Maiko's POV:

I ran up the stairs as fast as I could, stumbling on the stairs as I opened the doors, sitting on the bench with two drinks in hand was Natsuo, he smiled at me "you're late Kuri" he told me holding one out for me.

It was late February and snow was everywhere, it was so pretty, "sorry! I got called back by the teacher, she wanted to see me about a test I did...ugh I hate math..." I mumbled, "I'm sorry..." he mumbled, "it's fine, hey is this hot chocolate?" I asked, "no I got tea, sorry, I didn't know if you liked sweet stuff" he apologized looking down awkwardly.

"No, I like tea! Thank you!" I praised, he sighed in relief as I joined him on the bench, the sun was already setting, "hey Nat..." I started, "hm?" he asked, "what do you want to do once we graduate?" I asked, "I don't know...I don't want to go back to living with my dad...he isn't a nice person..." he told me.

I nodded, I could relate to that, "and a talent like mine is kind of useless...so I doubt I could find a job with that...I don't know what I'm going to do, that's bad isn't it?" he said "no, I don't have any plans either" I told him as I started to sip on my tea.

"What? But your talent is useful...and you can talk to people...remember when we met? You didn't even notice me and tripped over me, I was so nervous I just ran away" Natsuo reminded.

"I know! I felt like such a big jerk! I looked everywhere on the campus for you but I could never find you! I gave up and there you were right next to my desk!" I laughed, "it's not your fault, I'm just the ultimate hider...heh...I was blushing like crazy cause I didn't know what to do...and then you started talking to me, and I just wanted to go home and cry" he muttered.

"Oh no please tell me you didn't cry!" I groaned, "no...I just screamed into a pillow..." he admitted, "well I'm glad you ended up sitting next to me, otherwise I never would have gotten a chance to say sorry" I told him.

"Yeah...me too, I mean not that you had to say sorry, it's just I meant I liked talking to you, even though I didn't know if you were just doing it out of pity and I should probably stop talking now aghhh" Natsuo groaned as he squeezed his hands tightly and buried himself deeper into his hoodie.

"Ahh you're so cute when you get all nervous, and it wasn't out of pity I just thought you looked nice" I assured him, he mumbled something in response, "graduation is only a few months away...we can come up with something by then right?" I asked.

He nodded, we had time.

~-~-~-~

Hope, despair. It's hard to embody those concepts, there's just too much freedom in what can be hope and what can be despair, yet long ago we had two people who did manage that impossible feat and simultaneously destroyed and saved the world.

So why was it bestowed upon me to create Hope? I'm barely anyone special, I'm just the daughter of the headmaster of Hope's Peak, who was pressured and forced to become an ultimate, like my other siblings, I being the only one to give him the results he wanted...and so I became the ultimate psychologist.

I'm a psychologist, I work to help those with mental struggles, nothing special, I don't think I'm even great at my job...I'm nothing special. I don't think I can even do something remarkable, so when the world collapsed with no one to help lead us out of the darkness...my father had a plan.

He knew the story of Hope's Peak's killing games...and he decided the only way to create someone like Makoto Naegi...was to make a new killing game, and who else could be trusted with the role of mastermind and take the role of Enoshima than me...his child. Their classmate...who would betray them.

With the world outside drowning in their despair and yearning for hope, for someone to save them from the cruelties of the world, it was entrusted to me by my father to drive my classmates through so many trials and tribulations till just one could rise and become hope. After all, it was psychology he told me, just I would be doing the reverse. Rather than helping them move forward...I would break them.

I laughed thinking it was some joke...but he was dead serious, I shouted at him, how could he do this to his students? To the people I had been spending so many years with, the people I was supposed to be graduating with soon...he wanted me to kill those people.

I begged him, I begged him to change his mind, that together we could find another way, that this was madness...oh how cruel...he didn't take me seriously, he discarded my belief...it wasn't my job to complain it was to obey him...it was either that or my death...I would either be the puppet master or he would control the game himself, and make me the first victim...

I tried to say no still...I tried to tell them...no one took me seriously, so here I stand, with a nice little collar around my neck...it looks like a pretty little necklace if it wasn't for the bruising...if it wasn't for me knowing that in any second he could switch it...and that would be the end of me.

And so...I did as he asked. I worked to create a beautiful hope, someone who would save this world...would that hope save me to...? I think I was praying for a miracle as well.  Even if I destroyed hundred of lives even if I lost my mind I would do so with the noble goal of creating hope for this world, and if I failed...well, that answer should be obvious. That was his words to me, that's why I should be proud of my work because of the good I will be doing to make up for the 'minor' bloodshed...I didn't respond this time.

I'll break them, I did exactly what I was told despite my fleeting sanity, despite having their screams haunt my dreams every night and how much I begged them and begged them to let me just stop, to let me live...spare us.

It's fine, I will create hope. It's fine the world will forgive me, my friends will forgive me one day...they have to forgive me...otherwise...

I'm a monster.

Even if I have to destroy my most precious friends, even if I have to target their weak spots and exploit them, even if I have to destroy their psyche to get the results they crave I will do it, drive them to murder, to betray each other and watch from afar...I will do it. To create the long-desired hope, to protect my own life...

If I have to execute them...I'll do it. Just don't expect me to be smiling while I do so. But forgive me if I try to stop myself from crying.

~-~-~-~

Five left. 

No murders have happened yet, not since the latest trial...no they turned out to be more cunning than I could ever predict, it seems this will be the end for me, they're marching towards the trial room only now with a determination instead of fear.

They're coming for answers.

They're coming to take vengeance on all the people who have died.

They're coming to take my life.

It such a bittersweet feeling...is this what despair is? No matter, I turn to the mirror in the small locked room, checking my hair...I look like a mastermind, a pretty costume...I headed outside of the door for the first time in weeks as I waited for the sound of the doors to open, hiding behind the giant throne of Monokuma, I waited for them to take their seats at the podium.

I tried, believe me when I said I tried to fight them off, too bad they had all the answers. They knew the truth of this place, of their stolen memories of our time in school together...

"We know it's you Maiko!" a voice rang out, my eyes widened as I felt ice trickling down my back...this is it...this is the end...I tried to plaster on a smile as I stepped out from behind the throne, trying to give a giant sadistic smile as instructed.

"Aww...was it too obvious?" I asked looking at the survivors. Their eyes were filled with malice, not that I'm surprised...except for the one who called me out...Rai.

Natuso Rai. Do you recognize me? When I'm like this? I know you can't remember me but...I'm kind of glad you don't if you knew what I had done to protect my own life...I would be ashamed of myself...you would probably hate me.

It wasn't a big climactic moment I was expecting, he just forced me to confess on the true purpose of this testing, how this was a social experiment and they were all lab rats inside of the test, their faces looked so broken and betrayed that the academy who had promised them they would become something great was also the one slaughtering them in this game.

They were right it's sad.

They need an ending of hope...

"I give you participants a choice, a reward for being able to catch me!" I told them smiling, "I'm only allowed to let one of you survive and escape, but if one of you will willingly sacrifice yourself for the rest to escape, I'll let the rest survive and escape" I promised.

Their eyes widened as I saw them shaking their heads as if they couldn't believe this...please...please don't take the bait...please...please just fail the experiment...let me reset your memories so you wake up as if this was all some bad dream...

"I-I volunteer" a voice rang out from the crowd, my eyes widened as I looked at Rai his hand in the air as he volunteered himself....no...no...no....no...........NOOOOOOOOO!

The rest looked at him in shock, "no Rai you can't do that! We won't let you die for the rest of us! We can find another way!" Manami screamed, "yeah! We don't want you to die Rai!" Yen screamed, change your mind, please change your mind...

"It's...it's ok guys..." Rai said with a sad smile as tears ran down his cheeks, "I...I w-want to t-thank you for b-being my friends...so...p-please escape from here...s-save the world..." he told them.

After much disgruntle the remaining survivors stood inside of the elevator, I looked at Rai...he was scared you could see that if you looked at his trembling frame, but his eyes had a fire in them, a strength I rarely saw from him back then...

I'm sorry Rai...

I took a deep breath as I clicked the red button, Rai closed his eyes as he prepared for his death but instead the elevator doors shut close to the surprise of the participants as the doors closed, and the glass elevator showed a giant slab of iron above them, the participants looked at it terrified and they banged against the door in terror, Rai hearing their cries opened his eyes in horror as he ran to the door and tried to pry it open as iron closed off the elevator door completely out of sight and the slab dropped leaving a trickle of red from the bottom of the elevator...

Rai dropped to his knees as he started to sob..."I'm sorry, I lied" I told him, he didn't respond, "you must be our hope Rai, you're selfless and honest, you're what the world needs...so...take this and end this game..." I told him as I walked up to him, handing him the gun.

"Take your vengeance, then fix the world, that's a reward right?" I asked, he looked at the gun in his hands and then back to me..."Kuri..." he mumbled, my eyes widened, what? "Is...is that you Kuri...?" he asked.

I felt my legs trembling, "Nat?" I asked my voice quaking, "do...do you remember me...?" I asked, he looked at me and then the gun before nodding, "it's...it's not fair...you know...I...the world doesn't deserve their hope..." he said as he raised the gun...

My eyes widened as he aimed for his head, "NO! NO! YOU CAN'T!" I screamed tears filling my eyes as he looked at me with a sad broken smile..."Kuri...if you have a second...we could always go together..." he offered, my eyes widened.

Die...?

"Isn't that what they deserve...after all this death...after all this heartbreak...I don't want either of us to have to be left alone...I...I want to sleep..." he mumbled. Sleep..."will you meet me there...?" I asked, "if I go first...will you join me fast? And if not...will you save them...?" I asked.

"I'll be right behind you..." he told me. I sighed, I walked over to the wall and pressed a slab and it revealed an arsenal of weapons, I grabbed a second gun and walked back over to him my hands trembling as I removed the safety and I looked at him... "on three...?"

He nodded as he pointed the gun against his head tighter his finger on the trigger I repeated the motion..." one....two....three!" I screamed as the doors opened and two people grabbed Rai, he reached for me but the world disappeared to fast.

~-~-~-~

"You're right Saihara, I was a part of the killing games...I was a mastermind like you Shirogane, only unlike many I retained some sort of morality, and I wasn't from a previous game...but that's why I decided to dedicate my life to helping people like me, who once upon a time decided to join the killing game, and help them repair themselves afterward...because empathy for people like you will be few sadly, but please...please don't curse this world for what it has done to you...it still has it's true beauty...I'll try and show you that beauty eventually...don't despair...don't fall back into that despair...please I beg you" I told them.

I sighed, "one day I'll tell you the truth about the outside world in its entirety...but not today...just know that I believe in you guys, and I know what kind of pain comes with the games...maybe not yours exactly...but I know at least enough to try and save you two from your despair...so please...just wait...just try...just try and believe in me enough till I can tell you....no show you the world you came from," I told them,

They didn't look at me, both seeming lost from their minds...not that I can blame them...I looked out the window and touched my wound again...I'm not Kuri...but...I'll help them using Kuri...heh...

My mind thought back to Rai and him still sleeping......wait for it Rai...I'll make this world worth saving when you wake up...just wait for me...wait for me to redeem myself...I'll wait for you till you decide to forgive me...