1 birds in a cage † 1

Shuichi Saihara want to die here with everyone else.

Yeah, amazing thinking past him... maybe he could also commit massive genocide, or buy an atomic bomb, huh? But wait no, that would be less destructive than this. Now that the detective is thinking about, maybe buying the atomic bomb and blast off himself to another galaxy, is not that bad idea...

Welp, too late to think about what he should have done. The killing game is over. And everyone are equally traumatized.

Hooray...

"Ms. Saihara, you should really leave...  It's very late and-" the doctor spoke up "It's Mister"

The bluenette went through hell and back, just to get that status, do not dare to disrespect his pronounce, human. The doctor just gave him an annoyed look "Well that doesn't changes the fact that it's way past time of your visit" her features changed as she softly continued "It's... not like he's gonna wake up any time soon"

The cold feeling Saihara felt through the past few months become a bit more unbearable. He looked away from her "I actually have some work with me, so I'll be sleeping over" when Shuichi first tried and do this, he actually felt quite guilty about bothering this lady, but in the last few months he realized, it didn't matter. There was no reason for him to act nice to people who hurted all the people I cared about so much.

"But- I- you know what? Do what you want... just don't tamper with his medication..." the doctor gave up, as she walked out of the room. The detective heard the nice 'click' showing the door locked itself.

They were finally alone.

But still the bluenette have not managed to look at him. So instead he just plopped into his mouth medication he was supposed to take and just took out a notebook and started scribbling all my thoughts. About how today they once again tried to use me for not safe for work photoshoot. It's nice I know how to recognize the sets now. How I still hadn't get the money price, and how everyone still misgender me. How Ouma is still in coma. Saihara closes his eyes.

That's probably the funniest thing in this whole rotten world. The reason why Ouma was dying in that moment, was himself. The detective was actually supposed to be the one lying there.

The explanation is actually quite simple. In the third episode when they received the object for raising the death, they were supposed to use it on none other than the beloved pianist. She was supposed to make Saihara go crazy, so he would kill Korekiyo and Angie. That was supposed to drive Tenko over the edge, and made her kill Kaito. And in the fifth episode it was supposed to be Gonta protecting Ouma on his own will from Miu. Which would led to Ouma being the ultimate protagonist.

But no instead he was lying there, with brain damage and probably several mental illnesses and brand new traumas.

It all was Shuichi's fault. If he would have just died like he was supposed to... but no, he had to mess it all up. Now he had to face Ouma's family.

That's right, Dice, a group of ten orphans in which Ouma belonged was supposed to come the next day. Everyone told the bluenette it was just because they wanted to visit their sibling, but Shuichi knew they came there for him. Maybe a revenge? Even if that was truth, he won't be able to deal with their gazes full of hatred. For fuck sake he was the reason why their comrade was dying!

On the other hand there was Shuichi. A simple guy without a welcoming family, with no friends, with nothing. There was exactly one reason why he kept on living till now. And that was his dearest friend Kaede Akamatsu.

They knew each other before the killing game, but their bond only deepened, when they realized their motivation to join the killing game was the same. So they started talking with each other more. Till this morning.

When Shuichi woke up he knew something was off, as his therapist was already waiting for him with breakfast. That only happened when someone else died.

That was another phenomenal here. The reason why past Saihara said he wanted to die with everyone else, was because if you actually woke up from the simulation the traumas from the killing game stayed. For example the detective had a bad anxiety before, but now when he woke up, he wasn't even able to properly talk. And than there was Korekiyo... Shuichi did not wanted to think about him.

Anyway Saihara expected bad news, but when they told him it was the cheerful pianist, something inside him break.

And here he was. Sitting on the floor medication for entire month in his system, making him sleepy, and silently crying while wishing everything would end quickly.

Pretty pathetic, if you ask him.

The detective felt very tired. He was pretty sure that was the pills, but that did not explained the abyss making itself right in the middle of his chest. Was this the death? He certainly hoped it was... though on the other hand he couldn't help but feel no one actually died.

Maybe it was his dying brain, or just his stupidity, but he felt like all of his twelve supposedly dead classmates were still alive. He was actually quite sure of it, but what can a loser like him do? Also the proofs were kind of not convincing... doesn't really matter in the end does it?

He was kind of late though. Every time Shuichi tried to off himself, he was always there to help him overcome his fear of death. It was actually quite hilarious, since all Ouma did in his before-death hallucinations was just standing there. That was all Saihara needed to see why he should really delete himself from this game.

The detective in his drugged stage finally realized he heard something. Alarmed, that maybe the doctor came back, he opened his eyes. But it was his lucky day.

It was just Ouma welcoming him into the underworld.

He always looked different. First time it was his in-game clothes. The eleventh time the liar was in his supreme leader outfit. And now for the fifty third time, it was his hospital clothing. And now before anyone says something, Shuichi did realized the irony. But at least the Danganronpa Team could write cute news about him. Anyway Ouma was wearing his hospital outfit. It was simple blue t-shirt and blue pants, decorated with wires.

Kokichi was sitting right in front of him. It almost seemed to Shuichi that he fell. Saihara saw he was saying something, but he was just too tired to process it. Instead he just decided to take him by his shoulders.

"Thank you... for the one last time" it was some sort of tradition for him, to thank the hallucinations. Ouma was visibly confused as once again opened his mouth to speak. But the detective had other plans.

The bluenette groggily bended and kissed the putplenette's cheek.

...and that was the last thing he did before he decided not to resist the sleepiness.