✧ Chapter 42 ✧
[ The String Cannot Be Broken ]
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[ Shuichi's PoV ]

⚠️ Oh, and slight warning, from the Hospital onwards, expect: mild torture, blood, (it's a hospital, duh) and of course, *whispers* HEARTBREAKS.

"Wait.." I started to say when the doors of the elevator slid open, to reveal yet another empty corridor. "Going up." the cool tone of the elevator announcer spoke. I could feel my heart beating wildly against my chest. I was.. terrified of what was to come.

"Here we are!" Monokuma hopped out and pulled us along. "Your new temporary home. I'll let the doctors explain what's gonna happen, and I know I'll see you two soon enough. Especially you, Mr Delinquent." Monokuma jabbed a paw at Kokichi's chest. The purple haired boy looked amused, instead of frightened. How could he not be afraid?

"Anyhoo," the bear spun in a circle, "There's some kiddos I'd like ya to meet! Alright Monokubs, it's time for your grand entrance!!" he exclaimed, waving a paw in the air.

Monokubs? What the heck are-

"Rise and shine ursine!" a chorus of childlike voices piped up, as a trapdoor opened from the ceiling. Five small, plushed robot bears fell to the floor in front of us, in a triangular formation. "With our powers combined, we are the Monokubs!"

The bears seemed to be in various colours, slightly shorter than Monokuma. But nevertheless, they seemed intimidating enough.

"..." Kokichi and I looked at each other. Apparently, even the prankster didn't see this coming.

"Whatdayya want, Popsies?" the half blue and white bear asked, hiding a electric guitar behind his back, "We were busy cleaning up someone's barf, ya know. I hate kids.." he grumbled.

Kokichi raised an eyebrow, looking skeptical, "You're.. lying."

"Eh?" A red and white bear with a cloak tied around its neck spoke up, "What are you? Some sorta lie detector?"

"Don't be so rude, Monotaro." a bear, which was half pink and white piped in, "He's just trying to tell the truth for us!"

"Oh quiet down, Monophanie, nobody likes you." the bear with yellow fur with patterned tiger stripes pushed up his glasses, "Am I right Monodam?"

"..." the green — and the most robotic looking — bear stayed silent, staring at me with blank eyes. I inched back slightly, not really liking the look he gave me. Somehow, the look reminded me of a cat I had once found when I was younger. It always stared at me like this whenever I tried to feed it.

"So whatcha call us for, Papa Kuma? Is it room assignment duty?" the blue bear spoke up, clapping his paws together.

"Right you are, Monokid!" Monokuma spread his arms, "Assign these two to their rooms and do the usual!"

"Alright Father!" the pink bear, Monophanie twirled around, suddenly grabbing the end of the chain around my neck and pulling at it. "Ow!" I yelped, the area around my neck was really starting to sting.

Both Kokichi and I suddenly moved forward, since our hands were still tied together with rope. "Monophanie!" the yellow bear scolded the pink, "You're supposed to cut their bonds!"

"O-Oh.. right.." she squeaked timidly as Monodam walked forwards silently and held out a pair of the sharpest scissors I've ever seen, which Monosuke snatched from him.

"I'll do it, ya lazy bum.." the bear muttered as Kokichi refused to let go of my hand. "Oi," the bespectacled bear tapped our linked hands, "Let go or I'll cut your fingers off!"

I stared as Kokichi looked back at me, "This isn't goodbye. Alright?" he said all of a sudden, "I'm not going to say goodbye because this isn't it. We're going to see each other again. No matter what."

"Kokichi.." I started to say when he kissed me, our lips meeting as I heard the group of bears muttering amongst themselves in frustration. I ignored them as Kokichi and I shared one more desperate kiss.

"It's not goodbye," Kokichi muttered when our bonds were cut by the scissors, "Don't.. make me cry." he hid his face in the shadows of his hair. I felt a lump in my throat as I tried to form the words.

I thought you never cried for anyone, Ouma.

Those were my last thoughts as the purple haired student and I were dragged away from each other. The other boy just kept smiling at me. I wanted to reach for him, to dry his tears. To tell him that everything was going to be alright.

But the words died in my mind as the Monotaro held up a syringe, "Goodnight! Sleep tight!" he cheered.

I wasn't going down without a fight. I grabbed the bear's paw and pulled the needle away. I'm not going to stay here, knowing that Ouma was probably going to be in pain. What was I thinking? Why didn't I struggle before?

Maybe because when Ouma and I were forced apart, it showed how desperate I was for him. Those months at the academy.. wasted away because I was disregarding my feelings.

"Kokichi!" I yelled, as Monokuma started yelling at his kids to stop me. A sudden blow to my back made me fall hard to the ground. Pain flared in my right arm as Monotaro held me down. "Don't struggle! Or it's gunna be a lot more painful."

I'm not going through this.

I'm not going through this again.

I watched as Monodam and Monosuke led Kokichi to a door, which was close to the door I was in front of. I clenched my fists when I felt a sudden prick in my neck. "Stop struggling!" Monokid snapped as my vision blurred. Whoever was doing this.. was going to pay.

I'll take down the Mastermind behind this.

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[ Room 41-19 ]

My eyes shot open, listening to the faint sound of a heart monitor frantically beeping away. The lights were dimmed, so there was nothing around which could wake me up so suddenly. So why did everything feel so disorientated?

I used my hands to feel along the surface I was lying on, a bed, by the feel of it. My hand hit a cold metal railing. Gripping it, I pulled myself to a sitting position, my vision blurring slightly. God, I had a massive headache..

Holding my head, my fingers met with soft cloth, which I realised was a bandage. Did I hurt my head? I don't recall. In fact, I don't recall what was going on.

I looked around, recoiling backwards slightly when I saw two bodies on the floor. One was covered with blood, while the other was slashed open by what seemed to be an animal. There was a trial of blood, which led to a bloodstained wall.

Taking a shallow breath, my eyes followed the trail of blood. What- was this? The bodies seemed to be a woman and a man, the woman seemed to have dark brown hair, and the man with blue hair. Both obviously dead.

I quickly got off the bed, but jerked to a stop when something pulled at my neck. I spun around, trying to find out what was holding me back. The chain. Reaching out, my fingers brushed against the cold metallic link and to my surprise, it fell away easily.

I didn't waste any time figuring it out what it meant, instead, I turned back to the two corpses on the floor. And their identities came back to me like a burning memory in my mind.

"Mom! Dad!" I quickly collapsed to the floor, my hands shaking as I saw my family. Their eyes were closed, but their hands were clasped together tightly. "..."

What was going on? I never dreamt about my foster parents before. They were taken away because of their love for me. But why don't I remember their deaths? Because, a voice in my head whispered, this didn't happen.

I narrowed my eyes, remembering. They were taken away by Beast Monokuma, not slashed apart like this. I held their hands, surprised to feel that they were still warm. "Your fault, Shuichi."

A new voice made me flinch and turn around to see A man with red eyes staring back at me, his long hair waving slightly despite the lack of wind. The more I looked at him, the more I could feel a sudden sense of familiarity. "W-What?" I swallowed, trying to find my voice, "What do you mean?" I felt like I was five again. Scared and lonely in this strange place.

"It's your fault Saihara, after all.." the man told me, taking a step forward as I looked up at him. "If you didn't resist, your parents would never have died."

"Izuru Kamukura.." his name resurfaced in my mind. But I've never seen or heard of him before. How did I know of him?

"We'll meet again, soon." Izuru stared down at me, his left eye obstructed from view by his hair. "Everything will be clear and you'll know who the Mastermind is. They're waiting."

"Wait.. who's waiting? Kamukura! Tell me!" I demanded, dropping my parent's hands and shakily standing up. "Tell me what's going on!"

I gasped when the chain around my neck was pulled back, making me fall backwards and onto the floor. I looked back and realised that someone was pulling me towards a chamber, filled with water, which was illuminated with red lights. Glowing magenta eyes watched me from the darkness; one pair meeting mine with silent consideration.

...

"It's your turn." Izuru called back, without looking at me.

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[ Room 41-19 ]

I gasped and sat up, grabbing at the chain around my throat with clammy hands. Monophanie was in front of me, holding onto a clipboard tightly with a worried look on her face.

"... Monophanie?" I asked hoarsely, my throat feeling parched, "Wh-What's happening?"

The half pink bear twiddled with a pencil, looking up at me with solemn eyes. "You.. might've um.. died," she replied quietly, "For a second.. or two. We're trying to figure out- eep!"

With a swipe of my arm, I reached out and grabbed the bear's body, "Tell me who's the Mastermind!" I demanded as she squeaked like a toy. "I-I'm not allowed to say!"

"Monophanie I swear I'll-."

"SHUICHI!"

A loud cry made me flinch, turning to find the source of the voice. I dropped the bear and quickly scrambled off the bed, falling over in my haste.

In front of me, Kokichi had his hands pressed against the blue tinted glass. He wore a simple hospital gown, and had a gauze covering his left cheek. I got to my feet and stumbled forward to press my hands against the cool glass, wishing to reach over to the purple haired boy.

Now I knew why the glass was here. It was torture to be so close to Kokichi, yet separated.

"You remember me?" I asked him, as Kokichi nodded, his eyes tight with pain. But he was obviously trying not to show it.

"The serum doesn't work right away-." I saw his nails scratch the glass as he rested his forehead against it. "But it hurts.."

Tears clouded my vision, as I saw Monotaro and Monodam pulling Ouma back to the bed by the metal chain around his neck. I shook my head as the next words slipped out of my mouth, sounding natural, "Stop trying to fight it Ouma-."

"I'm not going to stop fighting for you Saihara-chan!" he winced, his fingers slipping off the glass as he sounded desperate, "I don't care what you say!"

I pressed my fist against the glass as Monotaro injected Kokichi in the arm. "Kokichi!" I heard my voice shake and my eyes burning with tears, but he didn't seem to hear me.

I needed him to hear me.

Kokichi slumped forward, his hand slipping off the surface of the glass.

♥ End of Chapter Forty-Two ♥