#galacticluminary

@ciphertwin @galacticluminary

Things had become oddly quiet in the ruined city.

Among the rubble and fire stood the young man once known as Kokichi Ouma, wearing his signature hat and cloak over black attire. Only his face was exposed to the elements, and not even his hands went uncovered. Around his waist, a pistol that had seen the end of many lives rested in its holster.

Today, he was alone. 

Everyone had come to fear him. The boy who kills indiscriminately, the mad old dog who will execute anything and anyone who gets in his way. Sometimes, they would die to his hands even if they were harmless bystanders.

Soon, he had found one, an elderly man buried in the rubble. Only one arm and his head were visible, and there was a scary amount of blood seeping through the cracks.

Kokichi figured that his limbs were entirely crushed from the weight of the rubble he was buried under, if not completely crushed. The elderly man was wheezing and shaking, groaning from pain and very clearly suffering.

So when the old man noticed him and reached out to him, he took out his pistol and aimed it at the pitiful man. 

The elder gasped, and despair filled his eyes.

“W... wait,” he begged. They always begged. “I don’t--”

The loud echoing of a shot being fired could have been heard for miles, with how otherwise quiet his surroundings seemed to be.

Looking over the corpse he had just created, the person that was one Kokichi Ouma frowned, and bowed his head, and muttered oh-so quietly, “Rest in peace.” 

And without another beat, Kokichi sharply turned and continued his search. His search for the wounded to put them out of their misery, his search of the evil that deserved an execution. There was no difference in his cold, dead eyes when the bullet left the chamber.

The mad old dog who would kill anyone and everyone. Even “fellow” Remnants of Despair feared his wrath. The face that only invoked fear in others.

“Thanks Shuichi, you get it!!!” Kaito no.

“Well, of course. It’d be strange if you didn’t.” Of course, that’s not exactly true. He knows it might be a little odd, but--why would he call it out? It’s nice. And it’s harmless. Kaito doesn’t mean anything else by it, right?

...

Maybe he was playing innocent more for Kaito’s sanity than his own. Yeah. Lying to himself wasn’t very easy, even now.

@galacticluminary

It shouldn’t be much longer.

If Kokichi’s estimation was anywhere on point, Kaito would be standing on his last legs for sure. He saw Kaito coughing. He saw the blood. It didn’t take much to realize he was dying.

If his plan was going to work, now was the time to get it started.

Kokichi slowly made his way towards the bathroom of the hanger, expression fallen and blank. There was no need for his mask when there was no one else to see it, and his features carried exhaustion. 

Well. The mastermind could see him, but that didn’t really matter.

Drawing in a deep breath, Kokichi forced himself to smile. It was getting close now. His plans, everything he had been stewing up for the past few days in the hanger... it was about to reach the climax.

So he opened the door, about to cheerily call out to Kaito--but his breath hitched when he saw Kaito lying on the floor.

He wasn’t breathing.

Kokichi made his way over to Kaito, kneeling down beside him--yes, indeed, he wasn’t breathing.

Kokichi shook at Kaito’s shoulders, but didn’t make a sound. He tried to hide the panic and distress in his expression, but it was very clear in his eyes. If there was anything he did have to hide from the cameras, it was how much devastation he felt at yet another death, and the absolute failure that was tied to it.

Kokichi needed Kaito to wake up.

“Kaito,” he called out to him, quietly, yet desperate. “Kaito. Kaito.”

He continued to shake Kaito, more and more violently. 

He couldn’t fail again. He couldn’t be responsible for yet another death. Kokichi was prepared to die for his sins, but he couldn’t stand the idea of another sin weighing him down.

He left out the fact that the game was said to get people in a competitive mood; with him and Kokichi, such an outcome was inevitable, no matter what game they played. But that was the point, he supposed, and it wasn't like he was going to complain when it was fun for both of them. (2/2)

--------------------

“Oh? For me...?”

Considering it was his birthday, maybe this was intended to be a gift. Not that Kokichi needed to ask for clarification; it was kinder for to just assume as such and hope for the best. Something that still proved difficult, but something he was trying to do better with.

Kokichi didn’t need more than a second to determine the value of the gift Kaito had given, and any potential doubt lurking in the back of his mind vanished. 

Though what felt more valuable was the fact Kaito wanted to play this game with him. 

The thought made him grin widely.

“Ooooh, man! Kaito, you spent a lot of time and money just to get your ass kicked, huh? I feel kinda bad, so maybe I’ll let you win a couple of times! Either way, I accept your challenge!”

  Wait he was 14 when she did that shit!

((I *think* Kokichi would be 16 in our remnant verse timeline, but still oof;;))

  “Wow! I can’t believe how hopelessly gay they are!...

“Shut up! As if you’re any less of a mess when *you* confess!”

“Okay, but I’m not that hopeless!”

Examine:

Kokichi: 

A strange place you’re trapped in. Aside from the annoying stuffed bear and rabbit running around, it’s like an island paradise. You’re nervous about the fact this is apparently a “killing game” though… Hopefully, no one will take that bear seriously.

Rem: 

A world where you weren’t supposed to exist anymore. You’re not sure what happened, but you think Kokichi might have saved you from being erased. None of the others remember, and none of them can ask Kokichi without tipping him off that he’s a part of a system now. You want to talk to Kaito as soon as you can…

Koki: 

A fake world designed to be some sort of alternative therapy for the Remnants of Despair. It’s no place for you. You’ll just have to lay low when you’re fronting, and maybe hole up in a library and read until whatever reason you were forced out is resolved.Though, even if it’s fake… the sounds of the waves crashing on the shore is relaxing. You can feel your heart at ease just listening to it.

Koko: 

"I’m bad for you, don’t you get that?"

A fire flares in his chest at the bitter words, fists clenching and then releasing as he sharply inhales through his nose. Kaito quickly bites his tongue before anything can burst free. Calm down. Don’t yell.

“No, I don’t. Because you’re not.” His words are firm, thankfully only the slightest hint of anger slipping into his tone.

These words aren’t uncommon from Rem, but they still hit Kaito with the force of a steel spike stabbed into his heart every time. It makes him want to fiercely deny every negative word, makes him want to shove his positive view of the other onto him, but helping Rem out of that mindset is a work in progress Kaito can’t rush.

“You say that, and yet...”

How could Kaito deny the sins on Rem’s shoulders? The lives that had been lost because of him, innocent or not. That wasn’t a sin to ignore, nor was it one that Rem could ever escape from. Not that he wanted to.

He wanted to be punished for it. For every awful, cruel thing he had done.

“... I’ve heard other members of Future Foundation talking. They’re still not sure what to do with me. They have doubts that you can really do anything for me. They worry that I’m going to drag you down with me.” As he spoke, Rem’s eyes went hollow and dark. Despair, horrid and disgusting, bubbled up in his irises. “There’s going to be a trial, from the rumors I’ve heard. There’s a good chance that I’ll be executed. The question is, whether or not Kokichi, Koko, and Koki are worth sacrificing or if their machines can just erase me while keeping the others safe. No one, not even the others... believe in me like you do.”

Rem shook his head.