Tool ㅡ Chapter 2: Beauty
Word count: 1,688
OTP: Fuyuhiko Kuzuryuu x Peko Pekoyama | Danganronpa 2
Additional characters: Hiyoko Saionji, Nagito Komaeda, Ibuki Mioda, others implied
Story type: Fanfiction
Short summary: Peko Pekoyama dives into her most precious memories in an intimate journey to self-love, trying to live with emotions she can’t control and to discover what it’s like to be a real person. More notes at the end.
Read on AO3.
ㅡ
Quick notes before you start: More characters will be mentioned in this chapter and the plot will be a little more consistent this time - while still keeping Peko’s introspective style and thought processing. Remember this is a collection of memories, so the story will follow a timeline, but the episodes are not related. Enjoy!
ㅡ
My lips whisper: I am a tool. I was brought to this world to be by his side; I shall fulfill my purpose.
« Remind me why we joined this lame-ass party in the first place. »
I awaken from my dissociation. I forgot where I was ㅡ I don't know how long I was absent.
« Well, for one: you need to step out your yakuza royalty zone and stop being an uptight asshole; for two, this isn't a party, it's an extra-class briefing and as long as class rep wants you here, you come here. Are you afraid we see your momma come pick you up? » « I will fucking slit your throat, you nasty pigtailed bitch. » « Do it, pussy. I'm waiting. »
Conversations float above my head, never touch my ears. Crimson eyes mix with peach and tangerine lights of a summer sunset. Rays filtered by the see-through texture of the room's curtains. Dust flies around bothered by the slightest movement. Hazy comfort.
"Are you having fun, tool? Are you relaxed?" Hands stop mid-air, vainly attempting to catch a rivulet of light for myself. To steal it ㅡ they are now cold, uninhabitable. "You are failing, I see," heart shakes, "at keeping your priorities in check." Head immediately turns around, facing the inside of the room. Analyzing every face. Looking for guilty expressions. Fingers reach for the sword bag, then stop once again. Body is all tensed up. Pure anxiety ㅡ need to control. "Do not let your guard down. Protect your Master."
In no way I was going to be at peace.
« AAAHH!!! I can't believe this sewer rat grabbed my kimono!!! Pekoyama, come get your fucking boyfriend!!! » « Imma kill you right here, right now, or I swear my last name is not fuckin' Kuzuryuu! » « Yakuza is societal filth that can't live in the civilized world and I hope you know that very well!!! » The sight of a rather normal teenage scenario unraveling before me ㅡ it's soothing. This is what 'young' looks like. An inaudible sigh leaves me.
« Fuyuhiko. Is there something bothering you? » calm voice keeps a secret ㅡ I would be ready to kill anyone who touches him. First sight is enough to me. « You even got your girlfriend to hate me? Fine! You two smell too fishy. Are you yakuza too, four-eyes? » I refrain to reply. Just at first. Blonde hair floats on traditional clothing. Face too pretty. Mouth too lousy. « I have no reason to hate you, » I wouldn't know how. « You have been screaming for a while now - it's wrecking my ears, and everybody else's in this room. »
« Oi, Saionji. » something in that call alerts me, too. I immediately turn ㅡ to hear soft chuckles. Hands waving innocently. Pale and sickly. His walk is unbalanced in a way that disturbs me. « I advise you not to provoke the swordswoman in any way. She might hurt you real bad, » he lowers his sight, « ...hehe- and I mean, serious boo boo. You wouldn't mess with such a wonderful couple anyway, would you? » Something about this person is not healthy, both physical and mentally speaking. He reminds me of a haunted house ㅡ terrifying. Abandoned on its own pity. With empty rooms and hollow hallways ㅡ inhabited by ghosts only he can see. « What's this? A congregation of rats?! And like, aren't you fucking dead already? » « You're right, » chuckles, « I should be. I wonder why that hasn't happened to me already, given my circle of luck- »
« YOOOOOSHHHH! We now announce you - we?? Well I, me, myself, Ibuki Mioda - I'm bored!!! » Everything in the room ceases to exist for a minute, overshadowed by this loud screaming entry. Mioda ㅡ overwhelming. Personified hyperactivity. Too much energy unchanneled. « Since this meeting seems to come to nnnooouu~ conclusion whatsoever, » Mioda has this way of speaking that would make my sword terribly easy to wield. "We - we?? No I, me, myself, Ibuki Mioda - decided to start having fun - in the girls' way!!! » « Oh, here we fuckin' go- » « SHUT UP!!! We're hosting a makeover!!! I'm gonna make you shine with a perfect look!!!" her expression changes drastically in a fistful of seconds, « I need a volunteer though. » I find myself even more puzzled. I wouldn't quite know how this would be fun. In fact, I am convinced I have ever experienced that kind of amusement in any way, at this point. Only the thought of it ㅡ a context where I do not possess self-control. Where I am not focused enough. Uneasiness inducing thoughts ㅡ they make me frown immediately. « Oh??? And why is Komaeda even here?!? The boys spent the entire afternoon looking for you- » « I've always been inside this house. » eerie man speaks again. Voice is incredibly pacifying. It clashes with his spectral look. « Besides, I would rather not spend all my time with those idiotic peasants. To be fair, I'm here to get away from them. May I share a suggestion for who you should do this makeover to? » His eyes wander for a little more just for the suspance. Greyish and dull. They find me very soon, and try to lock into mine. I secure an exchange of glances before I retreat into something more comfortable ㅡ like afternoon warm rays posing and reflecting on the almost unsettling white of my skin. I tried to outrun him. In vain.
« Pekoyama Peko, perhaps? Will you have the guts to accept the duty? »
I can hear my Master gulp from a distance. « YOOOOSSHHH!!! Then it's settled!!! » she took the suggestion before I could reply. Komaeda grins like he defeated an enemy. « I'll gather all the girls here!!! Take a seat and enjoy the ride~! » Anything that happens in between the moments is way beyond my knowledge. Eyes immediately to my Master as soon as my classmates push me into the project. A part of me needs to let him know I am fine, in every context. Istinct. Pure guts.
Hands and tools start unbraiding my hair, let it flow on my shoulders. Some other are on my face. I close my eyes. Panicking. Uncontrolled discomfort. Every inch of my body is ready to fight back the danger. But there is no danger. The danger is an illusion. And this illusion ㅡ I feel it wrecking me. Making me paranoid, and at the same time, always ready to protect. A machine, brought to life to be forever on the edge. Walking on the thin layer between total control and madness. This, this will make me mad.
« Peko, you have the longest hair ever. It's a pity you always braid them!!! You reaaaally have this beauty potential- I'm sure Fuyuhiko agrees with me!!! »
I feel my eyelids snap open. No one is allowed to even breathe his name. I frantically look for him. I can't see between the many bodies. I can't keep in control of things. I start to panic even more. I never felt this. Never. But control needs to be the first thing. My Master needs to be the first thing. My life is in forever duty. His safety is my duty. I do not have time for this. I do not have permission for this. I do not deserve-
« WE DONE!!! Classmates, be gone. Let the girl admire the Gods' work!!! » Mioda's high pitch in distance shuts everything silent. In my brain. In the room. Bodies have left my side, letting light fill my now-closed eyelids again. I can feel its warmth. And I don't want to wake up from the dream of ignorance. But voices urge me. Impatient vibes torture my spine. I need to confront it.
I decide to ㅡ so blood-shot iris anxiously point the picture on the mirror before me. And they don't recognize it.
On the other side, mirror Peko's hair is completely free, fallen gently on her shoulders, on her back. Sweet curls rest on her body. Face is filled with light makeup, to contour, to refine ㅡ the beauty of the picture, and the ugliness of the inside.
I can not handle this. This is so new, so unexperienced. So beyond my knowledge of reality. My image has drastically changed ㅡ I can not see the pain anymore. I can't feel the hardness of the skin anymore. The sorrow. The solitude. The constrained acceptance of my fate. Tool. Mumblings inside my head are gentler. Tool. Faces all around me are gentler. Tool. The world feels lovely to my heart. Tool. Tool. Tool. Tool. Tool. Tool. Tool. Tool. Tool.
« Well? Peko???! Moshi moooshhh??? » I can't help it. I can not help but struggle to live with this new truth that is unraveling before me. I need to go back to reality.
How dare I. How dare I. How dare I-
« Will you shut the fuck up? Both of you! Mioda, Saionji, and even Komaeda - yes I see you! Fucking stop!!! » A splash of freezing water leaving me breathless ㅡ His voice. His rushed breath, his running towards me. His hands on me. Everything is just right the moment he comes back to my side. I sense him reading me, like the title of an old book lying on a low shelf.
He knows something I don't know. He sees something I can't see.
Something I need.
« Peko. You really are beautiful, » he says. Not even a flinch on his face ㅡ he wouldn't dare to show weakness in public. But I can sense it. His true self. « You deserve this moment. »
My mind loses it, slowly, entering a coma of self-soothing mumbling. I feel my eyes water instantly. Painful drops suddenly tear my skin.
« What??? What the heck?? You made her cry!!! » « I said close your fucking mouth or I swear to God- » « You're not supposed to make her cry!!! Oh Lord of make up- please forgive him! » « Mioda, one more word!!! » « You made your girlfriend cry!!!! Watch her being desperate and know it's your fault! » « Ah...the hope and despair born from love...how strangely beautiful...how terrifying... » « You really should be dead already!!! »
Voices fade, as I close my eyes again, indulging myself in a moment of wet abandonment.
ㅡ
Soooorrryyyyyy for keeping you wait! This is the second chapter of our dear Peko’s memories collection! I really want to thank you for the overwhelming support I received for the 1st chapter. I did not see that coming!!! Thank you so much ;_;
Ps. I might need to call off the weekly update restriction, cause I find it kinda...limiting? I really need inspiration to work, I can’t afford to feel pressured on this too ;; sorry guys. But I’ll still be quick cause I already have the story aaaall in my head. See you soon with the next chapter! Also, any kind of sharing and support will be deeply appreciated!
Next chapter hints: We’ll get a bit more into something we’ve already seen in Danganronpa, both the story and the game. Even with the episode being canon, I’ll describe it using something out of my fantasy. Hope you’ll love it!
