Danganronpa one-shot ||(OPEN FOR REQUESTS)

The final vote had been cast. Kaede Akamatsu, the Ultimate Pianist, stood in the center of the trial room, her heart pounding in her chest. 

"How a-am i guilty?! I didn't kill Rantaro!" she pleaded, but the others didn't listen to her.

She had been framed, manipulated into a corner with no way out. The evidence against her was overwhelming, and despite her desperate attempts to prove her innocence, the others believed she was guilty.

"Just save it Kaede, we know you did it.". Kaito hissed, clearly not believing her.

Her friends eyes filled with doubt and hesitation, and it was all too much to bear. She was about to face her fate.

The announcement came, cold and final. "Kaede Akamatsu, the ultimate pianist, you have been found guilty of the murder of Rantaro Amami."

The lights dimmed, and the sinister melody of her execution began. Kaede's eyes widened in fear as the machine in front of her powered up. It was the same piano-like contraption she had seen before, but this time, it was her turn.

The mechanical arms reached out and clamped around her, lifting her into the air. Kaede struggled, her hands desperately clutching at the cold metal, but it was no use. The machine began to play, the strings vibrating with a haunting melody, growing louder, faster. The world spun as the music reached a fever pitch, each note more frantic than the last.

Kaede screamed, her voice drowned out by the deafening noise. With a loud snap, the strings broke, and the piano's gears turned violently. A burst of force sent her flying through the air, pain searing through her body as the final blow hit.

The screen flashed a brilliant light, and Kaede's body fell to the ground, limp and lifeless. The room went silent. The final notes of her execution played, and the image of her "death" was broadcast to the others. The others were left in stunned silence. Kaede Akamatsu, the girl with a bright future, had been taken from them.

But after the silence came a strange, unsettling noise. A soft click. A hidden compartment, and a cold, sterile room appeared before Kaede's eyes as she slowly opened them. She gasped, disoriented, her body aching. She was alive.

"S-shuichi?"

Shuichi Saihara sat in the room, watching her with an unreadable expression. His eyes gleamed with satisfaction, but there was something deeper, something darker. Kaede's heart skipped a beat. This place. The mastermind's lair. She realized, then, what had happened.

"You..." Kaede's voice cracked as she tried to sit up. "You're the mastermind. You... you faked my death?"

Shuichi nodded slowly, a twisted smile creeping onto his face. "I had to make sure everyone believed it. You were perfect for the role, Kaede. You had to be eliminated, but you also had to remain alive. For the next part of the game."

Kaede recoiled, trying to push herself back, but her body was too weak. "Why? Why did you do this?"

Shuichi's smile widened, his gaze growing more intense. "Because you were always going to be the star. The perfect pawn in my game. I needed you to disappear for a while, to be forgotten. Now you can play your part in the way I intended."

Kaede felt a surge of anger and fear rise in her chest. "You won't get away with this. I'll make sure everyone knows the truth!"

Shuichi stood up and laughed softly, the sound cold and unnerving. "No one will know, Kaede. The others will believe you're dead, and soon, you'll understand. You're mine now. This game won't end until I say it does."

Kaede's breath quickened, her mind racing as the implications of Shuichi's words hit her. She had been used. She had been part of his twisted plan all along.

Shuichi stepped closer, his eyes glinting with obsession. "You were the perfect candidate for this role. You were the one I needed most. And now, you'll be my muse. The game is just beginning, and you'll play a key part in it."

Kaede realized, then, that escape was impossible. She had been caught in his web of lies, and her hope was slowly slipping away. But she refused to give in. If there was even a chance to stop him, she would find it.

"Don't you see love, the others didn't care about you. I'm the only one who cares about you.". He walked closer to her, giving her a firm, but gentle hug. Kaede tried to get away, but he hugged her tighter. 

"I've always loved you Kaede."

"..."

"Say it back."

"I... love y-you too." she said, each word slipping from her mouth like poison. She lied, she had to lie, or else... she couldn't even imagine what Shuichi's capable of.

"Good girl."

When the room's door closed behind her, the realization hit her with crushing force.

Kaede Akamatsu wasn't just a player in the killing game anymore. She was now its prisoner. And Shuichi, the boy she had trusted, had turned into the most dangerous enemy she could have ever imagined.

(Thanks for reading this chapter.)

(:D