#dtfa

//Now when it came to writing for DTFA, I knew that from the start; I realize that Chiaki being a real person wasn't the only issue but many other flaws and retcons came from DR3 that I had to re-write everything and based them more on the games and what was presented.

//So instead of having DR3 being set in a killing game, I felt that having it be an investigation of Hope's Peak Academy made way more sense and also to show Future Foundation being much more flawed and what needed to be change but also to realize that Hope's Peak Academy isn't that beacon of hope but instead something that was very corrupted for decades that the Steering Committee cause which Junko took advantage of and since most Ultimate Despairs are either dead or rehabilitated with some exceptions, meaning that Ultimate Despair isn't as much of a problem anymore.

//When it came to Class 77-B being redeem, I wanted to give Future Foundation a reason to work with them and that's when the idea of the briefcases came up; Junko having all the documents and information in briefcases that Class 77-B hid and there the only ones able to open it meaning that they are force to work with them and meanwhile, Class 77-B as a whole would have to work on redeeming themselves to Future Foundation and becoming better people for it.

//Now of course when writing this, I did come to the problem; how exactly could a whole class side with Junko so easily, especially when you look at Chisa Yukizome and since the anime made her out to be this good teacher that the class really like? So since I didn't want to use brainwashing, I decided to have Chisa to be Class 78-A's teacher for Makoto's class and also that was when Satoko was created. This was done for 2 reasons.

1 - It would explain why Makoto's class were able to get along and become close in the course of 2 years and even telling them things they wouldn't tell others, especially if they had a teacher that was encouraging them to bond and become friends.

2 - Chisa becoming a teacher very quickly after she graduated was a very odd choice and since Hope's Peak Academy is meant to be a school for the elite; I figure that the school would have staff be more prepare and need a year of prep to prepare them for anything and since Chisa was in the same year as Kyosuke and Juzo, I went with her being Class 78-A's teacher.

//Now of course I wanted to have a theme for the story that I want to tell and it's the idea that the world doesn't need Hope's Peak Academy anymore, that anyone can be a beacon of hope and people need to stop relying constantly on Ultimates and the Ultimate Caste System - something Future Foundation needed to realize to become better or change needed to happen.

//I will admit, there were some flaws with the story that I did notice and won't deny that it had it's flaws - I will admit that there are some story aspects that I wasn't too happy about and wish I could change some of it but well, we all learn, right?

//Now that we got this story, the next plan is for Hope Side: Re-Write where we continue on the investigation, 5 remaining briefcases to collect, what the passwords we're for, make Future Foundation a better place and how the world at large is reacting to the idea that the Ultimate Caste System won't be in effect anymore and what Nagi is gonna do now that she got what she wanted.

The letter was clutched in his hands, crumpling the paper beneath his thumbs. In just a few days, it felt as though he had aged a thousand years.

He had said her name, time and time again, curling around the blankets and burying his face into them. "Sarina."

It echoed about the room like a curse.

Now, he was granted something that could possibly give him the blessing that was salvation. A letter-- his brother may not be dead. Everyone else was; his parents, his fiance, his future parent-in-laws and sibling-in-laws. But if he could just have this One. Thing.

This one damn thing.

Maybe he could keep going. Maybe he could keep living.

He found it in himself to drag himself up, to keep on moving. To find his brother, so he could at least have someone, something, left.

His glasses were crooked and cracked, the temples taped to the hinge. His hands were dry, in desperate need of lotion, and his lips were chapped. He hadn't shaved his face in days. But that didn't matter, none of it did, at this point.

He just needed to find his brother.

"Haruhiko," He muttered, his voice dry and his palm grazing the walls of the structure he found himself in. "Where are you?"

The first person he found was no family member of his. Glasses rested atop the other's nose, a pair similar to his own. "Terry"-- that was his name. He, too, was on a search. He had a brother of his own, a brother around Haruhiko's age. A brother in the same class as Naoto's little brother.

Perhaps he could find some solace in that later. At the current moment, he could not. He just wanted, needed, to find his brother.

They scoured the building, examining every room, every nook, every cranny. They prayed among themselves for luck; they prayed to find their family. But they remained unlucky. So, when they reached the top floor, they departed-- joining a new group of people, who seemed oh-so familiar.

"Rei Mekaru." That was her name; one that he knew from Haruhiko's rants. He'd cry and whine about how cruel she was, how she always called him dumb. Naoto had simply snickered, back then.

Now, he stood face to face with a woman who bore tired eyes. Her expression seemed a thousand years older than what it should be, and her hands gripped a gun tight. She looked shaken, in a way; but also frustrated beyond belief.

But, even so, if she was alive... then surely, his brother must be, too.

.

.

.

So why did she look at him with such pity? Why did she look at him with such sorrow and guilt?

More people gathered, all with the same sorry tale; there to find family, to find someone they held near and dear. All bore sullen expressions at their defeat.

As the last five shuffled in, joining the group, Rei sat and clasped her hands. She spoke softly, grief cracking her voice every other sentence. But he barely paid attention to the words she spoke after the first two.

"I'm sorry."

It all became jumbled, the murmurs of the people nearby fusing into one anothers. He couldn't hear his own thoughts-- only a ringing that gave him a headache. He couldn't even process what she was sorry about.

The next thing he knew, a hand was placed on his shoulder and she was in front of him. His gaze met hers, his breath uneven and tears streaking down his cheeks, and she pursed her lips.

"He died trying to save someone he loved." She murmured, her gaze flitting away for a mere second before focusing again. "He... loved Iranami, more than anything. He wanted..."

She paused, her lips tightening and her eyebrows furrowing. Then, she continued. "He wanted her to escape. Even at the cost of his own life."

His heart stopped.

Emptiness was a strange feeling. It started at the stomach, hollowing it out and sending bile up his throat. Then, the darkness spread; it grappled every little thing before its tendrils curled around his heart, squeezing the muscle tightly until it felt like it'd burst. It continued to creep upwards, even then, until it washed over his brain-- forcing him to fall to his knees in anguish. Forcing him to cry silent tears that he didn't know he was capable of bearing.

But the silence grew louder, and louder, and louder, until it reached it's breaking point. Her hand moved from his shoulder, and he fell forward onto his knees, hands snaking up to hold himself as he let out an agonized wail. His forehead was pressed against the floor, snot and tears coating his face; he was a pure and utter mess.

Everything, he'd lost everything. He wasn't sure of who he was anymore; he felt like a carcass, cold and heavy. He felt like a shell, abandoned and hollow.