Non-despair AU

Even someone as solitary as Mukuro has a family and she's still learning how it works.

~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~

Mukuro Ikusaba almost lost her family once.

It was entirely her fault too. She chose her dream over her sister, her only true family, and ran off never to be heard again for three years. She could have kept contact throughout all that time but she didn't. It wasn't a deliberate attempt at avoiding communication, it was just hard to send letters or emails when she was mostly out in the battlefield with blood rather than ink staining her hands. But she didn't have the decency to make an effort either. She was always awkward at expressing herself and at social communication so when the two combined, it was just too much for her to handle. This too was also an excuse made up by her.

The truth was that she was scared to face her sister again knowing that she had been the one to abandon her all these years. It was easier to push that truth at the back of her head whenever she was out dodging bullets or she was the one raining bullets on someone else. However, she never did forget. As much as she enjoyed herself as a member of Fenrir, every now and then, the guilt of leaving her sister behind would stab her whenever she was too happy. That's why she poured herself over at training not just in an effort to push the guilt away but also to make sure that she wasn't wasting a single moment. After all, the cost for this opportunity was immeasurably high.

She left her sister to become a soldier and she'd be damned if she didn't become the best at it.

And she wondered if this was all her life was going to be. It wasn't the soldier part that bothered her but rather, it was the separation part. Would she forever stay separated from her twin? Mukuro didn't want that. As soon as she started doubting her decision on joining Fenrir, she also started to miss her sister. But she couldn't find the courage to face her directly especially not when she was the cause of the divide in the first place. She feared that what she did had irreversible repercussions and that she would live the rest of her life separated from her twin.

However, those solitary days only lasted for three years.

They were together now. Waking up and knowing that they were a pair again lets her believe that she made the right choice. That this was all worth it. Before she had Fenrir, before she had her military training, before she had her guns and knives, even before all of that, Mukuro had Junko first. And as much as she loved all that, she still loved her sister above all else. She was her only true family after all. So when she received the invite for Hope's Peak Academy and then later on found out that her twin was attending as well, she didn't hesitate at all to drop everything right then and there just so she could reunite with her. This was it. This was the perfect excuse to drop by and the perfect chance to reconcile.

The reunion turned out to be anticlimactic but then again Mukuro wasn't the most emotional person and Junko was well, Junko.

But it was a start. Junko didn't sing her of praises or compliments nor did she shower her with insults and swearing. Well, actually she may have flung an insult and a swear word or two but Mukuro couldn't have been more relieved by her reaction. She could take as many hurtful words as Junko could dish out and she'd still be okay with it. As long as she wasn't hated then she still had a chance in Junko's eyes and she wasn't going to waste it. The worst case scenario she thought of was that she'd be chased out and outright told to never show her face ever again. She didn't know what she'd do after if that happened. She'd probably wither away in despair. On another note, she didn't have a best case scenario given her pessimistic mind.

So she finally showed up unconventionally in Junko's room one night with her face stoic as ever but with her heart jackhammering inside her chest with all her pent up anxiety.

"How the hell did you get in?" Junko yelled as soon as she opened the door to her room. She hadn't even seen the intruder but her intuition was good enough to alert her of the possible threat. She didn't look too happy about the unexpected guest. "Just so you know I just called security and my security is hella fast."

"...Hello, Junko." Mukuro said as she calmly stepped out of her hiding place in the shadows, her face as calm as ever but her eyes shone with unshed tears. It's been so long since she's last seen her sister that she couldn't help but be emotional but not enough for her to cry on the spot. No, she was never too emotional, not even when her closest thing to a family was right in front of her. Junko's grown so much that she almost didn't recognize her. Mukuro briefly wondered if Junko would still recognize her. Would she even remember her?

Would she be happy to see her again?

"What the-?" Her eyes widened in surprise but she didn't step back, she never was the type to back away from anything. Her gaze kept wandering up and down as if looking just once wasn't enough to convince her. There was caution in her scan and just the faintest traces of realization. Junko was aware that this person was dangerous but she was also aware of how familiar this person was. It was someone she used to know. There was only one person she knew to have such a dangerous aura and yet not feel threatened by them at all. She gasped. "No way. Mukuro?"

"Yes." She promptly nodded.

If Mukuro was expecting her to be happy then she would have been disappointed. Junko's face instantly soured at the confirmation. "Shit. Don't scare me like that." She crossed her arms and tilted her hips, it was what she would later recognize as one of her new intimidating poses she picked up over the years. She scoffed haughtily. "There's a door and a doorbell. Ever seen any of those from who knows where you came from? Like how did you even get in?"

"Through the window." She answered matter-of-factly.

Junko just raised an eyebrow at her skeptically. "This is the 32nd floor."

"It took a while." She replied with a straight face. She also neglected to mention that she had to manually scale the whole building with improvised equipment because she tried sneaking in before the more conventional way but couldn't get pass through her door's lock system without ultimately destroying it. She just wanted to pay her a visit with as little collateral as possible. "Your door was locked."

"No shit, Sherlock." She rolled her eyes and stared at her pointedly. "Do you break in through the windows of the rooms of every locked door you meet?"

"...Not all of them." She answered with the slightest bit of delay, her gaze faltered for a moment. She didn't need to explain, that one second hesitation already revealed more than enough.

"Yeah, because sometimes you have the decency to break the door instead." She casually said but it sounded like she wasn't joking. Well, she wasn't wrong.

"Only when necessary." She replied with equal honesty.

"What the fuck have they been teaching you." She sighed unbelievingly and then shrugged. That was a sign that she didn't seem to care at all. It looked like she was getting bored of this conversation already. "Well whatever. So? To what do I owe seeing your disappointing face?"

She tried not to wince at her words too obviously. After all, this was common Junko language. It still stung though so she was relieved that her voice came out evenly when she spoke, "Hope's Peak Academy."

"Who hasn't heard of that?" She scoffed. "Can't believe gossip reached whatever hellhole you were in on the other side of the planet. Oh, wait, I can. It's 20xx and privacy is dead." She bitterly spat out as she made a show of biting her nail hard in annoyance. "So you book a flight to what? Here? To congratulate moi?"

"That and…" She swiftly pulled an envelope out of her vest which revealed the most prestigious logo stamped on it.

"Oh, oooooohhh. I see." Junko cooed appreciatively. It didn't take a genius to figure out what that meant and everything else that was implied. With her chin up, she proudly declared her findings with an accent slipping through for dramatic effect. "Yar homeless!"

Admittedly, that wasn't the first thing she thought Junko would mention but technically, she wasn't wrong. "Temporarily. I can stay in the dorms as soon as next week."

"And before that?" She egged on.

"I can survive on what the streets have to offer." She shrugged. It's not really a big deal. She's done it before and for longer periods. Surely she's more than capable now to live somewhat comfortably there until she could have her own room at the dormitory. As long as she had shelter from the rain, the streets would do fine for her. It helped that she had terribly low standards.

"While I live out here in luxury? Oh, how the tables have turned!" She smiled smugly as she said this. She made it sound like it was a competition and she had the upper hand. At the very least, she looked like she was enjoying her twin's miserable state. Her eyes not so discreetly scanned over the worn out rucksack Mukuro was carrying. "That all of your stuff?"

"Yes, there's not much I had to begin with." Mukuro said. There's also not much she could have brought with her. She couldn't carry all of her firearms with her considering she just stowed away to get here. Boarding a plane normally would have confiscated all her precious equipment and she wasn't willing to part with them yet. She did manage to successfully smuggle her favorite ones and a few other necessities hence, her sparse baggage.

"Hmm, I see." She hummed thoughtfully and then her grin reached her ears. "Got any souvenirs for me in there?"

She blinked and absently nodded. "I do have a few."

A loud clap resounded in the room. "Leave them on the desk, oh but not on the vanity one. My career depends on that, you know." She then pointed at Mukuro and dragged her finger in the air until it landed at the door. She flat-out ordered her, "Then get whatever's left and your ass on the sofa in the living room."

"Junko?" Mukuro asked uncertainly. She couldn't possibly be telling her what she thought this implied. This was too easy and too fast. Just like that? Junko was letting her in just like that? Even after all those years she abandoned her, she was still accommodating her? This couldn't be happening. She must have misheard her.

"What? I thought you soldiers know better than to be told twice." She was peeved at her lack of cooperation so she started shouting instead. "Now fucking get a move on!"

Although her words were coarse, Mukuro could detect no hint of hostility. This really was happening. She was beginning to accept it now. "Okay." She said as she started walking for the door only to stop beside her sister. With everything she had, she tried to convey her heartfelt gratitude. "Thanks, Junko."

And a ghost of a smile graced her lips.

"You better pray that your souvenirs aren't as shitty as your face right now or else I'm tossing you out. From the fucking 32nd floor." She made a motion with her thumb dragging across her neck.

"Then I'll just climb back again." She said in all honesty.

She arched an eyebrow at her audacity to speak back. "Breaking and entering is illegal and punishable by law. Just because I let you off the hook now doesn't mean I won't call the cops on you next time."

"Then I'll do my best not to get caught." She replied nonchalantly.

And another quip caught her off guard. It was hard to read Junko's face whether or not she was annoyed or delighted at the unexpectedly two-sided banter. She sarcastically asked, "Did they also teach you sass at the dump that taught you how to scale buildings?"

"Not really." Mukuro shrugged. "They weren't as good at it as you."

Her eyes lit up. "Damn right. I'm the fucking best." She grinned smugly.

"Yes, you are." And in a surprisingly softer tone, Mukuro said, "You really are the best, sis."

When Junko no longer replied, Mukuro took it as her cue that the conversation was exhausted. Junko was always quick to get bored of things and readily dropped anything that she deemed was uninteresting so Mukuro didn't take it personally. With a respectful nod, she resumed her walking.

She was just about to exit the room when Junko suddenly called her out. "Oh, and Mukuro."

"Yes?" She turned around but Junko still had her back to her.

"You're a shitty older sister you know that, right?" It's weird how her voice sounded so far away even when she was just literally steps close to her. She sounded so different that if Mukuro had her eyes closed, she probably wouldn't have guessed that it was Junko speaking. Her voice was a mess of different feelings all trying to come across at the same time. And though the words sounded like they were hers, Mukuro felt as if Junko wanted to say something else.

Mukuro couldn't help but feel guilty. Right now, Junko didn't sound like her usual confident self and she was sure that it was her fault. She had been a shitty older sister. She was supposed to be the responsible one between the two of them and at some point she was. At another point, she also abandoned her sister just to chase her dream. She came back now although it won't ever bring back those three years they lost together. She already felt horrible over it and she couldn't imagine just how much worse Junko must have felt all this time. They only had each other and then all of a sudden, they didn't. And it was Mukuro's fault. It pained her to have this confrontation with her twin but she knew she deserved it. At the very least, Junko deserved to say her piece.

No matter how much they both hurt from this, no matter how much she hated this, she wouldn't run away. Not again.

"Yeah, I do." She at least wanted to properly respond to her.

Her hands clenched tightly into fists as she braced herself for the onslaught of curses and loathing about to storm her.

"Good. Because you're my shitty older sister." This time her voice came out clear and sure. It was as if she imagined all that earlier turmoil in her head. Junko sounded like herself again, confident, certain, and unyielding. She sounded so true to herself that this must be her honest reply to Mukuro.

They're still sisters.

Junko said it herself. Mukuro couldn't see her face so she couldn't tell what kind of face she was making but her words reassured her enough. She still had a chance, she's given a second chance to redeem herself. They could still be together again and that fact lifted a tremendous weight off her chest.

Mukuro felt that whatever broken bond they have, they could still fix it.

"I love you too, Junko." She said out loud without thinking.

She chortled. "Who doesn't?" And just like that, the tension dispersed and her wildly loud personality came back as she turned around to properly face Mukuro. "Just look at how benevolent I am for taking in a stray puppy."

"The symbol for Fenrir is a wolf though. Does that make me a wolf cub?" She corrected her as a smile tugged on her lips.

"You wish." She snorted. "What kind of wolf doesn't travel in a pack?"

She tilted her head as realization dawned on her. "Now that you mention it, I guess I am separated from my pack."

Junko grimaced. "What? You getting homesick already?" She sighed as she shook her head with her arms tossed up. She looked at Mukuro sympathetically as if pitying a lost child. "Looks like I have no choice. I guess I have to take responsibility for this puppy even though the owner strictly told me about the no pets allowed policy."

"What do you mean?" She asked in confusion.

"Well duh, we're making our own pack. I call dibs on alpha though!" She loudly announced with a hand on her hip and the other free to pose around her chin. "You can be the beta or omega or whatever you call it. The name doesn't matter. Doesn't change the fact that I still call the shots."

"We're a pack now?" She couldn't believe what she just heard.

"Well we're only two right now but-" She paused and then she indignantly squawked. "Oh my god, don't you dare add anyone else this early into the game! I am not becoming an aunt before the legal age! It's strictly a twin-only pack for now until we finish college."

"We're a pack now." She echoed herself, this time more certain.

"Holy shit, I think I broke her. Yes, we're together again. Big whoop." She sardonically rolled her eyes at her. "Now stop repeating the same thing and try to say something else for once."

"I…" Mukuro paused as she thought of what to say.

A million things crossed her mind on what would be an appropriate reply but she wasn't focused on that. She was still thinking of how glad she was on taking that chance to come back and talk things out. She was still thinking of how blessed she was to have Junko as her sister and despite her coarse language, she was still forgiving enough. She was still thinking of how light she felt right now knowing that her sister still accepted her and how it felt like everything was right in the world. She was still thinking of a lot of things that it took her conscious effort to remember that her twin was still expecting her reply.

And then finally, she spoke the words she always wanted to say these past three years. "I'm back, Junko."

"Welcome back, Muku." Junko genuinely smiled as she happily tossed an arm over her twin's shoulders.

And just like that, Mukuro had a family again.

~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~

Mukuro was still adjusting to her new high school life.

It was easy to get into the routine of waking up at a specified time and to prepare for the rest of the day, all along were precise and expected checkpoints such as the start and end of class. She made sure to follow them all properly, even strictly, as if this was military training all over again. It wasn't as harsh or as clear-cut though as if she began to find out. One time, she arrived late, mostly caused by her sister although she would never fault her, and the greatest reprimand she got was a speech from the hall monitor which happened to be her classmate. His scolding wasn't even that intense aside from its volume. It was annoying but it was far from what she's used to. If this was Fenrir, she would have been punished with extreme labor or excessive training. Those were still fun times for her. She couldn't help but miss them.

This supposedly normal high school life of hers was looking abnormal to her.

Everything was just too easy and too safe that she worried her skills were already regressing with each day. As much as she wanted to continue her usual training regimen, it apparently involved too much risk so the school forbade her to do it as long as she was enrolled. She could only do partial of it and only within school campus specifically at the athletics building which could accommodate an emergency should one happen. And while she was grateful to have access to the facilities, she was inconvenienced by the fact that she could only use them on school days. That meant on weekends, holidays, and breaks, she had no choice but to do basic training which was hardly enough. If there was at least one thing she took pride of then it was her talent and having it rust from being idle was the greatest shame she could bring onto herself. However, as much as she enjoyed being a soldier, she was willing to trade it if it meant being with her sister again.

That's why even though it's not as exciting as her previous three years, she thought that this was still great in its own way.

Another unexpected plus side to this new civilian life was that she had friends now. Well, they were friendly enough and though a few were still wary, they were civil enough to be acquaintances with her. At Fenrir, she had comrades but here, she had friends. She's still new to the concept and hasn't quite adjusted to it yet. There was always a universal social clue she seemed to miss each and every time or a drilled instinct from training emerged at the worst timings. She's still learning how to adjust to this so called normal life and she thought that maybe she wasn't cut out for this after all. However, her classmates were understanding enough to accommodate with her pace and for that she was grateful. This too was exciting in its own non-life threatening way.

As for her friends, one of her closer ones was absent again.

"Makoto Naegi?" The homeroom teacher called out.

Everyone looked back at his obviously empty seat.

"Out again then." They sighed. "That's already three strikes, hm?" Their eyes darted to a specific student.

"Don't pull off a baseball reference on me!" Leon glared intimidatingly.

"STRIKE OUT!" Yasuhiro yelled proudly.

To which, Leon hissed at him. "Not cool, man!"

"I guess you could call that a swing and miss for you, huh." He egged on.

The whole class collectively groaned.

"Ah, nothing like a good joke in the morning." They smiled smugly. "But unfortunately I'm not paid for that so let's just skip to business. I need a favor."

"Oh, then expect heavy compensation." Celes giggled behind her hand.

"Probably not from you. Or your lackey." They shot her down.

"And here I thought you had potential. Such a waste." She sighed in mock disappointment.

"Lucky! This means I won't get stuck on cleaning duty today!" Hifumi chirped from his seat.

"Unfortunately, I must disagree. You must still perform your assigned duty. It is still separate from the favor they speak of." Sakura's voice bellowed from the back of the class.

"Can't a guy dream? At least I won't be getting any extra work." He proudly huffed.

"Well, he's right on the bat with the extra work part." They whistled smoothly to bring everyone's attention back. "I call it a favor but it's more of a chore. You see, usually we'd just email the assignments straight to your personalized student accounts but it seems that there's been a problem with setting up Naegi's."

"Is it something I can help with?" Chihiro timidly asked.

"Not right now. It's impossible to do it legally without his consent." They shook their head in disappointment. This would have been way easier if only hacking wasn't illegal. "Maybe before or after, when he's also here to verify a few personal specification on the account."

"Oh, okay. Then next time for sure, I'll help." Chihiro smiled.

"And I'll be there for moral support!" Mondo gave Chihiro a thumbs up.

"That's basically the situation so there's only the last resort left."They clapped their hands once and half-heartedly leaned forward in a lazy attempt to bow. "I'm asking one of you to take it to his place. He doesn't stay at the dorms so it's gonna be a pain in the back to travel."

"Tch. Grunt work. How typical." Byakuya clicked his tongue in annoyance.

"Y-yeah, w-why don't you do it yourself!" Touko pointed an accusing finger at their teacher.

"Cause I have the authority to pass it on to you twerps." They grinned smugly. "Sorry, I don't make the rules." They didn't look apologetic at all.

"As your Ultimate Moral Compass, I happily volunteer myself for this duty!" As expected of Kiyotaka, he was already standing with one arm raised and ready to accept another school chore.

Until Mondo objected from his side. "What? But bro, you promised me that we'd hang out later."

"Oooh, trouble in paradise already." Aoi snickered from behind.

"You're absolutely correct! I cannot believe that I almost forgot about our sacred promise!" Kiyotaka dramatically flinched as he began to sweat profusely. "It seems that I have acquired two responsibilities for the same time. I am ashamed to admit that this is entirely my fault for lack of planning." He quickly fixed his posture and stood straighter. "However, both activities are important and require my attention. It is difficult to decide which one is more urgent. What a dilemma indeed!"

"Why don't you just choose one and ditch the other?" Sayaka suggested, her head tilted in confusion as to why he was having such a difficult choice over this.

"Oh, n-no you didn't." Touko stammered.

"Letting him choose between his bro and his duties?" Hifumi sweatdropped. "He'll practically explode from indecision!"

"Oh, no. What a shame. You will be missed." Junko sarcastically cried out.

"That's… physically impossible but I can imagine something close to that happening." Mukuro thought out loud.

"Aren't you guys exaggerating this?" Aoi asked skeptically.

Kyoko was quick to answer her. "If both actions are morally correct then how would you choose one over the other? With bias? But acting on a bias can forfeit the decision as immoral. Which brings up this moral dilemma."

"As the Ultimate Moral Compass, most if not all his decisions had only one thing in mind which is morality. No other criteria has been used before." She further argued.

"But he's seriously just a hall monitor though." Chihiro quietly remarked.

"Yeah! Whatever she said!" Yasuhiro interjected. "Dude, what are we talking about?"

"We are discussing the current predicament of our fellow classmate, Taka." Sakura helpfully answered.

"Okay, but what if instead of that, let's talk about something else." Aoi restlessly fidgeted in her seat. "There's this new donut store that just opened and if anyone wants to come with me, you totally can and we should hang out."

"Oh, I heard of that one!" Sayaka clapped her hands. "It has a ridiculously long line whenever I pass by it though so you have to be prepared for that."

"I heard prepared. So? Where's the fight gonna be? And who's decking each other's faces?" Junko immediately jumped into the conversation.

"They were talking about hanging out." Mukuro quickly corrected her.

"Oooh, is that what they call it now? Like hang them to dry hang out, right?" She cackled.

All the while, someone was still stressing out. "WHAT SHOULD I DO?" Kiyotaka yelled at the top of his lungs.

By then the class was now separated into different conversations much to their homeroom teacher's annoyance. This was seriously getting out of hand and they weren't paid enough to handle this much hassle. They checked the clock and it showed that fifteen minutes were already wasted with this nonsense. At this rate, they'd have to redo their lesson plan if they miss any more than they already have. That was too bothersome for them. And so, they slammed their hands on the board which effectively silenced the room.

"Hey, just so you know, class is still in session. I am not wasting the whole hour on you dragging out on who gets to bring the homework." They hollered threateningly.

The threat fell flat though since no one looked even remotely scared.

"Killjoy as always. No wonder you're not popular." Junko snickered.

"Tch. Busted." Leon grumbled in frustration.

"And he caught us too soon. I barely finished a cup in all that." Celes said with a straight face.

"Here I thought we were finally gonna get a free pass." Mondo said as he scratched his head.

"It seems our teacher is sharper than I thought." Kyoko said, mostly to herself.

"Makoto-dono's sacrifice has been in vain." Hifumi sighed a silent prayer.

"He's not dead though…" Mukuro mumbled.

"We did manage to break our current record. This can be counted as a small victory." Sakura smiled satisfyingly.

"We're still up for donuts later, right?" Aoi announced out loud.

"Read the mood, woman! Y-you totally screwed up the lines." Touko practically fumed from across the room.

"It was entertaining while it lasted." Byakuya commented offhandedly.

"THIS IS THE WORST! How could I have made such a mistake? This is truly a dilemma!" To no one's surprise, Kiyotaka was still yelling.

"Bro, chill out. Just pick me since you promised me first." Mondo patted his friend's back.

"I don't think he can hear you right now." Chihiro dejectedly sighed.

"Wait, we were doing what?" Yasuhiro asked cluelessly.

They were always a talkative bunch whenever they ganged up on the teacher.

"Hey, I heard all of that! Settle down you brats." They thumped on the board again and all protests were reduced to murmurs. "I'll just make this easier on you Taka so forget about what I just said. The duty's up for grabs again. Who wants it? I'm going to need a tribute in the next minute or else I'm doubling your homework."

And just like that, the classroom erupted into chaos again.

"Maybe it's better if I do take it. After all, I must see to it that everyone has a fair chance to study." Kiyotaka raised his hand.

"Bro, he just let you off the hook. Don't bail on me now!" Mondo pleaded.

"Let's not argue about this again. Please, no fighting." Chihiro timidly chirped in.

"Who usually does this stuff anyway? Aside from Taka." Leon asked out loud.

"I believe that would be Master Naegi." Hifumi answered.

"That's true, it's always him who picks up the odd chores that no one wants to do." Sayaka nodded in agreement.

"He's unexpectedly a busybody and quite reliable at that." Celes agreed.

"Then why don't we let him do it this time too?" Yasuhiro cluelessly asked.

"A-are you retarded? He's the reason this delivery duty exists. He's s-sick!" Touko yelled at him.

"I would have opted at the chance to pay him a visit had I not vowed to engage in a duel later today." Sakura frowned, obviously dismayed.

"Oh, I want to watch that! Then let's drop by the donut store after." Aoi chirped beside her.

"Well don't look at me. Errands like this is beneath me. You commoners figure this out." Byakuya said dismissively.

"Unfortunately, I also have prior arrangements. Send Naegi my regards." Kyoko said offhandedly.

"Ten seconds!" They yelled.

The room was now louder than ever. It seemed like no one was available for the task but their teacher would have none of those excuses. The tension escalated with every second that passed by with no volunteer. So they'd end up with more homework after all.

Until a shrill voice cut through the noise.

"Sheesh, like can you all just chill?" Junko squawked with fingers stuck in her ears. She looked absolutely pissed. "The noise is like so annoying that I just might get wrinkles from the stress. If no one's gonna do it then I might as well take one for the team."

That was unexpected. Junko was the last person they'd thought would volunteer for this and it was obvious that everyone thought so with the collective audible gasps and jaw drops.

"Junko?" Mukuro looked at her twin disbelievingly.

"Huh, never figured you for a good samaritan." Their teacher raised an eyebrow at her skeptically.

"I have my moments." She nonchalantly shrugged. "So am I on messenger duty or what?"

"I don't care who takes it as long as somebody gets this work off my ass. So anyone else want to fight Enoshima for this chore?" They clapped. "No? Going once, twice…" They trailed as their eyes swept through the room.

No one else seemed to protest.

"And sold!" Junko briefly stood and dramatically bowed a few times as if she just finished a performance. "Finally, some peace and quiet!"

With that, the rest of the period proceeded smoothly and just like usual. The day drone on just like any other day but with Mukuro anticipating Junko's unusual added task, it seemed like the seconds went by longer. She was patient though. This new civilian life of hers functioned as if everything moved slower and she was still all too fast. So she's gotten better at honing her patience. At last, the classes finally ended and now she could assist her twin.

"Someone's excited to praise me." Junko cheekily said as soon as she had company.

"That was really nice of you to volunteer back then." Mukuro said with unduly adoration in her voice. Junko rarely displayed goodwill so whenever she did, Mukuro couldn't help but be surprised and overwhelmed by the swell of pride in her chest.

"Yeah, and don't forget great, majestic, all-loving." She counted off each compliment with her fingers.

"Do you need help later? I could come with you if you want." She innocently offered. She wanted to support her as much as she could. That and she grew rather attached to her twin in the short time that they've been reunited so far. She wanted to make up for all that lost time.

"Need you ask? Of course, you're coming." Junko nodded assertively as she placed both hands on her hips and held her chin up. She lowered her voice the way she would whenever she was being overly dramatic over something. Her eyes sparkled. "In fact, you're the only one coming!"

"What?" Mukuro blinked. She recognized that look even if she hadn't seen it in years. The memories that followed that look were too intense for her to forget. She unconsciously backed away half a step. Alarms rang inside her head. Her sister was clearly up to no good again.

"See, I was serious about what I said back then. The first part at least. They were getting annoying. But the only way to shut them up was if someone bit the bullet." She jeeringly clapped her sister's back. "Bullets are more your thing, right?"

"So you're not going to deliver his homework?" She asked apprehensively.

"Hell no! Do I look like the type to run around on the streets playing mailwoman?" She hollered with one hand casually waving her dismissal. "I can get people to do those things for me. Like, right now. You're gonna do it for me in my stead."

It was nice while the illusion of goodwill lasted. Mukuro inaudibly sighed. "Oh, okay."

"Really though, you should at least try to fight back, ya know? Yar no fun." She huffed and bit her inner cheek. "Well this works fine for me anyways. I'm saving my quips for the big league."

"It's all in this envelope, right? The homework and address." She said as she took the still untouched item on the desk.

"Probably. Never checked. The geezer's unreliable at teaching but he's freakishly organized." She nonchalantly shrugged. "You can take your time and do whatever shit you want to as long as you deliver the goods. I'm travelling tonight for a photoshoot tomorrow so you're on your own."

"Alright." Having checked that everything was indeed inside including directions, she determined that she was already set to go. "Then I'll head off now."

But perhaps it was too soon for her to go.

"Hey, that's too cocky of you. Aren't you forgetting something?" Junko challenged her.

"Really?" Mukuro asked in disbelief. She didn't think she missed out on anything. Whatever it was, only Junko could answer her. "What?"

She looked taken aback by her naivety. "Don't tell me you're going out dressed like that?"

"Yeah, why?" She blinked. She always went out in her uniform since all her other clothes were still back home. As far as she knew, her uniform was okay unless she didn't know it was not. Was there a stain or tear she didn't know about? Was that it? "Is something wrong with it?"

"Wrong? It's the fucking uniform. And knowing you, you're gonna stand out like a stick in the ass." In her frustration, she flicked her forehead with more force than usual. "Plus it's not really dress to impress material. But then again, it does scream prestige and talent which is all fine and dandy until they start asking about your talent."

"What are you talking about?" She absentmindedly rubbed her forehead. It didn't hurt her at all but her pride did sting a bit.

"You're not planning on buying anything on the way there either, are you?" She crossed her arms, daring her to choose her answer carefully.

"No?" Her answer came out as unsure as she was about it.

"WRONG!" She crossed her arms and stuck her tongue out. "I know none of us got sick before so you have an excuse but your fucking cluelessness to social protocol is just disappointing."

She flinched. Junko was right. Mukuro was too oblivious about these things most of the time and this was probably one of those moments. But she had to try harder. With determination, she spoke, "Then tell me what I should do."

Junko sympathetically patted her sister's shoulder. "Oh, Muku. What ever will you do without me?"

"I try not to think about that." She suspiciously looked away.

"Cute, sis. But that doesn't excuse how despairing your situation actually is." This time she clapped Mukuro's back as hard as she could. Whether it was an act of endearment or just plain teasing, it was hard to tell which it was. Knowing Junko, it was probably both. "Well I did sign you up for this task so I might as well take some form of responsibility."

"That would be helpful. Thank you, sis." The corner of her lip twitched upward.

She smirked. "Yeah well don't rely on me too much. Don't forget that no matter how disappointing you are, you're still the older sister."

Even though her sister was the reason for her current problem, Mukuro's still glad to have her around for it.

~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~

It's been a long time since Mukuro has been looked after by her sister.

With a very detailed list of instructions in her pocket, an intense chewing out from her sister, and a wardrobe change later, Mukuro was finally off to fulfill the small errand. Thankfully, she didn't have to go home for the change of clothes. One of the perks of having an Ultimate Model as a sister in a school that cultivated talent was that they really did provide for them. While Mukuro had access to firearms and an appropriate firing range, Junko on the other hand had a walk-in closet within the school. Even though it was called a closet, it was easily twice the size of her room and based from the offhanded comment that Junko made, its contents constantly changed whenever she used it. The school's reputation for nurturing talents had some merit after all.

Her outfit was mostly hand-picked out by Junko which consisted of modest high heels, dark leggings, pleated skirt, red spaghetti top, and a black leather blazer, for a chic and edgy look or so she said. Initially, she was supposed to wear a crop top but then Junko changed her mind when she noticed that Mukuro's defined abs might be a little too much for casual. She also wore a pair of fingerless gloves, the kind that bikers wear, in order to indiscreetly cover her tattoo. Junko said it was just a precaution in case Naegi's parents were home and were the conservative kind of folks so the tattoo might leave a bad impression. Mukuro didn't even think that far ahead. She was only half-surprised that her sister was one step ahead again after all, she was always the meticulous one between the two of them. Down to the very last accessory, Junko was thinking of what's best for Mukuro.

That's why she couldn't help but feel just a bit giddy when she went out for the first time wearing an outfit her sister specifically chose for her.

She got a few stares here and there but her natural glare made sure that they never lasted more than three seconds. Wearing something different made her feel like she was standing out more than usual and it made her more self-conscious about it. As much as possible, she wanted to blend in. If she easily merged with the crowd then she was harder to target. And knowing Junko's over the top personality, these clothes probably stood out excessively. That's why she couldn't relax not even for a moment as long as she wore this outfit. At least with her short skirt, she'd be able to easily grab her sheathed knife which was strapped on her thigh near her hips.

Thankfully, nothing alarming has happened to her yet and she was able to buy the short list of groceries her sister gave her. Junko said it was customary to bring 'get well presents' and that Mukuro was stupid to skim over that fact. She's ashamed to not know these things which was why she's grateful whenever she gets corrected especially when it's before she'd unconsciously do something rude. So with all the times secured, she didn't have any other detours left so she started walking as per directions to Naegi's house. That was actually easier than she thought it would be. Maybe it'll be just as peaceful the rest of the way.

Or not since unfortunately, she spotted suspicious behavior just at the corner of her vision.

Two people walked into an alleyway and judging from their body types, it was a girl close her age and a man easily twice her age. What made them suspicious in her eyes was the tense body language of the girl. She recognized those stiff shoulders and barely contained shaking of her frame. She's seen the signs on her targets whenever they knew they were about to be killed. It was the instinctive reaction for danger. Fear. That girl was absolutely terrified. And the man accompanying her didn't seem bothered at all by it. His stride was more confident and laidback as if oblivious to the scared girl beside her. Or maybe he knew. He knew and he was enjoying it. They were unnaturally close. He was probably holding a weapon at the girl and threatened her with it.

Mukuro grimaced at that horrible thought. This could only spell trouble with danger underlined. But as far as she's concerned, this was not her problem. She's just a passerby who just so happened to have a sharp eye for these things. And she had no responsibility to interfere or at least, that's how she's supposed to think.

It's not any of her business however…

~xoxo~xoxo~

Meanwhile, what was actually happening in that dingy alleyway.

"Scream and you're dead." The man menacingly sneered as he brandished his butterfly knife, making it gleam dangerously.

"P-please don't hurt me." The girl stammered because her teeth were chattering from fear. With just as shaky hands, she took out her wallet and shrinkingly offered it, her arm barely stretching its full length because of the physical need to keep all her limbs close to her. She didn't know how far his reach was with the knife and she didn't want to find out. "If it's money you want then I don't have much but I'll give you everything I have. Just please don't hurt me."

He hastily grabbed it with one hand, the other still not dropping the knife, and then he haphazardly checked it out. "Tch. That's it?" He clicked his tongue in disappointment."This won't even last me a week."

"I'm sorry! You got me on a Friday and everyone knows that students are richest on Monday when allowances are given." She said hurriedly and then gulped.

"You saying it's my fault?" He intimidatingly raised his voice and his knife at her.

"N-no sir! Absolutely not." She vigorously shook her head as if shaking it enough would spare her life. After that, she timidly tried to reason, "Well yeah maybe a bit, it is kinda common knowledge but-"

Apparently reason didn't work with him. "Choose your words wisely if I were you. They may be your last."

She immediately blanched at his words and bowed profusely. "It's m-my fault! So sorry!"

"Yeah, thought so." He smirked. He was clearly enjoying this. "So?"

"So... what?" She hesitantly asked.

"What are you gonna do about it?"

"Do about what…exactly sir?"

"My money, what else!" He angrily yelled at her. "Someone's gotta pay for the rest."

She took a step back in disbelief. "But that's really all I have on me. I swear I'm not hiding any more."

"I know." He smirked and something about his look made him appear more sinister than before. "But that doesn't mean I can't take anything else."

She almost choked on her words in fear. "E-excuse me?"

"You don't look half-bad. A bit on the plain side but beggars can't be choosers. You'll just have to do as compensation." He shrugged nonchalantly.

"NO!" She yelled in defiant protest but instantly shrunk back to her usual small voice at just one glare from him. In her panicked driven state, she spoke hurriedly in the hopes that he'd sooner change his mind or something. Anything but what he had planned. She was getting desperate. "I mean, oh! You're giving me too much credit. I'm not that cute, in fact, I just barely make it average. There are lots of prettier girls out there, definitely cuter than me. Wait that came out wrong. Please don't do anything to them either."

"Maybe I will try to go after those pretty ladies." With swiftness, he was able to pin her arms together at the wrists with one hand while the other held her throat. She didn't see it coming at all. She fought and kicked but it was useless. She was trapped in his hold and he was dangerous. He disturbingly licked his lips. "But only after I'm properly compensated first."

"No no no no no!" She desperately pleaded with tears in her eyes. Despair was already sinking in her as she clung onto the only hope that maybe if she said it enough times, he'd actually listen to her plea. "Please, NO!"

"Try not to scream much." He smirked as he proceeded to choke her.

"H-help me." She gasped out, her vision already blacking out.

This was it for the girl then. This wasn't just a nightmare that she could wake up from. This was really happening. She didn't think she'd ever be one of those girls who got attacked by a random stranger. She didn't imagine her life taking on such an extreme turn from the normal life she'd had so far. She didn't know what she did to deserve this kind of fate. Her consciousness was rapidly fading as more thoughts popped up. It was like a desperate attempt by her mind to squeeze in as much as possible before it stops. Would she wake up after this? Did she even want to wake up knowing what was about to happen to her? Was no one really coming to save her? Most likely. This was probably the end of her.

"Scream and you're dead." She heard a faraway voice.

"Who the fuck said that?" The man unconsciously loosened his grip as he was startled.

Her vision was slowly recovering and in her barely conscious state, she managed to choke out her own confusion. "Wait… that wasn't you?"

"Scream and your head rolls off." The voice spoke again, this time it sounded clearer. It was only then that she noticed another person standing near them.

"Huh? A woman? Like hell I'm afraid of a bitch." He smugly said.

"Too loud. Your head's about to roll off." The woman said emotionlessly almost matter-of-factly.

"Well, fuck you too." He sneered at her.

"One…" Unfazed, she began counting.

"You don't scare me." He let go of the girl's throat in order to pull out his butterfly knife again.

"Two…" She continued.

"Ha! You're bluffing!" He scoffed tauntingly.

"Three." She said with finality as she flinched and her figure blurred for a moment.

There was a sudden breeze that passed right by the man's neck.

He blinked from confusion. Something just happened and he didn't see it. Something was wrong. His eyes frantically searched around. Nothing looked out of place. The woman was still standing in her same spot and he was still holding the girl, too afraid to move. He felt cold sweat trickle down his neck. He didn't think he'd sweat over this. His guts told him that there was definitely something wrong. That breeze felt unnatural and he unconsciously clenched his fist in nervousness. Only to be surprised at the lack of metal in his hand.

"What the f-?" The butterfly knife he was holding was now missing. And then he was all too aware of his cold sweat trickling down his neck. Wait, neck? With the same hand, he quickly placed it on his neck and winced at the sudden sting of pain. He paled as the horror sank in. Shakily, he brought his hand out to look at it only to see not sweat but blood smeared on it. Terror finally overwhelmed him. He started swearing both in rage and in fear. "FUCK! Fuck! Shit! What the hell!"

"The next one won't miss." She casually said as she raised the missing butterfly knife, now stained red at the edges, in her hand.

"Okay, I won't screw around anymore! I surrender! I give!" He frantically said, his proud attitude from a while ago was powerfully crushed by her. He looked even more pathetic than the girl he was threatening seconds ago. He fittingly looked like a cornered rat in this dingy alleyway. "What the hell do you want from me?"

"Let go of the girl." She stated simply.

His hand automatically complied and the girl dropped to the ground in an instant. Her knees must have given out from all that trembling from earlier. He then raised both of his hands both in defense and in surrender. "Alright, look! There, you happy now?"

There was a long tense pause as he waited for her reply, her eyes staring coldly at him.

She barked, "Now beg."

A chill ran down his spine. "F-for my life?"

"Among other things." She said.

"What d-does that mean?" He stuttered.

"You were doing something wrong and was about to do something worst to this girl." She said blankly. Her unreadable face just amplified her frightening aura. She was serious. And she could also seriously kill him. "An apology is in order, don't you think?"

He bit the inside of his cheek and choked on his words. "I-I'm sorry, okay?"

"Louder." She said with her passive voice.

"I'm s-sorry." He raised his volume and even added a bow this time.

"You're allowed to be loud only once." She fiddled with the butterfly knife and in the quiet alleyway, the metallic sound of the blade was loud enough for him to hear. It sounded like death and she would deliver it. "Make it count."

"I'M S-SORRY!" He yelled passionately as he sunk to the floor with his forehead touching the ground. His whole body was still shaking from fear. He was practically begging with his life right now. "Look, I promise I won't do this shit again!"

That pacified her for the moment however, she wasn't done yet. "Aren't you forgetting something else?"

"W-what is it?" He hesitantly raised his head, afraid to even look her in the eye.

"You're still holding onto something that isn't yours." She said coldly.

"Oh, you mean the money, right?" He slouched to search for his pockets. With trembling hands, he took out the girl's wallet and placed it in front of him. Then he returned to his bowing position. "H-here! Take it! Take mine too if you want!"

"Nobody asked for your money or your opinion." She judgingly narrowed her eyes at him.

"I'll shut up now." He audibly gulped.

"You're going off with a warning. The next time you pull this off I will hunt you and you will rest in pieces." There was an extra sharpness in her usual dull tone. "Is this clear enough for you?"

"U-understood, ma'am." He stammered. A sense of relief flooded him knowing that he'd live another day.

But it was short-lived.

"Then again, I changed my mind." She decided out loud.

His eyes widened in shock. "What?"

She stared at him with cold eyes, not a trace of remorse in them and in her emotionless voice, she sentenced him. "Die, scum."

Within the next moment, the man unceremoniously collapsed to the ground.

The girl could not believe what just happened. One moment she was being harassed by a man and in the following moments, the same man was now lying on the ground. Did she just get saved at the last second? She wasn't dreaming this up, right? This wasn't just some satisfying illusion that her brain thought of just to keep her happy in her final moments, right? Or maybe she got sucked into an alternate reality. She firmly shook her head. She's been reading too much manga lately. But for now, at least she could confirm that she was safe.

Her savior crouched down to her level and stared at her concernedly. "Are you alright?"

"Y-yeah, I'm fine." The girl heaved as she unsteadily tried to stand, her hands grasping at the wall behind her for support. The woman helped her up when she noticed this so now they were both standing, she was still a bit shaky at the knees though. She let out a long sigh of relief. "At least I think I am. It's better than before so I guess I'm fine now."

"Good, then nothing too traumatic happened." Her eyes roamed, as if double checking on any injury.

"More importantly, is he…" She paused and audibly gulped as her eyes dropped to what could be a corpse. Hesitantly, she asked, "Is he dead?"

"Him? No, just passed out. I don't kill civilians." She dismissively shook her head.

"Civilians?" Her eyebrows crinkled. That's an odd way of referring to an offender. "What do you mean?"

"Nevermind." She casually brushed off her question. "I'll be taking him to the police now. You don't have to come. You've experienced enough as it is and my testimony will suffice."

"Wait, all by yourself?" She asked disbelievingly. They guy looked like he was twice her size so he had to be heavy. "How will you even carry him?"

But she already had him tossed over one of her shoulders with practised ease. It looked like she was carrying him effortlessly as if he was featherweight. "Is there a problem?"

"Woah, you're crazy strong." Her jaw dropped in awe. This was the first time she's ever met someone as built as her and the fact that she was a woman just made her admire her more. It's exciting for her to actually meet with someone as extraordinary as her. But she was getting too distracted. She inconspicuously cleared her throat. "But even still, I can't let you handle this alone. I mean, it's my problem in the first place and you just got dragged in when you helped me."

She blinked and calmly spoke, "You must be misunderstanding things. You're a victim and I willingly involved myself. There's no need for further responsibility on your part."

"Well then as common courtesy, I insist that I help you with the police. Actually, please let me assist you in carrying him." She tried to get closer but on her first step, she almost fell had she not been caught by the woman. That was too close. She sighed. "Or not. I think I'll have to focus all my energy at walking straight."

"Careful. You really should rest first." She said, her free arm supporting the girl by her shoulders.

"No, it's fine. I'm fine. My legs just fell asleep that's all. Just give me a sec and I can do this." She laughed nervously and then composed herself. That was a lousy display but even then, she didn't want to give up yet. "At least let me walk with you and file my testimony too."

The woman stared at her for a long while as if considering her offer. Her face was unreadable the whole time so it was hard to tell if she was going to agree or not. Finally, she spoke, "Alright. If you insist then I can't stop you. Just don't push yourself too hard."

She smiled brightly. "I won't. I promise to stop if it's too much for me. Thanks for worrying though." With renewed energy, she stood up straighter and cheered. "Alright, let's do this. I'll lead the way!"

They looked odd together, the girl with unsteady legs and the woman with an unconscious man on her shoulder, but even stranger, she was happy with this. At the very least, she was safe now.

~xoxo~xoxo~

Mukuro knew that this would take her time but she didn't expect her involvement to last this long.

The police kept them for an hour because they had to question them both separately. It's a good thing that earlier they discussed along the way on what to say and by Mukuro's suggestion, they managed to gloss over some details. She didn't want her background to be brought up because that would have made her suspicious. Mukuro's grateful for Junko's idea to have her wear gloves. She didn't doubt that she would have been questioned longer had they seen her tattoo. They didn't do a bodycheck either so her knife wasn't found. She also managed to hide her ID and they bought her lie that she didn't have it with her. If they found out about her talent then she'd easily go from bystander to suspect just from discrimination. It also helped that the girl she saved was there to solidify the testimony.

By the time they were let go, the sun had long already come down.

"Thanks again for saving my life and quite possibly my virtue as well." The girl said with a sincere bow.

"Anyone who saw you would've done the same thing." Mukuro promptly replied.

"Really? I don't think so." She frowned. "I'm pretty sure a young girl with a shady guy is already suspicious as it is but nobody called us out. I made eye contact with a lot of people and channeled all my pleas for help there but no one responded." She wiped off the tears forming at the corners of her eyes and gratefully smiled. "Only you reached out to help me."

"Since you looked like you needed the help." She said matter-of-factly.

"It's not that easy for everyone else though. Even I'm not that confident if I'd stand up to help a stranger in danger." She played with her fingers as she shyly looked down. "But you did. That was really cool and brave of you."

Mukuro owlishly blinked at the unexpected praise. "Brave? It was more of instinct."

She nodded fervently. "That actually makes you cooler. Like you're the type of protagonist that acts before they think, the natural type. You know, putting the heart first and all that?" She said with stars in her eyes, and Mukuro couldn't help but feel deja vu from her gaze. Her eyes looked so familiar for some reason. The girl smiled brighter and even that seemed nostalgic. "But still, thank you. From the bottom of my heart, thank you so much."

"No problem. Just take care next time." She tried not to think too much of that fleeting sense of deja vu. After all, she still had an errand to do. She politely tipped her head. "I'll leave now."

"Wait!" The girl abruptly grabbed her by the sleeves of her jacket. She sounded distressed.

"Is something wrong?" Mukuro's first instinct to scan the area for threats kicked in.

"Well, not really wrong but it's just that, hear me out, okay?" Her grip tightened at the last word. She looked shaken but as far as Mukuro knew, there were no more immediate threats in the area.

She considered turning her down since she had no obligation to help her any more but on the other hand, she also had no concrete reason for refusing. At least she'll listen and then decide if she'll help her after. "Okay."

"Thank you." She took a deep breath to compose herself. Her voice sounded steadier than she looked right then. "That's actually the first time something like that has ever happened to me and we just moved in recently, like a few months back, and I'm still not used to being out at night. And I know that this is asking too much because you've already done so so much for me and we barely even know each other so I'm really pushing this but can I ask for just one more thing?"

She calmly replied, "What is it?"

"Right. Well, is it alright if you walk me home?" She asked timidly. "Only if it's not out of way, of course. It's just that I'm still pretty much shaken from earlier and I'd feel way safer with you around."

She silently considered her request, weighing the pros and cons in her head.

The girl may have taken her silence as a no so she started saying as much as possible in an effort to convince her. "I swear this isn't a scam or anything. The guy back there and I aren't working together and the whole holdup thing wasn't just a setup to trick you into lowering your guard with me when we're alone together later."

Mukuro stared blankly at her. "..."

She comically slapped her forehead in regret as she whined. "Now that I say it out loud, that does make me look suspicious now, doesn't it? Oh, geez. I'm a nervous wreck."

Disregarding her previous rambling, Mukuro thought that the girl was probably still working with her shock from earlier. It might not be safe for her to travel alone. She discreetly checked the time. Well, she wasn't in a hurry so maybe she could escort her halfway through. "Where do you live?"

She instantly straightened herself. "Not too far. There's a subdivision nearby that's just a bus ride away."

How convenient, Mukuro also needed to ride the bus. "Which stop?"

"Um, third stop I think? Yeah, it's definitely third stop." She nodded to herself in assurance. "Then it's just a short walk around the block."

She double-checked the directions only to confirm that they coincidentally matched. This was too convenient, almost suspiciously so, but this didn't feel like it was a setup and she seemed harmless enough. "That's where I'm headed too."

"Oh, really? Does that mean?" Her eyes lit up in anticipation.

Mukuro nodded. "Yes, it's acceptable for us to stay together awhile longer."

"YES! THANK YOU SO MUCH!" She practically jumped for joy as she yelled. "You're the nicest stranger I have ever met! And believe me, that says a lot considering I once met someone who treated me to ice cream when they found out I lost my wallet." She firmly held Mukuro's hands in hers as she giddily bounced. "You won't regret this. Is there anything I can get for you? Anything at all? Don't hold back. How about sweets? Ooh, or cake!"

Mukuro didn't know how to properly respond to her enthusiasm so she just awkwardly pulled her hands back. No one has been this hyper around her so she's not sure how to deal with this. "It's alright. You don't need to repay me. I didn't do it with the intention of you owing me."

"Obviously because you're super nice." She then clasped both of her hands in front of her chest. "But I still want to repay you. I mean, I can't save your life or anything like you did but I at least want to do something to show you my gratitude."

"You already thanked me earlier." Besides, she didn't expect anything in return when she helped her, her sole priority was just to rescue the target.

"But that's not enough! You totally saved my life. That at least deserves a cake!" She puffed her cheeks.

Mukuro didn't need any reward so she just shook her head. "Your words of gratitude are enough."

"At least let me get you that cake." She firmly insisted.

It looked like the argument was going nowhere and the girl didn't seem like she'd back down any minute now. So in the end to save time, Mukuro conceded. "Alright. A compromise is fine. Cake and then we head out."

"Yes!" She beamed triumphantly. "This is great! I'll get you the best cake there is. Within budget, of course."

They went straight for the nearest cake shop and since Mukuro wasn't too picky, she let the girl decide on the flavor. She's sure that whatever she chose, it would still be sweet.

~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~

Unfortunately for Mukuro, the girl was a bit more vocal than her.

"This is awesome!" The girl cheered and if she wasn't seated in a moving bus, she would have been jumping with joy judging by the look on her face. She looked absolutely ecstatic, like a kid who's just been promised free candy. But Mukuro didn't mind her one bit. She'd rather have this girl with boundless energy than handle a distressed version of her. As long as the girl didn't look too worried then there was less for her to worry about too. She didn't understand why she was particularly cheerful but the girl then beamed at her. "I feel way safer now that I know you're from around here."

Oh, so that's why she was so happy? Mukuro thought it was best to correct her assumption as early as possible."Sorry, you misunderstood. I'm not from here."

"Huh?" She tilted her head in confusion. "But you said you were going the same way."

"To visit a friend." Mukuro said pointedly.

"Oh." She said blankly and there was a pause before Mukuro saw her eyes light up in understanding. "Ohh." She said as she clapped her hands and then pointed at the plastic bag that Mukuro was carrying. "Are those for your friend too?"

She nodded. "Yeah. They're supposed to help him feel better."

"So they're sick." Her eyebrows furrowed in worry. "Is it serious?"

She lightly shook her head. "Not that I know of. Just basic fever... probably."

The girl released a sigh of relief. "Oh, that's good. Well it's that kind of season, you know. My brother got down with a cold the other day but it's not too bad. I hope your friend gets better."

She smiled sympathetically at her and for a moment, Mukuro thought she looked familiar. There was something oddly familiar about her smile that made her pause and think that this wasn't the first time she's seen it. But she quickly dismissed the thought because she knew that she's never seen this girl before tonight. It was probably a lighting trick or something. So she pushed whatever growing suspicion she had to the back of her mind.

"Me too." She casually replied.

"I kind of feel guilty for taking too much of your time." She said sheepishly, slightly shrinking in their seat. "Your friend must be worried waiting forever for you."

"It's alright. He's not expecting company." She shrugged.

"Oh, then that's good, I guess?" She fidgeted and opened her mouth to say something only to close it again. And again. This happened a few more times. "What do I say next? The convo's gonna die if I don't say anything." She hurriedly mumbled to herself.

"Pardon?" She asked and pretended she didn't hear her mumblings.

She jumped in her seat, obviously startled. Then she not so confidently began to ramble with her eyes looking everywhere but at her. "Wow, this bus sure is great, huh. Going places and stuff. Yeah, smooth ride, am I right? Ahaha…" She nervously laughed and then all of a sudden, she dramatically slumped over and covered her face. "God, I made this awkward."

Mukuro blinked. She didn't understand why the girl was suddenly so distressed but she knew that this was the part where she was supposed to comfort her, right? She awkwardly placed a hand over her shoulder. This is how it's done, right? Now she was the one stressed out but it's a good thing that she had a poker face. She calmly said, "Don't overthink it."

Her slouch worsened but at least she lowered her hands enough so she could see her eyes. "I can't help it. It's just that you've been so nice to me and this is the first time a stranger's been this kind. I guess I just wish I could express myself better, you know." She sighed dejectedly.

Mukuro's hand twitched as a sudden urge to comfort the girl overwhelmed her. Despite their superficial differences in approachability, there was still a shared struggle between them. The pain of not being able to express oneself, Mukuro knew that all too well. Even right now, she was experiencing that difficulty. As much as she wanted to bolster her spirits, Mukuro didn't know the basics for that. She was socially inept and it frustrated her. That's why the most she could do was rely on what comes first in her mind and just wing it from there.

"I know." She wholeheartedly admitted. And if anyone took a closer look at her usually sharp eyes, they would have seen them soften even if only a little bit. Mukuro didn't question why she was being honest about it with a stranger but that's what she was doing right now. Not only was she relating to her, she was also trusting her enough to even speak to her like this. It must be because she found another comrade for such a personal problem to her. "I also have difficulties with communication."

She shot up from her seat and yelled in protest. "No way!" She leaned forward, her hands were now on her lap, revealing her face filled to the brim with admiration. "But you're so cool!"

Mukuro had to physically stop herself from flinching. Not only was she too close, she was also praising her. In all her years in Fenrir, she was never trained on how to handle compliments nor did she grow up in an environment filled with them. Even Junko, her own sister, hardly praised her. So having someone look up to her was a totally new experience she wasn't prepared for. This caught her off guard and also made her slightly embarrassed. She's not that great but this girl believed otherwise. She looked like she was staring at a glorified hero of some sorts. Her stare was too intense and overbearing which made Mukuro panic.

Mukuro pulled back her hand and looked away, afraid she might see her disappointment in her eyes once she realizes that Mukuro wasn't as great as she thought she was. "That doesn't necessarily help with talking."

"Yeah but being cool at least helps you feel better about it, right?" She insisted, her eyes still bright with expectation.

She nonchalantly shrugged. "Not really."

"Oh... then guess not." For a moment, she deflated but it was short-lived. She easily bounced back to her chipper self. "But you're talking fine with me right now so you can't possibly be as bad as you say you are."

That's true. Then again, the girl might be a special case. After all, Mukuro has now probably talked to her more than what she ever did with her comrades back in Fenrir. They were strictly on a 'talk only when necessary' rule. This girl on the other hand was inherently talkative. "You're… easier to talk to." Excessively so but Mukuro thought it was better to not say that.

"Oh, wow. Thanks, hehe." She giggled shortly. "They do tell me that I'm very approachable."

"You are." She agreed. The girl was overly friendly but overall she was still harmless.

"Do you always talk in short sentences?" She timidly asked.

"Not always." She stared back.

"Woah, you really weren't kidding when you said you had problems." She said in disbelief but quickly started waving her hands. "But it's really not that bad. Still, I guess even cool people have their own weaknesses."

Mukuro simply nodded quietly and they didn't speak for a while after that. Normally, she'd prefer the silence over any conversation but she could tell that the same didn't apply to the girl. She was fidgeting in her seat, clearly uncomfortable with the lull and every now and then her mouth would open only to close again. At this rate, she might not make it without another nervous rambling before they reach their destination. It really was not a problem for Mukuro however she couldn't help but sympathize with her. She was only trying her best. That and she seemed like the type who thrived over interaction. So just this once, Mukuro decided to start the conversation this time.

She spoke all of a sudden, her voice clear despite the droning noise of the bus. "You mentioned that you just moved here."

"Oh, yeah." She instantly brightened up, relieved to have the conversation picked up back again. "That's right. My brother got accepted at a high school near here. Then we were just so happy for him that my parents decided to move here so he didn't have to worry about being homesick."

Mukuro absorbed all of that. Only one person was leaving and yet everyone else in their family decided to move out too? That's irregular behavior and not to mention, impractical. But it did send an image across. "You sound close."

"Yeah, I'd say we're too attached." She laughed shortly. "But then again, isn't that just normal for any family to be clingy?"

"Supposedly." She answered blankly.

Mukuro thought about what she just said. Was that normal for a family? Truthfully, she didn't know. It was hard for her to confirm this since her own family didn't fall under normal standards. For starters, she didn't have any parents or any extended family members because they were abandoned since birth, her and her twin. The only family she had ever known was her sister and even that was a complicated relationship. Were they clingy to each other? Well they did exhibit that behavior to a certain extent. Mukuro would admit that she was rather attached to Junko although she could not be certain if the reverse was true. After all, Junko was just so unpredictable that by extension she was also unreadable.

However, Mukuro liked to think that maybe Junko was clingy too. She also liked to call it wishful thinking.

That was enough contemplation for now so Mukuro went back to talking. "Moving out is one thing but what about your school?"

"I had to switch middle schools all of a sudden but it's not so bad." The girl leaned back in her seat as she looked down with a strained smile. "Kinda hard to fit in when everyone already has a group meanwhile I'm just the plain transfer student who's still trying to figure out how things work."

"That sounds rough." She said sympathetically.

"Like I said, it's really not that bad. Everyone is friendly enough and I think I'm close to making my first friend." She absentmindedly swung her legs, probably to keep herself energetic. She chortled. "Definitely no bullies unlike in all those manga that I've read. Either anime lied to me or I'm just not interesting enough to be worthy of their attention."

"Bullies?" Her eyes automatically narrowed into a glare. "Is there anyone giving you a hard time?"

"Oh, no, no one like that. Thankfully." She vehemently denied as she shook her head. And then spoke in a softer, smaller voice. "It's just me. It's always hard being the new kid. It feels like I'm the only one who doesn't know what to do."

For some reason, Mukuro felt a slight pang inside her chest. Her story sounded too familiar for comfort. She was reminded of her first few weeks here as a high schooler. Even in a sea of people, she felt isolated. Everyone else seemed to accept that they did belong here and they all seemed to be aware of how things worked. Meanwhile, there was Mukuro whose three years worth of training put her above others in terms of skill and yet it also held her back from socially adjusting well with other people. She believed that she was the only one having this much difficulty especially when the others looked like they naturally fit in. It was frustrating and also disheartening.

"I think I understand." Mukuro said out loud without thinking.

"You do?" She asked hesitantly, as if she was undecided on how to feel about that. She sounded as if she found that unbelievable and yet at the same time she wanted to believe it.

She nodded. "I also just moved here. Right before the new semester started." She didn't mention that she's also been overseas for three years prior and under military training but that's just an excessive detail she'd rather leave out.

Her eyes widened in surprise as her jaw dropped. "You're a student?"

Now it was Mukuro's turn to be surprised. Admittedly, she didn't expect that question. "Wasn't that obvious?"

"Will you get mad if I say no?" She shrunk between her shoulders. "It's just that you aren't wearing a uniform and well…"

"What else?" She urged her on, her expressionless face unintentionally made her look all the more intimidating.

But rather than get scared, it had the opposite effect. The girl cheered. "Well, you just look so cool and mature! Like those silent angst types I've seen in live action dramas. Not at all like me who's basically as average as you can get." She carried on her praises. "You must be on a whole new level for a student."

"New level?" Well Mukuro was admittedly new to the whole student thing if that's what she meant. "You're not wrong because I'm just a high school freshman."

"A freshman? Not even senior?" She gaped at her in open awe. "Wow, I know that we only have a couple of years between us but I can totally feel the difference in terms of power. Like if you're the protag, I'd be a minor character." She paused and bit her lip in thought. "No, wait that's still too close. I'd probably just be background material. The kind where they cut budgets so I end up looking generic. I don't think I can catch up to half of your awesomeness by the time that I enter high school."

There she was again praising her. Honestly, Mukuro didn't know how to handle this and yet she's facing this situation again. Maybe deflecting could work. She frowned. "It's not a competition though."

"You're right." She nodded a little too enthusiastically. "It's obvious who the winner is."

"That's not what I meant though." Deflection did not work at all. She made a mental note to ask Junko later on what to do the next time this happens. Not like it would happen again because she doubted anyone else would be as carefree and ignorant as this girl was but it wouldn't hurt to be prepared just in case.

"Hey, that reminds me." She held her chin contemplatively. "My brother just started high school this sem too. Which one do you go to?"

She internally sighed. Finally something came out of her mouth that wasn't praise. Now this she could handle. Mukuro started, "It's Ho-"

Only to be cut off by honking.

"Oh, hold that thought. Our stop's here." The girl said as she stood and pressed the button on the wall.

They both got off the bus at one corner of a subdivision and walked from there. All the while, Mukuro was vigilant as her eyes scanned the area very now and then. Nighttime provided shadows and lots of convenient blind spots for assailants to exploit so she didn't want to take any chances and kept her guard up. Her companion didn't seem too concerned even though the reason Mukuro was asked to tag along was born out of fear. The girl looked too complacent now although Mukuro supposed that maybe her presence calmed her down. Still, she walked so defenselessly which only heightened Mukuro's surveillance of the parameter.

Regardless, Mukuro did not forget her main priority. She kept going through the directions in her head even though she's already memorized them at first glance. Well now that she had to make a detour for the sake of this girl, she had to adjust the directions accordingly. However, she would soon realize that there was no need for that effort. Whenever the girl turned at a certain corner, it suspiciously coincided with the directions to Makoto's house. This pattern was true throughout the short walk. Until finally, they arrived at the girl's supposed home which just so happened to be the same address as Makoto's home. Admittedly, she kind of saw this coming at some point, knowing that guy's luck, but it was just so unbelievable that she feigned ignorance all this time. Now she couldn't deny the connection anymore.

Mukuro braced herself for the inevitable turn of events.

"So we're here. And this!" The girl turned around and then stretched her arms wide. "This is my house."

"It looks… cozy." Mukuro said blankly, not really sure what to say.

"Yeah, it's not much but it's still home. Besides, we're actually a small family and we're not that high maintenance so it is a cozy fit." She fidgeted a bit as she stood awkwardly stood at the porch, her hand on the door but not knocking. She hesitantly asked, "I don't suppose I can invite you inside for refreshments?"

She merely shrugged. "Maybe. You should let them know first that you're here."

"That's not a no, right?" She quickly beamed. "Okay, I'll head inside first then. Wait for me right there. I'll be right back."

As soon as the girl knocked, they immediately heard rushed footsteps and not long after, a click and the door opened to reveal a rather familiar looking guy.

"Komaru! Where have you been? I was worried sick." He said out of breath, he must have ran with all his strength if he was already this worn-out from just a short sprint.

"Pun intended?" She smiled sweetly, probably as an attempt to calm him down.

"Save the jokes for later." He crossed his arms when he scolded her. Even though he had to look up a bit because he was shorter, he still loomed over her with his air of authority. "Do you know what time it is? Seriously, and you weren't answering your phone."

"Oops, I forgot that I put it on silent." She chuckled lamely.

If that was his cue to laugh with her then he must have missed it. He didn't look too mad though but he was still stern. "You better have an explanation or else I won't back you up when mom asks."

She winced. "Sorry, bro. A lot of stuff happened and that's why I'm so late."

And then just like that, his reprimanding character instantly melted into a worrywart. Now his face was creased with concern rather than anger. "Stuff? What kind of stuff? Did anything bad happen to you? Are you hurt? Are you alright?" He asked her question after question and checked her for any signs of injury.

"I'm fine. Geez, don't freak out too much." She lightly brushed him off as she waved both of her hands in front of her. "Seriously, you're overreacting so stop right there. You're embarrassing me in front of my guest."

"Guest?" He asked with his head tilted.

"Yeah, she's the one who helped me with my stuff." She stepped aside in order to reveal Mukuro. "Don't be rude and say hi."

"Oh, is that so? Thank you so much for taking care of my sister." He was halfway through his bow when his eyes suddenly widened as he took a step back in surprise. "Huh? Ikusaba?"

Finally, he noticed her. Mukuro nodded in return. "Naegi."

"Wait. You two know each other?" Komaru asked in between, it was hard to tell whether she was asking him or her or maybe both of them.

"Yeah, we're classmates." Makoto answered.

"No way!" She yelled in disbelief although she looked like she was pleased rather than disappointed by the fact.

"Yes way. I thought it was obvious with the uni-" He paused in between only to have his jaw drop and for his face to immediately flush right after. "Wow." He stood straighter and then evasively looked at anything but Mukuro. "Um, you look... wow. I mean this is the first time I saw you out of uniform." He briefly glanced back only to look away after a moment. He shyly spoke, "You uh, you look nice."

Mukuro lost it at the first compliment. With each compliment he said, her temperature rose higher or at least that's what she felt. Warmer, embarrassed, and also slightly happier.

She lightly flushed and spoke timidly. "Thanks…" She prayed that it was dark enough for him to not notice. "Junko thought it would suit me." She also silently thanked her sister for forcing the outfit on her.

"It really does." He eagerly nodded. "Just shows how much she knows about fashion."

"Yeah." She awkwardly replied. Now what? She fumbled on what to say next. Was she supposed to return the compliment? She stared back at him and said the closest thing to a compliment that she could think of in the moment.. "And uh, you look... nice too."

In truth, Makoto looked just like what one would expect of anyone who's been at home for days. Laidback and not at all concerned with appearances. He wore a comfortable looking hoodie with matching sweatpants and his hair was an uncombed mop. He probably looked more presentable in his school uniform but this was fine too. Although Mukuro's comment was a bit of a spur in the moment, she had no plans on taking it back. She didn't care at all for outward appearances so by her standards, he did look nice.

Besides, if anything, at least he looked cute but she would never admit that out loud.

He laughed goodnaturedly. "You don't have to force it. I don't exactly have classiest home clothes."

"Real handsome, bro." Komaru snickered from the side.

"Shut up." He hissed at her only to have her stick out her tongue at him. He just sighed at her antic and then turned his head to smile at Mukuro. "So what brings you here, Ikusaba?"

"You called in sick again and the teacher sent me to deliver your notes." She said while she handed the thick envelope and the plastic bag of healthcare items. "And here's some stuff to help you get better."

He carefully took them with both hands and properly thanked her. "Oh, wow. You didn't have to. But thanks. I really appreciate you going through all that trouble for me."

That's the second person who's thanked her today, Mukuro thought. Although she just did what was expected, they seemed to send their gratitude still. It was unnecessary but acceptable. "You're welcome. I was just doing my job."

"Still, thanks." He smiled sincerely.

That's when Mukuro realized just how much she missed this. She hadn't seen him for days and she didn't know how much she needed to see him until he finally smiled at her. And all of a sudden she was transported to her first day at high school. She felt so out of place but then Makoto casually introduced himself with a smile. Her very first smile received. An innocent smile. The same smile he seemed to generously share with her. The smile that she had missed so much these past days with him absent.

And as she just stared at his radiant smile, her lips unconsciously turned upward if only for a little bit.

After a pause, he then questioned her. "So how did you end up with my sister?"

She nonchalantly shrugged. "We happened to cross paths." Well, that was the gist of it.

"That's quite the coincidence." He said jokingly.

Komaru inserted, "Actually, a lot more happened than just us crossing paths but I think it's better if we move this discussion inside."

"You're right. We better head inside first. Unless," He paused as he hesitantly asked Mukuro, "you're in a hurry to go elsewhere?"

Mukuro considered their offer. Usually she'd be heading straight home by now or earlier because she didn't want to be separated from Junko for so long. However, Junko won't be waiting for her at home this time. She was out and won't be back until Sunday. So Mukuro could afford to spend more time here. She wasn't sure whether or not she wanted to do that. She had mixed feelings over it. She felt nervous yet at the same time, excited. She didn't understand why although she did have her suspicions on as to who but she'd rather not dwell on it.

Regardless of her feelings, the fact remained that she didn't need to be immediately at anywhere else. "Not really."

Komaru literally jumped for joy, her grin reached her ears. "Great! I'll go get the snacks and drinks!" She bounded inside with a spring in her steps.

Makoto shouted at her retreating figure. "Don't bring out too many! You don't want to ruin your dinner appetite."

She stopped in her tracks just so she could roll her eyes at him. "Thanks for the advice, mom."

"You do know that mom can probably hear us." He smugly replied.

She instantly paled. "And that's my cue to leave before I get grounded."

"Good luck." He said it not in the way one would when showing support but in a way that sounded like he was giving her his condolences.

"Okay now you've gotta be kidding me." She said and then she hurried off inside.

"You two seem close." Mukuro commented offhandedly.

He chuckled weaky. "I'm glad that's your first impression considering what you just saw."

"Is she younger or…" She trailed off, waiting first to judge his reaction.

"Oh, thank god. Finally! Someone gets it right!" He shouted with joy. The abrupt mood shift completely caught her off-guard. He looked more grateful now than when he was thanking her earlier. He nodded, more enthusiastically than ever. "Yup, she's my younger sister. I'm so happy you figured it out despite the popular consensus." His shoulders slumped as he sighed dejectedly. "You have no idea how many people get it wrong because of our height difference. It's kind of depressing."

Well she wasn't sure at first but now that he confirmed it, she's glad that she's guessed it right. It was easy to mistake his sister as the elder because she was taller but deciding on that alone was a shallow inference. The height was misleading but behavior-wise, Makoto easily looked like the older of the two especially when he was scolding her earlier. Although it's not always an accurate standard given how her and her sister worked. Well, at least she guessed right this time.

"If they looked closer, they would have seen the obvious signs." She shrugged.

"Actually, I think half of them are honestly mistaken and the other half just says it to tease me. My family included, haha." He then tilted his head, because his hands were full, in a motion that beckoned her to come in. "Um, so uh, welcome to our home."

And with that, Mukuro with nervous anticipation, finally took her first step into the household. "Pardon the intrusion."

It was certainly different compared to the shared condo unit she had with Junko. It was much smaller and yet also much more welcoming. Everything inside gave off the impression that this house was as lively as its occupants. From the half-organized shoe rack at the entrance to the family pictures scattered all over the living room, if it weren't for the few moving boxes at one corner, she would have been fooled that they've been living here ever since. It was very homely for the lack of a better word. It's strange for her to feel safe in a stranger's home but that's exactly what this felt like. The home was as inviting as the family who lived in it.

They decided to sit down at the couch on separate ends. Makoto tried to partially organize the clutter of books, magazines, CDs, and such scattered all over the table. She mentally noted that some of the magazines, if not all, had Junko on the cover page. So someone in his family was a fan. She's not sure what to do with that information so she set it aside. He finally managed to clear enough space for when the refreshments arrive.

"I hope you don't mind the mess. It's a collaborative effort between me and my sister. This took us months in the making but we're still not sure when exactly it'll be done, ahaha." Makoto forced laugh just to punctuate his joke. It fell flat.

Mukuro calmly consoled him, "Don't worry, it doesn't bother me at all."

He let out a long sigh, releasing his nervousness with it. "That's reassuring to know since I'm kind of embarrassed about it. If only I knew you were coming, I would have cleaned up a bit."

She suddenly felt guilty for making him uncomfortable in his own home. "Sorry, should I not have come?"

He shot up in his seat. "No, that's not what I meant. I'm honestly surprised that you came but more than that, I'm happy. I really am."

For a moment, Mukuro felt her heart skip a beat. But when she discreetly checked her pulse, it was still running at a regular pace. Maybe she must have imagined it. However, one thing she can be certain of was that she felt unexplainably lighter even if only just a bit.

He timidly scratched the back of his head, shrinking back a bit. "I just wish I tidied up the place since this isn't actually guest-friendly aesthetics."

"I see." So he was just worried about appearances? But Mukuro already said earlier that she wasn't bothered by it. Maybe she didn't sound convincing enough. She tried again, this time with effort. "It's fine as it is though."

That seemed to lift a weight off his shoulders. He then smiled again this time it wasn't forced. "I hope my parents could be as lax as you."

She couldn't empathize with him though. It's not like she had any parents to begin with. More importantly, should he be out of bed? Mukuro needed to check in case he was pushing himself again. "By the way, how are you feeling?"

"Well, about that…" He trailed. "The truth is that I actually woke up feeling fine today."

Mukuro felt a knot of worry untying itself inside her chest. He's fine now. She repeated inside her head over and over. That fact alone made her feel better. It was as though she was the one who was sick. Was that possible? To get sick just with worry? Nevertheless, the fact remained that he was fine and safe now. And she couldn't have been more relieved.

He nervously played with his fingers while he looked down bashfully. "In fact, I could have gone to class if I wanted to. But since it's Friday, my mom decided that I should just take today off too and have a long weekend."

"That's understandable." Knowing his luck, even if he was feeling better, he could have caught something worse if he had decided to push himself and go to class today.

He smiled timidly. "Sorry for having you worry over nothing."

Why would he apologize for that? If anything, Mukuro was grateful that he wasn't sick anymore. "No, it's actually a relief to hear that you're already better."

"You're right. Nothing beats knowing that your friend is feeling better." He nodded with a smile.

From there, they lapsed into a comfortable silence, just letting the moment last longer for a few more seconds.

Makoto stretched and then leaned back. "Anyways, I'll probably hear Komaru's version later so tell me your take of what happened back there so I could compare stories later."

"Hold it!" And as if the mere mention of her name had summoned her, Komaru suddenly appeared with three tall glasses held recklessly in her two hands. "You did not just ask her to talk about our meeting- without waiting for me?"

"I just did. What's wrong with that? You already know what happened." He shifted in his seat to make space for his sister.

"Yeah, but I also want to hear her side of the story." She said as she set down the drinks and then plopped herself on the between the two. "Like what she saw or if time slowed down for her or something."

He raised an eyebrow skeptically. "Okay, now I'm really curious as to what exactly happened between you two."

She squealed. "You should be because it's super exciting!"

Mukuro calmly interjected, "There's not much to say. She was having problems dealing with a difficult person and I smoothened out the negotiations."

"That's… suspiciously vague." He said as he scratched his chin.

"Yeah, you forgot to mention the part where you totally kicked that jerk's butt." Komaru said as she delivered a few jabs in the air.

Mukuro merely shook her head. "Unnecessary details. The report is already perfectly summarized to highlight only the important parts."

"Hold on." Makoto said as he raised his palm and leaned forward. "Did I just hear her, right? Were you two involved in a fight?"

"Yeah, and it was awesome!" Komaru exclaimed excitedly while she pumped her fists. "Actually, it was totally scary but now that I look back on it in the comfort and safety of our home, I think that it was pretty cool. You should've seen her, big bro. She was absolutely awesome!"

"So a fight really happened. Please tell me there weren't any guns involved." He said concernedly.

"Nope, no guns." She raised a peace sign.

He let out a sigh of relief. "Oh, thank goodness. For a second there, you had me worried."

"But I think there was a knife." She turned to Mukuro. "That was a knife, right?"

He almost jumped off his seat, his face showed that his blood pressure must have jumped with him. "What? What exactly were you two doing?"

She ignored his questions and continued her narration. "The knife was actually jerkface's which was totally sharp and scary because he kept holding it at me. And then there was blood. No, wait. Was that before or after the knife disappeared? Hmm, I think it was before. Yup, before. Like the knife was gone and then something happened and then the blood came after..." She ranted on as her brother's face looked worse with every added detail.

It was then that Mukuro thought it would be best to intervene before Makoto could get a heart attack from overthinking what actually happened. He was always easily affected by other's experiences and it seemed like his sister failed to notice his uncomfortableness with her rather somewhat vague and yet vivid experience she was excitedly talking about. He probably was even more worried because this was her sister who was talking about knives and blood and both having happened to her. Mukuro couldn't help but do damage control.

She finally spoke. "Naegi."

"Yes?" Makoto replied.

"Yeah?" And so did Komaru.

Only to have both Naegi siblings answer rather than just one of them. That she did not expect.

"Uhh, no." She carefully started. "I meant Naegi. Um, my classmate, Naegi, not Naegi's sister."

"I've been demoted to Naegi's sister. Talk about depressing." Komaru visibly deflated. "It kinda hurts that you don't call me by my name."

"Sorry, uh…" Mukuro trailed. What else was she supposed to call her? "Naegi?"

She pouted. "It's Komaru, you know."

"I know." She said flatly. In truth, she had already made a mental note of it the first time she heard Makoto say her name.

"You do?" That took her by surprise. "Then why don't you just call me that?"

Mukuro was taken aback by her brashness. She wanted her to use the first name just like that? Even Mukuro knew better social etiquette. "It's not that simple. Isn't there a rule for this?"

"Rule?" She asked with her head tilted.

"Social protocol. We're not that close enough to call each other by our first names." She clarified.

"Oh." She sank lower into her seat as understanding hit her but that did not deter her resolve. "I get where you're coming from. But I don't want to be stuck as Naegi's sister. And calling us both by our surnames is just confusing. Can't you make an exception to the rule?"

"I don't know. I don't make the rules." She answered hesitantly as she looked down. After all, she was trained to follow rules, not bend them.

"Yeah, why not give it a try, Mukuro?" Makoto commented offhandedly.

It took her ten full seconds before her head snapped up to look at him in confusion. "...Huh?"

How strange, Mukuro could have sworn she heard him use her first name but that couldn't be true. They have always used surnames around each other and she's almost certain that not even Makoto has called anyone else in class by their first name. At least, based on her observation, not like she was paying any special attention to him or anything, it was just strictly inferred from normal observation. She figured that she must have misheard him but then again, something about his face told her that she didn't imagine it at all.

"Was that too sudden?" He sheepishly rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment. "Honestly, I also want to go on a first name basis. And while we're at it, I thought that it should only be fair that you get the same treatment."

He wanted to use first names? But as far as she knew, first names were a privilege that only the closest of friends and relatives use. Which meant… what exactly for them? Were they already close enough? But she didn't even know he had a sister before today happened. Or was he trying to say that he wanted to get closer? In which case, that's still considered a violation of the protocol. And why was she so bothered over something as trivial as names?

For some inexplicable reason, she's suddenly overly conscious of her name and the mixed feelings that came with him calling her by that.

And so, unaware of her inner turmoil, he shyly asked her with childlike innocence shining in his eyes, "Are you okay with this, Mukuro?"

There it was again. This time she's sure that he said it. Mukuro has never cared so much for her name but hearing it pass through his lips has brought light to a few things. One, he made her name sound better than it actually was. Two, she did not mind being called by her first name.

And three, if she agreed to this, then she'd hear that again.

Social protocol also called for the first name basis to be a mutual thing. "Yes, this is acceptable…" She paused as a smile tugged at the corner of her lips. "Makoto."

He smiled back. "I can't believe just how happy I am from hearing you say that." He then held his hands together and leaned forward some more in his excitement. "Oh, then why not keep this up even when Komaru's not here? I'm totally cool with using first name basis when we're in school."

So they really were going to do this then. She clearly underestimated the power of names because her heart was beating faster now than it did during that one time she had to walk through a minefield. "I'll keep that in mind." She blankly replied.

"Hey, no fair!" Komaru crossly intruded with a heavy pout. "How come you get your first name called before mine? I asked her first."

"I think it's fair enough. After all, I was friends with her first." Makoto patted her head, the action reminded her of an adult pacifying a child who was throwing a tantrum.

And it looked like it was working because she settled down. "You have a point. Maybe I'm just being too pushy about this." Maybe it was too effective since she didn't look mad anymore but rather gloomy instead.

Well, if they both insisted at it then Mukuro had no reason to object. She spoke softly, "It's alright, Komaru."

"Yeah, right." She sighed wearily. It looked like she was about to start another pity party but at the last second, her head shot up with her eyes sparkling with anticipation. "Wait. Did you just say my first name?"

She slowly nodded. "Yes. Is the pronunciation correct, Komaru?"

"There it is again!" "Oh, geez, this is great! We're going to be best friends!"

"Don't mind her. She's been lonely ever since we moved so she gets easily excited."

"Oh but where are my manners? Please be my friend?"

Mukuro blinked back. For a second, she remembered something similar that Makoto said on their first day. They really were siblings. Unexpectedly, it seemed that she had made a friend today. "Sure, why not."

"Yes! I can't believe I'm now friends with the awesome big sis Mukuro!" She giddily bounced in barely contained excitement.

"Good for you, Komaru." Makoto congratulated his already celebrating sibling. And then he also flashed a smile at the other occupant of the couch. "And thanks for taking care of my sister, Mukuro."

As heartwarming as this moment was, it didn't last long since another person intruded shortly after.

"I'm home!" A voiced yelled from the hallway leading to the living room.

"Dad's back!" Komaru beamed as she turned her head to face the said person.

"Welcome back, dad." Makoto warmly greeted him.

"Heya, kiddos." Their father strode in and roughly ruffled their heads. It was only after that did he realize that there was someone else in the room. "And who is this fine young lady?"

Mukuro stood up and properly bowed. "Mukuro Ikusaba. Good evening, sir."

"Good evening to you too. And please, sit down. No need to be so formal." He chuckled lightheartedly. "Komaru, you didn't tell me you were going to have a friend over."

"Friend, hehe." She smiled goofily at the word and then proudly huffed. "That's right! She is my friend. I do definitely have her as my friend."

"Isn't that what I said?" He asked.

Makoto whispered. "Don't mind her. They just met today."

Which was useless because she still heard him. Her senses were apparently sharper whenever someone was making a fool out of her. "Hey! FYI, we're already on a first name basis." She said indignantly.

"I know. I was there, remember?" He calmly replied. "Besides, you call almost everyone on a first name basis. Even the idols you cheer on who probably don't even know you exist."

"Oh, brother." She slowly shook her head and stared at him pitifully. "Every fan knows that the bond between fans and idols are deeper than any abyss. We are bonded by something more powerful. We are all connected with our hearts."

"Those are song lyrics." He commented from the side.

She then dramatically held her hands clutched over her chest with a faraway look. "Just another truth our songs sing."

"And that's just the title." He rolled his eyes.

Meanwhile, Mukuro was starting to realize that these two siblings were bickering. Again.

It was a good thing that their father was there to step in between them. "Settle down you two. You don't want our guest to see our dirty laundry so early. And I also can't keep up with what you're saying. Seriously, kids and their slang." He crossed his arms and said sternly, "Anyways, so is she your friend or not?"

"She is!" Komaru nodded eagerly. "And she also saved my life."

"Your life?" He said taken aback, crease lines already formed on his forehead. "What on earth happened?"

"Well, the thing is-" She was about to explain herself when she was cut off.

A honeyed voice abruptly interrupted. "Excuse me but someone here forgot to greet me."

The father immediately winced and went to embrace the source. "Sweetheart! I missed you!"

"How convenient that you only remembered that now. Be grateful for our guest since I won't let you off so easy next time." The mother, Mukuro assumed, just gave him the cold shoulder.

"I was just too caught up in the excitement. I swear I would have come straight to you." He smiled sweetly at her despite himself already sweating with fear.

"Hmph. Smooth talking won't work on me." She ruthlessly rejected him. She opened her mouth to say more but paused once her eyes inadvertently met with Mukuro's. And just like that, her whole aura melted into a warm and nurturing one. "Oh, and where are my manners? I'm sure you didn't want to see that."

"Don't mind me, ma'am." Mukuro politely replied, stood, and then bowed. "Um, good evening. I'm Mukuro Ikusaba."

"It's nice to meet you too, miss Ikusaba. Please, you don't need to act so stiff. Now, sit down." She said as she regarded her with a certain fondness in her eyes. "You really do look as cool as Komaru described to me. You must be her angel."

Mukuro slowly blinked. "...Angel?" That's a nickname she's never heard used on her before. Demon probably with all her track record in Fenrir, but not angel. Unless of course, she meant angel of death although it would be strange for her to use that since as far as she knew, she didn't know of her killing streak. Rather than be flattered, Mukuro was left confused.

"She meant that as rescuer since you did help her out and all." Makoto explained.

"I know what I meant and I meant angel." The mother said matter-of-factly. "As in an angel both in the act and in the looks department."

What? Wait, so she meant angel as in a compliment, right? She flushed. "Oh, um…"

"No need to be so embarrassed about it. It's true after all." The mother remarked quite amused.

"Okay?" She fidgeted, still uncomfortable with flattery. "Uh, thanks… I guess?"

"Aww, isn't she just adorable?" She teased further as she flashed a knowing smile at her son. "Don't you think so too, Makoto?"

"Me?" He started and almost jumped out of the couch. "W-why are you asking me?"

"Because I heard from Komaru that you two are classmates, right?" She said as she stretched the last word.

He gulped. "Yeah, we are."

She clapped once. "Then that's it. We need one more opinion and it'll be nice if it's from someone close to verify mine."

"I don't see how that makes sense though." He protested with reason.

"Answer the question, hun, or you'll only be getting side dishes tonight." She said with a thinly veiled threat underneath her sweet smile.

He stammered. "O-oh, okay." And then in a much smaller voice, he mumbled, "Yes, Mukuro's… cute."

Which resulted in two teens red in embarrassment at the couch.

"Actually, I said adorable but you said cute instead. It's good to know your honest thoughts." She smiled approvingly. "Does he also call you cute at school?"

They both flushed harder.

"W-what? Mom! You're making this awkward." Makoto cried out in protest but it fell on deaf ears.

"Now, Makoto. There's no shame in calling a girl cute." The father laughed heartily.

"Dad! You're making this worse." He groaned as he hid his face in his hands as if that would protect him from the shame.

"Can I ship this? Cause I really really want to ship this." Komaru cooed as she enthusiastically joined in. "Aaand too late. I'm shipping this now."

"Komaru! Not you too!" He sighed painfully.

Meanwhile, Mukuro was struggling to interject with her own words. Now seemed like a good time to bail out. She was certainly not escaping just because this conversation made her uncomfortable but admittedly, that was her main motivation. So with hardened resolve, she quietly spoke up, "Um, it's been nice meeting you but I'll be taking my leave now."

All eyes turned to her in surprise, as if they almost forgot that she was there in the first place.

"Aw, already? Can't you stay longer?" Komaru pleaded with a pout.

"She's right. I actually have the table set for five people and I'm not giving away the fifth seat to anyone else." The mother backed her up.

Mukuro still turned down their offer. "The action is appreciated but I need to go."

"Are you in a hurry?"

"Not really."

"Then I don't see the problem. Stay and have dinner with us." She insisted.

"You've had a long day. You're better off going home with something in your stomach." This time it was the father who asked her to stay.

Mukuro merely shook her head. "That's not necessary. I can hold off hunger at least until I get home."

"Yeah, but…" Komaru bit the inside of her cheek in thought. As expected, she was persistent about this the most. Her eyes were closed as she thought hard until finally, an idea struck her. "Oh! What about cake!"

"You mean the one we bought?" Mukuro cocked her head to one side.

"Yes! That cake!" She quickly mumbled something vaguely close to "now what?" and then continued to talk slowly, as if she had no idea on what to say next. She was probably making it up as she went. "I uh, the truth is um…" She paused and inhaled sharply. "I really want to eat it?"

Regardless of whether or not Mukuro believed her, she thought it was better to play along since it wouldn't necessarily stop her. "Okay, then I'll just leave it behind."

"No! Don't do that!" She yelled in protest. "Because…" She trailed, trying to buy her time. Her eyes frantically searched for help from her family but they just offered her a 'good luck you're on your own' smile. She panicked. "Because that's supposed to be yours and I can't eat it unless uhh…" She then continued fumbling with her words, "We uh, share it or something. But it has to be like um, tonight. As in it really has to be tonight or else it won't work."

"Oh…" Mukuro contemplated on the out of the blue proposition to share cake. She didn't know what to say to that. "Why tonight though?"

"To… to uh, commemorate our friendship!" She repeated this to herself and then spoke more confidently. "Yeah, that sounds right. It's kinda like an um, social prototype thing."

"Protocol." Makoto whispered from behind.

She nodded a little too enthusiastically. "Yeah, what he said."

"Really? I didn't know about that." Actually, that's the first she's heard of this kind of social etiquette.

"Well now you do." She casually smoothed over that fact, now with bolstered confidence. "So how about you stay with us for dinner? And then we can have the cake after."

"If it is a social protocol then…" Mukuro trailed on.

"Please? Pretty please? I'll even let you have the end slice you know, the one with extra icing." Komaru begged with beady eyes.

"Hm…" She contemplated.

It was then that Makoto decided to share his own thoughts on the matter. "Hey, Mukuro. It would be nice if you stayed a little longer."

She paused her thoughts just so she could focus on the rest of what he had to say.

"I'm also kind of looking forward to dinner with you." He smiled kindly. "But it's okay if you can't today. Don't agree if you just feel like you're pressured into it. There's still a next time."

Leave it to Makoto to have Mukuro seriously consider staying longer. He looked so hopeful, probably unintentionally so, that she couldn't help but feel guilty knowing she'd crush his hopes if she turned them down. Honestly, she didn't even know the first thing about joining another family for dinner but the awkwardness of going through that did not outweigh the disappointment she'd inflict on others for not trying at all. In the end, she had no choice after all.

If it was a social protocol, if he was also looking forward to this, if she didn't want to disappoint anyone-

"Then…" She finally gave in and agreed. "Only until I fulfill the cake duty."

She could have sworn the whole room lit up just from all of their smiles.

Fortunately for her, table talk was easier than she thought it was. This was mostly due to the fact that everyone else was firstly concerned with her brush at the alleyway. When it was painfully obvious that Komaru wanted to retell the fateful encounter, Mukuro conceded. Although the spotlight was still somewhat shining on her, at least most of the focus was on Komaru as she excitedly recounted a rather vocal version of what actually happened. To be fair, she did make it sound more interesting than whatever Mukuro could have told and she was entertained as well.

"And then she did her finishing move like WHAM!" Komaru hollered as her fists collided in dramatic yet inaccurate reenactment. "That jerk didn't stand a chance!" She yelled in fervor.

At the end of her story, everyone was lightly clapping as she looked proud of herself, even Mukuro applauded her storytelling skills.

"It was really brave of you to step in and help our daughter." The mother said, apparently moved by Komaru's riveting tale.

"She's right. Thank you so much for bringing our girl back." The father seconded.

Again with the gratitude. This was too much for her to be receiving all in one day. "It was no problem. I only did what needed to be done."

"Someone's too humble if I ever saw one." The mother remarked.

"Still, Hope's Peak Academy and Makoto's classmate to boot. Then you're the real talented deal." The father bluntly asked, "Tell us, what's your talent?"

As expected, the unavoidable question came up. That's just one of the things that came with being a student of such a renowned school. As soon as they find out you're from there, then there's always the follow-up question of your talent. And in Mukuro's case, there's also the following automatic response of fear and apprehension whenever she mentioned her talent. That's understandable given the nature of her skills and track record. People were always terrified of her after they found out. She's used to it by now.

Mukuro expected this so she didn't even hesitate when she answered. "Ultimate Soldier, sir."

What she didn't expect was unadulterated adoration.

"Are you for real? That's like the coolest talent ever! Now wonder you're so good at kicking butt." Komaru said with sparkles in her eyes and her voice dripped with awe.

Rather than be offended, the father seemed distracted. "Soldier? Now why does that sound so familiar?" He pondered. "Hey, isn't that the one Makoto here keeps talking about?"

"Ack!" Makoto choked on his water and coughed violently. Once recovered, he hoarsely yelled, "DAD! NO!"

"Oh, now that you mention it, I do remember him bringing up something about a soldier in his class." The mother concurred thoughtfully. "He always had this goofy smile whenever he talked about it."

Makoto yelled again, his face flushed. "MOM! STOP IT!"

Mukuro quietly watched the exchange take place. The key takeaway was the fact that Makoto seemed to have mentioned her before… with fondness. She took that probable truth with a grain of salt considering the teasing tone of his parents. They were just joking, right? It's not like Makoto would actually volunteer her information to his family. And even so, he must have done the same for the rest of their classmates. After all, he was that type of person who liked talking about his friends. That's right. She convinced herself that's all there was to it and proceeded to steady her suddenly faster beating heart. She was getting worked up over nothing.

It was then that the father decided to break away from the joshing and talked to her instead. "But soldier, huh." He whistled shortly. "Even though you're the same age as Makoto here, it's kind of hard to swallow. You must be pretty tough then. Say how strong are you, miss?"

Mukuro nonchalantly shrugged. "Strong enough. The best in my squad."

"And technically she's the best high schooler at it since she got scouted by Hope's Peak." Komaru cheerfully added with barely contained admiration.

"No wonder you easily protected Komaru." He said appreciatively but shortly sombered. "You must have had a rough life to be a soldier at such a young age. I'm a little bit concerned."

She shook her head. "There's nothing to worry about. It's a road I chose out of free will and a decision I do not regret."

This wasn't a sob story. She wanted to be a soldier. And she became the best at it. It was as simple as that. There was no need for drama in between.

"So cool!" Komaru practically squealed. "That's just like what any responsible protag would say."

He frowned deeply. "You may say that but as a parent, it's in our nature to worry over you kids. Didn't yours say anything when you brought up your decision?"

Mukuro blankly stared back and in an emotionless voice she said, "Actually, I don't have any parents."

A thick air of silence filled the room all of a sudden.

Makoto, already aware of her non-existent parents and her indifference toward that fact, was smiling at her encouragingly. While the rest of his family was still getting over that shocking truth. Honestly, Mukuro didn't see why others would handle it so precariously when she and Junko couldn't care less about it. They never had any parents to begin with so she didn't miss them at all. Even if they were alive, she wouldn't go so far as to find them. They never needed them and they're better off without them. That much was clear to both her and her twin.

However, that didn't mean outsiders would easily understand.

"I..don't know what to say." Komaru looked as down as her spirits.

"An orphan? Oh, I'm sorry to hear that." The father said remorsely.

"We didn't mean to have you bring up any painful memories or feelings." The mother sympathetically spoke.

That's another thing which Mukuro disliked about her parents. It was bad enough that they were never there, it's worse that they still seemed to hold presence even though they're gone. The mere mention of their absence has significantly dampened the mood at the table. There's always the knee-jerk reaction of pity that's never warranted. Honestly, it was just annoying how their non-existent parents still hold some power over conversations. But the fact remained that her parents were in fact, insignificant, and she just has to convey that message across properly.

"It's okay. It doesn't affect me at all." Mukuro said evenly and then in a softer tone she declared, "I have a sister. She's all the family I need."

That seemed to quell the gloom as the mother's face broke into a warm smile. "That's good. We're happy to know that you're not alone. It sounds like you two are close. You must really love her."

Mukuro nodded. "I do." A ghost of a smiled tugged at her lips. "I love her the most."

"She's blessed to have you as a sister then."

"No, I'm the one who's blessed to have her." She truly was. She didn't think she'd make it this far without her sister supporting her. She may have lived her life without parents but the tradeoff was that she was born with a twin. That's the special thing about having a twin, she was never truly alone.

Of all the blessings she's received in her life, Mukuro easily ranked Junko as the first and most important.

"Even better! You're both blessed to have each other." She then stretched her hand across the table and tentatively placed it on on top of Mukuro's. "Well, if you ever need parental guidance, you're always welcome to knock on our door."

"Pardon?" Her hand slightly twitched at the unexpected contact.

"If there's anything you need help with that you can't get from your sister or your friends, you can come to us." She spoke warmly and something about her voice told Mukuro that this was what a mother was supposed to sound like. She sounded safe, warm and welcoming.

"..." Mukuro didn't trust herself to speak right now.

What was with Makoto and his family? Weren't they too accommodating? Hadn't she overstayed her welcome already? They offered her a place to rest, then dinner, and now this. Were all families supposed to be this welcoming? They were practically accepting her with open arms and it took Mukuro's whole strength to stop herself from fleeing. She didn't know how to deal with gentle compassion or any other warm and safe feeling. She didn't know because she hardly experienced it in her life. She's much more used to the cursing and slurs that the street has thrown at her. She's much more used to the clear cut non-invasive instructions that Fenrir has ordered of her. She's much more used to the twisted words her sister has sometimes spat at her.

However, she's not that used to being on the receiving end of compassion.

That's why she was so confused by all the kindness they were showering her with. His sister adored her quite fanatically. And then there was his parents, especially his mother, who fretted over her and treated her like she was one of them, a lost child that has just returned. They were coddling her like she was their third child. That's when everything came through her like an epiphany. She finally pinpointed the reason as to why she felt so confused over this new experience.

For the first time in her life, she felt like a child, like she was actually someone's child, like she was their child.

"Think of us as your quasi-parents." The mother said reassuringly.

"Or we could legally be your parents. It's easy too!" The father interjected as he loudly clapped on Makoto's shoulder. "Just marry into the family with Makoto here."

"Dad!" He yelped in protest, color returning to his face yet again. "W-what are you even saying?!"

"Just laying out the facts. I'm sure you're willing anyways." He mischievously winked.

"That's a great idea!" Komaru cheerfully approved. "Then we'd be sisters-in-law."

"No one asked for your opinion!" He argued exasperatedly.

"See, even your sister already gives her blessing." The father chuckled heartily.

"Down, sweetie. Don't tease the kids too much now." The mother giggled shortly as she then turned her attention back to Mukuro. "So what do you say?"

"…" She kept quiet.

"Oh, and I don't mean the arranged marriage proposal. You can think about that later on when you two are older." She playfully winked.

"Mom!" Makoto hissed. "Drop it! Please?"

"Okay, hun. I will let it go... For now." She yielded.

"Finally!" He breathed a long sigh of relief.

She then gave Mukuro's hand another gentle squeeze. "So what do you want to do with our parental guidance offer?"

"I…" Mukuro paused as she gave it one last thought.

They weren't her parents, and she couldn't see them as her parents. At least, not yet. However oddly enough, when she's with them she felt like a child. Not just some kid but someone's child. And that bothered her. She's never felt like that before and she couldn't tell if this was a good feeling or not. It was uncharted territory for her. As far as her life went, she only had siblings but no parents. She had her sister, Junko and when she became a soldier, she had her comrades which she could consider as siblings. The closest thing she had to a parent were her mentors at Fenrir and not even they treated her like a child. Truly, this was entirely new for her.

It was new and terrifying and yet strangely, she felt safe. Not really comfortable, not yet, but she didn't feel threatened at all. She figured that maybe this wasn't so bad. Maybe it was worth a shot. She still didn't know her answer but she knew it wasn't a no. However, agreeing to it might be too soon for her. Everything was just so sudden for her, especially the proposal. She needed time to carefully process this, to figure it out properly, to wholeheartedly accept it.

So until then, "I'll consider it."

Maybe, in the future, she'd find the courage to take them up on the offer. Just maybe. But that was still a long road down the way. There was no need to rush.

"That's okay too. Take all the time you need, hun. There's no expiration date to it." The mother spoke softly, understandingly, as she gave the hand one final squeeze and then let go.

"Our door's always open for you. Come in whenever you feel like it, with or without problems." The father said this as he gave her a thumbs up.

Her hand was still warm from earlier and oddly enough, the warmth stretched from there and reached her chest. And she figured that she did not dislike it. In fact, she grew fond of the feeling. "Thank you. I really appreciate the offer."

"Yeah and if you're too embarrassed to talk to my parents, because heck even I would be, then you can always talk to me instead." Makoto smiled at her encouragingly.

She couldn't help but smile back and even though it was small compared to his, it was still there. "I know. That's already a given."

"So you're definitely coming back, right?" He asked hopefully.

"We'll see." She said enigmatically.

"Close enough." Komaru intervened. "Now that we've all bonded enough, let's celebrate that with cake!"

"You just wanted an excuse to eat the cake already." Makoto simply sighed at his sister's untimely intrusion.

"Hey! This cake's not gonna eat itself you know." She snarkily replied. "Anyways, here's to our guest of honor, big sis Mukuro!"

This family was different from what she's used to, definitely different from Junko but she didn't mind.

There's not much to say about what happened next. They ate the cake just as promised and with half roll just enough for five slices. Unfortunately though, Makoto's slice accidentally fell off his plate and not even the five second rule could have saved it. Mukuro ended up sharing half of her slice with him, much to his sister's protests, because she reasoned that she wasn't that into sweets. His parents tried to share their slice with her, which was odd when she thought about it because they could have offered it to their son instead, but she turned down all offers. She didn't need to eat much, just enough to savor the taste.

Contrary to what she expected from the supposed social protocol, there were no scripted words to be said nor was there an exchange of gestures of sorts. They just shared a cake, as simple as that. She almost believed that the cake was just a ruse that Komaru has thought of just to keep her from leaving. Oddly enough, if it was then she wasn't mad. She's a bit flattered that she went through such lengths just to have her stay longer. It was endearing.

And just as she expected, the cake was sweet, maybe even sweeter. She discreetly glanced at the lively family, all of them either smiling or laughing. She took another bite of cake and smiled. Definitely sweeter.

However, after that, she had no other obligation to tie her down. So after the appropriate amount of minutes have passed, which was seventeen by the way and she counted them precisely down to the last second, she expressed her decision to leave. And as much as it looked like it pained them to let her go, they reluctantly agreed that it was for the best. The exchange of farewells were brief, because she didn't want to miss the scheduled bus, but they were all heartfelt. Finally, after hours since she first arrived at their home, Mukuro has successfully left. But not without company.

She was now walking down the street with Makoto right by her side.

"You didn't have to walk me to the bus stop." Mukuro said evenly with a small frown on her lips.

"I want to." Makoto chuckled lightly, in contrast with her, he was smiling. He was always smiling at her. "I know you can take care of yourself without me here but…"

"But?"

"I'd still worry, you know. I don't think I'd sleep well if I didn't come with you. It's more reassuring to see you off." He said as he sheepishly scratched the back of his neck.

Why would he worry? Hadn't she already proven herself that she was more than capable to fend off assailants? For someone who was optimistic, he worried too much. She shook her head. "There's no need to worry."

"I know. Besides, that's only half of my reasons." He cryptically trailed off.

Now that caught her attention which pushed her to stare at him inquisitively. "What's the other half?"

He startled at the eye contact and then evasively looked away, his adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed nervously. "I guess I wanted to see you just a little while longer." His voice was small, shy, and embarrassed at the edges. "And this time, no nosy family on either side. Just us two."

There it was again, a slow burning warmth inside her chest, and also probably on her face as well.

"You're not bothered by my visit?" She asked disbelievingly.

The question kicked whatever hesitation he had out of him. He looked back at her incredulously. "What? Of course not! I'm really happy you came by! Honestly, I'm so happy right now that I can't stop smiling." And he was, he's been smiling the whole time. She knew this because she might have been stealing glances every now and then. He then continued, "How about you? My family was extra pushy tonight. Really sorry about that. Sometimes they just get carried away. I hope they didn't scare you."

"No, it's alright. They were…" She paused as she recalled the feelings they incited. "Nice." She said distractedly.

"Thanks. It means a lot when you say it." He let out a relieved sigh and stretched. "So as far as first impressions go, what do you think of my family?" He tried to pass it off as casual but it was obvious from his fidgeting that he'd been wanting to ask that question for a while now. He was apparently worried over her approval. "I mean, are they okay? Do you like them?"

She didn't answer as quickly this time.

Mukuro pored over the questions with utmost consideration. Makoto's family was… average. From their structure of two parents and two children, down to their background of a working father, a stay-at-home mother, and both siblings still students but with no part-time jobs. They were a classic picture of domestic civilian life. There was nothing special about them, no defining traits, no absurd circumstances, and no weird tics as far as she knew. They were just plain, ordinary and overall, average. If she were to honestly say her first impression then it was just that. They were a stereotypical nuclear family and nothing more.

However, sitting down and getting to talk with them, she realized that those were just superficial observations. His sister, although overbearing, obviously meant well and for some reason, she immediately attached herself to Mukuro. His father had a penchant for jokes and made sure to keep the mood lighthearted for everyone to enjoy. His mother fussed over all of them in a manner that was both strict and yet endearing at the time. They were all naturally good people and she shouldn't have expected otherwise from Makoto's family. They truly were blood related since kindness overflowed from each of them.

"They're kind…if not a little overwhelming." She whispered, as if she was still lost in her thoughts, unaware that she was already voicing them.

"Embarrassingly so." He added wincingly.

"But they're still your family, ya?" Her voice changed in between and now there was a certain warmth in her tone. She wasn't sure if she was referring to his family or to hers but she knew he'd understand either way. "So they're precious to you no matter what. Whether I like them or not won't change the fact that you'll still love them." She finished with a ghost of a smile tugging at the corner of her lips.

"You're absolutely right." While his unrestrained grin reached his ears.

There's still one more question she has to answer so she refocused her thoughts there.

There was Mukuro who unanticipatedly walked into their house. There was Mukuro who wasn't related to them at all, intruding into their home. There was Mukuro who was an outsider.

And yet, strangely enough, for an outsider, she didn't feel out of place at all.

The whole time Mukuro spent at their home, she spent being coddled up in unexpected attention, the good kind, and to a certain extent, maybe even affection. They all easily welcomed her as if they knew her all along, as if she truly belonged. She's not sure if any other family would have done the same but she was certain of one thing though.

This was the first time she's experienced such a warm welcome from a group of strangers. And she preferred warm over cold.

So regarding whether or not she liked his family, "I think that I don't… dislike them."

When she turned her head to face him, for a moment, she saw an unreadable expression on his face. And in the next moment, she saw that same face slowly transform into one of unbridled joy complete with a blinding smile. "That's just like you to say that."

They stayed like that for a while, just basking in each other's presence. There's no one else outside at this hour and so there's nothing to intrude on this moment.

A fleeting moment shared by just the two of them.

"Hey, Mukuro." He paused only to make sure that she was staring back. "Come back again, okay? Komaru will definitely be happy to see you and it looks like my parents want to adopt you already. Of course, it goes without saying that I also want you back here. So you should definitely visit more." He finished with a sheepish smile.

If it's him asking, she didn't need to think twice. "Maybe I will, Makoto."

And they lapsed into another long but comfortable silence as they waited for the bus to come.

She never got on the bus that night.

The bus was running late, which was odd considering that the buses were never late, so they pulled out their phones and checked online to see if the schedule had been moved due to some incident or emergency. She didn't know why she expected otherwise but the last bus for that night was cancelled and then next one wouldn't arrive until the next six hours. It was inconvenient but nothing she couldn't handle.

She'd just have to walk all the way back. To which Makoto expressed his horror once she announced this. It was either she walked all those kilometers home or she camped out all those hours on the street until the next bus. Both plans were vehemently dismissed by him. So she asked him for a better idea to which he replied with an overnight proposal. A brief phone call and acquired permission later, they went for his plan instead. She only agreed because he said that he wouldn't leave until she went back with him. She knew that he was serious, he had that same look he always wore whenever he was determined to do something. It was pure undeterred resolve that was not something she could fight against. So she reluctantly conceded.

And that's how she ended up back at the Naegi home.

"We're back!" Makoto happily announced, with Mukuro quietly beside him.

The rest of his family warmly greeted them in return. "Welcome back!"

Something about this was just so natural that Mukuro believed that they greeted like how they accepted her, not only her return for tonight, but also her as a person.

And although this wasn't her family, she couldn't help but feel welcomed.

~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~

The years go by without her even noticing it.

She's only sixteen for a moment. The moment passes in a blink and so does her high school and college years. She's in her early thirties now but even that will last only for a moment. However, this is the moment she's living in now and she's making sure that it's lived to the fullest. Well, it won't be anything as exciting as a life-threatening field day during a war because she doesn't do that anymore.

She's mellowed out over the years as evidenced by her fairly recent domestic life. Although she went back to being a soldier after finishing her education, she realized at some point that she couldn't keep it with her changing priorities. So she settled for a high profile guard duty but eventually got recruited by the police force because of her reputation, and then finally back to guard duty again due to special circumstances. There's not much excitement on the job as a security guard for a bank but it's not like she's expecting any.

She gets plenty of that already from her own home.

Today would be especially exciting since her sister is coming. Ever since they had to separate due to conflicting careers, they only get together at the end of the year, usually around the last two weeks. Sometimes they see each other even before December, usually due to special cases. This only happens whenever there's an emergency, when Mukuro especially misses her, or when Junko decides to drop by for no reason whatsoever. But these rarely happen so she treasures every moment she can spend together with her twin.

Junko is scheduled to arrive before lunch which is why Mukuro is currently in the kitchen and preparing the food just for that. She would have preferred them to eat out instead but Junko insists on tasting her home-cooked meal and not so silently judge her. That's the closest thing to Junko telling her that she missed her and also that her cooking still needs improvement. She's already used to her twin's subliminal way of showing affection or at least she likes to believe that she's being affectionate. She never did master understanding her.

The doorbell rings and Mukuro checks the clock only to see that it is ten o'clock which is uncharacteristically early for Junko but she doesn't complain. She turns off the stove that she's using and checks if there are any knives out as a precaution against any untoward incident. Satisfied that she can leave the kitchen in the safest state possible, she heads out and opens the door to greet the guest.

Except it is not her sister that greets her but rather a young man in courier uniform. "Good day, ma'am. I have a package addressed to a Mr. Naegi!"

She discreetly scrutinizes both the person and the inconspicuous box in his hands. They seem safe enough. "He's preoccupied at the moment. I'll receive it instead."

He takes out the small device for e-signatures. "Are you a friend or relative?"

"I'm-" She starts but immediately stops when she hears the scurrying of little feet heading towards her.

"Mama, mama! Who's that at the dwoor?" A small boy tugs at her left.

"Mama, mama! Is that Auntie Junkie at the dwoor?" A small girl tugs at her right.

The two most adorable children in the world couldn't be any more excited than her to see Junko that they must have ran straight for the door as soon as they could when they heard the doorbell. Unfortunately though, they were still in the middle of a bath when this happened but that apparently didn't stop them as evidenced by their soaked figures and the trail of water and bubbles they left. Her four year old twins are now both by her sides, covered in soap suds, and staring at her with wide and curious eyes.

"Sorry, Mukuro. They were too slippery for me." Makoto says out of breath. He's at the other end of the short corridor, his clothes are disheveled and his hands are also covered with soap suds.

It doesn't take much to figure out what happened and she doesn't fault anyone for it. This is just another exciting day so it seems. She takes it all in stride.

She crouches down and tenderly places a hand on each of the twins' heads. Her voice is softer now yet still stern, a technique she thinks she's almost mastered. "You're both soaking wet. What did we talk about wetness and manners?"

"I know, I know! We keep the wet in the bathwoom." Her little boy chirps.

"I know, I know! We have to dwy in the bathwoom." Her little girl squeeks.

"Very Good." She smiles encouragingly. The smiles come to her easily nowadays. "Now go back to the bathroom with your father and finish your bath before you catch a cold. Auntie Junkie will come only after you're both clean and dry." She affectionately ruffles their mops of hair and gently lets them go.

For such small children, they have the largest of smiles.

"Okay, okay!" They both answer in unison and then happily race off, giggling and cheering along the way.

"Ah! No running!" Makoto worriedly yells back and then mouths her a "Thank you." before heading back to the bathroom as well.

With that, she dries her hands on her aprons, and finally returns to the bewildered stranger at her door. She writes down her name and signature. "Here you go."

Received by: Mukuro Naegi

"Thank you for doing business with us and happy holidays!" He swiftly makes his exit after he hands her the package.

Now with that taken care of, she closes the door and places the box on a table in the living room. Then she takes out a mop to clean up the fresh trail of water her kids brazenly left. Satisfied that the threat of slippery surfaces has been eliminated, the mop is returned to its storage. That's one chore out of the way and a few accidents prevented but there's still more work to do. There's always more work to do. She still needs to finish cooking so she tries to make her way back to the kitchen.

Well, at least she tried.

"Mama, mama! We wanna help cook! Pwease?"

"Mama, mama! We wanna help cook! Pwetty pwease?"

The twins, now dry and dressed in warm clothes, look at her expectantly with wide puppy-dog eyes.

Just behind them is Makoto with a tired but proud smile. "Don't look at me. They thought of this themselves. Said that Auntie Junkie might come faster if the food is already done. How cute!"

"Help cook! Is it okay, okay?" Both throw themselves to hug her legs and then excitedly pull at her apron, as if they believe that if they tug enough times, she'll eventually say yes.

Being swamped by this much cuteness is always a blessing. She doesn't give her approval quickly because she wants to stretch this moment for as long as she can even though she already knows the answer. There's no way she could deny them anything. These twins are her only weakness.

She smiles affectionately at them. "Thank you. I do need a few helping hands."

There's a certain kind of tenderness in her voice, the kind that is warm and loving, the kind that she only uses around her children, the kind that only mothers use.

She's a mother now even though sometimes she hardly believes it. After all, at some point in her life, she used to be all alone. But it's different now. She's different now. She has her sister who still pulls pranks on her. She has a sister-in-law who never really outgrew her adoration for her. She has a mother and father, by extension of law, who coddle her whenever they get the chance. She has a husband whom she deeply loves and has children with. She's not alone anymore and if her family has a say in it, she won't ever be alone again.

She's come so far now that she even has a family of her own. Even though she doesn't seem to know what to do half of the time, even though there are lots of struggles she has to overcome, even though she doesn't fully understand the concept itself, even despite all that, she doesn't regret this. She's still learning and above all, she's content. She realizes this every moment she spends with them. And when her efforts are rewarded with those brilliant smiles, she knows for sure that she wouldn't trade anything in the world for this.

Mukuro Ikusaba almost lost her family once but now she's gained so much more.

~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~

Shinra-ex-SOLDIER

~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~

OMAKE

Younger Sisters Club

If there was one thing Mukuro and Makoto had in common, it was that they both had younger sisters. So it was only inevitable that those two would meet and eventually conspire together.

"OH MY GOSH! THE Junko Enoshima is right before me!" Komaru squealed as she wildly waved her arms around in joy and bounced in barely contained excitement. She has always been a fangirl of the said model so seeing her in person flipped a switch in her that made her too happy and energetic, she could probably power a laptop with her hyperactivity. Her eyes were sparkling so much that there were practically stars in them. Maybe that's where she got all her energy.

"That's right, kiddo! It's a one-on-one meet and greet of a lifetime! And it's exclusively just for you!" Junko hollered with equal if not greater fervor. She didn't want to be outdone when it comes to passion. She then playfully winked at her. "But you already know that. Seriously, kid. Ain't ya used to it by now?"

"Oh, sorry." Komaru smiled shyly as she mellowed down. "I just can't help but get starstruck each time." She took a few short breaths in order to calm herself down.

"I do have that effect on people. Nothing to be ashamed about. In fact, I'm flattered, darling!" She giggled shortly and immediately toned it down until she was just grinning widely. "So? Let's get the ball rolling! Status report."

She straightened herself at this. "Not much. I couldn't get my brother to spill anything." She slumped defeatedly.

Junko frowned slightly, her energy dying down with her motivation. "Is that so? Then I guess there's nothing for us to do here. Welp, let's just up and go now." She snapped her fingers and all of a sudden and at in a split second, she was full of energy again. "Just kidding! Not to worry, little sister character. For I, the other little sister in our troupe, have gathered some juicy info!"

Komaru eagerly leaned forward. "No way!"

"YES WAY!" She boomed proudly. "I know all the details! My sis told me so."

"Wait, ALL the details?" She asked incredulously.

"Yup, every single detail down to how they almost kinda sorta but not really held hands." Junko grinned toothily like a predator who's caught their meal of the day. "Oh, but this is confidential info only I'm supposed to know but you didn't hear it from me in case anyone asks." She playfully winked.

"That's still totally the confidentiality clause but okay." Komaru just stared back at her in awe. "Still, I can't even get that kind of info out of my brother. How do you do it?"

"Like how I get everything else that I want in life." She pretended to do her own drum roll until the great reveal of her technique, "I asked."

"You asked?" She blinked. "Just like that?"

"Just like that. No added tricks or special effects." She nodded and then upped her theatrics with a more sugar-coated voice. "I just went all hey sis tell me 'bout your date and there you have it. Simple, hassle free and effective."

"Wow." Komaru was stunned. "I still can't believe that big sis Mukuro would tell you just like that."

"Nobody can resist my charms, my sis especially. I'm her favorite sister after all." She said smugly.

"You're her only sister."

"Exactly! All the more reason for her spoil me!"

Well, she wasn't wrong about that.

"Anyways, it should be a crime that they're still not yet together. Like hello! They obviously have the hots for each other. And I mean obviously!" Junko rolled her eyes in frustration.

"Yeah! Everyone wants it to happen already so why isn't it happening yet?" Komaru agreed and then ardently pumped her fists.

Junko then looped her arm with Komaru's and smiled her biggest smile. It was scheming and yet at the same time it was earnest. It was the closest thing to an affectionate smile that she could muster. It kind of looked fake and practiced but she swore that it wasn't. Oh, well. She'll workshop that later.

"That's why as concerned siblings, we gotta help them all we can. You with me, Fami-Kom?" Junko cheerfully fist bumped their free hands as a gesture to seal their bond.

Komaru returned the fist bump with more force as her eyes hardened with determination. "You're right. We little sisters gotta stick together!"

And so, the younger sisters club was born, much to the annoyance of our not-yet couple.

~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~

BONUS

The Mother Without a Mother

Mukuro was going to be a mother.

She's known that for a while now ever since she first saw the telltale pink lines on the pregnancy test two months ago. She knew and yet she still couldn't believe it herself. She still wanted to believe that her morning sickness was due to some virus she caught even though that was unlikely because she's never been sick before in her life. She didn't want to believe that she was pregnant. She didn't want to believe it no matter how much the evidence piled up against her. She didn't want to believe she was going to be a mother.

That's because she wasn't ready.

She thought that she wouldn't ever be ready. After all, how could she do it when the closest model she had for a mother was someone else's. She didn't know what it was like to be raised by one so she had no idea how to become one. She's afraid. She's absolutely terrified. She's afraid that she'd screw up and become a disappointment. It's no longer a possibility in her mind but a certainty. She's going to screw this up, disappoint everyone who's ever believed in her, and then have them all hate her for it. Until finally everyone leaves her and she's all alone again.

There's a chance that she might be overthinking this and having fluctuating hormones didn't exactly help either. She was aware that this could happen. She married with the expectation that she might become a mother later on but no mental training could have prepared her for this. If possible, she wanted to back out now but she stops herself from doing anything impulsive. She's carrying another life in her now and so she has to be responsible. She has to be extra careful too and she swore that she was. She's diligently researched and asked for advice on how to best deal with this. Following a special diet and getting morning sickness is easy enough but the real challenge has yet to come.

The real challenge would come seven months after today.

"Hey, you okay?" Makoto asked her from the driver seat.

Mukuro just remembered that she was in the car with him. She must have looked zonked out. "Yeah, just woozy."

"Normal woozy or?" He said concernedly, stealing a glance at her.

"The usual. It'll go away soon enough." She nonchalantly shrugged.

"Okay. Just don't push yourself. We should prevent anything bad from getting worse. So rely on me some more too cause I want to help as much as I can." He reached for her hand and gave it a tender squeeze. His eyes were still on the road but his heart was set on her. "You know I love you."

She turned her hand and their fingers intertwined. "I know." And their feelings connected. "Love you too."

The stoplight was red now which.

He turned to look at her and asked lightly. "Nervous?"

She sighed and then looked down guiltily. "A little I guess."

He placed his other hand under her chin and then turned her head so they were facing each other. "What else are you worried about?"

She briefly looked away but only because she couldn't stand lying to his piercing yet honest gaze. "Nothing." She said evasively.

"Liar." He smiled knowingly. "We've been married for a while now and I've known you longer than that. I can tell that something's bothering you." He lovingly caressed her cheek and he naturally leaned towards his touch. He smiled tenderly and his voice came out soothing. "So tell me. Please?" He leaned forward and this time she couldn't look away.

She couldn't dodge the question now either. "It's just that…" She absentmindedly raised her hand to place it on top of his. The sensation greatly comforted her as she felt a layer of anxiety ebb away. It's okay, this was Makoto, she thought. Mukuro trusted him. If there's anyone she could be open with then it was him. "Do you think…" She faltered and her hand unconsciously squeezed his. "Do you think I'll be a good mother?" She looked at him desperately, frantically searching for his answer.

Contrary to her, there was no doubt or hesitation in his voice. "Of course! I know you'll be a great mother." He declared so confidently, so brilliantly, that had they been talking about anything else, she would have believed him.

She incredulously asked him, "How can you say that?"

"Because I know you." He replied matter-of-factly.

"You may know me now but what about later? I don't even know how I'll be in the long run." She said bitterly. She couldn't believe him, not when she never had the highest self-esteem.

But he still believed in her anyways. "You don't look too convinced." He affectionately rubbed the knuckle of her index finger with his thumb, in slow soothing motions. He could feel her relax more at his touch even if only just a bit. He smiled lovingly at her. "There's no such thing as a perfect mother that's why there's no standard to measure them."

She frowned slightly. "That's not what I asked. I asked you if I'll be a good mother."

He hummed. "My mom told me that there's only one thing every parent needs. That's it. You just need to have that and you'll be a great parent."

She's anxious as to what it was since this sounded like a deciding factor. Either she had it or not. A part of her told her to not bother asking because she probably didn't have it in the first place. And yet, another part of her, the hopeful part of her wanted to at least check first. She needed to know. So she asked tentatively, "What is it?"

He smiled warmly and an all too familiar feeling enveloped her. So that's what IT was, she thought with a small smile of her own. She automatically knew what the answer was before he even said it.

"Love. As long as there's love then everything follows." He spoke lovingly as if the very words he spoke were infused by that same feeling. It most likely was. After all, he always spoke to her from the heart. "If there's love then you'll automatically do your best. Just do your best in everything and pour your love all over it. It doesn't matter if you mess up along the way, it's natural for anyone to make a few mistakes. The important thing is that you don't give up. After all, you're doing it out of love and you're not supposed to give up on those you love."

He then tenderly kissed her forehead just like he always did whenever she felt insecure. It was his way of telling her she was better than she thought of herself and that even if she disliked her weaknesses, he still loved her. It was one of her favorite kisses. That's because it worked like a charm. She'd feel better, reassured and all the negative feelings would go away. All that would be left were just feelings of security.

And the lingering warmth of being loved.

"And knowing you, you're already full of love." He smiled encouragingly and proudly. She could feel her heart swell just from it. He then leaned his head so that their foreheads were now touching intimately. He smiled wider like he always did whenever he was overly happy. He seemed to only smile like that around her. "I truly am lucky to have you. You're a wonderful wife. And you'll be an even more wonderful mother."

She's still not sure about that last part but she felt a bit braver about it.

The rest of the drive was quiet but it's not tense. Makoto was humming along to the radio while Mukuro was just focusing all her efforts into stopping an oncoming migraine. They're on their way to the hospital for her scheduled appointment with a doctor. It's a bit more special than her previous visits because this time they're going to do an ultrasound. Her hand lightly settled above her stomach where the small bump was showing. This time, she'll see her child for the first time.

And when the ultrasound turned on and finally revealed their child, no one could have expected what they saw.

Mukuro's eyes widened. "They're…"

"Twins." Makoto gaped in awe.

"...Precious." She finished saying.

"Congratulations, looks like you lucked out and got twins." The doctor's words just made it official.

She was going to have twins. She couldn't believe it. Twins. Just like her and Junko.

Her heart tightened at the realization. This was a sign but of what she didn't know. But that had to mean something, her having twins for their firstborns. This had to happen for a reason and even if it didn't, even if it was just by pure chance, she'd like to think that there was something greater in the works. Truly, it was something greater because this was the greatest blessing she's received to date. She wanted to cry right then and there. This changed everything. For the first time ever since she found out she was pregnant, Mukuro finally felt it. She felt a connection with her children. And she wanted to protect it, this newly found bond. She wanted to properly treasure this precious bond like no other.

Twins. She was going to have twins. Twins just like her and Junko. But unlike them, these twins were going to have parents. They were going to have parents and she's going to be one of them. It was finally sinking in that she would become a mother. And she's coming into terms with it. She's accepted it now. The hazy fog of uncertainty and indecision has lifted over her head. There's calmness in her heart now that she's welcomed it. And though that didn't end her fears and anxiety but now there's something else. Now there's also joy and this new feeling of excitement.

Rather than looking down, she was beginning to look forward to this.

"Looks like we're gonna double our efforts." Makoto grinned at her, his eyes sparkling with joy. "This might be two much for you." He joked with a peace sign.

There were tears in her eyes as she chuckled. "You've got that wrong." Mukuro closed her eyes and then lovingly smiled. "Two is just the right number. There's no such thing as too much for a mother."

In the end, it didn't matter that Mukuro didn't have a mother who raised her. She won't let some non-existent person hold her back. She's going to be better than them. She wasn't going to let another set of twins be abandoned at birth. She's going to take responsibility and give them the love that they deserve. It's just like what her husband said. As long as there's love, she'll just have to figure out the rest. She'll have to work twice as hard, maybe even more, but that's okay. After all, they're worth it. And as she stared back at the ultrasound of her children, she hardened her resolve.

Mukuro has decided to become a mother of two.

~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~

I love Komaru, Mukuro, Makoto (not in order) so why not put a chapter with ALL OF THEM?

So Fallenstreet01 and I talked and we decided that the twins have freckles and ahoge. You're welcome.

Ask and you shall receive. For ScareCrowFM who asked for Mukuro meeting Makoto's family and also Tk Macintosh who suggested this too. I took some liberties in this request, hope you don't mind. I know you wanted her to meet the fam as his girlfriend but I just thought that it would make more sense that she'd meet them first while they're still just friends in high school. I kinda liked the idea of Makoto's family growing on her even though she's not even his girlfriend yet.

Honestly, I just wanted to write Komaru idolizing Mukuro and Muku being all awkward cause she doesn't know how to handle praise. Well, just Mukuro meeting Komaru. That's it. That was supposed to be the whole point of this fic. I didn't plan for that ending at all. Welp, plans change and oops, my hand slipped again. The best things in life aren't planned. Now she's married to Naeggs and they got busy. Let them have this happy au or FIGHT ME.

ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: We've reached 50 followers fuck yeah! The Mukuro love is still alive! Just goes to show that not everything ends after death. We still love her!

ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED x2: Holy shit we're past the 100k words mark and this is still ongoing? This is the longest fanfic I have ever written and easily more than twice my second longest! Honestly, I wouldn't have written so much if I didn't hear so much from you. You all inspire me to work harder and to write more in the first place. Requests and feedback really mean a lot to me. They make a difference with every update. So thank you for inspiring me!

FUN FACT: In just the span of two months, this fic is now longer than the LOTR's Return of the King which has 134,462 words. Subtracting the author's notes, mine is approximately 140k words. There are still two definite chapters left so I'll beat Two Towers' word count for sure. And if I write them well enough, I might even reach HP's Half-Blood Prince level. Then again, with all the other pending prompts who knows how long this will be?

Wow, what am I doing with my life. Is it sad that I'm prouder of this than my diploma?

~xoxo~xoxo~

Why is this thing so long than the others? What the fuck happened? This is 28k words that's like approximately three times than my normal shit. No wonder I gave up on proofreading it. I would have done it myself but I decided to use that time to rest up and write the next one. So please bear with me, my lazy writing and the mistakes, it's ok to point them out so I can fix them. I'd really appreciate it. Seriously someone, anyone, please send help.

IDEA TIME: It's a trilogy- in the making. Take the domestic au, and this au, that's two already. You know what else we need? Childhood friends au, someone please help me. GIVE ME IDEAS! I want to write this one so badly. Does anyone want to talk to me about this? I really want one okay, and I get better ideas during conversations. And can you imagine them as kids? Together? THIS NEEDS TO HAPPEN. MAKE IT HAPPEN. LET'S DO THIS.

Alternatively, the true trilogy is chapters 2, 8, 10 since these are most likely happening under the same timeline. I'm calling it the MAKE MUKURO HAPPY Trilogy and you can't say otherwise (unless you have a better name)

~xoxo~xoxo~

NOTICE: I've been busy these past weeks so I haven't written the next ones YET. The outlines are ready though, I just need to find the time to sit down and actually write. You've been getting these weekly and technically, I can have the next one finished by next week but I don't think it'll come out just as good since I'll be too stressed out to write properly. The next ones are special to me so I don't want to rush them. So wait for me, okay? Please, believe in me.

Your prayers have been heard so up next, *opens jacket* are you interested in some hope?

So tell me how this went for you. And drop by a request too! See ya!