The Light Of Hope In The Face Of Despair

Chapter the Third: Finding Happiness

"So... how was your date with Enoshima-san?" Sayaka asked as Makoto and her met up at the end of the school day. They hadn't spoke in class since they had arrived as it was starting. Now they were walking back to the dorms together, just the two of them.
"Umm... about that..." Makoto laughed awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck. He'd almost forgotten he was supposed to meet up with Junko before Mukuro showed up and he spent the whole of lunch with her instead. "Enoshima-san didn't show up. Something came up for her, or something. Ikusaba-san and me hung out together instead." Makoto told her. Sayaka was a little surprised by that.
"Really? Ikusaba-san actually spoke to you and spent time with you? She like the ultimate outcast or something!" Sayaka told him. Mukuro often kept her distance from others, not wanting to form relationships so she wouldn't be so depressed when Junko put her plan for the biggest, most awful, most tragic despair into action. Makoto nodded sheepishly, a small smile on his face.
"She's actually a really nice girl behind all that, just shy." He told her. Sayaka giggled as they arrived at the dorm house. Nobody else seemed to be around, which was a surprise to them both. Usually other students were around doing whatever they did, but not today. "I'm gonna try and get to know her better." Makoto said confidently. He wanted to be friends with everyone in the class, and was determined to do so. Sayaka giggled again, nodding her head. She believed Makoto was the kind of guy to want to befriend everyone he could because he was just so kind.

"Mukuro!!" Junko shouted loudly as the dark haired girl entered her bedroom. She had been hanging out in there all afternoon, skipping class. She hadn't wanted to see Makoto for the rest of today, also helping Mukuro look like she was telling the truth.
"J-Junko!" Mukuro gasped, closing the door. She had expected Junko to be in her own room, not hanging out in hers. Junko laughed, enjoying the flustered expression Mukuro's face was making.
"Soooooo, how did your date go?" Junko asked, jumping up and dragging Mukuro over to the bed. The dark haired girl allowed her sister to do whatever she wanted, just wanting her to be happy.
"It wasn't that much of a date..." Mukuro timidly told her sister. While around other people Mukuro was a strong yet silent individual, around her sister she was more timid and shy. "We just kinda talked and had lunch together. Nothing romantic or date-like." Her voice was a little more soft than usual. Junko laughed.
"God, you're so clueless." Junko told her, jumping on to Mukuro's bed and landing on her back. Mukuro just sat on the edge, watching her sister's antics. They always interested her. "Well, whatever. What did he say about your fabulous makeover?" She asked, sitting up and looking over at her sister. She still had the makeup on from earlier. Junko definitely thought she looked better with it.
"He said it looked nice, but he thinks I look better without the makeup." Mukuro told her honestly. She didn't exactly have a positive view of herself thanks to Junko's constant negativity about her face and body, but if Makoto thought she was prettier without makeup then how bad could she really be?
"He's a boy. What does he know about beauty and fashion? Not as much as me, clearly." Junko brushed it off entirely, even though part of her wanted Mukuro to start believing Makoto and stand up to her and eventually betray her for that despair. Mukuro just didn't have it in her, and that's why she'd always be a disappointment to her. A disappointment that didn't deserve the love and affection of Makoto Naegi. Junko would see it done that Makoto would break the soldier's toughened heart and throw her into despair.

Makoto smiled warmly at the sisters as they entered the classroom the next morning. He had been talking to Sayaka before they entered, but she'd decided to start talking to Leon so Makoto could see the sisters.
"Hi Enoshima-san. Hi Ikusaba-san." Makoto greeted them both. Mukuro waved shyly, words refusing to fall out of her mouth. Junko ignored her sister, grinning brightly at Makoto instead.
"Hi Naegi-san. Sorry about yesterday. You know how it is, people just dying for my attention." Junko said, flicking her hair back over her shoulder hitting Mukuro in the face. The dark haired girl seemed to snap out of whatever was going on through her mind, blinking a couple of times. Makoto smiled sheepishly, paying more attention to her than Junko.
"It's fine, don't worry." He laughed awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck. Junko laughed, walking off and leaving Mukuro to talk to Makoto alone. There was an awkward silence between them before Makoto decided to speak. "I see you're not wearing makeup today... ah..." he started, not sure where he was really going with this. He just felt he had to fill the empty space with words. Maybe things would be less awkward. Mukuro didn't answer his words verbally. Rather, a nod of the head was all she could do. "You look really pretty without it..." the words fell from his mouth before he had a chance to control them. A dark blush quickly covered her cheeks, words failing to form a response. Makoto was quiet for another moment, before deciding on something. "Me and Maizono-san were planning to hang out in the rec room after school for a while, want to join us?" He asked. He was sure Sayaka wouldn't mind if Mukuro joined them, so he had no problems inviting her. Who knows, maybe it could help bring Mukuro out of her shell a little.
"S-Sure..." Mukuro finally spoke, even though it was just one word and she'd stumbled over the word. She didn't need to say anymore than that. Makoto smiled at her, that smile that made her fall for him the day they met. She would do anything in her power to keep that smile safe from her sister's despair.

At the end of the school day, Makoto, Sayaka and Mukuro headed to the rec room. None of them had been up here before, and were all impressed by how fancy it was. Surprisingly, nobody else was around.
"So... what do you two want to do?" Makoto asked awkwardly. He was happy to do whatever the girls wanted to do. Mukuro looked around the room to see what the rec room had to offer. "There's am Othello board... a pool table... a darts board... Umm..." Makoto started listing off activities they could do as a group.
"Darts sounds fun." Mukuro said softly, looking up at the darts board. She had played a little darts while she was with Fenrir, but wouldn't consider herself good at it. Sayaka nodded her head, looking over at the board.
"I'm up for that, although the Ultimate Soldier might be better than an Ultimate Idol." She teased, giggling and gently nudging Mukuro's shoulder. That confused the dark haired girl, who wasn't used to such a gentle nudge. She was more used to shoves and pushes. Makoto laughed softly too, making Mukuro awkwardly smile. She loved to hear Makoto laugh and see him smile. Maybe one day she could be the reason he smiled and laughed. That would be her happiness, and her hope in a world clouded with despair.