Voided Truth (Hollow Lies Sequel) (Danganronpa)

Chapter 13 ~ Scary Awakening

Kokichi buried himself in the blankets as he stirred awake, switching sides to find the comfiest position. Everything felt at peace, the blanket and sheets being fuzzy. If it weren't for the fact that he didn't recognize this feeling, he'd have went back to sleep. Instead, it startled him up, sitting and looking around. The walls were painted dark blue, some posters of Danganronpa on the wall. They made Kokichi's heart race, fearing whose room this may be. There was a tiny dresser next to the bed with a picture frame on it. Picking it up, he saw Kiibo and Kaede, sighing a bit in relief. Though, he realized he didn't recall going to bed. That's when the memory hit him. His heart picked up again, him immediately tossing the blanket off of himself and jumping off the bed.

However, he didn't get far before feeling a pull on his leg, causing him to fall to the ground. He groaned, turning to look at what stopped him. There was a chain connected to the lock around his ankle. This just made his fear worse, pushing himself up and pulling against it. Footsteps could be heard rushing towards him, making him back up. The bedroom door slammed open, revealing a distraught looking Kiibo. The two stared at each other, Kokichi beginning to back away in fear. Kiibo shook his head with his hands up in defense.

"It's okay," Kiibo said calmly. "I know this looks bad, but I promise everything is okay." He took a step towards Kokichi, who screamed in fear, causing him to stop. "Please! Please stop screaming."

"L-Let me go," Kokichi yelled, grabbing the chain and yanking it a couple times.

Kiibo rushed towards him, grabbing his hand to stop him. "Hey! You're going to hurt yourself." He grabbed Kokichi's face in his hands, gentle enough not to hurt but firm enough so Kokichi couldn't pull away. "Listen. You know me. You know I'd never hurt you."

"I t-thought you'd never k-kidnap me e-either... But I was w-wrong..."

Kiibo frowned. "I didn't kidnap you. You came here willingly."

"Then let me l-leave..." Kokichi tried staying completely still, hoping if he stayed calm, Kiibo would calm down enough to listen to reason.

"And where would you go? It's not safe with Shuichi. Or Maki. Or Kaito. Or anyone of them. They're all going to hurt you again."

Kokichi looked down, wanting to argue but he believed that as well. "I... I don't like being l-locked up... a-again..."

Kiibo shook his head. "Hey, I'm nothing like Shuichi. I just want to make sure you don't get hurt." He sighed, letting go of Kokichi's face and sitting down next to him.

More footsteps were heard coming their way, making Kokichi cling to Kiibo in fear. In walked Himiko and a familiar looking girl. She had long blonde hair, an ahoge sticking out at the top. Kokichi gasped.

"Kaede," he asked. "N-No... You're dead..."

The woman laughed, replying, "Correct. I'm her twin sister, Kairi."

Kokichi looked between Kiibo and Kairi, mouth hanging open. Kairi laughed again while Kiibo sighed.

"Yeah, I know," Kiibo said. "We never mentioned her. For good reason." He glared at the two females, pulling Kokichi closer to himself. "Anyways, you two can leave now. As you can see, I have this taken care of."

Kokichi froze on Kiibo, both scared of him but not wanting to push him away. He also didn't like the sound of what he was talking about. 

"You're scaring him," Himiko laughed. "But I guess you go this handled. There is still one more thing we need to discuss, though."

"Outside. I'll be there in a second." 

The two females nodded and walked out of the room. Kiibo waited until he heard the front door open and close before letting go of Kokichi. Though, Kokichi didn't move. He didn't know what to do. Nothing was making sense and the only person he thought he could trust was suddenly scary. Some tears started to form, slowly going down his face. Kiibo noticed this, panicking as he wiped them away.

"Hey. I told you, everything is okay. I'm sorry if I'm scaring you. I can explain anything you want. Just ask."

"W-Why are you doing this," Kokichi asked. "This... This isn't n-normal..."

"Well... Remember how we thought my memories were forever erased?"

Kokichi eyes widened as he sat up. "No way! T-They're back?"

Kiibo nodded, smiling. "Yeah. Though, you probably won't like how that happened. After I chased the guy who broke in, turns out he worked for Team Danganronpa. They wanted to give us all back our memories. But they knew they would need to use force. I went willingly, though. I thought things would be better if I remembered everything. And I guess they are."

"I-I wouldn't call this b-better..." Kokichi shook the chain lightly.

"That's not what I mean. Look, we made a deal. They wanted you to suffer for ruining the killing game. But I'm allowed to protect you. They won't come for us as long as I keep you here."

Kokichi stared at the ground, unsure how to respond. It was comforting to know Kiibo wasn't doing this to hurt him. Still, it was terrifying to be locked up after what happened last time. Not only that, but this didn't seem fair to the others who may end up suffering.

"W-What about the others," Kokichi asked. "What will h-happen to them?"

Kiibo shrugged. "There was speculation on what might happen if everyone remembered everything. They are hoping for some chaos. Technically, we aren't fully safe. Team Danganronpa won't protect us if someone comes for us. They just won't specifically target us. I'm planning for us to move soon. Somewhere no one will find us. But I need to finish up some loose ends, first."

Kokichi let out a shaky breath. "W-We can't let them win. And you can't k-keep me locked up f-forever..."

Kiibo paused, staring hard at Kokichi. "Technically, I can. You can't stop me. But I don't want to be your enemy. Please, just come with me willingly and you can have full range of the new place. We can pretend everything is normal."

Kokichi shook his head. "How could you c-consider this normal?"

"... Let's just say this isn't the first time I've thought of this."

"... W-What...?"

"I let you go last time, and you got hurt. Shuichi did terrible things to you. I won't let that happen again. So, I ask again. Will you please willingly come with me?"

Kokichi didn't know how to answer. He knew this wasn't really a choice. It was more of deciding if he got any freedom at the new house. The thought of being locked away forever terrified him, whether he was chained or not. But he also knew there was no way to fight Kiibo. Tears piled up again, wishing he didn't have to go through this. Kiibo wiped his tears again, pulling Kokichi into a hug.

"I'll give you time to think about it. In the meantime-" Kiibo let Kokichi go and stood up. "-I have to talk to those two. I'll be back soon. Then we can talk some more, okay?"

Kokichi nodded, looking defeated at the ground. Kiibo walked out of the room, closing the door behind him. After a couple seconds, the sound of the front door opening and closing could be heard. Kokichi didn't move, staring blankly at the lock. Some memories flashed in his mind, making him wince at the incoming headache. For once, it wasn't the real memories. Instead, a fake one popped up, reminding him of his knack for lock picking. His eyes widened, immediately reaching up and running his hand through his hair. Even in the killing game, he kept a hair pin hidden, in case of emergencies. Quickly, he undid the cuff around his leg, feeling a sense of relief there. He smiled, jumping up and running out the bedroom door. His first thought was to run outside, stopping at the front door after remembering that's where the three were. Not only that, but he could vaguely hear them getting closer.

He ran from the door, looking around for a hiding spot. He ran towards the next nearest door, walking in before he could think on it. He was met with complete darkness, almost falling down the stairs, not prepared for those. From the other side of the door, he could hear Kiibo walking around. Wanting to get some distance, he traveled further into the basement.