Chapter Text
A/N: Wow, so... I haven't written or posted a fanfic online in many, many years, and I normally don't write in-game canon divergence stories, but for some reason, I felt strangely compelled to write this one. I've played V3 and watched many let's plays, and I always feel such overwhelming helplessness when I get to chapter 5. I just... wish there was something that could've been done to prevent what happened, and I guess this story is me reconciling with my own lingering denial.
That being said, I did a lot of research about strychnine poisoning, since that's the poison Strike-9 is clearly based off of. Any medical information presented in this story will be based on the effects/treatment of strychnine poisoning, although there will be some discrepancies, since real-life strychnine doesn't have an "antidote," for example.
Also, this story will be entirely from Kaito's perspective (with italicized sentences indicating his inner thoughts). And as far as the relationship between Kaito and Kokichi is concerned, you can read it as entirely platonic from start to finish, or you can read it as "becoming something more." I've written this story so that it's entirely up to the reader to decide how they wish to interpret the relationship. Also, I've already written some of this story in advance, so hopefully there won't be particularly long gaps between updates.
Trigger Warnings: This fic takes place during chapter 5, and that means a lot of blood. There may be graphic descriptions of physical illness. There will also be potentially graphic descriptions of injuries being sustained or treated. Also, due to the nature of Kokichi's plan to end the killing game through self-sacrifice, there will be some suicidal ideation. Chapter 1 also contains a flashback with a very brief description of a sick/dying animal, so please be prepared for that if you have a hard time reading about animals that have been hurt or are in distress.
Extra Note About Triggers: If you ever spot a very specific trigger warning in a chapter of Amalgamate that you think will prevent you from reading a particular chapter (such as not being able to read a flashback with an injured animal), please let me know, and I can try to send you a copy of the chapter with the triggering part removed. I can only do this for specific things, since it would be impossible to remove general triggers, such as descriptions of blood, but I can try to help out with the specific triggers :)
In general, this story will contain a lot of blood and angst, but I hope that by the end of the fic, you will feel that the suffering was worth it! There will, of course, be humor sprinkled throughout, since this whole story centers around Kaito and Kokichi trying to "work together." I'm hoping those pockets of levity will help poke some necessary air holes in this story's occasionally suffocating angst. No matter what happens in this fic, I hope you all enjoy it!
UPDATE: 8/3/2023: CHAPTER 1 OF AMALGAMATE IS NOW AVAILABLE IN RUSSIAN!
Disclaimer: I do not own any characters, settings, storylines, etc. from Danganronpa V3 or the Danganronpa franchise. They belong to/are the creation of Spike Chunsoft. Or Team Danganronpa, if you're feeling meta.
CHAPTER 1: THE HANGAR
This isn’t right…
This isn’t right…
This isn’t right…
The words repeated over and over, banging against the inside of Kaito’s skull like the ominous drums of a funeral dirge…
This isn’t right, this isn’t right, this isn’t right…
The words pounded inside his ears with every slow, agonizing step they took towards the upper deck of the hangar. Kokichi was staggering, struggling to stay steady, and his footsteps were falling out of sync with Kaito’s like a dying heart beating out of rhythm.
How did it come to this…? Kaito wondered, gritting his teeth in frustration. How the hell did I end up practically carrying the most sadistic, selfish, shitstain of a human I’ve ever met like he’s some doe-eyed, Charles Dickens orphan? What kind of sick joke is this?
Despite the angry, ugly thoughts in his head, Kaito tried to sound as verbally encouraging as possible – even as his mind continued to wail that all of this was wrong. “We’re almost there, Kokichi. You can do it…”
“Woooow, Kaito, it’s almost like you care or something…!” Kokichi chuckled darkly, head bowed forward, and sweat dripping from his hair. With every step they took, Kaito could feel more and more of Kokichi’s weight pressing against his side. Fearing the smaller boy’s legs would give out before they reached the top of the stairs, Kaito tightened his grip around Kokichi’s waist, causing the boy to hiss in pain as Kaito’s sleeve accidentally brushed against the arrow wound still leaking blood down his back.
“Nng, y-you did that on purpose…” Kokichi hissed. “I d-didn’t take you for a sadist, Kaito…”
“Wh-what?! Quit screwin’ around! What kinda asshole do you take me for?!” Kaito couldn’t believe Kokichi would accuse him of something so malicious when he was hauling the boy up a flight of stairs just to help him go through with the most insane plan ever written in the history of the human species.
“Heh… that was a lie. I know you’re secretly a masochist.”
“What?!”
Kokichi shook his head in response, causing even more beads of sweat to drip from his limp, dark hair. When they finally reached the upper deck, Kaito paused to let the smaller boy get a hold of himself. Kokichi was panting from pain, poison, and exertion, but with his head bowed, Kaito couldn’t see the expression on his face. Kokichi was an unempathetic, tactless asshole on his best days, but still… Kaito didn’t derive any pleasure from making the kid suffer. He really, truly didn’t. He wasn’t a heartless monster like –
Stop it, Kaito chided himself. It doesn’t matter anymore. You’re already walking the monster to its grave.
“Kokichi, are you alri – ”
“J-just shut up.” Kokichi shoved Kaito aside with unexpected force. “You don’t have to lie anymore.” He pointed one trembling finger towards the machine lurking in the shadows beneath them. “The press. Go.”
Kaito watched, bewildered, as Kokichi leaned all his weight against the railing. He looked like he’d collapse at any moment. “Do you need help setting up?”
“Supreme Leaders don’t need help.” Kokichi pinned Kaito with a fierce glare. Even glazed with pain, Kokichi’s eyes were smoldering with pride and determination. The pure, unbridled rage in Kokichi’s eyes was terrifying to behold, but Kaito at least took comfort in the fact that if Kokichi was still capable of being this angry, it meant he was still capable of seeing this through to the end. It meant he was still the unstoppable force of nature known as Kokichi Oma, no matter how much poison was pumping through his veins.
“…Alright.” Kaito sighed. He – they – were resigned. Resolute. Kokichi gave him a stiff nod and turned away to start adjusting the camera. His heart heavy, Kaito headed back down the stairs, his footsteps clanging loudly in the otherwise silent hangar. The hydraulic press gleamed with dark, malicious energy, and Kaito’s stomach sank as he truly looked at it for the first time since Kokichi explained his twisted, final plan. The machine’s jaws were held open – frozen – like a venus flytrap awaiting a sacrifice. Somehow, it felt as if the hangar was full of eyes – as if thousands of scavengers hid in the shadows, waiting to pick apart the carcass of whoever was unlucky enough to walk into that looming, mechanical deathtrap.
As Kaito made his way towards the press, dread pooled in his stomach, and his knees felt as if they’d liquified. Kaito wasn’t the one who was going to die, yet he felt like he was already walking the plank to his own execution.
I suppose, in a technical sense, I am… Kaito smiled grimly and shook his head. But you can’t drag your feet like this. Kokichi’s trusting you with this plan...
The idea that Kokichi was “trusting” him with anything left a bitter taste in his mouth that had nothing to do with the blood he’d been coughing up for the past week-and-a-half.
Get a hold of yourself, Momota. The longer you wait, the longer Kokichi suffers…
Despite this personal pep talk, Kaito could feel his limbs shaking as he stooped down and peered into the dark gullet of the press. The metal underneath his hands was cold, and his ears were ringing.
“Kaito! The jacket!”
Kaito was snapped out of his stupor by Kokichi’s weak shouts from above. “Right. Sorry…” You have to do this. You have to do this. You have to do this.
Even though it’s wrong…
Sitting on the edge of the press, Kaito shrugged off his purple coat and winced in pain as the sleeve dragged across the arrow wound in his arm.
“Who knew crossbow bolts were so painful…” Kaito grumbled. The pain almost made him feel sorry for Kokichi. Almost. With a sigh, Kaito laid the jacket neatly inside the press, just as Kokichi had instructed, and then slid himself between the metal jaws, and rested back against the fabric of space – a joke that used to make Kaito laugh, back when he wasn’t drowning endlessly in fear and blood.
It’s okay… Even if it was pathetic, Kaito tried to console himself as he looked up at the stars reflected in the dark metal above. It’s just like outer space. You have to face the blackness head-on if you want to move forward…
The longer he stared at it, the more the false sky swirled and warped, the stars blurring and the galaxies melting into pale smears. After so many weeks trapped in a glass dome, staring out at unfamiliar constellations, it seemed a fitting image. It was almost… pretty, in an uncanny sort of way, and Kaito felt himself release a breath he hadn’t even realized he’d been holding.
Lying there, waiting in silence for the proverbial ax to fall, Kaito struggled not to let his mind wander towards the grim reality that soon, he and Kokichi were going to reverse roles, and Kaito was actually going to drop the press on a human being.
But… if Kaito had to do something so reprehensible, he could at least take solace in the fact that the press would be coming down on Kokichi Oma and not any of the other students. Of all the teenagers trapped inside the Ultimate Academy for Gifted Juveniles, there had been no greater pain in the ass – no greater threat to what little harmony they could cling to – than Kokichi fucking Oma. No, Kaito wasn’t going to weep over the Ultimate Supreme Leader. He never wanted the boy to die, of course, because Kaito never wanted to see anyone die – but it was Kokichi’s choice to give up the Strike-9 antidote, and Kaito certainly wasn’t going to lose sleep over it – especially if this absolute madhouse of a plan succeeded. There was no denying that Kokichi had brought much of this demise upon himself. Even if this ridiculous plan saved Kaito’s life (for the moment) and saved Maki from execution, it was Kokichi’s actions that drove them all to this precipice in the first place. Kokichi was a selfish, manipulative bastard, and it sickened Kaito to realize that in the end, the little brat still managed to blackmail him into becoming a goddamn murderer. The Ultimate Supreme Leader always got what he wanted in the end, didn’t he? The bastard…
Yes, Kokichi deserved to perish inside the walls of this disgusting game he so cherished.
And in the back of his mind, a voice that sounded suspiciously like Kokichi whispered, “That’s a lie…”
Suddenly, Kaito’s entire body seized in terror as the hydraulic press lurched to life. The cold, clinical slab of metal beneath his body trembled as the jaws began lowering and the deep, thrumming growl drowned out the sound of his breath. The stars reflected in the metal sky remained frozen as the darkness began pressing in closer. All the thoughts in Kaito’s head scattered as a swarm of terrified, babbling voices pushed to the forefront of his mind. What if the Electrobomb short-circuited the machinery and Kokichi can’t stop the press? What if Kokichi dies before he can stop the press? What if he tricked me and he was never planning to stop the press in the first place? What if this is all another lie and he’s going to kill me kill me kill me and –
Absolutely not. Kaito desperately banished the thoughts. He’d never trusted Kokichi for even a second since he’d met him, but he had to trust Kokichi with this. Fate was playing a sadistic joke on the two of them. This compromise was a cruel, disappointing irony neither would ever admit to the other out loud. How hilarious it was that the only way to beat the mastermind at his own game was for Kaito to finally believe in Kokichi, and for Kokichi to finally cooperate with Kaito. Kokichi didn’t trust anyone, that much was clear, but for this one plan, he was willing to cast aside all his pride and all his defenses – everything that made him who he was – and entrust Kaito with his life just to end the killing game.
Kaito and Kokichi would never agree on anything but this: the game had to end. It had to. Even if Kokichi had selfish, vindictive reasons for wanting to checkmate the mastermind – even if he was doing this just to win this stupid game – their goal was the same. They could do this. They had to do this. By working together, they could actually make it happen.
But Kokichi will never find out if your pathetic platitudes are even true, Kaito realized as he watched the darkness drawing closer. The press seemed to squeeze all the air out of the ever-constricting space around Kaito’s body, and his already irritated lungs began to wheeze. He tried to hold as still as possible, despite the urge to clench his fists, because even a single twitch could ruin the video Kokichi was (hopefully) filming. Still, staring into the oppressive, black doom grinding closer, Kaito was struck by the sheer finality of it all. This was the last thing Kokichi Oma was ever going to see. The Ultimate Supreme Leader was never going to find out if their plan succeeded. He was never going to find out who the mastermind even was. For all Kokichi knew, Kaito was the mastermind, and this was all a twisted prank he’d orchestrated to swat the little pest out of the game. For all he knew, Kaito was going to delight in squashing him like a bug.
He just… couldn’t stop thinking about it. He couldn’t stop imagining what Kokichi’s last thoughts were going to be as the hydraulic press counted down the seconds before his life was extinguished. For God’s sake, Kokichi was just a child – they all were – and Kaito was going to have to press a button and shorten a human’s lifespan down to mere inches. Kokichi always seemed less human to him than K1-B0, and there were times when Kaito wondered if Kokichi was just some elaborate, soulless A.I. like Monokuma – yet, he couldn’t help but wonder what Kokichi was going to be thinking about in those final moments. He wondered if the boy would lie there worrying about the plan or dwelling on regrets. Would he cling like a child to some happy memory, or would he simmer in rage over the future that had been stolen from him? Did Kokichi even have any happy memories? It was hard to imagine him as anything but a sneering, vindictive asshole… yet, the comforting hand Kokichi placed on Kaito’s shoulder before he gave him the antidote had felt real.
As the press loomed within a breath of Kaito’s face, he was seized with terror. If Kokichi really was a human being under his veritable fortress of masks, was he going to feel this way, too? Kaito was so scared in that final second that he wanted to scream. He could feel himself sliding back down the machine’s slick, metal throat. He was falling – falling away from this world, his friends, every plan he’d ever made for the future. There was nothing left, just a black pit, despair, darkness, a meaningless existence snuffed out – forgotten – faded – extinguished. It was a torment he’d never even known was possible – the kind of blind, mindless terror that shoots blades of pain through one's body and clamps a fist around one's throat. Kaito felt as if he was literally strangling beneath the weight of his own mortality. He was a cornered animal screaming in a trap – an entity of pure adrenaline and anguish – and for a moment, he thought he was going to actually lose his mind.
No no no no no NO NO NO –
And then, just as soon as it all started, silence fell. The metal beneath Kaito’s back finally stopped shaking, though his body continued shivering all on its own. The gleaming, silver slab pressing down on him was frozen mere inches from his face. He looked up at it, expecting to see his own terrified reflection, but in such a small space, only the darkness sneered back at him. His breath came in short, rasping pants, and to his horror, he realized his heaving chest was brushing against the metal hovering over him like the lid of a coffin. Kaito tried to gather his wits back into a coherent stream of consciousness, rather than the broiling stew of panic sloshing against the inside of his skull.
You have to get a hold of yourself, he thought as he attempted to quell the uncontrollable quiver in his limbs. You promised Kokichi. You promised. You can’t let him down now. He’s a bastard, but this is his last wish. Be the bigger man, Momota.
Kaito took a deep breath, and with all the effort it took to command his petrified body, he slid himself out of the small gap in the hydraulic press and leaned against it as he attempted to piece himself back together. Don’t do this, Kaito. Don’t let Kokichi see you like this. He might not feel afraid yet, but if he sees you terrified out of your mind, he might –
Trying to slip on a liar’s mask Kokichi would be proud of – and no, the irony wasn’t lost on him in the slightest – Kaito flashed one of his trademark grins and a thumbs up towards the boy watching from the upper deck.
“Phew! How was my performance? And be honest for once! Ten outta ten, right?”
Kokichi was clinging to the railing as if he was being tossed on a boat in a storm, but somehow, he still managed to give Kaito a dry – albeit weak – smile.
“I’ve already called The Oscars. They said they’ll have to grade you on a sliding scale.” Almost as if he’d planned it for comedic effect, Kokichi suddenly slid to the floor.
“Shit.” Any lingering weakness left in his limbs quickly evaporated as Kaito rushed up the stairs. He found Kokichi still clinging to the railing, but he obviously no longer had the strength to get himself back on his feet. His head was bowed so that his dark hair obscured his face, but Kaito could see the boy’s shoulders shaking. “Hey man, you okay?”
Despite the obvious pain in his eyes, Kokichi managed to raise his head and pierce Kaito with the most sardonic look any dying human had ever mustered. “Never been better, Kaito. Fucking duh.”
“…Yeah, that’s a lie.”
Kokichi quirked an eyebrow. “Wow, you’re finally catching on. No wonder they call you the Ultimate Astronaut. You’re a genius.”
“Damn, Strike-9 poison makes you sassy.” Kaito knelt down in front of Kokichi, still trying to keep a playful smile on his face, even if he knew it didn’t reach his eyes. He had to keep up this banter for his own sake as much as Kokichi’s. Keeping the atmosphere as light as possible in the face of such unspeakable horror would hopefully keep Kokichi calm and focused. So long as the boy could sass him, he still had some life left in him. He wasn’t so far gone that he was no longer Kokichi, and there was still time to make sure Maki wasn’t the blackened, and that the mastermind wouldn’t get the last laugh in the end.
“Everyone knows Strike-9 poison has a – a status effect that causes u-uncontrollable quipping.” Kokichi was gripping the railing like a lifeline as he started pulling himself back to his feet. Kaito reached towards him, wanting to help, but his hands hovered uselessly as he tried to figure out what to do. These days, it seemed like he never knew what to do.
Some hero you are…
“At least let me help you up, Kokichi. You look like you’re about to fall on your damn face.”
“Shut up.” Even Kokichi wasn’t normally so snappy, but he was obviously in a lot more pain than he was letting on. There was a haziness in his eyes that hadn’t been there before Kaito went under the press, and there were beads of sweat on his brow. Kaito’s stomach lurched at the realization that Kokichi was getting worse and quickly. He knew it was inevitable – the kid had lost a gallon of blood in an agonizing smear across the hangar floor, and he was poisoned – but seeing him actually deteriorating still sent a chill down his spine.
Kaito was actually quite familiar with the effects of Strike-9 poison. It was available as an over-the-counter pesticide that his grandparents used to take care of rat infestations on the farm. His grandparents had explained to him in great detail what the progressive symptoms of Strike-9 poison looked like not only to ensure he knew what to look out for in case he or some other member of the family was accidentally exposed to it, but also to instill a sense of empathy in him for the suffering of any animal afflicted.
He could vividly remember a black barn cat on the farm who accidentally ingested some Strike-9 poison. No one was sure if the cat had foolishly ingested the pesticide herself, or if she’d eaten a rat that had just consumed some. Regardless, Kaito could still recall the horrid sight of the cat convulsing, drool pouring from her mouth, and Kaito’s grandfather aiming a shotgun as he explained that only human beings had the tools and intellect necessary to grant such mercy. There was an antidote in their cupboard for emergencies, but by the time they found the cat, three or four hours had passed, and she was obviously too far gone to be saved. Hypoxia had left her brain-damaged, and she’d broken one of her legs in the midst of a violent seizure. The cat might have suffered another hour or more if they hadn’t put her out of her misery.
Three or four salvageable hours for a cat, yes, and maybe a couple hours for a rat or a bird, but it would probably take a bit longer for a human to die, right…? There were just… too many variables Kaito was unsure about. How much Strike-9 was on the tip of Maki’s crossbow arrow? Strike-9’s a powder that has to be mixed into a serum, but how diluted was this particular bottle? And how much of the serum was absorbed into Kokichi’s bloodstream before the arrow was pulled out? How quickly would it take a teenage boy to metabolize such a poison?
Then again, Kokichi was a very small teenager – probably not even 45 kg – and Kaito had never been more aware of that alarming fact than he was now as he watched Kokichi wrench the checkered scarf off his neck and start unclasping the front of his jacket. Kaito knew Kokichi was thin, but he wasn’t expecting to see just how pale and skinny the boy really was under his clothes. His grandmother would’ve had a heart attack at the sight of Kokichi’s ribs as he pulled off his shirt and tossed it in Kaito’s direction. He could just imagine his grandmother racing into the kitchen to grab some strawberry daifuku in order to “get some meat on that kid’s bones” – and other such elderly clichés. The thought sent a pang of sorrow through Kaito’s chest, but he couldn’t afford to lose his cool now when they were so close to finalizing their plan.
“Here,” Kokichi muttered, shoving his scarf into Kaito’s arms. “Go flush my clothes down the toilet.”
“Er… why? Can’t we hide the clothes in the press with you, out of view of the camera? What if they won’t flush?”
Kokichi had a way of looking at Kaito like he was the dumbest man alive. “Aaaaand? So what? It doesn’t matter if the others manage to find the clothes in the bathroom or whatever. The goal isn’t just to create an unsolvable murder, it’s to create a murder with as many confusing inconsistencies, diversions, and variables as possible…” Kokichi paused to take a few shuddering breaths. “We need them to think it could be either of us inside the press. At this point, extra evidence is just gonna lead the mastermind in circles, not clear up any confusion.”
“Yeah… I guess so…”
“Also, we need to hide some… backup clues.” Kokichi had a pensive look on his face. “Just in case Monokuma…”
“In case Monokuma what…?”
Once again, Kokichi gave Kaito a look that said, “You’re so dumb, I actually pity you.” Whatever he was thinking must not have been worth saying aloud because Kokichi snorted and shook his head.
By that point, Kaito was simply too tired to think too hard about any of this nonsense or attempt to argue. He started to turn away but paused. “Hey, are you gonna be okay while I’m gone? If you wait here, I can help you down the stairs when I get back.”
Kokichi plastered one of his classic, mischievous grins to his face. Kaito was always amazed by how quickly Kokichi could swap masks, but in this case, the change was suspiciously abrupt, and the expression looked forced and hollow. “Oh, what’s this? Is Kaito worried about lil’ ol’ me? Is he suddenly feeling sorry for the bad guy?”
“Oh, just shut the hell up.” Kaito rolled his eyes and turned on his heel. “I don’t know why I even bother. Don’t do anything stupid while I’m gone or I’ll throttle you.”
“Don’t threaten me with a good time.”
Kaito only planned on disappearing for a few minutes, but at least ten minutes passed before he was able to return. He’d spent the first few minutes in the bathroom quite literally coughing his lungs up into that goddamn sci-fi toilet. Then, after flushing away all the blood, it took a few more minutes to force Kokichi’s clothes down the drain – not to mention the extra minute Kaito spent staring into the rippling water, trying to reconcile the fact that little by little, both his and Kokichi’s lives were literally being flushed down the drain. Drop by drop, piece by piece, the two of them were being dismantled, unraveled… extinguished. He never thought he’d feel despair at the sight of Kokichi’s tacky, checkered scarf spiraling down a toilet, and yet…
“This is no time for an existential crisis!” Kaito slammed his fist against the tiled wall. “Get a hold of yourself, man!”
When Kaito finally left the bathroom, he was both startled and impressed to find that Kokichi had made it down the stairs on his own without falling. Unfortunately, Kokichi had not made it all the way to the press. He’d collapsed a few feet from the staircase, and was lying in a twitching heap on the floor.
“Shit!” Kaito raced over to the boy’s side. The convulsions are starting…! If anything, Kaito was amazed they hadn’t started sooner. He went over the facts in his head as fast as possible: Strike-9 scrambles the body’s nerve signals, which leads to agonizing muscle contractions, seizures, and eventually full-blown respiratory collapse. Trying not to panic, Kaito rolled Kokichi onto his side to get a better look at his condition. The boy’s face was twisted in pain as a vicious tremor raced through his body. As much as Kaito despised the little brat, he couldn’t bear to see that look on anyone’s face. He carefully took one of Kokichi’s clenched fists into his own hand and brushed some of the sweaty hair out of his eyes. Kokichi’s forehead was extremely warm. The hyperthermia’s finally setting in, too, Kaito noted grimly.
It took a few more seconds for the convulsions to pass, leaving Kokichi limp and shuddering on the floor. After the boy finally had his breath back, Kaito put a hand on his shoulder and tried to shake the haze out of Kokichi’s eyes. “Hey, you with me? Do you think you can get up?”
“…’m fine,” Kokichi murmured weakly.
“That’s the shittiest lie you’ve said all week. You goin’ soft on me, Ultimate Supreme Leader?”
Kokichi snorted and somehow managed to give Kaito a sly look, even from the floor. “Who wouldn’t go soft around you?”
Kaito actually barked out a surprised laugh at that. “Wow. You’re determined to be a piece of shit until the bitter end, huh?”
“I come by it honestly.” Kokichi gave Kaito a wry grin. “Now, s-stop fraternizing with the enemy, you stupid oaf.” The sneer slipped from Kokichi’s lips as his limbs started trembling again. “I… I think we need to hurry.”
He didn’t have to elaborate; Kaito knew exactly what he meant. “Do you need me to pick you up?”
“No.”
“Is that a lie?”
“…Yes.”
“God, I hate you,” Kaito grumbled. “Can’t you just say what you mean for once and stop making everything so difficult?” Kaito carefully slipped one hand behind Kokichi’s knees and another around his back – mindful to avoid the arrow wound this time – so he could lift the boy into a bridal carry. It was terrifying how light Kokichi was, and Kaito tried not to grimace as he felt the hot blood running down the boy’s back. Kokichi groaned softly in pain.
“Don’t lie. I hate liars. You know you love me.”
“Like hell I do. I don’t even like you. You’re an annoying, manipulative pain in the ass, and if this wasn’t the only way to save Maki, I’d have flushed you down the toilet right along with your stupid scarf. I’m only doin’ this for her, y’know. And… and to at least try to end this fucking killing game.”
“Hm. ‘Kay. I believe you.” Kokichi’s eyes fluttered closed. “But this is all her fault, y’know. The killing game was over but your killer girlfriend just had to start it up again.”
“Yeah, because a lying little brat locked me in a fucking bathroom.”
“I had a plan,” Kokichi protested.
“…You had a plan.”
“I had… 12% of a plan.”
Kaito actually stopped walking towards the press and gave Kokichi a withering look. “And you think Tsumugi makes too many nerdy references? For God’s sake, Kokichi, can’t you take anything seriously? Why are you always messin’ around?”
Kokichi squinted up at Kaito and grinned. “What, you think I should act outta character on my deathbed? The audience would hate that.” Kokichi seemed to sober up for a moment. “The audience would hate that,” he said softly.
“I dunno, would it kill you to try scoring some sympathy points with this supposed audience?”
“Hmm… you’d think the fact that I had to pointlessly lose my life to your idiot girlfriend should score me some sympathy points. Hey – ” Kokichi tugged weakly on Kaito’s shirt. “P-put me down next to the press. We need to discuss some f-final details…”
It took every ounce of willpower Kaito had not to dump Kokichi’s selfish, rude, conniving ass in a heap on the floor. Nonetheless, Kaito was determined to be the bigger man (figuratively, not literally, given the ridiculous height difference between the two of them). As carefully as he could, Kaito set the boy down so that he was sitting with his back leaning against the side of the machine. Despite how gentle he was, however, Kaito still glared at Kokichi as he took a step back. The anger that was previously simmering inside him was starting to reach full boil.
“You’d better stop blaming Maki Roll for this mess or I’m gonna smack some sense into you! I don’t care if you’re dying from poison!”
“How is this not Maki’s fault?” Kokichi snarled. “We’re in the middle of a killing game, and the only one actually trying to kill anyone right now is her. I’m sure the mastermind did something to convince her she had to kill me, but at the end of the day, it was – ” Kokichi grimaced as his entire body seized in pain. “It was Maki’s choice to set the killing game in motion again.”
“You backed her into a corner!” Kaito shouted. “You kidnapped me! You were holding me hostage! She had no idea what the hell you were planning to do!”
“She could’ve done exactly what you did!” Kokichi shouted. “She could’ve disarmed me! She could’ve taken me hostage! But no, Kill Bill decided to storm the hangar in an Exisal with poisoned arrows and no antidote because once she was done torturing me for information, she fully intended to end my life.” When Kaito didn’t respond, Kokichi leaned his head back against the press and gave him a humorless sneer. “Go on, Luminary of the Stars. Defend your little girlfriend. Defend the girl you swore didn’t have it in her to kill anyone anymore.”
Kaito didn’t know what to say and he hated it. Kokichi started laughing – a crazed, almost delirious laugh that left him breathless. Overcome with anger and frustration – with Kokichi, with Maki, with himself, with this whole fucking game – Kaito’s fist slammed into Kokichi’s cheek before he even realized what he was doing.
“Nng – !” Kokichi slumped sideways but somehow managed to catch himself with his hands before completely falling over. He was panting through gritted teeth, and shaking all over, but still held himself up. It must’ve been sheer pride alone that kept him from collapsing. Unfortunately, being struck had clearly triggered another convulsion, and Kaito took a step back in horror as he realized what he’d done.
Some hero you are…
Watching Kokichi shudder against the violent tremors racing through his body, Kaito felt all the anger drain from his veins, leaving him with nothing but a burning coal of guilt in his stomach. “Kokichi, I – I’m sorry, I – ”
“…You’re all so predictable.” Kokichi’s voice was barely a whisper, yet it resounded in Kaito’s skull like a blade being plunged through his temple. “…You’re all so boring.”
“I said I was sorry!” Kaito shouted, but he knew his words rang hollow. “I’m just… I’m sick of you blaming everyone but yourself for what’s happened! Damnit, Kokichi, you didn’t confess your sins to Maki but at least confess them to me! Be honest for once in your pathetic life and admit it! Admit that you declared yourself the mastermind because you enjoyed it! You wanted to be the mastermind! You loved toying with our lives!”
When Kokichi finally raised his head, Kaito was shocked to see tears in his eyes. “Really, Kaito? Would it kill you to use your big, astronaut brain for once in your pathetic life? I ended the killing game days ago. I convinced everyone I was the mastermind and showed them how pointless it was to escape this hellhole. I told them the game was over so they’d all stop killing each other for one goddamn second. I took away every incentive the others could possibly have to commit murder.”
Kaito looked at Kokichi – truly looked at him and tried to see if there was any solution to this human Rubik’s cube that spent the last few weeks trying to actively ruin his life. It just didn’t make sense. None of it made sense. Kaito thought he’d given up on trying to even figure it out, but…
Apparently, Kokichi was just as sick of trying and failing to be understood – if he even wanted to be understood in the first place. He shook his head in frustration. “I-it’s getting… harder to breathe, so… please, can you – ”
“Hey, can I ask you one thing?” Kaito cut Kokichi off before he could divert the topic like he always did when the conversation wasn’t going his way. “You want to ruin this killing game, but… you kept saying how fun this game is.” Help me understand, Kaito thought desperately. For the love of God, Kokichi, if you’re going to make me kill a human being, then help me understand why this is happening…!
The look on Kokichi’s face could only be described as unfathomable despair. He hung his head, eyes obscured by his bangs, and shuddered. When he spoke, his voice was so strained, Kaito had to hold his own breath just to hear it.
“That was a lie… obviously. H-how could a game… that you’re forced to play… be fun…?” Finally, Kokichi raised his head, and Kaito was stunned by the sight of tears running down his face. He’d seen Kokichi cry gallons of crocodile tears since he’d met him, but this… this was not that. Kokichi was weeping. They were raw, ugly tears – the kind that can’t be controlled no matter how badly one wants to stop them. Kaito hadn’t seen Kokichi cry like this since –
No. Kaito didn’t want to believe those tears had been real. And if they weren’t real, then these…
“I had to think this game was fun to survive…” Kokichi sobbed. “I had to lie to myself!” The look he gave Kaito in that moment was ill and twisted, as if dozens of Kokichi’s masks had been burned and melted together into a sick caricature of a human expression. Now that final mask was sloughing off, leaving behind flayed flesh and bone… sadness and disgust… rage and sorrow… self-pity and hatred…
Kaito was so taken-aback by the dark rage in Kokichi’s eyes that he actually flinched. Was this finally the truth, or another slew of lies? Was this Kokichi’s true face, or a whole new mask he simply hadn’t shown them before? Kaito was so thrown off-kilter, so confused, so frustrated. “You little…”
Kokichi slammed a trembling fist into the floor and bared his teeth like an animal. “The bastards who created this game to toy with our lives… and the shits enjoying it… They all… piss me off!” Kokichi was sobbing again, even though he could hardly breathe through the pain. “Th-that’s why… I’m willing to do whatever it takes… to end this game!”
Could it really be… the truth? Or was Kokichi just telling Kaito what he wanted to hear so they could get this whole farce over with? The tears seemed so real, though… and Kaito hated this feeling – like Kokichi was still making a goddamn fool out of him – yet something in the boy’s words struck a chord deep within his heart.
I had to lie to myself…
Kaito had been lying to himself for a long time, too. The lies began even before he forged his documents so he could begin astronaut training despite being too young to qualify. He’d always lied about being a hero… being stronger than he really was… braver, more fearless… more selfless, even. Yet he’d taken the antidote from Kokichi without question, struck the dying boy in the face, and now he stood here doubting the kid’s final words. And in a few moments, Kaito was going to lay that boy out like a slab of meat on a hydraulic press and kill him.
Some hero you are…
Kokichi had to lie to himself to survive… but maybe that was all Kaito had been doing, too. Maybe Kokichi was a villain who had to convince himself he was a hero, and maybe Kokichi was a hero who’d convinced everyone he was a villain… but if that was true, where did that leave Kaito in this tale? If lies were the only way to make this plan work, then… Kaito didn’t want to believe Kokichi. Because if Kokichi had really done all of this to save his classmates – and not simply to spite Monokuma – then Kaito was about to become the villain who murdered the hero.
And isn’t the fact that I’m worrying about that in the middle of all this just the most selfish thing of all...?
Kaito kneeled next to Kokichi. The boy was an utter wreck, struggling to breathe. Kaito gently placed a hand on Kokichi’s back and tried not to wince at the fierce heat rising from his skin.
“C’mon, Kokichi, you gotta breathe… Take a deep breath for me, will ya?”
“Th-the red Exisal…” Kokichi managed to choke out between painful sobs. “I… I left you a s-script… for the trial… in the s-storage closet… next to the bathroom. Take it to the… the Exisal…”
“You wrote a script? Are you fucking kidding me?”
“W-would I lie to you?”
“Yes. Constantly. It’s basically all you do.”
Kokichi laughed – a sad, broken laugh as he struggled to regain control of his lungs. “Like I’d trust an i-idiot like you… with my plan…” The boy shivered and curled in on himself slightly. “K-Kaito, please… let’s just do this…”
And Kaito hated it. God, he hated it. He didn’t want to do this. But when he looked into those pained eyes, he saw the eyes of that black barn cat seizing on the ground, silently begging for it all to be over – crying out for mercy as she stared down the barrel of the shotgun…
Trying not to think too hard about what he was about to do, Kaito carefully hoisted Kokichi back into his arms. The boy was shivering, and Kaito tried to convince himself that it was from pain and blood loss and not from terror. As gently as possible, Kaito laid Kokichi down on his galaxy jacket inside the press, apologizing softly as the boy winced from the wound in his back. He was grateful for the jacket because without it, he wouldn’t be able to shake the feeling that he was placing Kokichi down on an autopsy table. The boy looked so tired lying there among the stars. He didn’t even resist as Kaito shifted his limp arm into a better spot and smoothed out a few wrinkles in the coat.
“A-after I’m gone, just… read through the script, alright?” Kokichi stammered. “I tried to cover… every scenario I could think of, but… you’ll have to improvise, too…” The boy who had once been the Ultimate Supreme Leader peered up at Kaito through half-lidded eyes and gave him a faint smile. “It’s your worst nightmare, Kaito… You have to become me…”
And wasn’t that just the most fucked up thing of all? Kaito Momota, the so-called hero, the man who believes in everyone, had to become the liar to save them all. It felt like the universe was rubbing it in his face – that Kokichi was right – that the truth didn’t matter in this killing game that rewards only cruelty and deception. In the end, the other students didn’t need Kaito Momota, they needed Kokichi… yet Kaito had to kill this – this child and take his place. To be the “bigger man” he had to become Kokichi. The hero. It was such a sick joke… such a slap in the fucking face. Kaito grimaced. His mouth tasted bitter, and he doubted it was from blood or poison.
“Can’t wait,” he grumbled as he stepped back from the press. He couldn’t let his frustration show. He didn’t want to give Kokichi the satisfaction of feeling smug about this turn of events. “Should be easy to turn myself into Kokichi Oma. Just gotta act like a total ass. They’ll all buy it for sure.”
“There’s a voice changer in the Exisal for everyone in the academy,” said Kokichi. “I already set it to my own voice, so you’ll be able to s-sound exactly like me… but you’re still gonna have to act like me, too… if you wanna be convincing.” He closed his eyes, exhausted. “Go on, Kaito. Give me your best Supreme Leader.”
Kaito awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck. “Crap, uh… okay. Um…” He cleared his throat as he prepared himself for the most sarcastic performance of his life. “Heeeey, guys, sorry I showed up to the class trial inside this crappy Gundam. I felt like it was my sworn duty as a Supreme Leader of Evil to remind K1-B0 that his talent’s completely useless, ‘cause now I’ve got guns for arms and he doesn’t. This is a total power move, nee-heehee!”
Kokichi laughed so hard he started coughing. “That… that was actually really good.”
“Are you lying?”
“No, I’m… actually being completely serious. Phew… I feel a lot b-better about this plan now.” Kokichi closed his eyes again, resigned to his fate – or at least pretending he was. “Alright, well… bye-onara, Luminary of the Stars. It’s time for me to find out if Atua’s actually real, or if Angie was just dropped on her head as a child.”
Kaito didn’t move. There was a deep, sharp sadness forming in his chest, and the whispered mantra that kept telling him this is wrong was turning into a desperate plea.
This is so wrong…
“Kokichi, I…” Kaito rubbed the back of his neck, unsure of what to say. “Don’t you have any, I dunno… last words, or… or a message you want me to give to the others? I mean, it can’t just end like this, right…?” I don’t even know who you really are, Kokichi, and now I’m supposed to murder you…? Erase you from existence…?
The boy cringed as another spasm wracked his body. He clenched his hands into fists and tossed his head to the side, consumed by pain. His eyes rolled back, and his neck arched as his muscles seized up. By the time the fit was over, Kokichi was gasping for breath. “K-Kaito, just do it already! What’re you waiting for?!”
This is wrong, this is wrong, this is wrong!
“I – ”
“Kaito, please!” There were tears running down Kokichi’s cheeks against his will. “I’m begging you! End this already!”
Beg… Kokichi Oma, the Ultimate Supreme Leader, didn’t beg. Kaito felt sick to his stomach.
This is wrong, this is wrong, THIS IS WRONG!
He’d hesitated too long now, and Kokichi sent him a hateful glare. “Goddamnit, you owe me, Kaito! I gave you the goddamn antidote, and if you don’t do this, your precious little Maki Roll’s gonna get executed! Not that she d-doesn’t deserve it!”
Maybe it was because Kokichi was becoming too weak to keep up his usual charade, or maybe seeing the boy vulnerable and defenseless had allowed Kaito to finally peer through the masks, but for some reason, he finally saw the bullshit for what it was.
“Just stop it. That’s enough, Kokichi.”
“Stop what? Stop the game? G-guess I have to, s-since your b-beloved assassin can’t seem to c-control herself! Somebody has to finally ch-chain that bitch up like the rabid dog that she – ”
“I said that’s enough!” Kaito shouted loud enough that Kokichi abruptly fell silent. “I know what you’re trying to do. You’re trying to make me hate you so it’ll be easier for me to kill you. That’s what you always do, isn’t it? You piss everyone off so they won’t care when you inevitably end up alone.”
Kokichi’s face shuttered and went blank. The look he gave Kaito was so unreadable… so devoid of emotion… that for a moment, he wondered if Kokichi had died with his eyes open. There was something so unnerving about that look – like seeing a shark with its teeth removed. Kaito realized he hated that look on Kokichi’s face. It just looked wrong.
Wrong, wrong, WRONG!
“…This is how it’s supposed to be,” Kokichi said softly, as if all the fight had gone out of him. “Don’t you get that? When Monokuma picks the wrong culprit… the one who has to emerge victorious from the Exisal is you. Y-you’re the hero, Kaito. If you show up at the end of the trial, it’ll give the others hope. If they realize I’m the one who’s dead, it’ll give them relief. They’ll be unified against me because I’m the villain. I’m the common enemy. I’m alone because that’s how it’s supposed to be.” Kokichi closed his eyes and released a shuddering breath. “That’s how it has to be.”
And this, more than anything else in this absolute clusterfuck, finally convinced Kaito that all of this was one hundred percent, irrevocably wrong.
“…What if it didn’t have to be like this?”
Kokichi’s eyes flew open, and for a single second, Kaito saw a glimpse of terror before the boy wiped it away with a mask of rage. “What the hell are you talking about, Kaito? D-drop the press already!”
“No. It doesn’t have to be this way.” Kaito didn’t know who he was trying to convince more, Kokichi or himself. “There has to be a way out of this.”
“I’m dying, you idiot!” Kokichi shouted. He was starting to shiver again. “There is no way out of this! If you don’t h-hurry up, Maki becomes the blackened!”
“No, I’m not doing this. You and I both want the killing game to end, and that means no more killing. I’m not killing you, goddamnit.”
This time, Kokichi couldn’t hide the fear on his face. No, it wasn’t just fear, it was… sorrow, Kaito realized. Despair.
“I… I trusted you…” Kokichi whispered in horror. Then, he suddenly started laughing. “I trusted you, Kaito Momota! D-do you see now?! Do you see where faith and belief lead you?! Betrayal! It always ends in betrayal!” Kokichi was laughing so hard, his whole body was shaking – but Kaito refused to take the bait. Not anymore.
“Kokichi, listen to me. We’re still gonna do the plan, but I’m not gonna kill you. I’ve got some ideas, but you gotta hear me out. First of all, between the two of us, there’s plenty of blood we can use to stain the machine. We’re both fifty shades of fucked up right now. We just smear blood all over the press and leave the coat at the crime scene. Then we both hide in the Exisal.”
“Y-you can’t be this dumb…” Kokichi was still laughing. “How’s the video gonna work when blood just… magically appears all over the press? They’ll see the cut in the video! It only works if a body explodes like a blood bag piñata.”
“So, we just don’t use the video! We don’t need it! The crime scene’s already confusing! Hell, if the others find the incomplete video we’ve already got, they won’t know what to think. But that’s not the important part of the plan. I think I know a way I can save you and – ”
Kokichi sobered up suddenly as he realized Kaito was serious. Something dark and desperate flickered across his face. “…Kaito, do you… do you realize what you’re asking me to do? You’re asking me to – to jeopardize the plan I’ve spent weeks creating – jeopardize a plan to beat the mastermind – and for what? Do you…” Kokichi’s eyes bore into Kaito’s as if trying to see through to his very soul. “Do you hate me that much?”
“What?! What the hell are you – ”
“It hurts, Kaito,” Kokichi sobbed. “Everything fucking hurts. T-talking hurts, breathing hurts… being alive hurts. I’m gonna die, Kaito. That’s the only truth. I gave you the antidote so you would do this one thing for me… and now, you want to deny me my last request… and m-make me suffer for hours. Do you enjoy seeing me in pain? Is – is this your revenge?”
“Goddamnit, Kokichi, I’m trying to save your life!” Kaito shouted. “You of all people acting like there’s only one truth – God, you piss me off, you lying little brat! You investigated Shuichi’s lab, right? You’re a little sneak, I know you did.”
“Of course I did! That’s how I know there’s only one antidote per poison!” Kokichi hissed. “And you already drank it, so enough already!”
“No! You’re gonna listen to me for once, goddamnit!” Kaito slammed his fist into the upper plate of metal, ignoring the way his knuckles throbbed with pain. “If you investigated the lab, then you already know how it works, right? It’s probably the same as all the others. If you break an item or use up a resource in an Ultimate Research Lab, Monokuma replaces it before the morning announcement. Kirumi told me every time the detergent ran out, a new bottle appeared on its own. I accidentally spilled coffee across a star chart in my lab and a brand-new one reappeared before 8 AM. Now, I want you to answer me truthfully…” Kaito leaned down until he was staring into Kokichi’s hateful, feverish eyes. “Did you or did you not steal poisons and antidotes from Shuichi’s lab to find out if they’d be replenished?”
“Nope.” Kokichi didn’t even hesitate. “Never even occurred to me. Guess you were smarter than me after all.”
Kaito cocked an eyebrow. The whole thing would’ve been amusing if he wasn’t so mad. “Maybe I am smarter than you because the fact that you complimented me tells me that was the biggest load of horseshit you’ve ever spewed in your life.”
“That’s King Horse Shit to you!”
“Oh, for the love of – quit messin’ around, Kokichi! God!”
Kokichi gave Kaito what he assumed was a sneer, but it looked more like a pained snarl. “Nope. I never stole anything from Shuichi’s lab.” Kokichi coughed, and a little more color drained from his face.
“A liar until the bitter end, huh?” Kaito rolled his eyes. “You’re the most paranoid sonnuva bitch I’ve ever met. Don’t give me that crap. The antidote for the Strike-9 poison will appear by 8 AM. Don’t even try to deny it. So, you just hold out long enough for the class trial to end. After they vote, we’ll reveal to Monokuma that there was no victim and no culprit, and then we’ll rush to Shuichi’s lab and grab the antidote. Strike-9’s got a half-life of about ten hours in an adult male, but you’re very small, so – ”
“Kaito, why do you even know this?!”
“Because as much as you like to call me a moron, I’m a fucking astronaut! Do you have any idea the kinds of math and science courses I’ve had to take during my training?! The kinds of health and anatomy classes I’ve had to go through?! And I grew up on a farm where we used Strike-9 almost daily. So, yeah, believe it or not, I might actually know what I’m talking about for once!” Kaito expected Kokichi to call him an idiot anyway, but instead, the boy reached out and weakly latched on to the front of Kaito’s shirt.
“D-don’t do this to me…” His voice was soft but desperate. “Kaito, I’m begging you. The Supreme Leader of All Evil is begging you not to do this. If I die, I’ll have suffered and died for nothing. And Maki will be e-executed. And the killing game… will continue…”
“I’m not doing this to hurt you, goddamnit!” Kaito grasped Kokichi’s hand and yanked it away from his shirt, causing the boy to wince. “I don’t want another goddamn death inside the walls of this academy!”
“You’re doing this for ego…” Kokichi snarled. “S-same reason you do everything you do. You just d-don’t wanna be a murderer… you don’t wanna be a bad guy… but you’re so mean. You’re gonna m-make me suffer just to… cling to your stupid ideals… and your stupid lies…”
Kaito froze, and his mind started racing. Was he doing this for ego? He despised Kokichi, and the boy was a threat to everyone, no one would argue that – so, if he wasn’t doing this for Kokichi’s sake, then was he…
Was he really such a cruel, selfish person that he would make Kokichi writhe in agony for hours just to keep up his heroic charade? But no, it was more than that. He knew he wasn’t a hero, but that didn’t mean he wanted to let the bad guys win. He was sick of letting Monokuma have his way all the time, and he was sick of perpetuating this stupid killing cycle.
Maybe Kaito was doing this because of his ego, but he knew, deep down in his battered heart that he truly didn’t want any more classmates to die. Not even Kokichi deserved to die in this hellhole.
“Y’know what, you’re a smart little bastard, Kokichi, but that doesn’t mean you’re always right, and I’m tired of you always getting your way because you think we’re all a bunch of idiots. The whole world has to dance to the beat of your drum, but you never even consider other options ‘cause you think Kokichi Oma’s always the smartest person in the damn room.” Kaito sighed loudly and scrubbed his bloody hands through his hair. “And maybe you are, but… you’re also a coward.”
“E-excuse me?” There was genuine anger in Kokichi’s eyes, and that moment of raw emotion – of something that may have been the actual truth – almost threw Kaito off guard. Almost.
“You heard me!” he shouted, clenching a fist. “You think I didn’t catch on to your pathetic plan to get executed with Gonta?! You really thought you could run away from your responsibility! And y’know what? You could’ve convinced me to be the victim in this plan. You could’ve gotten me to agree to this scheme because you know I’d be willing to take a risk to save Maki, and because we both know my days are already numbered. But you didn’t try any of that because you were just looking for a way out. You think I’m selfish? All you wanna do is peace out of this prison and leave us to clean up your mess. Screw that!” Kaito could feel his face burning red with anger, but Kokichi didn’t speak, so the words continued heaving from Kaito's mouth like venom. “You wanna beat the mastermind?! How does more murder beat him?! No, if we’re gonna beat the mastermind, we have to make a total ass out of him!”
“Typical,” Kokichi finally spat. “You and your ideals are gonna get everyone killed! You think I’m trying to bend the world to my will?! Wh-what about you?!” Kokichi paused and squeezed his eyes shut as a violent coughing fit wracked his body. When he started speaking again, there was a noticeable rasp in his voice. “You think I c-can survive Strike-9 poison through – what, sheer force of will?! You want me to throw a fucking Phoenix Down on myself?! Are you as delusional as Himiko?! Are you literally the dumbest man on Earth?!” Overwhelmed by anger, Kokichi slammed his head back against the metal press in frustration. “Kaito, not even an Ultimate Supreme Leader can wish hard enough to make their body stop shutting down…”
“No, but there are things I can do to help you stay alive. You think you’re gonna die because you think you have to suffer alone, but there’re two of us in this hangar, you idiot, and the others are gonna get here soon enough. Think about it: if it’s just me in the Exisal trying to work off a script you wrote, and the only way to win is to make them think I’m dead, then the trial’s gonna take all fucking day. But if neither of us are dead, then all we have to do is make the class pick one of us as the killer, and when Monokuma goes along with it, the trial will be over! Monokuma has no idea there’s no body and no culprit, so it’ll be that much easier to get him to pick the wrong answer, because the trial’s a sham to begin with! The whole thing could be done in less than an hour! Look, I know I can do a pretty great Kokichi Oma impersonation, but…” Kaito shook his head and heaved a sigh. “I don’t want to become Kokichi Oma. We’re not gonna win this thing by trading places, we’re gonna win by joining together.”
Kokichi looked truly nauseated, and it had nothing to do with the poison coursing through his veins. “What are you, some kinda shounen anime protagonist?! Do you even hear yourself?!”
Finally, Kaito kneeled beside the press so that he and Kokichi were at eye level. He laid a hand on the boy’s arm and tried to impart at least some of his determination. “Kokichi, you trusted me with your plan, and I’m gonna see it through. I’m just asking that you trust me a little bit longer. Can you do that for me?”
And Kokichi looked Kaito dead in the eyes and said, “No.”
So, Kaito decided to take matters into his own hands.
Literally.
A/N: Aaaaaand that's a wrap on chapter 1! I hope you all enjoyed it! As angsty as this chapter — and the rest of this story's going to be — there's going to be a lot more (admittedly strained) humor and levity now that Kaito and Kokichi will be forced to "work together." We saw a little of that here in chapter 1, but it's gonna amp up a lot from here on out, so at least there will be some rainbows in the midst of the storm. The next chapter's already written, I'm just editing it, so hopefully, it'll be up soon! Thanks for reading, everyone!
UPDATE 01/31/2022: Enjoying the story so far? Well, Amalgamate now has an official Discord server! Follow the link to come hang out with me and other fans of this story! There's lots of official art, fanart, discussions, updates on Amalgamate-related projects, and more!
UPDATE: 07/22/2023: THE FIRST THREE EPISODES OF THE AMALGAMATE AUDIO PROJECT ARE NOW LIVE!!!
If you'd like to hear the first three chapters of Amalgamate performed by unbelievably talented voice actors, follow these links!