To Heal (A private Danganronpa V3 RP)

[LittleBug]

(Place holder for RockyRhodes to start.)

[RockyRhodes]

With what felt like a jolt coming across his body, Shuichi Saihara had woken up in his bed in an instant, sweat and worry as he had looked across the setting he was in. Despite his frantic state of mind, it was quick enough for him to notice that he was in his familiar room setting, a apartment like room made just for him, one he had grown accustomed to after the ‘game’ he had participated in. Of course, this was the notorious killing game that he and fifteen other students had been involved in, which while feeling real as it played out, ended up being none other then a simulation, one to test the mind of people like him if they were to end up in such a situation. It was a cruel realization, one that he had hoped with after a month or two he would be able to move past like some of the others were making progress in doing, but making it further then others in the game proved it hard to do. Waking up from nightmares of the trauma he had experienced in the game just as he had done this morning was an unfortunate common occurrence.

Shuichi has shook his head, hoping to try and move past this familiar feeling as he sighed and got out of bed, making his way over to a mirror near a closet. It was here that he saw his morning appearance. Messy bed hair, a simple white t-shirt and blue shorts, and a stare that spoke volumes as to how he was feeling in the moment. He sighed, ‘the same old look as always’, he thought as he moved past the mirror and went to change into something better.

Eventually he had picked out his clothing of a tan shirt, gray hoodie, blue jeans, and black shoes. Casual clothing that he had gotten used to, anything to try and feel normal and alright in the current moment. Of course, his hair was still a bit messy, but it would have to do for now. He wasn’t in much of a mood to fix it besides pushing some of it down, leaving a strand or two standing up.

Feeling alright with his current look, as best as he could anyway, Shuichi made his way out of his room and walked down a nearby set of stairs, making his way to a nearby cafeteria. All of the participants in the killing game had been asked to stay in a building that would provide them resources of living until they were all recovered from what they had participated in. Good in theory, but Shuichi didn’t feel like much was done to help him out. Of course, he didn’t let others know of this as he wanted to deal with his feelings on the situation on his own, but to others it was apparent what was going on. As he walked into the Cafeteria with a contemplative look on his face, he had then heard a voice catch his attention.

[LittleBug]

Shuichi wouldn't be alone in his struggle. Kaito Momota, one of his closest friends and fellow classmates, had also participated in the game... A sick game, he would call it. He and many others were pushed to their limits, having to fear for their very lives as the main goal hung over their heads; kill, or be killed. Even though it ended up being fake, the scars (both mental and in some ways physical), were very much real.

Kaito did his best to keep everyone in a positive spirit, and swore that he would never stoop low enough to ever go out of his way to hurt them. At least, he tried to, but in the end the astronaut fell victim to the game's very desires. Granted, the person he killed told him to do so in an attempt to end it all, but even so... The image of the hydraulic press aftermath still haunted him to this day.

It didn't help that Kaito was cursed with this illness throughout the game, too, causing him to cough blood at random times and weaken him further and further. His fear of being caught at his most vulnerable, particularly by someone with less than good intentions, nearly drove him over the edge.

Despite so, Kaito couldn't show it. He couldn't let anyone see that side of him, no matter what it took. He had to be the hero for them, someone to rely on... Was that healthy? Absolutely not, but knowing Kaito, he was stubborn before he was honest about himself. With getting out of such tense environment though, Kaito slowly learned to open himself up. In private, moreso, and he still of course did his best to cheer his classmates up during times like this, but he's learned to take care of himself better, too. His illness was thankfully treated as well, so minus the occasional coughing fit, there was no blood in sight...

Dressed in some black pants and a purple long-sleeved shirt, Kaito made his way down to the cafeteria for some good ole morning chow. Waving to some of the others who mingled around, he simply chilled by one of the tables, swirling the straw in his juice around until he saw Shuichi come in. Shuichi... God, what a mess he looked. Even though he rarely talked about what was bothering him, it was clear he was feeling the effect of the game. Maybe talking with him could help.

"Yo, sidekick!" Kaito called to him in his usual cheerful tone.

[RockyRhodes]

Shuichi had seemingly been caught off guard by Kaito's call out to him as he had entered the cafeteria. Judging by the reactions of others in the room, they had seemingly been surprised by it as well as they looked up from what they were doing. He gave an embarrassed kind of laugh, meekly waving to some of the other students as he walked over to the table that Kaito was sitting at. He was hoping to get something to eat and drink to take back to his room, but that could wait for later he supposed. He didn't want to be rude to his friend that wanted to see him.

Despite the trauma of the killing game being a struggle to deal with, Shuichi did have to admit that Kaito's presence did help to alleviate some of what was on the boy's mind. It wasn't every day that he talked to Kaito and the others, as he did find it hard to separate what had happened in the game situation from real life, but in the moments where he did reach out, even if it only helped his mind break away from what he was dealing with for a small amount of time, it was appreciated.

"Hey, Kaito." Shuichi replied, sitting on the opposite side of the table from his friend as he offered a small smile. A yawn had then escaped his mouth as he also rubbed his eyes, looking down at the juice his friend had as he did so. "Anything good they're serving today? I, well, forgot to grab something to eat last night so I'm hoping it's something that can fill me up." He asked to make some small talk, knowing more-so that the reason he didn't get anything was due to him not feeling in the mood to go out, truthfully.

[LittleBug]

Kaito took little notice to the others' reactions, focusing in on just Shuichi and getting a good look at the detective (perhaps some volume control could be of use, though...). Ever since everyone made it out of the simulation, he didn't see Shuichi come out of his apartment room much, only occasionally when it was time to eat or for things like therapy. Normally Kaito would encourage him to be out more, but... He figured with their situation, some space and time would be needed.

He would love to get back into training, someday. Maybe if he could convince Shuichi and Maki once again...

"Hey Shuichi! Did ya sleep well?" Kaito asked smiling back. With a yawn coming from Shuichi, though, he can assume an answer was already given, which he lightly chuckled at. Hearing him say he missed dinner, however, Kaito pouted some.

"You gotta be careful with that, man. Skipping meals isn't good for you, know." He tutted with some worry. "But it looks like we got a pancake bar with a bunch of sides and what not. You could probably get a good plate of stuff made, I know I will!" Kaito laughed.

[RockyRhodes]

“I could have slept a little bit better,” Shuichi replied, frowning for a second before trying to regain some composure in order to not worry Kaito, “But it wasn’t too bad. If only they could make those mattresses more comfortable to sleep on, right?” He stated, trying to make some light of the situation despite knowing there was much more contributing to his lack of sleep.

“It was only one meal…” He simply responded to Kaito’s worry about his food, hoping to not make it seem like that much of a deal, but also knowing that his friend was right. It wasn’t good for him to miss out on getting food. “But I’ll take your word on that,” He acknowledged, showing a sign of agreement and a small nod as he looked to the pancakes they were serving up near the front of the cafeteria. “I’ll have to grab some of them on my way out.”

[LittleBug]

"Yeah, I get you... Wonder if we could get some of those mattress toppers or somethin'." Kaito nodded, understanding the feeling. By all means he was grateful to have his own fully furnished space, of course, but damn did it feel cheap at times.

"I know, I know, just don't want it to become a thing, ya know?" Kaito sighed. He tried not to be too overbearing with his worries, but it was hard... Shuichi was a wreck after the first trial, and if it wasn't for him coming to get he, Kaito has no idea just what may have happened to him. He didn't want to risk losing the detective, especially not now of all times. Kaito swallowed his nerves, though, coming back to the conversation.

"You're not gonna eat here? I mean, that's fine if you don't want to, but I figured a change of pace might be nice every now and then... You've been cooping up in your room a lot, I miss you man!" He spoke the last part with a sort of jokey tone, but almost sincerely, too.

[RockyRhodes]

"I understand," Shuichi nodded, noticing the care for himself that was apparent in Kaito's way of speaking, "I'll try not to have it become a recurring habit."

He was then going to answer to Kaito's statement on not eating at the table, but before he could do so, a rumble was heard from his stomach. The kind to signify that he was hungry, which elicited a bit of a nervous laughter from the detective. "Well, I suppose that I can eat here today." He responded, smiling for a second to keep up the amusement before waiting and sighing. A tinge of guilt being felt by the young detective as he sat and thought about what Kaito had said.

"I guess I have been in my room a lot, haven't I?" He thought out loud, staring at the open space of the cafeteria that surrounded him. "I know that I shouldn't be, because I do miss you, and the others... it's just been tough, you know?" He said, coming across as a bit more open then he had previously been. He supposed that it was something about Kaito that just, well, made it feel alright to talk about anything. Even though he didn't acknowledge what was tough, he knew that Kaito would understand what he was referring to given their situation.

[LittleBug]

"That's my bro, I know you can do it!" Kaito smiled. He could understand that feeling, slipping up on your routine only to fall into the habit of not doing stuff all together. However, he wanted to be sure at least no one else ended up falling down that path. Case in point, hearing Shuichi's stomach growl signaled to Kaito that it was definitely time to eat.

Hearing him express his struggle, abide only somewhat, Kaito nodded, though was curious to learn more. After all, if he could help Shuichi from it, then he's all ears for it.

"Yeah, I get that... I think a good few of us are still feelin' it to this day." He spoke softly. "But don't feel like you gotta bottle yourself up just because of that. If you wanna talk about it, or anything really, you know I'm here for you no matter what."

[RockyRhodes]

“Thank you, Kaito.” Shuichi responded back, feeling thankful that Kaito was there to talk to him. He knew that deep down inside it wasn’t wise of him to bottle up his emotions and thoughts like this, but up to this point it had seemed like it was the only easy option for himself to do. Not just for himself, but for others, as he didn’t want to elicit worry. In this moment, though, it did feel like some weight could have been lifted off his shoulders, that he could be more open then had had been the past few months.

“I suppose that for me, it’s just been tough coming to terms with things.” He stated, pausing for a moment as he looked around the Cafeteria and seeing the others that were eating and chatting. Not everyone that was in the game was currently present in the room, but there was enough to get him reflecting on the game. “I experienced more of the game then the others did, and through extension I played more of a role in determining the others fates. We’ll all fine now, but in the game? If it wasn’t for witnessing deaths, or voting for people to be punished, or aiding in cases, I saw a lot happen from beginning to end…” He reflected, sighing for a brief moment.

“We all saw a lot, but Maki, Himiko, and I all saw the most. I don’t know how them two are coming to terms with what happened, but it’s been hard for me to.” He said, frowning for a moment upon thinking again about the game. “I’ve tried the techniques and resources they supplied to us, honestly I have, but it does nothing. Talking about it a bit helps, but I know it won’t put away what happened, at-least in my mind.” He thought out loud to his friend, reflecting on the several nights that were hard to sleep through do the kind of thoughts he had on his mind.