Before you ask: No, this is not a sequel to The Lion's Den. It's a completely different horror story and semi-crossover between DR and the Cthulhu Mythos. Also, murder mystery.

At this point in time, I have played NDRV3. Some characters from there will be appearing in this story because they just fit so well, but there will be no character spoilers.

This is an AU universe where Hope's Peak Academy does NOT exist. Likewise, there are no Ultimate talents. Because of this, you'll see some difference in characterization. (Komaeda, for example, no longer has Ultimates to place on a pedestal) The characters are also around their DR3 ages.

This story is inspired by gngm-kmkm Hope's Peak Church AU on tumblr, but will not be following their plot.

Chapter 1

"The wind howled in the night. Trees shuddered with its passing. Their branches carved out stark shadows against the backdrop of lightning and clouds. They were dark, angry things; swollen with rain and fit to burst. They oozed cold drops that froze on the clothes of those they encountered, biting through the fabric like a mouse–"

"A mouse?" Kirigiri repeated, not taking her eyes off the laptop she was working at. "I would have expected spiders. It fits the genre better."

"That's what it says," Naegi said. He laid stomach-down across their bed, feet kicking as he flicked to the next page of his magazine. "I guess mice can be frightening if you get past their adorable faces and cute little eyes."

She wrinkled her nose. "Mice bite."

Grinning, Naegi slid off the bed. He crept up behind Kirigiri and whispered, "What if I bit you? Would you still think I'm adorable?"

Very calmly, Kirigiri reached up and flicked him in the nose.

"Okay, okay! Got it. Kyoko's working." Arms raised in surrender, Naegi retreated to the safety of the bed's covers. He rolled himself up in them, and then returned to his dramatic reading as Kirigiri started typing again.

"The castle stood alone at the top of the hill. It was impossibly high, almost too high to be built by human hands. Its keeps touched the sky and whenever lightning struck, their gaping windows were like faces in the darkness. Ice had built up on the eaves –"

"So, what exactly is the plot here?"

"No idea," Naegi said. "There's like three pages of description I need to get through to meet the main character."

"Sounds like a real investigation," Kirigiri said flatly.

"Are you holding a grudge?" Naegi asked, a trace of glee seeping into his voice. "You are holding a grudge! Asahina-san didn't mean to give us the wrong location."

Kirigiri continued to type.

Naegi said, "You know she's sorry about that."

"Shouldn't you automatically side with your girlfriend?" Kirigiri asked.

". . . Can I be the wise old man who doesn't take sides?"

She smiled. Her braid fell over her shoulder as she tossed her head to look at him. "I'm kidding. I know it was an accident."

"Just checking. So, are you sure I can't help with the report?"

Kirigiri said, "There's no need. I'm . . . there. Finished."

She clicked the mouse and sent the report off, wiping her gloved hands clean of imagined sweat afterwards. Naegi, sensing he was welcome to invade her personal space again, crawled off the bed.

"You're always teasing me," he said with a mock sigh. He hung off the side of Kirigiri's chair, and stuck out his lower lip as he pouted at her.

"I can't help it. It's too easy."

Naegi peered up at her. "What if I started teasing you? What would you do?"

"That depends. What would you be doing?" She looked down at him and raised her eyebrows in challenge.

Naegi held back laughter. His hand slid up Kirigiri's thigh. "Well, first I think I'll –"

At that exact second, Kirigiri's cellphone went off.

". . .It's Togami-kun, isn't it?" Naegi mumbled.

Kirigiri looked at the caller ID. "It's Togami-kun."

As Kirigiri held the phone to her ear, Naegi groaned, "A big case just came up."

She listened to what Togami had to say. "A big case just came up."

Naegi's entire body drooped. "He wants us to come in."

Kirigiri stood. "Let's go."

Head bowed, Naegi trudged after her.

"Tea?" Togami, the Chief of Police, asked.

"I'll pass," Kirigiri said. Next to her, Naegi shook his head. He had pouted the way here, but perked up once they slipped out of the car. He was good at that, slipping into his professional mask. Although she suspected it had less to do with pretending and more that Naegi simply liked talking to others.

Togami went ahead and poured himself a cup. "Have either of you heard of Hope's Peak?"

"The big church that opened up a couple years ago?" Naegi said. "Yes."

"Good." Togami leaned back and looked at Kirigiri. "I assume you've investigated it."

"Wait, why?" Naegi asked. "It's just a church, isn't it?"

"It seems to be. And that's exactly why it's so odd," she said. "A relatively unknown religion with no clear sponsors or mean of income buying a large plot of land and constructing a church within a few years? It's suspicious. I've never seen them engage with the community or try to recruit new members either, which is generally how a church behaves. I think it's a front."

Naegi didn't seem sure about her suspicions, but he didn't argue. "Okay, so what did you find?"

"I . . ." She looked away; she hated having to say the words she did next. "I didn't find anything."

Togami's chair creaked as he leaned forward to listen closely. She hated that. It always made her feel like she needed to defend herself.

"Not to say I didn't find anything," she said, "but I didn't find what I was looking for. Their online presence is extremely limited. There's no member forums, nor any for ex-members. I couldn't find any articles covering them either. It's as if the world keeps forgetting they're there. While I have the names of the ones in charge of this church, their online presence is likewise poor. I couldn't even find out which country they were born in."

"Okay, that does sound super suspicious," Naegi said.

"I've had my eye on them for some time, as well," Togami said. "Like you, I have also been unable to pinpoint their activities. I'm glad you're curious because you're going to be learning a lot more about them."

He opened his desk drawer, and then slipped a file folder towards them. Naegi immediately looked to Kirigiri to open it. She did so carefully, and spread the photographs inside so she could see them all at once. Naegi's face creased with disgust. She didn't need to look at him to know that. Even though they dealt with dead bodies every month, he never seemed to grow used to it.

"Murder," Kirigiri said. "Quite a strange one. What's that on her skin?"

"The DNA results haven't come in yet, but we believe it to be her own blood," Togami said.

"The culprit sketched sigils on the victim using her blood," Kirigiri echoed. "This is a ritual."

"That's what we believe, as well."

She frowned and looked closer at the picture. Although she knew Togami would provide them with a victim profile, her eyes latched onto the corner of a bench and she immediately began calculating size. She glanced at Naegi. No, the victim not quite his height. She spied a wound to the stomach. A common site for a murder meant to catch by surprise, or if the culprit's motive revolved around a pregnancy. The body was in a neatly trimmed, which meant it was frequented – an odd place to leave a corpse unless one wanted it discovered. That could very well be the case if some religious fanatic was the murderer.

"You said we, Togami-kun," Naegi said. "Is there someone else we're working with?"

"No," Togami said. "However, I was alerted to the body by the church's pastor. He also noted the ritualic aspects and is worried there is an extremist element developing under his watch."

"And that's why you want us to take this case," Kirigiri said. "Not only because of this possible extremist movement, but because you want to figure out what this church truly is."

"You're the best team I have," Togami said. "If there's anything rotten, you'll find it."

"You mean Kyoko will find it," Naegi said. "I'm just there to cheer her on."

She didn't respond to the semi-serious remark. While Naegi didn't have her detective instincts, he did have something equally valuable: a charm and affinity with even the harshest of people. It was what prompted her to choose him as a partner, as a solution for her own weaknesses, and what had eventually brought them even closer.

"It doesn't matter to me who finds what, so long as it gets done," Togami said.

Naegi nodded. He pulled a photo closer to himself, and studied it.

"What's her name?" he asked softly, as if the dead could hear.

"I'm not certain, but I believe I've matched the victim's identity with a missing person's report. The details are in the profile," Togami said.

"The pastor is Komaeda Nagito, correct?" Kirigiri asked.

"Yes. I typed out the transcript of our initial interview for you," Togami said. He moved the victim's profile aside so that she could see the transcript underneath. A small picture was attached via paper clip to the corner.

"This is Komaeda?" Naegi freed the photo and held it up. "I think I've met him. I . . . I think I showed him around town or something years ago. Must have been around when he moved in. He definitely looks familiar."

"Maybe he'll remember you," Kirigiri said as she gathered up the photos. "It would be nice to have familiarity on our side."

Naegi's face scrunched up. "Someone like me? I doubt he'd remember."

"You'd be surprised," Kirigiri said. "People remember kindness more often than you think, especially when they are new to the area."

Kirigiri collected up the file folder and its contents, then stood in preparation for their departure. Naegi dashed ahead for the sole purpose of holding the door for her –

"One more thing."

They turned to Togami.

Togami pushed his glasses up his nose. "Bear in mind that no one has any idea what Hope's Peak and its beliefs are. I can't say what or whom you will find in there. Be careful."

Naegi grinned. "Don't worry, Togami-kun. We got this."