Hollow Lies (Danganronpa)

Chapter 12 ~ Sobbing Regrets

"No," Kokichi mumbled. "No. No. No!"

He was sobbing uncontrollably on the floor, no longer holding on to the podium. Everything felt like a blur as the memory replayed in his mind over and over again. He began to twitch and claw at the sleeves of his shirt. The memory felt like a stab at his chest, threatening to kill him off. But he knew that wouldn't be happening no matter how much he prayed. He wasn't going to die here. Not if he could help it. Despite all the pain and sadness he felt, he knew he still had a part to play. As he looked over at Gonta, all he could see was despair. It made him sick to know he caused despair twice, bringing him right back into a sobbing mess.

"Why," he cried out. "Why couldn't you have been like the others?" He shouted in both furry and regret. "Why couldn't you have made this easier?"

No one knew what to say as Kokichi pounded his fist to the ground like a kid having a tantrum. He continued to yell out what everyone assumed was nonsense. This went on for a couple minutes until Monokuma up in his seat, laughing as if it was all a harmless joke.

"I think we're done here," He said, activating the voting button. "It's voting time!"

Kokichi's eyes widen as he stood up, screeching more nonsense. But it didn't matter. The voting screen appeared and everyone began to vote. His sobs went quiet as he stared at the picture of himself on the screen. The person he was staring at seemed completely different then who he felt like. Actually, it never was him. It was a lie. All of it. Everything was a lie. In a fit of anger, he smashed his hand down on the vote button, moving things along to the next event.

Of course, Gonta was voted guilty. And, according to Monokuma, since Kokichi wasted so much time, Gonta was executed immediately. But Kokichi wasn't watching the execution. He couldn't. Instead, he stared blankly up at the huge screen showing the votes. There was two marks next to his name. It didn't take a genius to know who that second person was. Kaito had spent the whole trial trying to convince everyone that Kokichi was the killer. No amount of evidence seemed to be able to change that. And Kokichi really couldn't blame him.

His thoughts were interrupted by a tap on his shoulder. He looked over, getting a worried look from Tsumugi. She gently pulled him into a hug, earning a flinch from him. They stayed like that for a couple seconds before Tsumugi pulled away. She stared at him for what seemed like forever, analyzing him. He just gave a confused look as a response.

"Kokichi," she said in a soft tone. "Are you okay?"

"Y-Yeah," he replied, voice cracking. His throat felt sore from all the yelling.

"Are you sure? I know we aren't close or anything but..." She paused, thinking over her words carefully. "I can tell something is wrong. What were you talking about?"

His eyes widen as he takes a step back, realizing he messed up. "I-I... I don't know. I'm just..." And idea popped into his head, causing him to smirk. "... In despair, of course! What? Did you actually think I felt bad? Wow! You must be as stupid as you are plain."

Tsumugi gave a shocked expression, clearly unsure how to respond. But she quickly recovered, smiling kindly. "If you say so. But know I'm always open if you want to talk. I feel like we've never really talked before."

Kokichi rolled his eyes. He wasn't sure how much longer he could handle being here. "Yeah. Okay. I got to go." And with that, he ran off.

Anger and anxiety began to consume Kokichi as he fast walked away from Tsumugi. She called out for him but was ignored. There was only one thought going through Kokichi's mind: Get away from everyone. Another memory could start up at any second and there was no way he was going to let anyone see anything else. They most likely already have questions that he doesn't have answers too.

Taking a deep breath, he tried to slow his pace down. By now, he found himself in front of his dorm, suddenly realizing what he did. He left the trial room. Looking around, he noticed the others entering their own rooms. Everyone but Gonta. Kokichi banged his head lightly on the door. He felt guilty for leaving Gonta there. Without even an apologize. Instead, he blamed Gonta for something no one remembered.

"I'm the fucking worse," he mumbled, banging his head on the door once again.

He continued to do that for another couple seconds before hearing footsteps behind him. As he began to turn around, he felt something hard smack into his head, knocking him out.