Disclaimer: I do not own Danganronpa, it's characters or it's anime.

It wasn't that he'd run out of hope, it was more that he knew she'd be able to carry it without him.

The Ultimate Hope, that's what the future foundation called him. It was a little funny, a celebration of his victory against Enoshima Junko, an honor, really- but he always felt it was a little different than that.

After all, he didn't know if he could've made it through on his own. No. He probably couldn't have. He wouldn't have made it past the first week, standing alone in that school with nothing but the memory of Maizono's dripping blood.

it was because of them that he could stand at all, they were a blessing. Always there at the back of his mind, or a few rings on the bell away. Even when some of them weren't... really... around, like now, he still felt like he count on them to help him keep going even when everything seemed set on despair.

In that school, covered in death and helplessness, they had always given him reason to hope. To keep going through each day, each case, and all the dark rooms where all he could smell was the blood and rot. Through the mocking executions where he'd lose another person he could've- had- called a friend, and all he could hear was the spitting of the flames and the endless baseball impacts, they always stood with him, and he with them. They all gave each other hope.

Even now, with so many lost, he still had enough reason to try his hardest and never give up. When times got dark he had Asahina's sunny charm. When he got lost there was always Byakuya's somewhat distant support to count on. Hagakure's predictions were always a good start the morning, letting him think, day after day, that maybe things would be fine again, and of course he always had Touko's... Odd friendliness.

Kyoko too, she was a constant companion throughout it all, always in control, always figuring out the crime before the rest of you really had a clue- she lived up to her title of the ultimate detective, that's for sure.

But it was the quiet moments that really stood out, when he needed a shoulder to lean on, a hand to help him up, or a ladder to get him out of the garbage chute, she was there. Even though she seemed aloof and standoffish, she was always there to help him.

Along the way somewhere, he'd even fallen in love. The love- it gave him more than enough hope- hope for the future, that the next day would be fine, that eventually despair would be defeated and their future would be just within reach- that nothing would ever crush them.

he still thought that, really, only now, in this dank building that could give the school life killing a run for it's money in despair, it was more along the line of thinking that it wouldn't crush.. one.. of them.

It was the bracelets, see, they didn't show mercy, and he didn't think that hope was going to get him out of this- if Seiko couldn't cure it, then who could? So when he saw Kyoko's NG code flashing on her wrist- unnoticed in Ryouta's hurry to barricade the room- when he saw what her forbidden action was-

"Passing the fourth Sleeping Phase with Makoto Naegi still alive".

-he had a horrible, sinking feeling in his gut. Was it despair? He hoped not, he didn't want to fail anyone like that.

It- the action was like a death knell for the two of them. A motive, if he ever saw one, a cruel throwback to those times three years ago when he'd been trapped in the school life of mutual killing.

It was worthless though, he knew Kyoko wouldn't make a move, just like he wouldn't. He'd never betray her, just like she'd never betray him, because the both of them could never bear to do that to each other.

Then again, this was also a sort of betrayal, she hadn't wanted him to see it, so this was kind of like an invasion of privacy, a secret she'd wanted hidden that he'd ended up peeking on.

She'd probably expected to hide it until the time limit, it would be just like her.

If he could understand that, then surely she would understand what he was about to do.

Even so, he still felt that there was something he needed to say, to get into the air before Ryouta finished moving that couch in front of the door, before his way out was blocked.

He wanted to tell her he loved her.

He took it in again, the colour of her hair, the calm of her countenance, the quiet resolve that always burned bright in her eyes. All the things he'd come to look to for strength. All the things he'd fallen in love with.

If she noticed him staring, she didn't let him know, it was... lucky, if she'd looked at him, spoken to him, he might not have been able to do it.

Yes very lucky. Lucky like when he'd been accepted into hopes peak. Lucky like when alter ego had had just enough time to save his life, lucky like when he'd stood on the one part of the floor that was thin enough for Gozu to break.

Lucky like the pen that rolled into his shoes and tore his eyes away from his love. Lucky like the scrap of paper he'd saved just in case he's needed to write something in this despair ridden underwater prison.

Yes, that would do, maybe it wouldn't be the same as if he were telling her, alone- in a quiet moment of free time- but it would be enough to tell her that it wasn't her fault. That he did this because she was the person he held most dear. That, no matter what, he knew she would carry on his hopes as far as they would go. That he believed in her, and Asahina, and Togami, Hagakure, Touko, Komaru. That he loved her.

When it was finally over, and lifting the pen felt like lifting a million things at once, and folding the paper felt like locking away his heart so that nothing else could spill out onto the walls and waste his precious time, he made sure he looked at her one last time before turning and walking toward the door.

He heard Asahina call out, alarm open in her voice, and he could almost feel Ryouta's horrified eyes drilling into his back thinking "there's no way the ultimate hope could fall to despair like this!"

It was a little different than that of course, it wasn't like you'd given up hope or anything, you just knew that your hopes were in the right hands.

Besides, being The Ultimate Hope was a team effort anyway, Kyoko could find a way, with Asahina's light and Togami's assistance, Hagakure's guidance and Touko's support.

They'd be fine on their own, so he ran, with no regrets.

This will... probably be continued actually. In the far, far future. Maybe. Probably not.