him? What about the other Remnants?!]

[notsosou]

You know each other, huh?

[So that means... this guy must be another one from the world with all the 'ultimates' he's always going on about. Some old old part of him might have been a little jealous... if he didn't know better.]

Ahaha, you have my sympathies... Yep, Komaeda Nagito. White hair? Rambles about hope? Kills people and hides their bodies in the attic?

[That Nagito? Just so it's known who they're dealing with here ...Who's presumably not going to be summoned by that alone. Technically it's the crawlspaces, not an attic, and only the once, but details.]

[cloversandcranes]

[Makoto scratched his cheek awkwardly and nodded. It sounded like this person didn't have a good experience with the Remnant.]

You could say that, yeah.

[Makoto closed his eyes in resigned acceptance as he listened to the description...Yep, that was his senpai all right...Wait-]

He did what?!

[What have you gotten into this time Komaeda?!]

breathe

[rearranger]

[ While Makoto is trying to open the windows, there's a pair of people going down the hallway. Ranger's footsteps are feather-light, barely detectable, but those of the student walking in the opposite direction are hurried as they jog down to their next destination. Unfortunately for said student, they angle lose their balance along the say and are just close enough to bump into Ranger, and the pieces of thick black construction paper that he was holding go flying everywhere and are scattered amongst the floor.

Naturally, said student is immediately shoved and glared at. ]

Watch where you're going, dumbass!

[ He gets a mumbled apology before they scurry off. Ranger grumbles various complaints as he crouches down and starts to connect a couple of the papers. It's a tedious affair considering he's using one hand, as the other is holding up a cheerful, cartoonish expression card in front of his face. After a few seconds, he'll move over near Makoto to pick up one from other there with a sigh. ]

Re: breathe

[cloversandcranes]

[Makoto was interrupted from his investigation when he heard a voice shout something. Turning to see what it was, he saw just in time a person scurry away from the scene as another started to pick up some papers that had fallen to the floor. The person had their face blocked with a card with a cartoonish expression. Blinking in confusion for a moment, he quickly remembered his manners and crouched down to help the other.]

Let me help with that.

[He didn't know what was going on but he could at least help the others here, even if he wasn't planning on staying here for long. He had too much stuff to do back at the Foundation. ...If he lived past his trial of course. He couldn't leave his friends to deal with the aftermath of his decisions.]

Um...Do you know where we are?

[rearranger]

[ There's no change in the blank expression that's guarded by the expression card, but Ranger's hand does freeze when Makoto offers to help before he resumes collecting the papers. It's not that unusual amongst the transfer students, those people were excessively kind, and yet it never feels natural. ]

Yogen High School.

[ He glances up. ]

Lemme guess, just got here?

[cloversandcranes]

[Makoto blinked at the information he got, confusion on his face as he waited for something more.]

Yogen...High School?

[He had never heard of a place but he hadn't been everywhere he supposed.]

I-I suppose? I mean, I was in the bathroom over there when I...um, woke up.

[He pointed at the bathroom he arrived at, confusion clouding his emotions.]

Why am I at a highschool?

[rearranger]

The bathroom? That sucks.

[ That seems like the worst possible place to arrive. He almost feels bad for the guy. Ranger at least came to on the roof. But nevermind that, he'll answer the questions. ]

You're here 'cause purgatory's a high school. We're all dead, and we're here to try and earn the right to be reincarnated or whatever.

[ He finishes collecting the last couple pages before standing up. It sounds like it should be a joke, but he sounds serious enough. ]

Couldn't tell you why though. I don't think anybody's really figured out the whole truth of it.

[cloversandcranes]

Purgatory?! You're serious?!

[Makoto gaped at the stranger, stopping from picking up papers with the stranger. He didn't remember dying! And what about his friends? Were they okay?!]

I...What?

[So many thoughts flickered through his mind as he tried to comprehend what was happening. He was dead. This was purgatory. They had to earn their right to be reincarnated? What?!]

[rearranger]

Yeppers, that's what I said.

[ No sense in beating around the bush. It was one of those things that couldn't be changed, and a person might as well deal with it upfront. But he's at least gotten a little better at understanding the feelings of others, at least enough not to leave it at that. ]

I can't tell you the hows or whys about why you died or why you got dragged here or any of that. It could be anything. But there's conflicting ideas on what ccan be done about it. Some of the kiddos here seem to think that there's a way to go back though...

[ He switches the rectangular expression card for what appears to be a colorful ice cream cone with a wing. ]

I dunno how that works, but y'know, might be reversible for some of you guys. Or maybe you weren't actually suppsoed to die? Ahahaha.

[cloversandcranes]

[Makoto stared at the stranger in shock before nodding slowly. This was a lot to take in, waking somewhere unknown, his friends missing, him dying for real... Taking a deep breath to calm himself, he looked down and returned to pick up the papers as he talked.]

I-I see...Well, this isn't what I expected the afterlife to look like...

[Giving a weak smile to Ranger, he continued.]

I thought I would at least live to see my trial before I died.

[I hope the others are okay...]