The Light Of Hope In The Face Of Despair

Chapter the Fifth: Missing

Makoto and Mukuro walked in silence, sitting down by the fountain. Class had just finished, and they'd left together without speaking to anyone else. They wanted to spend as much time together as possible before Makoto would have to meet up with Sayaka.
"Relaxing here, isn't it?" Makoto said, looking around the park. No other students were around, giving the pair of them some privacy. Mukuro nodded, holding her bag tightly. She was feeling shy and insecure, especially knowing she couldn't express her true feelings to Makoto.
"Yeah. It's nice." She said plainly, sitting on the edge of the fountain. She set her bag down at her feet, looking up at the clear blue sky. Makoto did the same, taking off his blazer too. It was quite hot today, and they could both feel it. Mukuro was rather apprehensive to take her blazer off though. She'd been in places far hotter than this before, and she just didn't feel the need to lie Makoto did.
"You always seem so serious, Ikusaba-san." He commented. She was silent, just accepting his comment as fact. She was so serious about everything because it upset Junko when she wasn't focused. "Why don't we do something fun. Ooh, like tag!" He suggested playfully. She looked at him curiously. "Ah, do you know how to play tag?" He asked curiously.
"Yeah, But it's been so long." She said to him. Mukuro looked at the fountain like she had been throughout their entire conversation. Makoto was really starting to get concerned by how distant Mukuro seemed. Hopefully he could pull her out of that though.
"I'll be it then." Makoto said playfully. Mukuro got up and ran off. He laughed and chased her. She stayed within sight of the fountain, wanting to make sure her belongings didn't get stolen. She also made sure Makoto could see her and she could see him. He finally caught up to her, tapping her shoulder. "You're it!" He said playfully, turning and running. Mukuro smiled and followed him. In that moment, she wasn't a toughened mercenary trying to bring the world into despair under the thumb of her twin sister. She was a young girl playing tag with her friend. They played for a while, until Makoto got a text on his phone. He stopped to read the message. She noticed he wasn't playing anymore, going over to him.
"What's the matter, Naegi-kun?" She asked curiously. He sighed and focused on his response to the message before responding to Mukuro.
"It's Sayaka. She's finished rehearsals and she asked me to meet her for dinner tonight." He explained to her. She nodded, feeling disheartened. He was leaving, and it felt like they'd only been here for a little while.
"I'll just head back to the dorms then. I'll see you tomorrow, Naegi-kun." She said to him, turning and walking back to where her bag was. He went with her, putting his blazer back on.
"Okay. I'll see you tomorrow, Ikusaba-san." He said, grabbing his bag. She nodded, seeming to pause as he ran off to meet Sayaka. She felt a sadness as he left. She pushed it to the back of her mind, wandering off back in the direction of the dorms.

As Mukuro walked by the road, she got an uncomfortable feeling of being followed. She stopped walking and turned to look, seeing a van parked just behind her.
"Excuse me." A voice interrupted her thoughts. She turned, seeing a man in front of her. He was muscular, tall and tanned. She got a negative aura around him, but she couldn't put her finger on why. "Are you Ikusaba Mukuro?" He asked. She raised her eyebrow, surprised someone like that was looking for her. She didn't answer verbally, but the tattoo on the back of her hand was enough to tell him that she was Mukuro. Before she could ask why he was looking for her, she was grabbed from behind. She felt a needle pierce her neck, and something being injected into her. "You need to come with us." She was told, being picked up. She struggled, finding her body going limp and her vision darkening. She was thrown into the back of the van, blacking out moments later.

"NAEGI-KUN!" Makoto looked up from his desk, seeing Junko shouting his name and strutting over to his desk. Sayaka was with him, and they could both tell she was super pissed off. "Where the hell is my beloved and disappointing sister, Ikusaba-san?!" She snapped, slamming her hand down on the desk. Makoto looked confused as everyone turned to stare. He would've called Junko out on calling Mukuro 'disappointing', and openly admitting their relationship which she'd tried hard to hide, but he didn't want to make her any angrier.
"What do you mean?" Sayaka asked curiously. Junko glared at her before turning her attention back to Makoto. She wasn't interested in Sayaka, since she wouldn't know anything. Junko could already tell.
"You were the last person seen with her, Naegi-kun. She wasn't in her room when I went to find her this morning, and her bag was missing. She isn't here either. You have to find her, or I'll cut off your skin and turn it into a coat. Am I clear?" She asked in a very threatening tone. She would never admit it, but she did need Mukuro as her partner in crime. At least for now. Makoto nodded, holding his breath. Junko didn't say anymore, strutting out of the classroom.
"What was that about?" Sayaka asked once Junko had gone and everyone had stopped staring, sitting on Makoto's desk. Makoto hadn't mentioned to Sayaka that he'd spent time with Mukuro yesterday, considering it had never really come up.
"Me and Ikusaba-san spent some time together yesterday. Apparently now she's missing and I'm the last person to have seen her." Makoto explained blandly. Sayaka folded her arms, having already figured that out from Junko.
"Need any help finding her Naegi-kun?" He turned his attention, seeing Kyoko Kirigiri stood beside his desk. The ultimate detective was certainly going to be helpful in his hunt for the missing girl.
"Yeah. Thank you, Kirigiri-san." He said, standing up. It didn't matter if they skipped class, this was by far more important. They both left the classroom, leaving Sayaka behind. She had to leave for another rehearsal soon anyway.
"Let's start by following the path from where the two of you parted back to Ikusaba-san's dorm." Kyoko suggested. Makoto just followed her lead. She was the detective after all. Surely she'd had to do something like this before in the past.

Mukuro's eyes opened slowly, looking around at her new surroundings. She was in what appeared to be a dark, dirty cell. She tried to stand up, noticing she was bound by metal cuffs and rope. She groaned, struggling until she heard a dark laugh.
"Not so tough now, are you?" The man asked, suddenly hitting her across the face with a thin whip-like cord. She hissed quietly, feeling the cord strike her. The man laughed again, continuing to hit her across the chest and stomach with the cord. She just took it, in a position which rendered her unable to fight back and defend herself. "Ultimate Soldier. Can't even get out and fight me back." The man set down the cord, choosing to stamp on her stomach instead. She struggled, in considerable pain from the man stamping her. He eventually stopped, kicking her in the face once. That once was harsh enough to break her nose and jaw, however, sending blood dribbling from her nose. "We'll find some use for you, don't worry." He told her, turning and leaving. She heard a heavy metal door slam shut, leaving her on her own. She looked down, closing her eyes. She knew there wasn't any chance of getting out any time soon.