Voided Truth (Hollow Lies Sequel) (Danganronpa)

Chapter 16 ~ An Offer

Kokichi was curled up in bed, passed out with the TV still going but lights out. It had been a while since Maki brought him in there and he hadn't dared to leave. Eventually, the noise outside the room had quieted down, putting Kokichi on edge. Still, leaving didn't seem like a good idea. Instead, he curled up in the bed and tried focusing on the TV. Part of him was relieved that at least it was Maki's house this time and not Shuichi's. Either of Shuichi's houses. He did look around the room a bit but there wasn't much there. No posters on the walls, books on shelves- there wasn't even any shelves. It was plain white walls with a TV hanging on one. And then a bed across from it with two brown blankets and a pillow. The only thing of note was a few clothes scattered around the floor. With nothing to really do and not finding the show all that interesting, it wasn't long till Kokichi found himself dozing off.

Like every other night that came before it, he found himself in a nightmare. Something invisible wrapped itself around him, making him unable to move. He called out for help, but no one was around. Much to his relief, the nightmare didn't last long, eyes opening as he let out a small scream. While being the tamest nightmare so far, it still had him on edge. For a moment, he didn't even remember where he was, checking his surroundings as best he could. The TV had been shut off, leaving only a little light from between the window blinds. As his eyes began to adjust to the darkness, he started to recognize the room, sighing. Though, his breathing came to a stop upon seeing a figure sitting over him on the bed. He wasn't sure how he hadn't noticed before, assuming the weight was just the blanket and the lingering sleepiness. Now that he had, he could see the person clearly, opening his mouth to scream.

Shuichi put his hand over Kokichi's mouth but didn't say anything, only staring as he held Kokichi in place. The expression on his face was hard to read, some line between sadness and excitement. As time went on of this silence, Kokichi slowly stopped struggling, realizing this wasn't getting anywhere. He hoped Shuichi would start to loosen his grip if he stopped moving, giving him a chance to run. But that moment never came, Shuichi not moving a muscle and just continuing to stare. This was becoming unbearable for Kokichi, starting to fight back again.

"Kokichi," Shuichi whispered. "I wish I could make you forget."

Kokichi stopped, staring in confusion and giving muffled noises, signifying he wanted to try talking.

"I also wish we could just talk. But I know if I remove my hand, you'll scream and wake up Maki. Do you know how hard it was getting her to sleep? She was trying so hard to find a way to sneak you two out while neglecting her health. She's persistent. Probably the fake assassin memories in her. If it weren't for the fact that her body was starting to fail her, I probably would've had to knock her out. Which would've been a pain. Real assassin or not, she's got the reflexes. All of this so I can talk to you without any interference. Do you understand? I want to talk without any screaming. Without being dragged or kicked away. I just want to talk."

Shuichi's voice was shaky, desperate. Kokichi struggled thinking of a good reason why, Shuichi never showing too much interest in him in the killing game. Sure, Shuichi talked a bit about wanting to help. But this was different. This wasn't in a comforting tone. No, he remembered this tone. He could see a switch flickering in his eyes as Shuichi's body trembled. Kokichi wanted to deny this so bad but knew he needed to come to terms with this and figure a way out.

"Please. I don't want to have to do anything bad to you. But I need you to talk to me. And I need you to actually listen. Can you do that? Or do I have to keep holding you down like this?" His tone got dark, eyes narrowing.

Kokichi gave a muffled response, putting on an act of calming down. He dug hard into his fake memories to try channeling his old self, who could control his emotions with ease. It wasn't working, much to his dismay. But it seemed to be enough to convince Shuichi to uncover his mouth.