Yeah so… I just realized that I never updated this story on here. Whoops. Here's chapter 5 guys!

He watches the Monokuma robot approach with slight trepidation.

This was it.

This would be where his life would end.

His mind wanders as he watches the robot waddle toward him, his mind struggling to find anything to distract himself from his approaching demise.

He finally settles on the thought of his classmates.

Finally, they would get the retribution that they so richly deserved. His death would mean justice was finally served. Finally, the hope that they had-

Hope.

His head shoots up as the word fills his head. He feels like an electric shock had just struck him.

Hope...

Was… Was this truly the hope that all his fallen classmates had died for…?

He found himself taking a step back from the approaching robot, doubt filling his mind.

Sayaka, Leon, Chihiro, Mondo, Kiyotaka, Hifumi, Celes, Sakura, Mukuro….

What would they have wanted?

Byakuya, Kyoko, Aoi, Toko, Yasuhiro….

What did they want…?

Most of all…

What did he want?

He swallowed and took a few more steps away from the approaching robot, his mind now reduced to a jumbled up mess of thoughts.

This.. This is what his fallen classmates would have wanted… Right?

They would have wanted justice… They would have wanted to see the one who killed them to fall in the end.

But… Was it really him who was the one they hated?

He thinks of Sayaka, who had left an dying message in order to save him and the rest of their class.

He thinks of Chihiro, who fought to better themself in order to help prevent anyone else from dying.

He thinks of Celes, who had offered them back the key to Alter Ego in order to help them find a way out of the school and find out its secrets.

He thinks of Sakura, who had killed herself in order to end the feud brewing between their group.

They had all helped them survive in the end, giving small clues and tools that had helped them conquer and escape Junko's game.

Then there was the victims of Junko… Leon, Mondo, Ishimaru, Hifumi, Mukuro…

Would they have really wanted him dead?

No, not in normal circumstances. If they had not been in the situation they had been in, they would have never wanted his death.. Even Mukuro would not have normally wanted him dead… She had just been a pawn in her younger sister's game.

He barely notices as he slowly begins to back away more from the approaching Monokuma.

And what about his fellow survivors? The five classmates that had stood by him every second since they had escaped the school.

There was Toko, who had anguished bitterly over his relationship with Byakuya, but had still remained a close friend of his. Minus a few threats, she had not physically harmed him and had even snuck him a few copies of her books for inspirations for dates with and/or flirting with him.

There was Yasuhiro who had filled his days with endless amusement as he fed him so many wild stories of aliens and conspiracy theories that just made his day spin. Was he the sharpest tool in the shed? No, but he was a source of great fun.

There was Aoi, whose ceaseless energy was a rival for his own. He had spent many afternoons running around with her as they struggled to find ways to amuse themselves after hours of tedious paperwork. Those afternoons had become far more rare due to her reassignment to Branch 13, but they were still treasured memories.

There was Kyoko, his true best friend. She had truly been one of the reasons he had survived so long. He had spent so many hours in her office under the guise of working when he had really been messing around with her, distracting her to the point of her threatening to throw him out of his office. She had never really done it though, claiming that the tea he brought her whenever he bugged her was worth the trouble.

A soft smile fills his face as he thought of his friends and he found himself taking a few more steps back away from the approaching Monokuma.

Then there was Byakuya….

Byakuya, with whom he had spent an endless amount of time with. They had spent many hours ducking into closets when others could not see, coming out with mused clothes and hair to Kyoko's amusement. He had worked together seamlessly at work though, with him going out on various missions with Byakuya . Then there was the time not on the clock ,where they hid under the sheets in Byakuya's spacious bed and said things they would deny saying if anyone confronted them about it.

His smile grows at the thought and he takes even more steps away.

There was one thing left thought, one very important question.

What did he want?

He swallowed as the thought came to him.

He wants to honor the legacies of those who had fallen.

He wants to chat with Toko about her new book that she would surely publish once they restored order to the order.

He wants to try and convince Yasuhiro that there was no lizard people within the Future Foundation ranks.

He wants to snack on donuts with Aoi while they thought up more ideas on how to cheer up the others

He wants to have tea with Kyoko and distract her from work with jokes.

He wants to kiss Byakuya and hug him like the world would end.

He… He wanted to live….

IDIOT! YOU ARE BEING AN FUCKING IDIOT! THEY DO NOT CARE ABOUT YOU! THEY JUST PRETENDED TO LIKE YOU! THEY DO NOT CARE ABOUT YOU REMEMBER?!

Junko's furious voice seemed to echo in his head as soon as the realization filled his head, his mind's last minute attempt to dissuade him from his sudden rebellion.

However, he was not listening anymore.

He knew Junko, he knew how she could trap anyone in one of her mind games and force them to do what she wanted to do.

The voice in his head was just a memory of her, representing all of his darkest thoughts and beliefs as they tried to destroy him.

But he would not let it win.

Unconsciously, he reaches for the gun in his jacket, his fingers shaking only slightly as he did so.

Maybe he was responsible for his classmates deaths… Maybe it was partly his fault that many of them met their ends.

But he would only be disrespecting their memories by giving up now.

He had to fight.

If only for their sakes.

He had to fight to protect the memories of those who had fallen.

He had to fight to protect of those he loved dearly.

He had to fight the despair that would take over others like it nearly took over him.

He slowly withdraws the gun from his suit jacket, taking careful aim at the robot approaching him. He closes his eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath as he finally made his decision.

BREAK

The sound of a gunshot echoed within the formerly silent welcoming hall of Hope's Peak Academy. For a moment, all he can do is stare at the motionless Monokuma before him, his breath coming out in small gasps.

He chose the hope his friends had died for.

He can barely see the haze that had previously consumed his vision. All he can see is the bright colors of the welcoming hall as he slowly looks around the room.

As he looks around though, he begins to see his classmates once more. But there is a difference this time.

They are smiling.

Mukuro sends him a weak smile, almost as if she approved of his actions.

Sakura simply nods at him, a satisfied look on her face.

Celestia sends him a small smile as Hifumi straightens, a proud expression on his face.

Ishimaru cries still, but now he can see the relief and happiness in his eyes.

Mondo grins and sends him a thumbs up as Chihiro smiles through their tears.

Leon had a huge smile on his face as he also sends him a thumbs up, clearly proud.

Sayaka had the biggest grin on her face as she waved at him, joy and relief clear on her face.

He can not help but smile back at them. He waves at them, determinism and energy filling him for the first time in a while.

He finally knew what he was supposed to do…

What they had wanted him to do….

What he wanted to do...

Live.

"MAKOTO!"

He jolts as the scream echoes in the air. He turns wildly, his eyes growing wide at the sight before him.

Kyoko and Byakuya stood at the end of the hall, both of them wielding Anti-Monokuma Megaphones in their hands.

Kyoko looked unnaturally worried and cautious as she caught sight of him. This tension soon fades as she notes the destroyed Monokuma at his feet.

Byakuya, however, looked like a mess if he was honest with himself. His blond hair was unusually tousled and his clothes were somehow rumpled, as if he had been running around in it.

There is silence in the hall as the trio just looks at each other, almost daring one of the other two to comment first.

Finally, he sighs and raises a hard in an awkward hand wave.

"Hey guys." he said with a weak smile.

The duo just looks at him for a bit, obviously still confused by the scene before them. After a while though, Kyoko lowers her own megaphone.

"... You do realize that we will need to discuss this now?" she said sternly.

He winced at her tone and looked down.

"Yeah…"

His best friend sighs, before smiling weakly. A heartbeat passed before she slowly began walking over to him, stopping only a foot away from him. She stared at him for just a moment before smiling just a bit more and reaching up to ruffle his hair a bit.

"I am glad you came to your senses in time."

He manages a smile for his friend and nods.

"I am too."

".. We should get back."

He jumpss as his boyfriend's voice fills the hall. He looks past Kyoko to look at Togami, a light frown growing on his face as he notes the displeasure in his boyfriend's voice.

"Togami…"

His boyfriend did not meet his eyes, instead choosing to turn his gaze to Kyoko.

"Those three fools are still at the Future Foundation correct? We should go back there."

Kyoko's eyes glanced between him and Byakuya as a small frown filled her face.

"We should, yes. Makoto, I assume you will be coming with us?"

Both her and Byakuya looked back at him now. Their faces were then blank, a defensive act against showing any worry. But neither could do a thing about the uncertainty in their eyes.

He managed a thin smile and nodded.

"Yes."

Kyoko's face lit up with a soft smile and she nodded silently in acceptance, her relief clear on her expression.

His boyfriend merely huffs and looked away.

"As if you would decide otherwise."

He does not comment on how his boyfriend's body relaxed at his words as they walked away from the school, leaving it firmly behind of them.

-
"Makoto!"

As soon as he stepped out of the car, he was ambushed by a certain swirly haired girl. He froze for a second, too shocked by the sudden contact to move. After a while though, he smiled a bit before wrapping his arms around her as well.

"Aoi….."

His friend pulls away with a sniff, though her arms remained wrapped around him tightly.

"Are… Are you okay…?" she asked softly as her eyes scanned him in search of any wounds on him.

He nodded a bit at her as his smile instinctively grew in an attempt to comfort his friend.

"Of course Aoi." he smiled.

She did not seem convinced entirely, but she did manage a weak smile as she pulled away from him.

'Alright…" She murmured.

Suddenly, he felt an arm wrap around his neck

"Yo! Naegikins! There you are dude! We have been looking everywhere for you!" Yasuhiro grinned, "Where have you been?!"

He laughs nervously at the question before ducking away from the impromptu hug.

"Sorry for worrying you guys! I.. I just went to go visit.. Somewhere."

"Hmph! Such a p-poor excuse! Do you really think you can trick us with such lies?!"

He jumps a bit as he heard the sudden stutter fill the air. He turns wildly, only to come face to face with a certain author.

"Ahh.. Toko…"

Toko sniffs, anger and worry clear on her face.

"Don't Toko me! I-I may be u-ugly… But I do not deserve to be lied to! I am not like the big breasted swimmer girl! I demand real answers!"

"Big breasted swimmer girl?!" Aoi stuttered.

"If the peanut gallery can shut up now..? We have more important matters to discuss presently so quit your chatter and get inside." Byakuya's cold voice cut through their reunion like a knife.

All four of them fall silent, turning to look at the annoyed blond with both embarrassment and annoyance.

"Heh.. Sorry Toges…" Yasuhiro apologized sheepishly

"Do not call me that." Byakuya rolled his Kyoko strolls out of the car, a faint smile on her face.

"Come along all of you, we have things to discuss inside." she ordered, strolling past them into the building.

The five of them blink after her for a second, but eventually he just shrugged.

"Well, let's go in." he said following their purple-headed friend inside.

The rest of his class nods and quickly follow after them. As he walked forward though, Byakuya's hand reached for his own, interlacing their fingers securely as they walked into the building.

A light blush filled his face at the contact. Byakuya was not exactly known for his affection. Most of the time, if they even showed any public affection, it was him who initiated it, not Byakuya.

Still the gesture is appreciated and he returns it by lightly squeezing his hand.

Byakuya glances at him at that, a strange look in his eyes as he nods in acknowledgement.

The walk to Kyoko's office takes no time at all and soon they are all seated in various spots in the room. Byakuya and him were seated on the chairs closest to Kyoko's desk, their hands still connected. Yasuhiro and Aoi just leaned against the walls and Toko again was residing near the windowsill like she had in the meeting in Byakuya's office.

However, everyone's eyes are on him.

He swallows a bit as everyone stares at him, the same knowing look in their gazes. Somehow, he is reminded of the trial in which he was accused of killing Sayaka.

Finally, Kyoko breaks the silence.

"Makoto… I believe can speak for everyone when I say that you have been acting strangely today, particularly within the last 12 hours." she said carefully, for once trying the gentle approach.

Beside him, Byakuya scoffs.

"Let's just cut to the chase Kirigiri. We know you intended to kill yourself today." he stated, his gaze hardening on him as he spoke.

He winces at the wording Byakuya had chosen, but he could hardly blame him. The tuth behind his words was too obvious to even try defending.

".. Yeah. I did.." he admitted softly.

Somehow, his throat seizes up at the admission. Shame overcomes him and he can only look away from his friends.

How could he have been so stupid as to fall into Junko's trap of despair ?! He had been able to escape it before but now… He had somehow almost let despair overtake him to the point of attempting to take his own life.

He can feel tears well up in the back of his eyes as he realized the magnitude of what he had nearly done. He tries to hold them back as well as he can, but a few tears manage to slip past his defenses and fall down his face.

No one says a word at this. Everyone seems stunned into silence at his words, the weight of it now finally hitting his friends.

To his surprise, he feels Byakuya let go of his hand in lieu of reaching up and wiping a few of his tears.

'Don't cry you idiot…. You are alive aren't you?" his boyfriend's voice was slightly softer than usual as he spoke.

He sniffs as he turns to face his boyfriend, his eyes now blurry with tears.

"Yeah but…"

"Don't but me. You are alive correct?" His boyfriend said sternly, moving his hand to his chin and forcing him to look him in the eye as best as he could through his tears.

He manages a nod, too emotional to speak now.

Byakuya nods in satisfaction and drops his hand from his chin to retake his.

"Then our focus should be on figuring out why you attempted this and how to prevent it. I believe you fools will be helping me in this task?"

The question is now presented to the rest of their stunned class, managing to break through their reprieve.

Kyoko is the first to nod, a determined look on her face.

"Of course." she said easily.

"Y-yeah! Me too!" Aoi had obviously been close to tears as well, but she tried to make up with it with the cheer in her voice.

"Of course dude…." Yasuhiro sounded strangely serious for once.

"D-do you think a troll like me is that heartless?!" Toko snapped.

He blinks at the resolve and determination of his friends, managing a watery smile.

"T-thank you…" he murmured.

"You do not need to thank us." Kyoko quickly assured him.

"Yeah! That's what we are here for! To support each other!" Aoi smiled.

His boyfriend reached into a pocket and pulled out a handkerchief, handing it to him.

"Now wipe those tears on your face. It does not help you in the slightest." he huffed.

Makoto chuckles a bit at this and nods, quickly wiping the tears from his face.

Kyoko leaned back in her chair, smiling weakly.

"I am not going to forve you to tell us everything now. That would just be cruel. Instead, I am going to give you two days off to recover from this… Incident. Byakuya will also be given leave to make sure you actually do rest. Does this work for both of you?"

Byakuya silently nods in approval and he manages a smile for Kyoko.

"Yeah. That sounds great Kyoko. Thank you."

"Once you come back though, we will be discussing this incident furthe and discussing how to prevent it from occuring again. Do you understand?"

He swallows.

"Y-yeah. I do."

Kyoko merely nods herself and waves them all off.

"I believe that is all for now then. I think we all deserve a rest after today's… incident. Aoi, shall I prepare an excuse for your supervisor?"

"Yeah. Thanks!" Aoi beamed as Yasuhiro shot out of the room in glee.

"I AM FREE MAN!"

"H-he recovers well.." Toko scoffed as she moved to the door as well.

Byakuya does not even comment, instead standing up and glancing at him.

"Come on Naegi. There is nothing left to do but make sure you relax."

He nods and stands up, noting their still linked hands with a small smile.

"Yeah.. Don't worry, I am coming."

The ride to his house is extremely awkward.

He glances at his companion as they make the quick drive to his house, not knowing what to say.

It is not the fact that they are alone that makes it awkward. They have done this many times before when one of them had stayed late to finish paperwork and the other had not wanted to leave them. Usually though, he would have started to chat with him by that point, wanting to entertain his boyfriend with stories of what had occurred that day.

That did not happen this time though.

The day's events seemed to be an unmentioned weight between them. Every time he opened his mouth, he found himself thinking back to what had almost happened and fell silent, unwilling to bring up the elephant in the room.

He is almost relieved as they arrive at his home. He practically runs out of the car and to the door, desperate to put this day behind him. He does not even bother to wait for his boyfriend, choosing to instead bring out his keys and try and unlock the door so he could hide in his bed and forget that awful day. In his rush though, the keys slip out of his hands.

He curses and reaches down to pick them up. However, before he can, another hand swipes them away.

He blinks as he straightens and gives a curious look to his boyfriend who had suddenly materialized beside him.

The man only huffs in response and turns to open the door.

"You idiot…" he scoffed as he effortlessly opens the door, "Now get in. It is freezing out here."

Without waiting for an comment, his boyfriend strode into the house, obviously expecting him to follow.

He swallows at this before reluctantly following. He cringes as the door makes a loud noise behind him as the door closed, the only sound in the room.

His boyfriend stands in the hall, his eyes looking over the layout with a strangely curious look. He looks at him in confusion for a bit before the answer occurs to him.

"It's your first time here right?"

Byakuya glances back at him and nods.

"Yes.. We always go to my home in case we have a tryst. I must say, it suits you." he commented, looking over the house once more.

He smiled a bit at this.

"Thank you Togami-kun." he chirped.

His boyfriend merely nods and moves to the living room, easily sitting himself down on the couch. He then turns to look at him, an expectant look on his face.

"Sit Naegi."

He blinks at this, not used to being ordered around in his own house. Still, he finds himself taking a seat across from his boyfriend,not willing to make much of a fuss about it.

Byakuya was strangely tense still if his crossed arms andinability to look him in the eyes said anything.

"...Why did you lie to me Naegi?"

He blinks at this.

"S-sorry?"

"You told me you would go to me if something was pestering you. Yet, all I got was you running away to get yourself mauled by a Monokuma robot. It is quite inconsiderate, do you not think?"

Byakuya's voice is level, not giving away any emotion and making him even more hard to read.

"I… I was not thinking properly at the time.I did not mean to offend you Togami-kun." He tried to placate him.

Somehow, his words only made it worse.

"Offend me?! Do you really think that is the main problem here?!" Byakuya snapped

"... Uh… No?"

His boyfriend facepalmed at this, an exasperated look filling his face.

"The main problem is the fact that you did not see it fit to discuss your recent… issues with me."

"Oh… "

He swallows at this and manages a weak smile for his lover.

"Sorry Togami-kun. It just.. Did not occur to me to discuss it with you."

"Well why not?" There was a strange edge to Byakuya's voice at this.

He blinked. "Huh?"

"Why did you not think to discuss it with me?! Again, I told you to talk to me if something was the matter." Byakuya was clearly agitated at that.

"I… I just didn't think to…" he did not know what to say other than that.

"... Did I do something?"

There was a vulnerable edge to his boyfriend's voice, something he had never heard before.

"H-huh? No! Why would you think that!"

Byakuya turned to look at him, the strange look from before now prominent in his gaze.

"We are partners Makoto. You should be able to discuss matters like this with me…. But you couldn't. So, naturally I have to wonder if there is a reason why."

He froze at this, the meaning of Byakuya's words finally hitting him.

Byakuya was asking why he didn't trust him with this….

He swallowed at the realization slowly reached forward, taking his lover's hand in his.

"I didn't tell you because.., I just couldn't. It just seemed too overwhelming to tell anyone! I didn't do it because I don't trust you! I… I just didn't want to tell anyone about it. It… It just wasn't something I thought I should talk about."

"Oh hey, what did you want to talk to me about?"

Byakuya blinked. "Pardon?"

"You said earlier you wanted to talk to me about something. So what was it?" he asked curiously.

Byakuya flushed and looked away.

"Oh… That."

He blinked at him.

"What is it?"

Byakuya was silent for a moment, his face slightly red.

"... Je t'amie."

He blinked. "What?"

"I… Je t'amie Makoto Naegi."

He blinked, trying to fall back on his previous french knowledge.

Je meant I… Then Amie meant something about…

Oh.

Makoto blushed at this, but slowly felt himself grin.

"I love you too Byakuya Togami."

Byakuya tightened his grip on him, his cheeks red.

"As if you wouldn't." He said snidely.

Still, a small smile was forming on his face as he tugged him closer.

He just closed his eyes and leaned against his boyfriend, a bright smile now present on his face.

This day turned out better than he thought it would.

-
He knew that it was one of those days the minute he woke up.

He blearily blinked his eyes open as he woke up, scanning the room around him as best as he could in his haze of sleepiness.

Once again, the room around him seems slightly dim

In the corner of his eye, however, he notices his phone has lit up, showing four new message within it's system. He raises an eyebrow, but reaches for the phone

[Toko Fukawa : You better not be sleeping still….]

[Yasuhiro Hagakure: Yo! Morning Naegikins!]

[Aoi Asahina: Time to get up Makoto! It's another beautiful day!]

[Kyouko Kirigiri: Good morning Makoto.]

A soft smile filled his face at the sight of the text messages. He felt oddly comforted by the sight of his friend's encouragement, even if the messages were nothing more than just good morning greetings.

As he read the new text messages though, he had not noticed the arm stretching across him, nor had did he notice the blue eyes reading the messages over his shoulder.

"They may be idiots, but they at least know what to say."

He jumps a bit at the sudden comment as it filled the room. He relaxed soon after though, instead leaning back to smile at his lover.

"Byakuya…. Were you reading over my shoulder?" he laughed softly.

The former heir only raised an eyebrow, his light blue eyes filled with exhaustion, but also warm affection.

"You have no proof that I did."

He rolled his eyes at the comment, as he relaxed against his lover.

"Alright Byakuya…."

Byakuya hummed in response, using the arm wrapped around him to pull him even closer as he closed his eyes.

"I believe we can afford ten minutes more of rest before those fools come here to drag us to work.."

He chuckled a bit as he found himself curling up against his lover's glanced around the room as he did so, noting that somehow, the sunshine had grown stronger within the few minutes that had passed since he had awoken. The haze that once controlled the room and his life seemed to be gone for the moment. The room now seemed to be bathed in light, giving the entirety of the room a warm glow.

This realization caused his smile to grow and he happily found himself cuddling close to his lover.

Somehow, he knew it was going to be a great day.

IT IS FINALLY DONE.

I am so sorry for the delay but this chapter took so long to write because I was trying to present this ending the best I can.

I wrote this story as a way to cope with my own depression episodes and never thought it would do as well as it did. So thank you so much to everyone who liked, reviewed, and most of all read this fic.

There was a reason why there were two endings. It is meant to showcase the two options you have when you feel suicidal. You can end it all and give up on the possibility of it getting better. Or you can try and shoulder through it all for the possibility of it getting better.

I want to say this to everyone who may be feeling like this, who may be feeling as if their lives will never get better and they are better off ending it all.

It is not worth it.

You are not making it better for yourself, you are just cutting off the possibility of it getting better. No matter what you think, people will miss you and you will leave a mark on people that will never go away.

And it isn't worth it.

I encourage you to go seek help if you feel this way. Talk about it to a therapist, a trusted relative or friend.

Quick note on why it was never told to Makoto's friends why he nearly committed suicide. He has just gotten back from it and is heavily emotional. It is simply not the right time to discuss it. I am considering an epilogue to this series where they do discuss it but part of me feels like it will be a separate one-shot and not attached here, like the AU NWP fic. This is due to the fact that I truly do like where this ended and do not want to continue this individual fic.

But really guys. Thank you for all your support on this fic. I truly appreciate it.