-Chapter 3- *MANDATORY*

Tick.  Tock.  Tick.  Tock.  Tick.  Tock.

Taro waited at the fountain.  Waiting.  Waiting.


For a plan to truly have any success at all, patience must be put in place.  Some say that patience is the hardest part of the plan.  The anticipation of everything coming into fruition.  Some failures of a well-thought out plan are faulted by a sole man with an itchy trigger finger.  Fortunately for Taro, he had no reason to be impatient.  He had all the time in the world.  Every second.  Ticking.  One by one.

Tick.  Tock.  Tick.  Tock.

Taro fixed his tie for the hundredth time.


Iocus Hilares.  He's going to have to be the last one Taro speaks too.  Obviously, it would be impossible any other ways.  Taro saw a kit in the Hobby Shop that might be of interest to Iocus.  He'll simply have to get into the shop without anyone else present.  Simple solution: do it at night.  He'll have to return it at night to.

Tick.  Tock.  Tick.  Tock.

The Monokuma announcement plays.  People will be coming to the fountain soon.


As for Mariko, Taro was 99% certain, but not completely.  Of course she would, but she might not.  Taro knows a little game.  A little therapy game they forced on him during his early years.  Monokuma did drop a little hint and said that there would be a church.  A church would be a great place to confess the sins.  There is a certain holiness to a church that even an atheist finds sacred.  Mariko would be way more vulnerable there.  Though he might have to bring, ahem, persuasion.

Tick.  Tock.  Tick.  Tock.

One by one all the remaining participants flooded into the fountain with their looks of disgust eyeing Taro.


Ignia....is important.  Far more important than anyone here.  Taro needed her.  He needed her to bare his secrets.  Someone that would understand.  Understand the importance of everything.  Everyone teams up with everyone else.  Nobody trusts Taro anymore.  It's like a clique in a school.  Hatred rages on within each group when friction arises.  There's nothing else to it.  Ignia, is the only one that might hear Taro out.  Hear everything that Taro has on his mind.  Someone he can, as they say, vent to.

Tick.  Tock.  Tick.  Tock.

Monokuma asks the audience for any questions.


The only thing of concern is one participant.  One duck out of line with the others.  He would have to settle this now or never.

"Be.." Taro cleared his throat.  "Before, when Adrianna perished her not so long ago, I was..."  He looked down at the ground, his left arm vibrating violently.  His eyes started tearing up.  "Enraged.  Not because of one less potential killer, but because her time was cut short.  She could have participated further into this game.  The game, that means so much more to me than you will ever know, would continue on until Saorise's...." he stopped himself.  Quickly.  "She played and lost.  That's all there is to it.  But there is a correct way to mourn for them."  His tears started rolling down his face and onto the floor.  "The way you, Willow, are doing it is...wrong."  He stood up, visibly shaking.  "I seen that look.  I seen that look many times.  On the faces of those that crashed with me.  On the faces of the families that lost their prides and joys.  On the last seconds before the plane touches down nose first into the ground or a train running off the fucking tracks."  With each word Taro speaks, more and more passion comes into his speech.  The sadness in his word with an ever increasing second emotion: fear.  "Monokuma has banned me from preventing any murders.  But I fear that murder is not in your planning.  Please!  Just play the game."  Taro was sobbing.  He grabbed onto Willow's shoulders.  "Don't do that.  See what I see.  Realize why the game is so important.  Saorise and Adrianna's blood is not on your hands.  The only person really to blame is Nana, and even she's not really to blame here.  She just, for a split moment, realized how fun the game was.  How important this game is.  She looked passed the deaths and despair and saw the game's true purpose and decided to kill for the sake of the game!  She, got lost, troubled afterwards.  But, please, people care about you.  I don't want to see you fail."

He brought his hands back down to his sides.  He got out a napkin and cleaned his face up.  He then ran towards Mamouro with quickness and suddenness and full of anger.  

"DONT FUCKING LOOK AT ME!  I AM NOT YOUR FRIEND!  NO ONE HERE IS!  WHY DO YOU THINK NOBODY TALKS TO YOU AT ALL?"  Taro spat in Mamouro's face.  He then turned his attention to Ignia.  

"Sorry.  I got, um, lost in myself...it happens, from, uh, time to, eh, time..."  He wasn't able to look her in the eyes.  He twiddle his fingers in his hands.  He looked down and had a smile.  The kind of smile that makes people forget that Taro wasn't evil.  But a puppy dog.  "I hope that...uh...maybe we can meet in the Saloon in there.  It's, uh, nice and, er, pretty and, uh......nice.  I mean, I know you said there was someone, but, I, uh, would be appreciative if, um, you and me and....you........would accompany me.  If that's alright with you, of course."  His face was subtlely happy and love-stricken.  It then went immediately to straight expressionless.  He walked over to Mariko.

"I don't know how you did it, but you stole something rather personal from me.  I don't want you to get into too much trouble, so I will be waiting at the Church tomorrow for you to drop it off.  Please.  It's a personal piece and I would like to keep it in my possession."  He turned back around away from the participants and faced Monokuma.  

He seemed, giddy, gleeful, evil, and dangerous.  The look of a fun loving psychopath, dangerous to all.

"I have just one question, how powerful are those guns Monokuma?  And how much ammo do you got?  I want to have fun.  Lots and lots of fucking fun!  Gahhaaa"  He started laughing.  "HAHAHAAHAHAHAHEHHHEHEHEHEHHIHIHIHIHHIHHAHAHHAHAAAAAAA!!!!!!!"  His hand went up to his face while he was laughing.  He only brought them down to start clapping as his laugh died down.

"Now!  Let the games begin!"  He smirked.  Evilly.  

Taro Yamada.  The Despair Traitor.  Revealed.  And nobody to stop him.

This game. It was utter hell. He had seen Saoirse and Adrianna in his dreams last night. They haunted him as much as the people he had come to associate them with, Karen and Riley.  Where were those two? If they weren't dead or captured?  Karen was probably working her ass off, determined to prove that she was worth something. When everyone that mattered but her knew how special she was already. Riley was....probably self destructing actually. She broke up with him as much because of her as what he did. What he was. 

And what would she think of all this?

Saoirse and Adrianna's deaths hurt. In the short time they had spent together, Willow had used them as an emotional crutch and a way to feel like he was actually helping people. Now they were dead and it was all because of his utter...weakness.

All of the dead died because of his weakness. If he had been smarter they could have gotten out by now.

Alexia had to be protected. They had to get out of their alive. If they didn't it would all mean nothing.

Then Monokuma gave the motive. Another sick, twisted joke played on all of them. Kill someone and get away with it, and both you and a friend can escape. Miraculous. Beautiful. Tempting.

Willow wasn't biting. 

Assuming it wasn't a lie. Something to get someone to kill and then slam the door shut, forcing someone to bear the guilt of all their friends deaths on their own. Assuming Willow could fool everyone. Assuming Alexia would still want to talk with him after. Assuming Alexia didn't kill herself out of guilt down the road.  Even after making all those assumptions, he couldn't do it.

Killing was a profoundly drastic act. It was a tool, one to be used when one had exhausted every other alternative for survival or the protection of their loved ones. If there was any other way he would take it. Had to take it. He owed it to his loved ones back home to keep trying. To be better then the monsters who locked them up.

He let Taro's bizarre tantrum buffet up against him. He didn't let Taro see the whirlwind of guilt and agony inside of him. His mask was cold and hard. It had to be.

"I concur with Root. This motive is no different then any others. No one here wants anyone else to die. If you are thinking of some sort of escape plan by means of murder with you and a friend...it will result only in your guilt and the contempt of whoever you chose. That is if you even make it through trial. " Willow said.

"As for you Taro. You are worthless. Not even worth the risk or effort to kill you. You have let the tragedies in your life turn you into a monster. Your not a survivor Taro, not really. You. Are. Weak.  So please, shut the hell up and sit in the corner like a good little dog. Because after all this is done, you will end up in a kennel for the rest of your life.  You won't die Taro. You will live a long, boring life full of discomfort.  Anyone who kills this man is giving him exactly what he wants."  Willow said, his voice cold as ice. 

"Everyone I want you to remember something. Good people have died here. Innocents who never did anything wrong. Kids who would have never killed if they weren't pushed to the breaking point. The Mastermind and the organization backing him and this absurd bear and fucking Taro? They are all to blame. They want us to kill each other. Doing so gives them what they want. Fuck them. I am sick and tired of them getting what they want. The only way to win this game is not to play. So let's just walk away from it." Willow said. He hoped this speech was enough. Finally enough to convince them. Killing was not the way out of here. 

"And I have only one question for you Monokuma....is the second traitor and mastermind still among us?" The trickster asked.  He couldn't even bring himself to look at the bear. Before he was just the enemy. An opponent in a chess game. After the second wave of killings...it was personal. 

He hoped he was playing this right. The trickster was a bit emotionally compromised at the moment.

[/font] Did people really think she was that big of an idiot? Putting a hand on Root's shoulder just in case he was thinking of doing something rash, Mariko fixed him with a gaze and tried for a change to make it seem she wasn't as offput or scared with how Taro was acting as she really was. "I have no idea what you're talking about with regards to having stolen something, but even if you hadn't been working with the bear, I have no reason to meet you anywhere. And even less now."

You'd have to be some sort of idiot to agree to meat someone everyone knew was an enemy alone. Stuffing her free hand into the pockets of her jacket and sighed mentally. Something had gone wrong in Taro's head to make him turn out this way that went without saying. One too many blows to the head from all those near fatal accidents probably, it'd be tragic if he wasn't so insufferable. “Besides, there's no way it's as cut and dry as Monokuma is making it seem, right. He has to be hiding something, just to screw with anybody who's actually taking him up on the offer."

[/ul]

"Well, as much as I love to humor you guys, I have to visit the Old West and pick up a gun or two.  Hell, maybe even three."

Ten little students going out to dine,
One started choking and then there was nine.

"I do intend on continuing the game for as long as Monokuma deemed necessary."

Nine little students staying up late,
One overslept and then there were eight.

"If you intend to kill me, then I won't use it at all.  Deal?"

Eight little students on their way to heaven,
One got lost and then there were seven.

"And as for the hope traitor, whoever you are..."

Seven little students with their candelsticks.
One got burnt and then there were six.

"My plan will go uninhibited.  You won't be able to stop me."

Six little students crying for their friends.
Don't worry children, this will be your END!

This wasn't good.

Apparently the "Birdie" in question was a member of something called "The Future Foundation"  and they were supposed to "bring Hope and save everyone". The interference in the last trial was caused to help them survive. Monokuma wanted him dead and between that and the interference, it proved that "Birdie" could be useful. If not for a way to get everyone out...then at least a way to get Alexia out. 

 Still he had to tread carefully here. In an atmosphere of such paranoia, he could very well end up the one being targeted.

"I am not going to try and convince anyone to spare this "Future Foundation" member. I may very well kill them if I find them, myself. However I suggest regardless of what you decide, if you find him, try to get information out of him first. They could know plenty of information that could help us here. " Willow said.

"I would also reccomend you think carefully about this situation. There is a high chance that this Future Foundation member is not a fellow classmate. And whether they are or not, Monokuma is intimidated enough by them that they want us to kill them.  If you find them and they do seem entirely useless, then by all means kill them. Still consider whether they might mean a way out for all of us, without us having to kill yet another student." Willow continued.

"Lastly I hope people have a good idea who they would want to see die in the scenario that we have to pick an innocent.  If not, I would think about it long and hard. I know I will. Good day to you all. " Willow concluded.

He began to walk towards the South Gate. As he did, he brushed past Alexia, and whispered quickly and quietly, "We need to talk. Find me soon." then kept on walking.

The Trickster had his work cut out for him. He needed to get some things done and fast, before the situation spiraled out of control. Monokuma just unleashed a fresh new wave of paranoia on the park and everybody was itching for a chance to get themselves and/or someone they cared for out. 
Willow needed to make sure people he cared about were safe, and at least give himself a chance to survive and maybe find out what the hell was going on in this surreal theme park of death.