The first thing I noticed was the dull throbbing of my head.

Wherever I was, there was a bright, annoying light I could see through my closed eyelids, and I groaned loudly, shielding my face with a heavy arm.

Wait a fucking second...

A wave of dizziness struck me as I shot up, eyes darting to every corner of the unfamiliar room I was in. I was in an actual bed, and the decor around me was rather quaint and kitschy, which made me even more confused.

What the hell happened...Was I rented out aga...oh, wait...

It was quickly coming back to me. Elizabeth, and the two people who had come to rescue her. Who apparently had rescued me, as well. Looking down at myself, I realised I had been changed at some point, now wearing an ivory tunic and dark tights.

It was definitely a welcomed change after all of the ghastly frocks I had been made to wear, but I was still completely baffled. When I managed to stand up, I realised just how weak I was, but I willed myself not to fall flat on my ass as I hesitantly made my way to the door and to the top of the stairs.

"Captain, for the last time, I'm not gonna be your guinea pig! Last time I ate your special breakfast I thought my stomach was gonna squeeze out my butt and die on the floor!" A rather shrill male voice echoed from the ground floor, and I peered around the side of the wall.

Oh shit...there's more of them...

Two young men seemed to be bickering over a plate of food, whilst Elizabeth and another woman were watching from another table. The set-up looked like some kind of eatery, or a bar, and I slowly crept down the stairs, one at a time. From behind, I could have sworn I knew the young blond from somewhere.

"What are you talking about? I know I got it right this time! Smells great, right?!" Said blond exclaimed, and everyone seemed to shudder.
"We've learned that even a delicious scent can hide the worst of the worst, Captain..." A brunette woman said awkwardly, but that captain's eyes weren't trained on her. They were now locked with mine.

Fuck.

"Good morning!~" Cheery and bright, the boy gave me a peppy wave, and I nearly tripped down the last few steps. Elizabeth was on her feet in seconds, and she rushed over to take my hands in hers.
"Oh, I'm so glad you're awake, (Y/N)! You've been out cold for two days! I was starting to get so worried!" She whimpered, tears forming in the corners of her sapphire eyes.

Two days? Feels like I've only been asleep for a couple of hours...

Uncomfortable with her touchy gestures, I pulled my hands back slowly and tucked them behind me.
"Uh, thank you, Elizabeth...That was your name, right? My head is majorly fuzzy..." Nodding excitedly, she ushered me towards the table she had been seated at, and I had no choice but to do as she instructed.

"Hi there, (Y/N)! I'm Diane!" The brunette smiled at me, and I offered a weak one in return, overwhelmed by everyones bright moods.
"Nice to meet you..." I mumbled, jumping out of my skin as a plate was dropped rather hard directly in front of me.

"How about you? You'd be starving, right? Try my special breakfast?" The blond stared at me with wide eyes, the colour of the sky, but even with such youthful excitement, I wasn't that easily pressured.
"I think I'll pass..." I irked at the sight of it. There was just something off about both the eggs and the mysterious lump of meat just sitting there.

"Good choice. Move that garbage aside and let her have some actual food, would ya, Captain?" Again, I flinched as another plate was placed in front of me, and I looked up to meet eyes with crimson.

Oh...it's...

"It's you..." I murmured, and the man gave me a rather cocky smile.
"Name's Ban. Eat up, cuz we didn't save ya for nothing." He motioned to the food, but I didn't think I trusted it. Even if they had gotten me out of that hellhole, I still didn't know these people. Trust wasn't something I was familiar with.

"I appreciate the offer...but I'm not hun-" My stomach betrayed me before I even finished my sentence; gurgling loudly and setting off a couple of lighthearted snickers.
"Not hungry my ass. Just eat it, it doesn't bite back like the Captain's, I promise." Ban's palm came to rest upon the top of my head, but I only winced a little.

Well...he did save me back there when he didn't have to...and I'm still alive...so...maybe...

Defeated, I hesitantly picked up my fork and skewered a piece of meat, which, I had to admit, looked far more appetizing than what their Captain guy had presented me with. Ban just stood there, apron clad and waiting, as though he was wanting to know my verdict.

If I had thought the smell of it was alluring, then the taste blew my mind. My (E/C) eyes widened, and I swallowed the food down before looking back up at the man, who already seemed smug. I didn't mind feeding that ego just a smidgen more.
"It's amazing..." I whispered, not wasting any more time and beginning to devour the food.

The urge to cry struck me while I was eating, as I hadn't had a real meal in so long, but it wasn't until I felt Elizabeth's hand on my shoulder that I realised tears had actually started falling.
"Nice going, Ban...You made her cry!" The other young boy snapped, and Ban threw his spatula right at his ginger head.

"Shut it, King! Ain't my fault! Poor thing's probably overwhelmed, is all!" He barked, but there was a very slight uncertainty to his voice. Wiping my face with my sleeves, I shook my head quickly.
"S..sorry...yeah...I'm just...not used to this...Thank you..." Already full, I just sat there, hoping that I would no longer be the center of attention, but all eyes remained on me. Shrinking down, I leapt to my feet and hurried towards the door. "Please excuse me...I need some air..."

The sunlight assaulted my vision when I stepped outside, but it was so pleasant and warm. A light breeze whispered through the surrounding trees, and birds chorused all around. It had been far too long since I had been outside in the daytime, and felt a sense of relief, for the first time in so very long.

I'm glad...I can just go wherever I wish, now...Far away from-

"Don't tell me you forgot all about me, (Y/N)!" Squeaking out, I whirled around to see the young blond standing a few feet away, and the others emerged from the strange little bar with curious looks on their faces.
"What the hell is he talking about?" The one named King questioned, looking to the others for some kind of answer, which they didn't have.

"I don't know y-" I stopped myself from completing my sentence as I studied him closer. The blond hair with the fly away strands on the top, the bright, sincere eyes of green, and the way he stood so tall, even with such a short stature. It all came flooding back to me in an instant. "No fucking way...Meliodas..?"

I thought I recognised that name when Elizabeth mentioned it the other day...but...I never even thought...

"Yay! You do remember me! Long time no see, huh? I'd ask how you've been, but I think I already know the answer!" That childish laugh of his was so familiar now, but I wasn't sure how to react. It had been so long, and so much had changed.

"Okay, consider me completely fucking clueless right now...How do you two know each other..?" Ban tilted his head, crossing his arms over his chest.
"Yeah, I'm lost...Are we supposed to know her..?" Diane added, twirling a strand of her hair close to her cheek.
"Nah, you guys never met her! I don't think so, anyway!" The captain chuckled, still facing me.

"Meliodas...keep that mouth of yours shut..." I warned, but I knew it was futile. That man didn't have a filter once he was set on something. Whenever he smirked, I got a damn chill, and that's exactly what happened when his lip tweaked up at the side.

"What? Don't you want them all knowing you're a sin, too?" He asked in an obviously fake oblivious tone, and I deflated as everyone's jaws dropped.
"She's a what?!" King fell onto his behind, and the others weren't far off it.
"HOW COME NOBODY TOLD ME ABOUT THIS?! IS SHE PRIDE, OR WHAT?!" A small, squeaky voice screeched, and I noticed a tiny, pink piglet sitting on top of King's head.

Well fuck me sideways, a talking pig...

"No, Escanor is the Lion Sin of Pride, you all knew that." Merlin stepped out of the trees, from goodness knows where, and approached me casually; arm moving to curl around my shoulders. "(Y/N) here was actually the first to be inducted...Before we even suggested the idea to the king." Now that I knew what was going on, Merlin was unmistakable. She hadn't aged a day, just the same as Meliodas, and myself, for that matter.

"I'd really appreciate it if this whole thing was dropped..." I muttered bitterly, shrugging her off and turning to walk further away from the bar. "There's really no point in getting into it...so, if you don't mind..." Barely ten steps away, and Meliodas came leaping over my head, landing directly in my path; grin ever-present.

"Don't be like that! You can be such a downer sometimes, (Y/N)! Stay and have a drink!" Hands on his hips, his chest puffed out, it was too reminiscent of the last time I saw him.
"No dice...Thanks for the food...and to your friend Ban for saving me...Merlin, too...but I'm checking out." I said as politely as I could through clenched teeth, but the second I tried to step around him, he stepped too.

"If that's the case...then I challenge you to a fight, (Y/N)...Rabbit Sin of Despair..!"

.
.
.
.
.
***No, Danganronpa does not intensify***