Cat's In The Cradle is a Danganronpa fic by Theralion.
The fic is a look at how Makoto Naegi and Kyoko Kirigiri's relationship would have progressed if the Tragedy had never happened, starting with their admission to Hope's Peak and concluding year's after they graduated.
The fic is relatively short, at roughly 4,000 words, and is divided into four acts. It has been completed, and can be found on Fanfiction.net
or AO3.
The fic contains examples of:
- Adapted Out: Junko Enoshima is described as never being born in the AU.
- Bittersweet Ending: Sayaka is forced to quit as an Idol Singer, but she and Makoto get married. Kyoko doesn't get together with the guy she likes, but accepts Makoto and Sayaka's relationship and tries to be happy for them.
- Book Ends: The fic begins with the chorus of the first half of the song of the same name, and ends with the chorus from the second half.
- Did Not Get the Girl: Kyoko ultimately loses Makoto to Sayaka.
- First-Name Basis: The first indication of Makoto and Sayaka being in a relationship is when Makoto, who usually calls Sayaka "Maizono-san," calls her "Sayaka." At the wedding, Sayaka and Kyoko start calling each other "Kyoko-san" and "Sayaka-san."
- For Want Of A Nail: The fic shows that without the Tragedy and killing game, and everything they went through together, Makoto and Kyoko would likely not have have become as close as in canon.
- I Want My Beloved to Be Happy: Kyoko gracefully accepts Makoto and Sayaka's relationship and stays friends with the couple.
- Love Triangle: Type 4. Kyoko loves Makoto, but Makoto and Sayaka love each other.
- Meaningful Echo: At the start of the fic, when Kyoko asks why Makoto's willing to share so much about himself with someone he's just met, Makoto asks, "Why wouldn't I?", before expressing the hope that he and Kyoko can be friends. At the end, Sayaka asks if she can stay in touch with Kyoko, if Kyoko would like, and Kyoko says, "Why wouldn't I?"
- Parental Title Characterization: Sayaka notices that Kyoko calls Jin by his title of "headmaster," never "Dad" or even "Father." Kyoko says that this is because they don't have much of a relationship.
- School Festival: In Act II, Makoto invites Kyoko to attend Hope's Peak's school festival with him, but she declines, since she has an investigation to do for her father.
- Secret-Keeper: Kyoko is one of the few people Makoto and Sayaka trust with knowledge of their relationship.
- Secret Relationship: Makoto and Sayaka have one, since Sayaka's career would be in jeopardy if the public got wind of her having a boyfriend. Kyoko doesn't learn about it until some time after they've started dating.
- Shout-Out: The entire fic is one to "The Cat's In The Cradle" by Harry Chapin. The song is even namedropped late in Act II.
- Theme Naming: Every chapter is titled after a verse from the Harry Chapin song.
- Unrequited Love Switcheroo: Implied. In the first half, Makoto is the one who initiates interactions with Kyoko, but in the second half, Kyoko initiates her interactions with Makoto. This implies that Makoto might have been interested in Kyoko at first, but by the time she developed feelings for him, Sayaka had already won his heart.
- Weddings in Japan: In the final scene, Makoto and Sayaka have a Western-style wedding.
- Wham Line: Early in Act IV, Makoto drops one to Kyoko, revealing that his relationship with Sayaka has changed.Makoto: Well, your guess was half-right, because I'm not the one who's troubled- Sayaka is.
- You're Not My Father: Kyoko intends on coming to Hope's Peak to cut her father Jin out of her life, but never can bring herself to do so.
