Before we begin, I want to thank you for checking out this story. This will be my first Danganronpa fanfiction, and the first fanfiction I am actually serious about.
While a majority of characters are OCs, there may be a few already existing Danganronpa characters appearing at set points, but who knows.
Initially, I thought about asking for people to submit their own OCs, however I have decided against it and will create my own. This is so I can get the story started sooner, rather than later. I cannot guarantee frequent release of chapters, though one each week is my goal. Let's see if I can follow through with that.
Anyway, enjoy.

Prologue - Hope's Peak Academy. A New Beginning

Hope's Peak Academy. This is the school that everybody dreams of entering, for obvious reasons. It is said that if you are able to graduate from here, then you're pretty much set for life. Of course, it isn't easy to get into. If you wish to get a place, then you'll need to meet two requirements. The first is that you'll need to already be in High School. The second is that you'll need to be among the best in a certain area. The people who meet these conditions become 'Ultimate Students' and are invited to Hope's Peak.

I thought it was a dream come true for me to be here. And here I am. Appearance wise, I'm ordinary, I suppose. I have short brown hair, which is somewhat tidy. As for my clothes, it's nothing that unusual. Black trousers with a blue star on the left leg, black shoes, a white shirt, and a black hoodie with a red star on the hood.

Anyway, my name is Hayato Hare. My special talent? I'm... not sure.

Hayato Hare - Ultimate ?

I've forgotten what my talent is. I was so sure of it before I entered the building but...

When I entered the building, I guess I passed out. I had awoke in an empty classroom. After a brief look around, I found a note instructing me to head to the gym. When I had arrived in the gym, I looked around and noticed that 15 other students had already gathered before me.

"Took your time getting here, didn't you." spoke a boy with short, well combed blond hair. He was wearing a black suit, with the jacket buttoned up.

"Give him a break. He probably passed out too." spoke a girl with long pink hair. She appeared to be wearing a maid dress. The girl then approached me. "Am I right?"

"Uh, yeah. That's what happened. I only just woke up." I replied.

"It's the same with us." the girl responded. "To be honest, I only got here moments before you did. I thought I was the last one to arrive, so I was mega embarrassed. Anyway, what's your name?"

It was at this moment I had realised that I had yet to introduce myself. "Oh, I'm Hayato Hare. I'd tell you what my talent is, but I honestly cannot remember at the moment."

"Memories messed up? Can happen." the girl replied. "I'm Sakuya Minakami, and I'm the Ultimate Cosplayer!"

Sakuya Minakami - Ultimate Cosplayer

"Cosplay is life and it is important to stay in character when doing so!" Sakuya boldly stated.

The Ultimate Cosplayer, huh? It wouldn't be strange to assume she's in cosplay right now then. I wonder what character she's supposed to be.

"I guess I should introduce myself too." said the well dressed boy. "I am the Ultimate Prince, Lucas Nevermind."

Lucas Nevermind - Ultimate Prince

"I have entered this school for the simple reason of that I wish to partake in a normal school life which I can enjoy." Lucas added. "A relative had also encouraged me to do so, so yeah."

The name doesn't sound japanese, so I'm going to assume that he's from another country. Either way, he doesn't speak as fancy as I would have assumed royalty would speak. Guess you really shouldn't judge a book by its cover.

These two people seemed pretty friendly, so I think we could become good friends quickly. As I thought this, I noticed a girl with long brown hair run towards us. She wore a white shirt with a red ribbon around the collar, with a blue skirt, black tights, and black slip on shoes.

"Oh, I see you've already met Onee-san." said the girl. "I'm Karen Minakami."

Karen Minakami - Ultimate Imaginator

"If I have an idea in my mind, then I can easily put it on paper. Drawings, stories, and so on. Though I struggle with it if I can't imagine it..." Karen stated. "While I'm a little shy around others, I do try my best, so I hope we can get along."

Ultimate Imaginator... That's a unique talent. I actually wonder how that one works. She said she had a sister, right? That must be Sakuya.

"Be kind to my younger sister, Hayachii." Sakuya said, as she crept up on me. "If you do anything the hurt her, then you will suffer."

Hayachii? She's already given me a nickname, it appears. Oh well, it doesn't bother me much. "Yeah, noted. But do you expect me to do anything of the sort?"

Sakuya stood in thought for a moment, before responding. "No, I guess not. You do look smart enough. You look cute too..."

I pretended not to hear those last two words, and decided to introduce myself to everyone else.

"..." A boy with short blue hair stared blankly at me. He wore dark blue trousers, and a buttoned up white jacket. "You do not appear to suit my tastes."

Kou Amagi - Ultimate Gourmet

"I should mention that I am a gourmet. If you must associate with me, then I shall tell you my name. It is Kou Amagi." he reluctantly commented. "While most gourmet simply rate foods, I rate most things in addition. People and encounters especially."
I don't think I'll get along well this this guy. I barely had the chance to introduce myself before he walked away, seemingly in disgust.

"You should feel honoured." said a girl with long blonde hair in pigtails as I approached her. Her outfit appeared to be a standard sailor's uniform that is worn by most high school girls, with a blue skirt and pink thigh socks. She did also appear to be wearing a yellow fleece jacket. "For someone as popular as me to give you any attention is a great honour. I am the Ultimate Popular Student."

Michiru Hino - Ultimate Popular Student

"Michiru Hino is my name, although if you will talk to me, please refer to me as Michiru-sama." added the so called popular student. "It would be in your best interest to remember that now."
How she became the Ultimate Popular Student, I will never know.

"Yo! What's up bro?" called out an energetic black haired boy. He wore black trousers with a blue vest shirt, and had a black jacket tied around his waist. "I'm the Ultimate Basketball Player! My name is Naoki Inoue, but my friends call me Naokun."

Naoki Inoue - Ultimate Basketball Player

"If you ever feel up to it, I'd love to play against you some time!" Naoki energetically stated. "I think we'll become better friends if we do!"
He seems cool, but I think I'd feel uncomfortable calling him Naokun considering we only just met.

As I looked around at the others, I could see most people already in conversation with others. I'd feel bad interrupting, so I'll try to talk to those who aren't talking. Upon deciding this, I noticed a a boy with well combed black hair standing on his own. His outfit didn't actually stand out that much though, as he wore what appeared to be a standard male's uniform, with a white shirt, red tie, and black trousers. He appears too generic in my opinions, but I should probably talk to him.

"If you wish to pity me, then stop. I am on my own because I chose to be." he said before I got the chance to speak. "My name is Kyo. My last name is not important right now. My talent, if you cannot tell, is being observant."

Kyo - Ultimate Observer

"I am actually here for an important reason." the observer added. "Maybe if you prove that you can be trusted, I'll share it with you."
As I watched him walk away, I couldn't help but think that maybe he's a little lonely. I should try to get to know him better later.

I then noticed a girl with black hair in a ponytail staring at me. She wore... a red t-shirt and blue shorts. Not only do those clothes not appear to work together, but it's also surprisingly little. As I approached her, I noticed bags under her eyes, though they appeared hidden due to her glasses.

"Sorry if I was... staring." she quietly commented. "I don't get out much... as I'm always online. I'm the Ultimate... Blogger, so I'm always updating my... blog to care about much else. My name... is Nagisa... Sakura."

Nagisa Sakura - Ultimate Blogger

"Apologies if I... fall asleep mid... convers..." she started before falling asleep while still standing.
I should leave her be for now and talk to someone else.

"Hey, you! Kid who won't share his title." called out a guy with dirty blond hair. "Come and settle a debate."

The boy's clothes appeared unique. While he wore a turquoise track suit and a t-shirt, he also appeared to be wearing a blue jacket with the word hope written on the sleeve.

"This guy here says that exercise is for the weak!" he complained. "Can you believe that?!"

"I never said that." replied another boy, who had fiery red hair. He wore a plain white t-shirt with a red flower picture on the back, with red trousers that seemed a little too big for him. He also wore an obviously fake black moustache. "I just said why waste your time exercising when you can not give a shit about some dumb motivator who gives too many shits."

"Well right now, I'm motivated to kick your ass!" replied the other boy, who was now annoyed.

"Hey, calm down! Let's talk things over." I intervened. "How about we just introduce ourselves first? I'm Hayato Hare."

The dirty blond haired boy sighed. "Yeah, okay. I'm Yosuke Flar, the Ultimate Motivator."

Yosuke Flar - Ultimate Motivator

If I recall correctly, he's known as the Ultimate Motivator because he can motivate most people to do anything within reason. Usually this is exercise, but I hear he even motivated someone who was considering suicide to keep living. Quite impressive, if you ask me.

"Well that explains the attitude." joked the red headed boy. "My name is Yaru Hamato."

Before we could reply to that, he burst out laughing.

"Sorry, sorry! I messed that up. It's Haru Yamato! Wow, jokes on me I guess!" he laughed.

"What are you? Some sort of joke maker?" I asked, slightly worried.

"Kind of, yeah." he replied. "Ultimate Trickster to be exact."

Haru Yamato - Ultimate Trickster

"I love jokes and tricks. I practically live for them." the trickster added. "I apologise for what I said earlier, anyway. I was only messing around."

The Ultimate Motivator sighed and responded to this with. "That's okay, I may have overreacted, anyway."

Feeling relieved that I managed to avert a fight, I looked around and noticed the last people I needed to introduce myself to were already gathered in a small group.

Upon confirming that Haru and Yosuke were getting along still, I decided to introduce myself to the last few people.

"Hey, I'm Hayato Hare. It's nice to meet all of you." I greeted the group of five.

"Hello there Mr Hare." replied a well dressed boy with tidy brown hair. He wore a black suit, a white shirt, red tie, and had white gloves on. "It is a pleasure to meet you. I am Yu Hayase. I am the Ultimate Musical Conductor."

Yu Hayase - Ultimate Musical Conductor

"You should probably ignore him. He gets a little too polite at times. It's almost creepy." replied a girl with long black hair with pink highlights on each side. She wore a long brown skirt, with a green shirt and black jacket.

"While Ms Saito sounds rude, she is correct." Yu stated. "I am a little too polite in certain cases."

"So, I'm Yuki Saito!" the girl introduced herself, completely ignoring Yu. "The Ultimate Hacker! And no, I did not hack my way into the school's system!"

Yuki Saito - Ultimate Hacker

I was curious as to whether the Ultimate Hacker hacked their way into the system, but I guess I didn't need to ask. Still, something about her does seem odd...

"As weird as it seems, me and Yuuyu are childhood friends." Yuki added. "Weird, right? We're so different!"

"I think you've spoke for long enough." the other boy of the group impatiently stated. "I would also like to introduce myself."

This boy had a somewhat feminine appearance, with brown hair at a short length. He wore a black shirt, with black trousers, and a white apron.

"Well sorry." Yuki reluctantly replied. "Go ahead and speak."

"I am Mamoru Kurosawa. The Ultimate Painter." he introduced. "Despite me somewhat feminine looks, I am in fact male."

Mamoru Kurosawa - Ultimate Painter

"But I am not like most males." Mamoru quickly added. "For I have little interest in getting a girlfriend."

"Too busy focusing on other stuff to be concerned with a relationship?" I asked, curious as to what he meant.

"No, for I am instead..." the Artist replied, "Looking for a boyfriend. Care to volunteer?"

"I'm sorry, what?" I asked, in confusion as to what I had just heard.

Mamoru laughed at my reaction. "Don't worry. I was just joking. You'd bound to say no. I can tell that you're not into other guys."

"Uh, right..." I responded, still in disbelief.

"If anyone gets him as a boyfriend, it'll be me." a girl with long blonde hair. "Remember me, Hayato?"

She wore a pink dress, with knee high pink and black striped socks, and a black jacket. She also had a pink hair clip in her hair. If I recall correctly, she's...

"Yeah, we went to the same high school before coming here." I replied. "Kiyomi Sora, right?"

"Right!" she responded. "I'm glad we got to meet again here! I've been interested in you for a while!"

Upon hearing those words, I could feel my face getting red. We didn't speak much before we got here, though I did notice her sneaking a peak at me every now and then. If I recall correctly, she worked part-time as a Voice Actress, so that makes her the...

"Ultimate Voice Actress." she said, as if finishing my thought. "That's my talent, in case you couldn't remember."

Kiyomi Sora - Ultimate Voice Actress

"Either way, it's good to see someone I already know being here." she added. "Anyway, think about what I said."

I stood there confused for a moment. What is she referring to?

"You two stop flirting." said the last girl in the group. "It's slightly painful to watch."

I turned to face her and noticed that she had short brown hair, with brink pink hair clips in at both sides. If the pink hair clips didn't stand out enough, then the bright pink t-shirt she was wearing certainly did. She was also wearing white trousers, and appeared to be holding a pink wand.

"And what about out flirting is painful?" Kiyomi asked, slightly annoyed by her interruption.

"The fact that you're flirting with someone who would make an excellent addition to my collection." the girl responded.

"Collection?" I asked, in confusion.

"Ah yes. I am the Ultimate Collector!" she proudly responded. "I have a great collection of things. They are mostly anime related, although I have always wanted to have a real life human boy as part of my collection!"

I stood there in silence for a moment.

"Oh, and I guess I should introduce myself, if you'll be part of my collection." she added. "I am Kaede Ichinose! But you can just call me Master!"

Kaede Ichinose - Ultimate Collector

Before I could even respond to that, Kiyomi had already started an argument with her. I must say, it feels a little awkward to have two girls fighting over me. Maybe I should put a stop to this...

"Women, am I right?" Mamoru asked. "We'd be better without them, don't you think? That is why you should date me instead."

Before I could respond to that, both Kiyomi and Kaede appeared to have called a temporary truce to knock out Mamoru, before resuming their argument.

"Well this became awkward." Yuki commented. "But do you know what's more awkward?"

Without giving me a chance to answer, she answered her own question.

"The fact that we've all been here for 15 minutes and no teachers have even arrived yet."

"Yes, that is peculiar." added Yu. "Ordinarily, I'd consider this nothing, however the metal plates I noticed on each window have made me concerned."

Now that he mentions it, I did recall seeing metal plates installed onto the windows of the classroom I awoke in. I wonder why those were there.

"Apologies for being late everyone!"

As if on cue, we heard a voice coming from a podium near the back. What showed up next, was a... teddy bear?

This teddy bear appeared to have two sides. On the right, he was white in colour. For the facial features on this side, it was that of a normal teddy bear. On his left side, however, he was black in colour. The face was also different, having a wide grin and a red slash for an eye. The only consistent parts of his body were the muzzle and tummy areas, which were white on both sides.

"Who are you exactly?" I heard Lucas call out to the bear.

"Me? I'm your school's Principal." the bear responded. "The name is Monokuma!"

All of us looked around in confusion. What is this bear's deal? Is this a prank? Why is this happening? Those were just a few questions I overheard among the students.

"So before you ask, YES this is Hope's Peak Academy." Monokuma responded. "NO, this is not a prank. Anyway, let's get a few things straight. You will live your life peacefully with the company of each other, proving you don't break the rules. That's all I'll say for now, because we've got to get going."

"Where to, exactly?" Kyo called out.

"To your new homes." Monokuma eerily responded.

To Be Continued...

So that's the prologue done! I decided to keep the story in first person for now, although when the POV isn't Hayato, then they'll be third person.

If you have any feedback, please let me know in the reviews. Any feedback will be appreciated. And for those curious, I have a basic idea on how the murders will take place and who the victims and killers will be. I only really have Danganronpa 1 to go on, as I'm trying to stay spoiler free for Danganronpa 2 until I can get the game for myself.

Anyway, see you soon for Chapter 1 start. It may sooner than in a week. I'm not sure.

EDIT: Few small changes to the introductions. Will make more later.
Noteworthy updates:
Karen Minakami's talent - Changed from 'Creator' to 'Imaginator'.
Mamoru Kurosawa's talent - Changed from 'Artist' to 'Painter'.