Doki Doki Literature Club Saving Sayori

And this is the story that got only one vote, but which granted it third place.
Now I get to bring some justice to the other character that also got an unhappy and untimely end, though not quite as gruesome.
Not that it's any more message-sending to see a young girl hang herself due to depression. Seriously. I might relate more with Yuri due to the alienation part and difficulties with making lasting friendships, but Sayori's crippling depression and habit of basically saying 'Don't worry about me, I'm fine, see?' despite having some burdens that need unloading hits awfully close to home. Not that I have depression, I just have strong emotional reactions that result in the occasional mood swing.
Moving on from the subject of my greatest personality flaw, enjoy the story!
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After a moment of silence, you made eye contact with the girl who had let you in to the room, Sayori. She gave you an infectious smile, which you couldn't help but return.
'Aren't you two adorable?' Monika said.
You looked at the club president a little confusedly. Sayori just smiled in response.
With that, you started writing your poem, putting your vocabulary to use. You decided to write about the uncertainty of the future and its infinite possibilities.
Once you were finished, you decided to give your poem to Sayori.
'Oh, for me? Thank you!' she said excitedly. You had to slightly wonder how she was able to radiate so much positive energy.
Her poem was no different. It was bright and cheerful, though you did for a moment sense something.. sad about it.
'Oh, this poem is wonderful!' she said once she was finished with reading yours.
'It's nothing special, really.' you say, trying to stay modest.
'No need to flatter yourself, you know?' she said, 'You're good at this, so no need to play yourself down!'
'Well, thank you.' you said.
With that, you enjoyed a pleasant afternoon with Sayori, who just seemed to never get tired of getting to know you. And you couldn't stop smiling like a big goof.
After a while, you checked you the time, and saw it was about time for you to head back.
'I think it's time I headed for home, Sayori.' you told her, 'It was a lot of fun, meeting you today.'
'You're welcome!' she said, 'By the way, where do you live?'
'Down the street East of school. House next to the one with a huge tree.' you replied.
'Oh, no way!' she said, 'I live way down the same street!'
'Neat.' you replied.
You grabbed your backpack and Sayori followed behind very quickly. She kept chatting with you while the two of you walked down the street.
'Welp, this is my place.' you said as you gestured to the modest little house.
'That tree's probably really neat on hot summer days, being there to give shade.' Sayori said, looking at the pleasant shade made by the large tree.
'Yeah, that was what the old owner said.' you replied, 'Apparently their kid had a lot of happy memories from his childhood, playing with his friend in the shade of it.'
'Oh boy, do I know..' Sayori chuckled nervously, 'Oh, do I know.'
She suddenly seemed extremely sad before shaking it off.
'Something I don't know?' you asked her.
'My childhood friend used to live here.' she said, 'He left a little while before you moved in. For some reason, he didn't even say goodbye.'
'..Oh.' you said, feeling sorry, 'Sorry for, uh, bringing that unpleasant memory.'
'It's okay.' she said, 'After all, even if he's gone, you came to replace him.'
'Glad to be there for you.' you told her, 'See you tomorrow.'
'Yeah, see you tomorrow!' she said in her usually happy tone.
Though as you watched her walk down the street, you couldn't help but to think of the fact that you lived in her childhood friend's home.
'I'll make sure to be her new best friend.' you thought, 'She deserves that.'
From that day forward, you became best friends with Sayori, who seemed to be eager to have a good time with you. While the other club members did seem to like you and were in good standing with you, Sayori seemed to enjoy time with you the most. She often came over to your place to do homework with you, then afterwards frequently staying for dinner and even then often staying with you to play video games and generally spend time. You didn't object, of course, what with her charming attitude that had your parents quick to suggest more intimate relations with the bright-and-cheery girl with coral pink hair. You didn't really think of the comments much, as you were not one to rush things, knowing how you had lost all your old friends when you had to move to this new town, and that this change in lifestyle had come because of your parents having had some odd dream of living in this specific part of the country, this specific town and this very specific section of said town.
It was odd how specific this dream of theirs was, but it had ended up having you meet with Sayori, who had become your best friend, almost as good as your old BFF who stopped contacting you after they found out where you were moving.
In that sense, you and Sayori had a lot in common, having lost dear childhood friends, but being fortunate enough to meet someone new.
'Funny how things work out, huh?' she had said when you had brought this up. After that she had taken you in for a big, heartfelt hug and thanked you for being her new best friend.
You had noticed that she was often late for school and also quite clumsy, having saved her mid-fall after slipping one too many times to count. And whenever this happened in the presence of the other club members, Natsuki usually only looked mildly jealous before going about her business, Yuri looking elated over the fact you managed to catch your friend in time and Monika looking at you two with a knowing smile, which usually had Sayori helping herself back on her feet, adjusting her clothes and looking away to hide her blush, with the blushing having started at some point down the line after you two maintained eye contact for just a moment longer.
She had always told not to worry about her clumsy tendencies, though, like she usually did. She seemed to always find a way to not weigh anyone down.
But you decided to change things up and pay back her kindness. You had discreetly asked Monika about when Sayori's birthday was, and had luckily had plenty of time to prepare. You had already bought the cake and had everything set up just perfectly.
And by the time the day came, everything had already been arranged. You'd be celebrating it with her and the rest of the literature club at school, then the party would continue to your place, as it was closer to school. From there, it would be a wonderful day of spending quality time and showing her that she's appreciated.
You were waiting in the clubroom with the other girls. Then, you saw her shadow from behind the door. She quickly opened the door.
'Sorry about being late again, guys!' she says, 'I can be a ditz sometimes.'
'Not really an issue.' you told her, 'And I think it can be forgiven, seeing how this is a special day.'
'Uh, how so?' she asked, clearly nervous about your answer.
You just stood up and walked over to her, then gave her a big old hug, lifting her in the air.
'Because who's the birthday girl today?' you asked, 'Cause I believe my best friend is!'
'Congrats!' the other girls said as they pulled up a large cake and several gift boxes.
After a moment of seemingly taking what you had just said in, she just burst to tears and hugged you tighter in return. She was just crying and nuzzling her head against your chest from sheer joy for some minutes.
'Oh, thank you, thank you so much!' she said as she quickly held onto you.
'No problem, Sayori.' you told her reassuringly, caressing her hair gently, 'I wanted to make your 19th birthday special, so I started planning this a month or so in advance.'
She looked up at you in slight disbelief.
'Y-you spent an entire month just to prepare for my birthday?' she asked.
'Why not? You're by best friend, aren't you?' you asked her back. She didn't need any other words, hugging you again.
After a moment of just letting her bask in the moment, you decided to break the silence.
'I think we should start the celebrations now.' you told her, 'The cake's not gonna get better if you leave it on the table.'
She let go, now bearing an unrivaled smile that positively glowed.
'OK!' she said, happily skipping to the tables.
'So, what did you guys have planned for today?' Sayori asked as she enjoyed a slice of cake.
'Well, we didn't plan much ourselves..' Yuri replied.
'It was mostly (First)'s planning, you know?' Natsuki said, 'Cuz he likes you that much.'
Sayori just looked at you with a bright blush on her cheeks. You just whistled and looked elsewhere, feeling quite proud of yourself.
'Really?' Sayori asked.
'It was!' Monika said, 'It's really quite surprising how much he had planned this all out!'
'Well, roughly a month of planning and thinking tend to have results.' you said, 'But it's a price I was willing to pay, to make this day really special!'
The day went on. Cake was eaten, poems were shared and after school ended, a party was had at your place. The entire literature club was there to celebrate, and you had the house all to yourselves, as your father was busy with work and your mother had left for a business trip. Not that you minded, the coincidence was far too good not to take advantage of.
And while Monika had suggested playing games like '7 Minutes in heaven', 'Spin the bottle' and 'Truth or dare', you had just given her a bit of a knowing look that said 'I can see what you're trying to get at here.' which managed to deter the suggestions for a while, until she had managed to persuade you to joining a game of 'Spin the bottle'.
'Alright, the rules are simple.' Monika said, 'Once the bottle lands on someone, the spinner and the one that the bottle ends up pointing have to hug in five seconds. If they don't, they have to kiss in ten seconds. And if they don't do even that, it's a french kiss for the two players!'
She knowingly looked at you, smirking.
'And since Sayori's the birthday girl, she gets to spin first!' Monika said. Sayori reaches out to the bottle, though slightly hesitantly, before spinning it.
'Alright, just be really quick about it and it won't get weird.' you though with sweat dripping down your forehead.
And just as you suspected, the bottle landed on you. You quickly got up, walked over to her, and the two of you hugged.
Once you were finished, you sat back down on your spit in the small ring. Monika seemed disappointed while Natsuki and Yuri seemed slightly confused. Sayori remained as cheery as ever, even if she did harbor a blush on her cheeks again.
After that, the game went on until everyone had hugged each other at least once. None of the girls, especially Yuri and Natsuki, missed a single beat with their hugs, clearly not intent on playing along with Monika's matchmaking scheme.
The night went on pleasantly, however, with the five of you spending time like you usually did. But after a while, it started getting late and people started leaving for their homes, with Natsuki heading out first, explaining that his father would 'start getting upset if she came back home too late'. After that, Yuri's phone rang. She went to the kitchen to answer, after pardoning herself of course.
'Well, I think it's time I left. My best friend's coming over to pick me up.' Yuri said.
'Oh, and who's this person?' Monika inquired.
'He's just a friend.' Yuri replied before the sound of a car driving and parking outside was heard.
'Ah, I believe that's him.' Yuri said as she quickly picked up her bag and headed to the exit.
'Mind if we meet this friend of yours?' Monika asked, with that matchmaker's glint in her eye.
'Uh, I suppose he won't mind.' Yuri replied. You and the girls walked over to the door.
And you were not expecting what stood behind the door.
HORY SHET, SAUNDO EFFEKTSU!
He was tall, towering over even you, an average-height young man. He had to be at least six feet tall, being a head taller than you. He clearly wasn't a native to this country, having a pale complexion. His face was hidden behind the shadow made by the olive-green flatcap he wore.
But most of all, he was intimidatingly tall, looking almost statue-like compared to you and the girls.
'Heyo.' he said with a face that showed little emotion, 'Ready to go, Yuri?'
'Yes.' the purple-haired girl said before wrapping an arm around the mysterious man.
'We'll be taking our leave now, it's pretty late.' the man said matter-of-factly, 'But who of you is the birthday girl?'
'I am!' Sayori said happily, 'Nice to meet you!'
'Likewise.' the young man replied, raising his flatcap's tip slightly, 'You guys take care.'
With that, the two walked over to the car, which smoothly reversed back onto the road and drove away.
While you and Sayori returned to the sofa to watch the movie you had been watching together, Monika was still standing at the door, looking unnaturally pale, her usually colorful eyes lacking their usual luster.
She knew who the young man had been. That look in his eyes had confirmed his identity to Monika.
'Yo Monika, you alright there?' you called out to her, 'You look like you've seen a ghost.'
'Uh, I think I'll just head back home.' she replied, 'I'm getting a little tired.'
You two looked at her confusedly as she picked up her things and walked out and away from your apartment without saying another word.
'What might've gotten into her?' Sayori wondered.
'Not sure.' you said, 'Sure, Yuri's friend was pretty scary, being that tall, but I'm not sure what happened.'
Sayori yawned.
'Oh, looks like I'm getting a little tired.' she said, 'I suppose I should be heading back home.'
You walked over to the door with her, and opened it for her.
'Well, see you tomorrow, I suppose.' she said as she stood in the cool night air. She sounded a little disappointed.
'I will.' you said, 'No way I'd lose a day with you.'
She just looked at you with that irresistible smile and a blush on her cheeks.
'Thanks.' she said, 'Bye!'
'Bye.' you replied before turning around to head back in.
'Actually, (First)?' you heard her speak out. You turned around, and suddenly felt her kiss you on the cheek.
'Alright, see you tomorrow!' she said before skipping away. You placed a hand on the spot she had kissed you.
'Ain't life full of surprises.' you said to yourself before heading back in.
After that, you and Sayori grew close, with her often snuggling up to you when you two would watch a movie during the weekends. She gave you the occasional small peck on the cheek if she happened to stay over for longer, which she had started to do more often. One one occasion, she actually slept over at your place. That morning went on rather awkwardly, as Monika wouldn't stop asking about the fact she had heard of people seeing you two leave for school together from your home.
Then one morning, you woke up, did your morning routines and then headed out to school. After the lessons, you headed to the literature club, ready to share a poem with Sayori and have some of the best times you'd have.
Though, there was just one problem.
Sayori was nowhere to be found.
Monika, Yuri and Natsuki were there, but while Yuri and Natsuki were preoccupying themselves with their books of choice, Monika seemed distressed.
'What's going on, guys?' you asked them as you cautiously walked into the club room.
'Sayori's gone missing.' Monika said, 'She hasn't been answering any calls or messages I've sent. And she isn't this late.'
'Well, how about I go to her and see what's going on?' you ask, 'She'll let me in, for sure.'
'You do that.' Monika said, 'And please come back with good news.'
'I'll see what I can do.' you said. You were incredibly worried as you walked down the street towards her place. First you walked with a brisk pace, then started running, feeling like if you weren't going as fast as you could, something bad would happen.
After a while of frantic running, you reached her apartment, and started to frantically bang on her door.
'Sayori?!' you yelled out, 'Are you in there?!'
After a moment, you heard some footsteps, a painful thud followed by some more footsteps. Finally, the door opened, revealing a tired-looking Sayori in her casual clothes, a bump on her forehead and baggy eyes.
'You OK?' you asked her, your sound heavy with concern.
'I'm fine..' she replied, clearly tired and mildly dizzy from taking a hit to the head.
'Come on, let's get you patched up.' you said as you gently took her by the shoulder and guided her to the couch in the living room.
After finding a bag of ice, you brought it to her and sat down next to her.
'What's going on?' you asked her.
'I'm, uh.. just having a hard day, that's all.' she said.
'You know that you can tell me anything, right?' you asked her.
'I know, but..' she said.
'But what?' you asked.
'..I just fear that telling about my troubles would inconvenience you.' she replied.
'Look Sayori, I'm your best friend.' you told her, 'You can tell me anything. I'm here for you. Like I've been for as long as I can remember now.'
'Well, if you really want to know..' she said before going silent for a moment and looking incredibly sullen, 'I didn't see a reason why to get out of bed.'
'Uh-huh?' you reacted, 'So you're saying that you're lacking motivation to even get out of bed? That you're depressed?'
'Every morning.' she replied.
Her saying that felt like a ton of bricks weighing down on your heart. To imagine, the bright and cheery Sayori, fighting depression every day?
'Oh.' you said as your face twisted into a saddened frown, 'I couldn't have thought that you..'
'Well, nobody was really meant to know.' she said, 'I don't wanna bring anyone down.'
'But you are, by not being there.' you told her, 'The others are worried about you. The literature club's just not the same without you, Sayori. I'm worried.'
'But you'll leave, just like he did..' she said as she swallowed a lump and started sniffling, 'No matter what I do, I'm just a burden..'
You cupped her face into your hand and looked at her in the eyes.
'No, you're not a burden.' you told her, 'You are the most wonderful girl I've ever met. And seeing you like this hurts too much to describe.'
As tears flowed down her cheeks, she looked at you with eyes that simply begged for more assuring words.
'Like I said, I'm worried.' you told her in a calmer tone, 'You've been the highlight of my days for as long as I've known you. Where I don't always find the strength to just smile at the world and take things as they go, you can. I have never been as happy as I have been with you.'
She just hugged you tightly, staying silent while teardrops fell on your shirt. Then she let it all out, bawling her eyes out before clinging onto you like her life depended upon it.
You didn't move an inch from your place, knowing that she needed you the most now. While she had managed to keep her depression in check by making everyone else happy, there would eventually be a breaking point. And the fact you were now there for her, where her old childhood friend had failed, had her slowly calm down from her misery.
'Thank you, (First), for being here.' she said as rested her head on your shoulder, 'I don't think I could go on without you anymore.'
'Just happy to be here for you, Sayori.' you replied. She then lifted her head from your shoulder and moved to sit in your lap to look at you.
'If you're here for me..' she said as she inched her face closer to yours, 'I'll be there.. for you.'
With that, she closed the gap. And you didn't put up any resistance, and in fact leaned in yourself.
After a good while of just enjoying the moment, you two separated. In just a few moments, the two of you were heading to the literature club, hand in hand, together.
Because the two of you were now inseparable.
You had yourself a wonderful girlfriend who would always cheer you up, and she had herself a boyfriend that loved her more than her childhood friend ever did.
And your days would be full of sunshine, like they're supposed to.
THE END
Aand that's that! Now the only one left is Natsuki, but that will have to wait at least a week. Why? I'll be on guard duty for the week after this one, and won't be home to write the final part of this multi-choice story. After that, though, I should have a normal weekend break again.
I just hope I don't get the shitty job of standing around all day at the Presidential Palace in Helsinki, because I'd be stuck doing that for an entire week, and I fear that the combination of mind-dulling routine and extreme pressure to show my A-game so as to avoid getting shamed by my superiors might cause me to snap. In that sense being part of Helsinki's military police company sucks, since that also means these sorts of honor guard things happen, and Jesus H. Christ if you do some rookie mistake in there, because they just won't shut up about it despite the mistake's triviality to 99% of the human population.
Either way, another solid chapter that shows how the reader's character manages to mend wounds, and another surprise visit from the reality-warping figure behind the story. Because where he might have a thing for references and just warping time and space for a scare, he can also just appear as a normal Joe that only characters like Monika can tell is something beyond normal human comprehension.
Feedback is always welcome, so let me hear what you thought of this story in the comments below. Until next time, Arrivederci! -SgtGreenball