The Light Of Hope In The Face Of Despair

Chapter the Fourth: Confessions

Junko sat in her room, lost in thought. Most of her thoughts were on her sister, Mukuro. She was getting pretty close to Makoto, something that she had wanted. She noticed how Mukuro was around him. She had wanted this, and now it seemed to be the perfect time to start the second part of her plan to bring her sister into despair. Just a small step to bring the world into absolute pure despair. She smiled and laughed to herself, imagining it all.

The next morning, she knocked loudly on Sayaka's dorm room door. She wanted to talk to her alone. Sayaka came to the door, smiling in surprise. She hadn't expected to see Junko outside of class.
"Good morning Enoshima-san. What brings you here?" She asked, picking up her bag. It was almost time for her to leave to make it to class on time.
"I need to talk to you about something private. Like, right now." She told her, pushing Sayaka back into her room and closing the door. Sayaka was a little confused, but let it happen. "Sooooo... I heard you like Naegi-kun." Junko said with a slight smirk, fiddling with her blonde hair. Sayaka blushed at the mention of Makoto's name. That told Junko all she needed to know. "Some little birdie told me he likes you back, but is too shy to tell you. You should totally confess to him." She told her matter-of-factly.
"You really think I should?" She asked hesitantly. She'd been thinking about it for a while now, ever since they'd gotten back in contact with each other, but wasn't sure. Now Junko was encouraging her to go for it, all she had to think of was the words.
"Totally! I wouldn't tell you if I didn't think you should." Junko told her, flashing her a bright smile. Sayaka nodded, smiling. Junko's smile was almost contagious.
"Alright. I'm gonna tell him today!" She giggled and opened the door so they could go. "Do you want to walk with me, or are you going to wait fo Ikusaba-san?" Sayaka asked as they both left the room.
"I should probably wait for her. I'll see you later though!" She smiled and strutted off, heading over to Mukuro's room. Sayaka watched her for a moment before heading off to school and to find Makoto. She did have something to talk to him about, after all.

"Good morning Maizono-san." Makoto greeted her like usual, a smile on his face. Sayaka blushed lightly, seeing Makoto. She also noticed the light blush on Makoto's face when he talked to her. She'd never noticed it before.
"Good morning Naegi-kun. Can I talk to you about something?" Sayaka asked, smiling sweetly. Makoto nodded, taking her over to the corner of the room. It wasn't exactly private, but it would do. "I wanted to tell you that... Umm..." Sayaka hesitated. She wasn't sure what she wanted to say, but decided she should just come out of it. That would be best, right? It wasn't like she had anything to lose. "I have a crush on you." Makoto was shocked and surprised. He'd liked Sayaka for years, ever since middle school, but he never thought she would actually feel the same way about him too.
"I have a crush on you too." Makoto told her, flushing red with awkwardness. Sayaka smiled, hugging him. Makoto hugged back, his middle school self cheering with excitement. "Does this mean we're dating now?" He asked awkwardly. She nodded, giggling.
"I guess this does!" She told him, smiling happily. He held her hands, smiling sheepishly. He'd imagined this happening, but never expected his imaginations to become reality. Now they were he didn't know what to do.
"Congrats guys!" Aoi Asahina suddenly interrupted their conversation. Makoto and Sayaka both turned to her, blushing and smiling. Makoto was still holding Sayaka's hand.
"Thank you!" Sayaka beamed happily, giving Makoto's hand a squeeze. Neither of them noticed Mukuro had seen everything, and her heart was shattering right in front of them.

I don't get it... Makoto's my friend... I should be happy for him, so why do I feel like this then?... do I... love him? Am I even capable of 'love'?...

Mukuro laid on her bed, staring blankly at the ceiling. Her cheeks were stained with her tears, although she couldn't understand why. She'd skipped class ever since she saw Makoto and Sayaka together. She was happy for them, sure, but she couldn't help feeling something ache in her heart. Her door opened, and her sister strutted in. She didn't even have the motivation to look over at her.
"Aww. Look at you." Junko said mockingly after closing the door behind her. Mukuro let out a quiet sigh, still looking up at the ceiling. "I'm actually jealous of you, sis. You look like despair is running through your veins. Oh I wish I could feel how you do." She jumped on to the bed, almost sitting on Mukuro. The dark haired soldier didn't even flinch. She wouldn't have cared either way if Junko landed on her or not, something Junko picked up on instantly. "Wow. You're totally broken over this Naegi guy. He isn't worth-" Junko was interrupted by Mukuro slapping her across the cheek. It was just one simple flick of the wrist, but the slap echoed through the room.
"You're wrong, Junko. Nobody's made me feel the way Naegi-kun has. He makes me happy, he makes me feel more alive. Now he's with Maizono-san. We're just gonna drift apart, and after we leave here we're never gonna see each other again and I'm gonna lose that feeling forever." Mukuro told her, her voice cracking slightly. Her whole body showed sadness. Junko was silent for a minute. She honestly didn't know what to say. "You can leave now. I just want to be alone for a while." Mukuro told her, rolling on to her side so her back was to Junko. The blonde huffed, getting up and leaving. She didn't want it to show, but she was kinda happy Mukuro was standing up to her a bit. She wanted her sister to turn against her and betray her, because that would give her so much despair.

The next morning, Mukuro had dragged herself to class. She didn't want to, but she felt she had to. Makoto came in a little after she did, and she was surprised to see Sayaka wasn't with him. He came over to her, smiling just like usual.
"Good morning Naegi-kun. Is Maizono-san not with you today?" Mukuro asked, doing an excellent job at hiding the sadness in her heart. Makoto sat down at the desk in front of hers, turning the chair around. Sakura wouldn't mind.
"No. She had to go to a rehearsal." Makoto told her. Mukuro nodded slowly, not making eye contact with him. For most people, Mukuro not making eye contact with them was normal, but that wasn't the case with Makoto. "You okay? Enoshima-san said you weren't feeling well yesterday."
"Oh, yeah. I'm feeling better." She told him, even though that was a lie. She still felt just as off as she had the day before. Makoto smiled, believing her. He had no reason not to.
"I'm glad. I missed you yesterday." Makoto told her, causing Mukuro to blush. The pain in her chest made itself known again, realising he didn't love her like she loved him. "If you want, since Maizono-san is going to be busy all day, we could go hang out together at the park." He suggested. His choice of words surprised Mukuro.
"Would she not let us hang out together if she was here?" She asked curiously, tilting her head slightly. Makoto shook his head, looking a little awkward. At first, he didn't understand why Mukuro would say that, then he figured it out.
"Ah, no. It's not that..." Makoto rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, looking at the floor for a moment. "It wouldn't be just me and you hanging out. She'd be with us." Makoto said, trying to explain himself. Luckily for him Mukuro brought it.
"Okay. Sounds good." Mukuro said, unable to even force herself to smile. Makoto noticed, putting it down to her not feeling completely okay. He flashed her a smile before going back to his own desk. Class was about to start anyway.

"So. Fenrir's secret weapon is a high school girl, currently affecting Hope's Peak?"
"Yeah. A girl called Ikusaba Mukuro."
"Yes. Maybe we need to pay her visit..."