The Light Of Hope In The Face Of Despair

Chapter the First: His Smile

From an early age, all Mukuro knew was darkness. From being homeless, to running away and joining Fenrir, to being manipulated and verbally abused by her twin sister Junko, her life hadn't been easy. She was out-of-touch with the world around her, showing it no interest. That was, until she first saw Makoto Naegi.

Makoto by comparison had lived a very normal life. All he really had going for him was luck, something that had earned him a place in Hope's Peak as the SHSL lucky student.

Makoto looked around the gym, where the entrance ceremony was being held on the first day, seeing several students already in school. He still couldn't believe he had made it into this school. They say once you graduate you're set for life. Makoto could've only dreamed of attending this school, and on the main course no less. He decided to try and introduce himself to other students in the class, hoping to make some friends. The first person he noticed was a familiar face, that of Sayaka Maizono. He and Sayaka used to attend the same middle school, and he'd had a small crush on her.
"Sayaka Maizono?" Makoto asked, going over to her. He knew she was attending this school, he'd seen it all over the forums. She looked up at him, a small giggle falling out of her mouth.
"Makoto, right? Makoto Naegi?" She asked, smiling like she knew him already. She recognised Makoto, even though they'd rarely spoken in the past. Makoto's eyes lit up in surprise and happiness.
"Y-Yeah!" Sayaka giggled again, brushing a lock of hair out of her pretty face. She had a pale blush on her cheeks, something Makoto didn't notice at all. They started talking, reminiscing about the past and their plans while they were here.

By the time the entrance ceremony started, he had introduced himself to almost everyone except the mysterious dark haired girl stood by the wall. He glanced over at her, giving her a friendly smile as he took his place for the ceremony. Little did he know how much that one kind gesture would change her life.

What is this new feeling?... when that boy smiled at me... what has he done to me?... why does my heart beat so fast? It's never done this before... and my face... Why is it so warm?... why am I feeling this way? What do I do now?

Mukuro sat herself down next to Junko, trying to maintain her usual calm and distant composure. Junko immediately noticed something was up with her, but decided not to make a comment just now. She could wait until after the opening ceremony.

"What is with you today? You're acting like more of a dumbass than usual." Junko commented to Mukuro as they stood in the girl's bathroom. They'd come straight here at the end of the entrance ceremony, since Junko wanted to talk to Mukuro alone.
"Oh, it's nothing. I might be coming down with something though..." Mukuro told her, shaking off Junko's comment about her acting like a dumbass. She was more than used to Junko's nasty comments, having heard them since the moment Junko could talk.
"I know you're lying to me." Junko told her, flicking Mukuro on the forehead. The dark haired girl didn't even flinch, just watching her twin sister. "I'll figure out what it is you're hiding. Just watch me!" She flicked her hair and strutted out with her nose in the air. Mukuro watched her leave, letting out a sigh once Junko was gone. She took off her gloves and splashed her face with cool water, trying to pinpoint the exact moment she got this weird feeling inside.
"It was... when that boy smiled at me... who even is he?" Mukuro murmured to herself, remembering the exact moment things changed for her inside. It was when Makoto smiled at her. She'd seen plenty of smiles before, but that was the first time it was for her. Nobody, not even her parents or Junko, had smiled at her or shown her much affection. She grabbed some toilet paper and dried her face, throwing it away before heading to class before she was late. She tried to keep herself controlled and calm, trying to hide her true feelings.

A few students glanced up at her as she entered the classroom, but soon turned back to talking to each other after a moment. She sighed and found her desk, sitting down. Before long, someone approached her desk trying to get her attention.
"Um, excuse me? I don't think we've been introduced yet." She looked up and saw the boy who had first smiled at her stood in front of her desk. He still had a pleasant smile on his face, and it was towards her again. She managed to keep calm, not letting it show that her heart was beating a million miles a minute. "My name is Makoto Naegi, what's yours?"
"Mukuro Ikusaba." She told him, taking a deep breath to steady her heart rate. She still appeared calm and almost distant on the outside, but was going crazy on the inside. Makoto smiled brightly as the teacher entered the classroom. He would've liked to continue this conversation, but had to return to his desk for class.
"It was nice meeting you, Ikusaba-san. I'll see you around." He said, going back to his desk. Mukuro let out a deep breath, looking around. Junko looked at her with a small smirk, having already figured out what she promised she would back in the girl's bathroom. Mukuro didn't know that at, but Junko would surely bring it up with her soon enough.

"You, like, totally have a crush on that Naegi guy." Junko said as she barged her way into Mukuro's dorm room. Mukuro sighed, closing the door. She didn't want anyone hearing that, especially since she didn't believe it herself.
"Do you think that's what it is?" Mukuro asked anxiously, holding on to the edge of one of her gloves with her other hand. Junko laughed and sat on the bed, taking up a lot of the space.
"It's so obvious. I'm surprised he didn't notice your dumbass acting like some kind of lovestruck idiot around him." Junko laughed, neatening her skirt and cardigan. Mukuro was silent, wondering if she really did have a crush on Makoto. She really hoped not, because she was certain Junko would use that to bring her a large amount of despair. "Weeeeeeell, you should thank me. I'm so going to set you two up." Junko announced, getting up. Mukuro bit her tongue, not making a sound. She wasn't so opposed to the idea, even if she knew Junko was doing it just to cause the both of them despair later down the line. "I'm leaving now. Bye sis!" She strutted out, slamming the door behind her. Mukuro sighed softly, sitting on the edge of the bed. Her thoughts drifted unwillingly to Makoto, feeling her face warm up lightly. She actually liked this feeling inside.
"This feeling I have towards Makoto... is this... what they call love?"