Voided Truth (Hollow Lies Sequel) (Danganronpa)

Chapter 15 ~ Reflection

Kokichi doesn't remember much about the drive to Maki's house, too busy mentally screaming to stay in reality. Maki was thankful for the quiet, her hair being a mess and even weirdly cut in some places. The last thing she wanted was to try calming Kokichi down while driving. Reaching her house and parking the car, she gave a deep breath while staring at the steering wheel, bags under her eyes. After a while of just sitting there, Kokichi eventually noticed and tapped Maki on the shoulder, causing her to flinch. Shaking her head, she began rushing out of the car.

"Stay in here," she said. "I'm grabbing some stuff and then we are going somewhere else. And don't ask where because I don't know yet."

"Wait, why," Kokichi asked frantically, getting tired of being dragged to new locations.

"My house isn't safe anymore. Also, try laying down on the seat so no one sees you in here. Assuming we haven't been spotted already..." Shutting the door, she rushed into the house.

Kokichi tried doing as she asked, feeling his anxiety getting taken over a bit by anger. Thinking back, no one ever explains anything to him. And when it finally is, it's usually someone lying. He doesn't understand why it's so hard for someone to fill him in on plans. The question of why Maki left him with Shuichi probably a day ago still hasn't been answered. Though it is obvious Kiibo wasn't sent by her to pick him up. Kiibo is probably the reason Maki rushed out in a hurry. He almost wonders if sticking with Shuichi, though in separate rooms, would've been better. He despised the idea but he was now going to have nightmares about the one person he actually trusted. Well, there was some trust with Maki. But it didn't hit the same.

He sniffled, struggling not to cry about the loss of his best friend. There are so many things he regrets in life. So many decisions that have lead him to this path. Why didn't he just go with Kiibo back before the killing game? Why did he make that deal with Tsumugi? Why did he kill her and leave the killing game with everyone? Why did he run away from Maki's house a few days ago? Why even bother from running from Kiibo when being taken away from all this mayhem would've been for the best? Sure, Kaito ended up breaking in at some point, but he had no way of knowing that would've happened. And yet, he ran from the only person who actually wouldn't hurt him. Kiibo even attacked Himiko and Kairi for hurting him. With him would be the best place to be.

Kokichi stopped those thoughts, shaking his head. Even if he would be given freedom to roam the new house, deep down he'd still be a captive. Kiibo would be the only person he'd ever speak to or see again. And while he loved Kiibo, that isn't a way to live. This lead to his thoughts about Kaito. In a way, Kokichi had been forcing himself into that role but with someone he trusted even less. Kaito even tried getting him out of the house but the attempts never worked. Kokichi vowed to himself that if he ever gets to live peacefully, he won't allow himself to be locked up again.

Sighing, Kokichi thought back to how Kaito looked back at Kiibo's house. Fear shot through him as he knew exactly what that meant. That wasn't the Kaito he's been willingly living with. The Kaito that was trying to become a self-taught therapist just to fix Kokichi. No, this was the Kaito that played a part in breaking Kokichi. This was the worse the situation could get, in Kokichi's mind. No one else posed as big of a threat as the old Kaito.

Maki planning on the two moving away made sense now. Kaito knew where she lived and could show up at any point. The thought made him sit up, realizing that Maki had been in that house for quite a long time while he was just a sitting duck. Opening the car door, he ran inside the house to find her, hoping he could help her pack to make things faster. Upon entering the house, he could hear Maki talking to someone, saying she hadn't found Kokichi yet but wanted to grab some stuff real quick. It was an obvious bad lie, Maki even sounding a little nervous. This put Kokichi on edge, stopping in place. Realizing she told him to stay in the car for a reason, he began slowly backing out of the house. Unfortunately, footsteps approached his direction faster than he could move. Maki and Shuichi walked into the room, both freezing in place as they looked at him. Kokichi mentally cursed to himself, having momentarily forgotten Shuichi would still be here. However, he noticed something off. Shuichi's eyes lingered on him, his face switching between happiness and fear.

"There he is," Shuichi said in a whisper to himself.

"Kokichi," Maki said, eye twitching.

"Looks like you don't have to go out and find him again."

Maki gripped a bag tightly, seeming on the verge of wanting to throw it at someone. "Yeah. That's a relief. In that case, we should all start planning what to do."

"W-What do you mean," Kokichi asked.

"They know where we live. And it will take a bit to find a new place to stay."

"I know a place we could stay at for a day or two," Shuichi suggested. "Long enough for us to find some place better." His eyes kept traveling from Maki to Kokichi. "I was offered it back after we left the killing game so it should still be available."

Maki raised an eyebrow. "I think that would be an obvious place for them to look."

"True. But- BUT it has weapons. We can prepare ourselves to attack if anyone comes."

As Maki sighed, Kokichi realized Shuichi was only half telling the truth. His fight or flight told him something was wrong and that he should start running. However, he also told himself that it would just make things harder for Maki, who was obviously on her last straw.

"What do you think, Kokichi," Shuichi asked.

"Huh," Kokichi asked.

"Do you think it would be better if we left now and just stay at my place for a few days? It probably won't be too much longer till Kaito gets here."

"Shuichi," Maki growled.

"What? I'm just offering a solution. I'd hate if Kaito broke in and grabbed him right now. Who knows what he might do to Kokichi." Shuichi took a step towards Kokichi, his body shaking slightly. Kokichi took a step back, preparing to run.

Maki grabbed him by the shoulder. "No. We are not taking Kokichi there. I'm figuring this out."

Everything in Kokichi told him what all this meant. But thinking back to how he has reacted to everything, there is doubt. Is Shuichi referring what he thinks he is? Or is this just the trauma talking again? Either way, Maki nudges Shuichi out of the way and drags Kokichi to the bedroom.

"Stay in here for now. I'll let you know when I come up with a plan."

Before Kokichi could protest, she shut the door. Sighing, he figured there wasn't much he could do about all of this anyways. All he could do was trust Maki had some plan and that there was a reason for her lying. Locking the door, he turned on the TV and laid in the bed.

...

🌿 I feel... Really bad about not updating my fanfics. I suck at getting myself to do things and the last year has been AWFUL. But earlier today, on Ao3, I saw some old comments about people liking my stories and realized I miss having people comment on my stories. And also just generally feel bad y'all never got conclusions to them. So, I am going to try very hard to finish them. Because I do still want to finish them. I've already started on the next chapter. I don't think I'll be doing weekly updates again. Instead, I'll try to update as much as I can. Like maybe a few times a week. And I still want to make my mastermind Kokichi au story so look forward to that after I finish this and Down the Rabbit Hole.🌿