My name is Hajime Hinata. I am twenty-six years old and I was born on January 1st, 1990. My parents were relatively good people, middle-class citizens who were good at their jobs and raised a just-as-capable son.

Unfortunately, when I was in my teen years, my parents died as a result of some mistakes I had made. I made enemies of the wrong people and got them killed.

It was my fault.

To try to outlive my past, I enrolled into the police academy to train as an officer. It was then that a few months ago, my cousin called to announce his engagement.

Makoto Naegi, my older cousin by a year and serving in Chicago as the chief inspector of the VICE department. His wife-to-be is named Kyouko Kirigiri and she is probably one of the most straightforward people I've ever met. The girl's face never seems to show any kind of emotion whatsoever. It's kinda scary actually.

Story is, she and Makoto are highschool sweethearts, graduated from the same class in 2007 at the elite academy Hope's Peak High School. In fact, if I recall, their school closed down a year afterwards because of a murder, which is what sparked their careers in the force. Since then, they've been a team: one works in VICE and the other in Homicide. What a pair.

"Hajime!" Makoto shouts and I jump.

Was I zoning out again? I must've been.

"So, Naegi was saying that he wanted you to come live with us for awhile." Kirigiri says with such a straight face on, even though her eyes were burning with terrifying rage.

"I-Is that s-so?" I shuddered from that look.

Even if her face never changed, she terrifies me. No wonder she's in charge of the entire homicide department. If I ever went against her, I'd probably die just from her looking at me.

"Yeah. Kirigiri and I were talking and we have a bit of space. Besides, I'm sure you'll be fine working in Chicago with us. A new town, some fresh air, just what you need! A new set of surroundings!" Makoto was quite cheerful about this.

I told him when he called that I was considering on leaving Japan for a little while, just to get away and take a look around or something like that. I never expected that he'd ask for me to come live with him and his fiancé though!

"Are you sure, Mako? I mean, you're about to get married! Are you really sure that you want me around? Kirigiri-san-" I was cut off when she pulled her hand up to silence me.

"I've discussed this with Naegi and we've come to the conclusion that as long as you don't bring anyone suspicious or illegal into the apartment, you can stay. Although, I will warn you. I do expect you to leave when the wedding happens. I don't think you'd like to be around when that happens." she says and I see Makoto's face turn pink.

"Do you accept the terms of living with us?" Kirigiri asks and I thought about it before giving her an answer.

"Sure. When can I move in?"

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Around a few months later, I encountered that strange woman in the alley and since then, nothing has been the same. I keep seeing things, hearing things that shouldn't be there in the first place. I hear animals and auto drills and classical music and engines and people talking in a foreign language. There are these noises that I can hear but, they make no sense. Not to me, at least.

I couldn't possibly tell Makoto or Kirigiri about what's been happening. They'd probably think I might be going back to my old ways again. Back to who I used to be.

I don't blame them for thinking that. I was a different person back then. I even went by a different name-

Kamukura. Izuru Kamukura. A name that put anyone around to despair.

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Music. At night, I would sometimes hear the sounds of a bass hitting against my eardrums. Loud, trying to make them burst through the surround sound. I could never sleep at night.

"MAKO, TELL YOUR NEIGHBORS TO SHUT THE FUCK UP SO I CAN SLEEP!" I screamed out one night and I hear Makoto shout back-

"HAJIME, I DON'T HAVE ANY NEIGHBORS! THEY MOVED OUT YEARS AGO!"

That couldn't be possible. Unsure of myself and still hearing the bass hit with the records, I get out of bed, still practically in my underwear (I got a s to go outside the apartment and scream at the stupid kids that are probably partying in the empty room next door.

However, when I broke the door down, no one was there.

And the noises disappeared.

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Flip the switch here. Spin the disc here. Blend it all together. The sounds make me feel something different, something I don't usually have.

Hope.

The hope that today can be different than yesterday was.

Especially since I saw that woman yesterday...

Although, I wouldn't say seeing her was completely bad. She's fueled me to come back to play today. To perform the songs that I hide away. The songs that hide inside that past.

After the show, I went out the back and grabbed a cigarette to light. If my music doesn't free the stress, the smell sure does. I love the smell of smoke. It was sharp, the taste awakening me and loosens up the tightness I feel in my chest. So-

Only eight months left, right?

Eight months until the end of all this suffering inside me. Him suffering inside me.

It will all finally end-

"Nagito!" the sound of my name startled me and I heard the laughs behind me.

There were two men there, one I had never seen before but, the other was a friend.

"Ah, Leon." I smile at the redhead as I offer him a smoke.

"Killer performance once again, Nagito. You should really consider taking this job as a career." Leon cracks a smirk as he blows out the smoke from his lips.

"Are you going to introduce me, Kuwata-kun?" a girl with long blue hair bats her eyelids at my friend and his face flushes a shade of pink.

"Oh but, of course! Nagito, this is the ever so lovely Sayaka Maizono. She's my new... Business partner." Leon chuckles, hiding a dark blush under the smoke of his cigarette.

"I enjoyed your show, Komaeda-san." Sayaka smiles sweetly as I smile back at her.

I don't like her. Something seems off.

"Anyway, we're going back to my house and we're meeting Celestia and Yamada there. Celestia has some mad shit with her, enough to make your brain melt!" Leon chuckles.

"It'll be fun, Komaeda-san." Sayaka lightly touches my arm and I flinch away from her.

"Sorry. I don't think I should." I say as politely as I could, putting out my smoke under my shoe and turning to leave when Leon grabs me.

"At least say hi to Celestia. She's been dying to see ya." Leon says and I sigh.

Celestia Ludenburg, my ex-lover. I left her when she started to cheat on me with another man but, I didn't mind. It was just my luck out to get me again. We're just friends now...

"Whatever, I guess..." I gave up struggling and Leon and Sayaka and I went back to Leon's place.

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My name is Nagito Komaeda and I am twenty-six years old. I was born on January 1st, 1990. I try to block out the rest. If I try to remember, he starts sobbing and then, it never stops. I was born in Japan but, when I was twenty or something, I moved to the UK in order to get out and meet some new people.

One such friend is Leon Kuwata, baseball extraordinaire. He was scouted by a baseball team in America and was considered to be given the greatest opportunity to make the perfect career out of it. However, ultimately gave it all up to pursue music. We met in the apartment complex that we both had lived in and he gave me my first job as a DJ and I've been there ever since.

I love London. I don't mind Leon. I don't like still being alive without a purpose. I suppose this'll do for now.

"Are you okay, Komaeda-san?" Sayaka asks and I give her a smile.

I don't like to smile when I don't mean it.

"I'm fine. Thank you though, Maizono-san." I say back and she grabs my hand.

"Please, call me Sayaka." she has a mischievous glint in her eyes.

I don't like that. I give her another smile and forcefully have her let go of my hand. I don't like people touching me for no reason either.

Once we had reached the building Leon lived in and entered his room (on the penthouse by the way), we were greeted by a gothic lolita gambler and a pudgy otaku.

"Celestia! Yamada! What's up, you two?" Leon gave a cheerful welcome as Celestia looks my way and giggles into the cards she held in her hands.

Celestia Ludenburg is considered to be one of the top gambler's in the world. I happen to be one of her many ex-lovers but, I was the first to break it off with her and not the other way around. Why did I do that? Oh, it was very simple.

I came across someone that's given me more hope than anyone else before.

It was somewhere between those months where I encountered the woman in the dress. He was just standing there in such disbelief of his surrounds. Curiosity began to build up in my stomach as I was walking towards him.

I thought he was quite beautiful. Spiky brown hair and green eyes that looked like they could glow under the moon. He looked frustrated, conflicted with perhaps his own emotions as he paces around in the street.

"Are you lost?" I ask and he heard me.

"Where am I?" he asks back with a quick question.

"Well, you're in London, silly!" I chuckle.

"London?" he seemed confused, scanning his eyes over to the buildings before turning back to me, "I can't possibly be in London... I was in Chicago just now!"

"Chicago? So, you live in America?" I was intrigued by him.

"You've never been?"

"I can't say that I have. I'm not exactly one for traveling."

"Neither am I. I'm just living there with my cousin to clear my head for a bit..."

"I see... What's your name?"

"Hinata. Hajime Hinata."

"How lovely. My name is-"

"Hey, Nagito! Why are talking to yourself?" I heard Leon shout as I turn to meet the redhead.

"I'm not talking to myself, Leon! I'm talking with-" I turn back around and found that the man vanished into thin air.

And I haven't seen Hajime Hinata since.

After meeting him, I broke it off with Celestia and had my heart set on finding the American man that peaked the hope inside of me.

So, months later, here I am, playing a game of poker with a gambler, an ex-baseball player, a mangaka and an idol while smoking heavy amount of drugs and downing all the booze we could find.

"So, Komaeda-san... Kuwata-kun told me that you had a vision a few months ago." Sayaka looks at me, placing a card on the table.

"I may have... They're just illusions from my extra-curricular activities. Nothing more than to inspire my music." I chuckle and Celestia laughs.

"That's my Nagito for you." she places her entire on on the table, "I win."

"Damn it." Leon grumbles under his breath and Yamada laughs.

"Ingenious as always, Lady Celestia!" he proclaims and I grab a cigarette from my pocket. Before I could light it though, Sayaka grabs my wrist.

"We have something a little better than a little smoke." She takes the lighter from me and gets a plastic pipe from Celestia before offering it to me, "Try this on for size, Komaeda-san."

I take the pipe and grab my lighter back. I lit the bottom of the pipe where the weed was and inhaled. Then it hit me. That sensation tensing up my spine, relaxing my muscles drastically as I lean further into Leon's couch. My mind goes blank and my thoughts move to one thing only: pleasure.

A high.

"Good, isn't it?" Celestia giggles and I laugh with her.

"Very." I answer.

Soon enough, Leon and Yamada had some and Celestia took a few puffs as well. Sayaka didn't want to ruin her voice so, she didn't partake in the festivities. Too bad. This was some pretty good product.

"Are you enjoying yourself, Komaeda-san?" Sayaka asks as she pours me a drink from Leon's stash of brandy.

"I might be..." the room was fuzzy but, I felt good.

"Dude, imagine if we had more of this shit!" Leon chuckles and he stares at Celestia, "So then..."

Leon suddenly pulls out a gun and aims it at the woman, "Gimme your stash."

"Leon, what are you doing?!" I shout, getting up when Sayaka holds me down.

"Uh uh, Komaeda-san." Sayaka holds my hands down.

Why can't luck just ever be on my side? I watch as Yamada looks through the bag Celestia brought and rummage out all the drugs inside. He also managed to find large wads of cash and he laughs.

"Well, lookie here." Leon laughs, turning his head away for a second.

What a fool.

Celestia takes her chance and grabs the gun from Leon, shooting him in the head and turning to Yamada and doing the same thing. Their blood splattered onto Sayaka and me.

"Good job on keeping Nagito there, Sayaka-san." Celestia chuckles, her red eyes narrowing at the idol's.

"Well, I wouldn't want such a pretty face to be hurt, right?" Sayaka has a dark shade of blue in her eyes.

She's gone mad.

"I can't believe that those fools actually fell for it." Celestia grabs the bag full of the cash and drugs.

I need to get out.

Sayaka gets off of me and giggles, "So, what should we do with him?"

If I stay here, I might never see Hajime again.

"Get the rope. I'm sure that pretty face of his will get us some quick cash too." Celestia answers and my eyes widen.

Get out, Nagito!

I climb over the couch and just ran. Celestia shot at me but, hit the door frame instead. I keep hearing gunshots ringing in my ears but, I keep going. Don't turn around, Nagito! Don't you dare turn around! Just keep running!