[diligentswimmer]

[ooc]

i'm so sorry! i was at my mom's house without internet for the past week.

[diligentswimmer]

| OPEN |

[thestrongestfighteronearth-blog]

Walking was the most that Sakura was able to do right now. Partially because it was exercise and exercise was calming, but also because she was not sure what to do. She wanted answers, she wanted to know where she was and what was going on here. There was a sinking feeling in her chest that this was altogether too similar to the situation she had been in previously…minus the restrictions of one building. And while the environment was calming, she had to remember that this was still somewhere she had no memory of and- was for all intents and purposes- trapped.

She had to find someone. There had to be someone here who was either in the same predicament or had more knowledge…the latter would be lovely but the former would be a lot more comforting.

Sakura wondered what had happened to her comrades from the Academy, where they still there? Would they think she had died? Well technically, there was no murder so there was nothing to discover so how did the rules work about that? Oh Sakura hated those rules and that stupid bear.

She stopped in the middle of a street with buildings lining it, they looked residential- maybe she ought to knock on one? She was about to veer off of the road when she saw a figure in the distance. Well her current plan was to find someone- but when she got closer, Sakura frowned, noticing a familiarity about the person in the street.

"…!"

Sakura began to speak but then stopped when she was closer. This person looked exactly like Asahina- it had to be her- but then how? Was their entire class here? Was this still the Academy?

"What’s going on?"

Seemed to be the only words Sakura could fathom right now. But really, what was going on?

[diligentswimmer]

Aoi stopped dead in her tracks. She had to be seeing things. She had to be dead, or dreaming, or maybe she was having some sort of grand hallucination. She couldn't think of any other way that could possibly be...

"Sakura?"

Without thinking, she started running towards the figure. Her legs pumping frantically, a flurry of thoughts ran through her head. Was this real? How was this actually happening? She stopped, standing a mere foot away from her...what appeared to be her friend. She lifted her hand, slowly, tentatively, wanting to touch her and see if she was real but not wanting to be wrong.

"I-is that...?" Her voice died in her throat, and she looked down at her feet and took a trembling breath.

"Is that really you?"

[diligentswimmer]

| OPEN |

The last thing Aoi remembered was a bright flash of light as Naegi opened the vault door of Hope's Peak, and then...nothing.

She awoke in a daze, lying on a dingy mattress in a small, bleak room. Slowly sitting up, she rubbed her head, groaning, and looked out the window. The streets outside were cracked and ill-maintained, the buildings were falling apart, and she could swear she heard a faint scream from somewhere outside. She jumped, clutching her chest, and looked down in a panic when she felt bumps along her skin. 

"Wh-what? What is this?"

Her eyes widening in horror, she saw that the word "DILIGENCE" was branded on her chest in stark Gothic script. Panicking, she arose from the bed and started pacing across the room. She had to find answers, but she had no idea what dangers were lurking in this strange new land. She cautiously opened the door, peering over the doorframe, and slowly stepped out into the empty street. After a few tense moments, she started walking.