AU Hell: The First

[completeamalgam]

Who: Kiyondo god, i can't ISHIDA and YOU
What: That shouty eyebrows kid went nuts again for Surprise Survivor!AU Power Hour
When: BACKDATED to July 5-8th
Where: Anywhere, anytime
Warnings: tl;dr and a foul mouth



Hell and back again.

That was the only way to sum up his experiences at Hope's Peak Academy. That bastion of hope for the future that turned out to be nothing but a den of death and despair, where he had considered giving up more than once after the loss of his one and only friend. The one he had tried join when he'd been framed for the murder of one Hifumi Yamada, not caring who he dragged down with him in gunning for a guilty verdict, and felt the wounds open anew when he survived long enough to witness the laptop that provided a hollow replacement for his brother be crushed before his very eyes.

The final straw had been when he learned that the outside world that his classmates did such horrible things to see again was nothing but ruin. Even worse was knowing the truth, knowing that everyone had been friends in a time long forgotten. That he and his brother had been closer than he even realized, and that those memories were locked away far out of his reach. So close, but so far. If not for the boy who kept the barely burning embers of hope alive in him and the rest of the survivors, he would have retreated from reality even more than simply hiding behind a mask.

But hope had won out... Mostly. Kiyotaka Ishimaru had no place in the dystopia that waited outside of the school; nothing to live for with all that had ever been important to him stripped away. So the mask became reality, and Ishida vowed to carry on his brother's legacy and live out his dreams for him, so he would never truly die. He would damn well live this new life to the fullest for the both of them.

There was only one problem: where the hell was he? He boldly stepped through the heavy iron doors of Hope's Peak, bracing himself for the ruined world that awaited. Instead, he found himself in a grassy field, his six companions no longer at his side. These were school grounds, all right, but nothing he recognized - what little he did remember from Hope's Peak was eagerly approaching it on his first day, and it looked nothing like this place.

So... What?

Well, only one way to find out: Rudely approach people and ask questions. And when he was through with that, he'd hang around and be a rowdy delinquent. Squatting outside the entrance, putting his feet up on cafeteria tables, generally just being noisy and rude. He was still making the adjustment from uptight prefect to badass thug, after all.

Comments

Decided for normal Ema huehuehue

[atmyage]

She's in the cafeteria, getting some lunch, when he comes in and puts up his feet. That sight alone is enough to make her do a double-take and stare at him.

Kiyotaka? Putting his feet up?

This is very worrisome. There's only one scientific explanation for it: mind-control.

She approaches him boldly, tray in hand. "Hey, Kiyotaka. Are you feeling okay?"

WELL

[completeamalgam]

Who the fuck is this.

How the fuck does she know his name?

--No, that's not his name. He threw that away weeks ago, though it feels like it's been an eternity. Either way, it's not a thing this girl should know, let alone use it like they're friendly with each other.

"Aah?" He tilts his head back and juts his chin out a little. "I know you?"

[atmyage]

She's still staring at him trying to decide if the white hair is part of the mind-control when he speaks so dismissively. Must be a side-effect. She tries to smile encouragingly.

"I'm Ema! Don't you remember? We're horoscope investigators together! You came to my room the other day to watch The Steel Samurai."

She starts to dig for her phone in case playing the theme song will help bring it back at all.

[completeamalgam]

Yeah, okay, this chick is definitely off her rocker.

"Tch, you think I'd waste time on something like horoscopes?! You got the wrong guy!" Well, at least there's something that's consistent in every reality. Ishida snorts and turns his head away as though to signify that he's done with this. Although her mention of watching something does make him wonder... did she watch the broadcast? Did that really happen after all?

[atmyage]

His reaction actually makes her giggle a little. "No, I think I've got the right guy! Even with all the data together, you're still pretty stubborn about not believing in the scientific truth of horoscopes."

She circles the table a little, so he has to look at her again. "Come on, Kiyotaka, you know me! Don't worry, I'll help you get better."

[completeamalgam]

He snorts and stands abruptly, knocking his chair over in the process. Like he gives a shit, though. He clenches a fist and holds it to his chest, sneering.

"I don't need help from you!" He'd deny needing it from anyone, but it was only with his classmates that he pulled himself out of complete despair, so maybe he'd let that slide. But nobody else. "Whoever you are... Listen up! I'll be more than better! I'll be the best and it'll all be my own hard work, got it?! I'd surpass you in no time at all..."

[atmyage]

She jumps when the chair hits the ground. Nervous, she takes a step back.

"Surpass me in what? You're not even a scientific investigator!" It's a bold statement, considering she's keeping her distance now. But she doesn't want to back down, not while there's clearly something wrong with Kiyotaka. "Stop being stubborn and just let me help!"

[completeamalgam]

Please no, he's had enough of investigating anything for one lifetime.

"What do you think you can help with?! There's nothing even fucking wrong!"

[inspirethefire]

A small stack of textbooks and notepads hit the table across from the lounging delinquent-in-training.

"I do trust you had important matters to attend to, in skipping our study session."

Hajime sat, calmly flipping a book open, appearing for all the world perfectly casual.

[completeamalgam]

All these people acting like they knew him were starting to piss him off. This time it wasn't a girl, so Ishida had no qualms in cranking his aggression up to eleven.

Without replying, he swept his leg out across the table and kicked the books onto the floor.

[inspirethefire]

He'd been quite serious: when Kiyotaka had not been in his room at the usual time, Hajime expected something important had come up. It was only once he'd laid his eyes on... this, that alarm bells went off.

His eyes flicked up to give his friend a good look, still guarded and cool.

"You're not the sort to break promises."

[completeamalgam]

Promises. He bristled at the mere word. He had his own to keep, ones he'd made silently to himself and to those who would never see him carry them out. But he owed nothing to... whoever the hell the bald bastard over here was.

He flashed Hajime a teeth-baring grin, cocking his head to the side at an exaggerated angle. "Sorry, were you talking to me? 'Cause I don't remember making any promises to you!"

[inspirethefire]

"To me? Did I say as much?"

His eyebrows lifted, one hand cupping his chin. It was one thing for this to happen, but the true question was why.

"A bond not to be broken, to share all your troubles and worries, never to turn your back on their need... surely, you can't deny its reality.

"You promised yourself, Kiyotaka. Your passion knows no limits,you wouldn't let it eat away at you here when you could share it."

[completeamalgam]

His grin quickly flipped into a scowl. He wouldn't take this shit from his fellow survivors, who he'd mellowed out to feel a bit of kinship with, so there was no way in hell he was going to allow a complete stranger to talk like he knew him at all. He had no fucking idea what he had been through. What kind of things really ate away at him.

"Who the hell do you think you are..." He rose slowly, rolling his shoulders back. "Oi... oi, oi! Know what? I think I'll study with you after all, you son of a bitch. It's a fighting school, isn't it? C'mon then!! Try me!"

Never mind that he had never actually experienced a real fight before. But he had enough fighting spirit to make up for that, surely.

[inspirethefire]

Wow, okay. Hajime leaned back in his chair, eyes narrowed, lips drawn tight.

"You truly think that's what you need to do? Very well." He spread his arms in a shrug. "I'm a pacifist, but I'm your study partner all the same. Hit me, if this is the course you must take."

DO YOU THINK THIS IS A FUCKING GAME, BRO

[completeamalgam]

TIME TO GO FOR THE HIGH SCOOOORE

Well, since he was invited. If this guy thought Ishida was just bluffing, he'd just have to prove how serious he was. Maybe he'd knock the insufferable pretentiousness right out of him.

Besides... if he was going to round up a whole new gang and carry on his brother's legacy, he was going to need to practice throwing a punch. Starting fights and winning them was the kind of thing he would be doing a lot, probably.

He circled the table and socked Hajime right in the face.

July 5th, late afternoon, cafeteria

[butterbelieveamanspromise]

As he pushed open one of the cafeteria's doors, Mondo was comfortably submerged in autopilot mode. He had no frantic thoughts storming up his mind, none of his big worries pressing into him at all. Every step he took was one he'd taken hundreds of times before, and nothing exciting happened along the way. Even the lunchroom was a sanctuary for those who yearned for quiet and near solitude. Not that Mondo was on a hunt for those things; they just happened to be there.

The uneventful script tore to a halt when he saw Ishida standing there.

His insides churned, then sank into a nasty pit of dread. Something was wrong with Kiyotaka again. Memories of the last time he'd been like this spat through his memory like jumping embers. Pretending to be someone's friend, strong. No better than a dog. No brother of mine. Hurting you. Where does it end? Seeing him in this distorted light only reminded him of all the ways he had dragged Kiyotaka down. The most striking one was his original sin. His murder at Hope's Peak. Kiyotaka being like this was the embodiment of his true resentment toward him for his actions. Overwhelmingly, that's how it felt. And it broke his ability to keep their relationship the same as it had been, because it shouldn't have been that way in the first place.

And hey, Kiyotaka was doing just fine without him. He was pretty sure Hajime was a better companion than he could ever be. They had a lot more in common, were able to relate better. It embittered him to watch them spend time with one another, but he never acted on it because it wasn't his right. He kept it all inside, burning. In his mind, he had replaced him. It... was nice to see Kiyotaka making friends. That he didn't really need him. But damn did it sting a little.

So seeing him in this state rang the alarms and set the tension. He stopped his passage through the cafeteria and stared at him from afar. He really didn't want to have to deal with him like this, but to leave him there and run away? Left a sour note.

"Yo, Ishimaru!" he called out. What in the world would he say or do next? He waited, breath measured.

[completeamalgam]

Even a Super High School Level Nervous Breakdown had to eat sometimes. Discovering the cafeteria in his exploration of the new school reminded Ishida just how little he actually had been able to bring himself to eat during the school life of mutual killing, and the scent of food in a safe environment kicked his appetite back into high gear. The only trouble was deciding just what he was craving after going so long. Anything, probably.

But nothing appealed to what his soul had been starving for until that familiar voice reached his ears. Physical food was forgotten, as was the rest of the world. All that existed was the voice and the man it belonged to. He slowly turned his head, wide-eyed, and his heart felt like it dropped and soared all at once.

But... this wasn't possible. There was no way Mondo Oowada was standing there, alive and well, when Ishida had witnessed his execution. Even the poor replacement he grasped for from Alter Ego was just a phony computer simulation and he knew it, even if he tried to deny it. There was no explanation for this besides that he'd lost his mind.

And, well, anyone else who made it out with him could have told you that.

He stood stock-still, too afraid to move, too afraid to blink or even breathe for fear that the apparition would vanish.

[butterbelieveamanspromise]

Now that was funny. The last thing he had been expecting was for him to freeze up. Mondo stood still but not stock-still for a few more beats to assess whether or not he was going to move or say something, except he never did. Distance between them made it only a little harder to pick out faint details than it would if he were up close, but it was easy enough to see that he almost looked... scared. Stricken was probably a better word. He glanced around at his sides and behind him, wondering if there was something he was staring at besides him. There wasn't, really.

Because he didn't react any further, Mondo continued to act. He moved forward with a cautious pace, trying to make out his features a little better. The proximity was closing quickly. "What's that look for? It's not like I'm a ghost or anything. Least you could do is say something when I call you out."

[completeamalgam]

"Brother..."

His voice was small and weak. A reflection of how he felt inside, a cruel reminder of how much he was really just a frightened animal trying to make himself look big. taking after mondo in every way ohhhhh

He took a sharp breath, trying to will the world back into focus. Nothing felt real. Was he even real, he wondered? Maybe it didn't matter. If this was all a dream, let him sleep forever, because waking would be to cast himself right back into hell. There was nothing left for him out in the real world when everything that mattered to him anymore was right here.

"H...ha..." He bowed his head, trying to hear his own voice over his pulse pounding in his ears. This wasn't possible. Wasn't possible. How fucking dare he. "A ghost...? You are a ghost... you've come to take me with you, is that it? You left me behind..."

[butterbelieveamanspromise]

"...Huh?" was Mondo's immediate response, the intonation riding up sounding as confused as he felt. Which was baffled. He searched the man before him even though his face was obscured from view, but could find nothing that clued him into his mindset, not even when he twisted his neck to try and steal a peek. He sounded absolutely crazy, like Yasuhiro sometimes. What also got him? He called him brother just then, didn't he? Mondo still had no idea what to expect next with all this aberration.

"The hell're you saying?" You left me behind. What did that mean? So many goddamn questions, so many he had to make do with fitting them all into the one he gave voice. "I'm really here, dude. Now cut it out with this ghost crap. It's kinda weird."

1/2

[completeamalgam]

If Mondo were particularly observant, aside from the white gakuran replacing the Smash uniform, he might notice that the face of this Ishida, only a few hours out of Hope's Peak Academy, looked a little more youthful than the Kiyotaka who had been at Smash Academy for nearly two years. But it was also twisted into the expression of a child fighting a losing battle against tears.

"I... No, I watched you... twice..."

I'm really here, dude. Was he, was he? No matter how Ishida looked at it, he couldn't comprehend anything about the present situation. It had been one hell of a day, from learning the truth behind Hope's Peak to watching a maniac gleefully kill herself to ending up here... this was the last straw. The persona that existed to cope where Kiyotaka could not was quickly reaching his own limit.

[completeamalgam]

So he decided it would be much easier to just roll with it. Accept it. This was happening, everything was happening as it was naturally supposed to. Mondo was here, Ishida was here, they were reunited and that was super.

He wiped his sleeve quickly across his face, his entire demeanour changing.

"Well, shit! Here we are, we're both free men now!! Fuck yeah! Shoulda told me you were out here a lot sooner, you bastard!"

At least the punch in the shoulder he offered was a lot friendlier than the last time he hit him.

[butterbelieveamanspromise]

Mondo was a little too confused to join in on the celebration. No, he just stood there and nonchalantly watched him punch his arm. He didn't even know what they were supposed to be celebrating. Why was he fighting back tears? And then rejoicing? He just couldn't keep pace this emotional seesaw action when he didn't even know where it was coming from to begin with.

"Yeah, that's great and all, but seriously... what're you saying? 'Out here'- out where? Make some goddamn sense already!"

[completeamalgam]

"Haa?"

Now it was his turn to utter a noise that was the embodiment of confusion. Come on, hit him back in a jocular way, acknowledge the hellish despair of Hope's Peak, something. This day was making less and less sense the longer it wore on.

"C'mon, don't you fuck with me, I..." He bit the inside of his cheek, staring at Mondo for a long second. "...wait, I get it. There's only moving forward, right?! I get what you're doing! Right, forget the past! Let's just look to our future now! Just you and me, right?!"