Mistakes&Sugar
Beyond the name
Misery. What an odd name. She wasn't really named Misery. She was just called Misery. Her real name was Sugar. Sugar. She hadn't been called that since…forever it seemed like. She learned about misery when her brother died. It was all about him. She was the one who did the thinking when her brother died. It wasn't hard, but she only met misery, so people began to call her Misery.
Where she lived welcomed misery. Her parents worked at a prison. They used to, actually. They didn't do anything anymore. They hired people to do it. Misery became the last thing on their minds. She hadn't been happy since she began to be called Misery. No one called for Misery. She'd hear her parents call for her brother, Salem, who was dead. She acted like she didn't care, but she was sad.
One day some hope came. It wasn't really hope. It was just a slight change. They got another prisoner. He had tried to steal the scroll of sealing from the hokage. He'd been caught, and now he was sent to the prison. His name was Mizuki.
Misery didn't care. He was going to be in solitary confinement. She'd heard of people going nuts there. She'd seen it, back while she was Lysine. It was in the basement. There was a window at ground level, so she'd watch with Salem a lot.
Today she went to see him. He had shoulder length silver hair. He was wearing the normal prisoner attire. He was also bound and gagged. She didn't actually care. She felt like when anyone tried to make a connection with her, they disappeared, and when she tried to speak, no one heard.
She looked at the poor man. Who was he, anyway?
"Hello," she said, just to entertain herself.
"Mmmf!" he tried to say something. She didn't know what.
"Just don't talk," she said softly, "You're supposed to be in solitary confinement. If they check and hear me, I'll get in trouble, and I won't come back."
She doubted he actually cared weather she came back or not. She introduced herself.
"And your name's Mizuki? I don't actually care, seeing as to how I don't know how," she said. She didn't know. No one actually cared about her.
"I'm leaving, now Mizuki-kun," she said.
She never thought that he'd care.
Two days later, Misery woke up. She wondered if Mizuki was still bound and gagged. This was her ritual with all the prisoners, for entertainment. She had told Mizuki that. Every two days you come down to see how they were doing. Not that anything Misery thought mattered. Misery didn't normally talk to them, but she decided to try it.
She walked down to Mizuki's cell.
"Hello, Mizuki-kun. How do you think of this?" she asked. He was untied by now.
"Are you Misery?" he asked.
"You didn't give me away, did you?" she asked. Not that she cared.
"No."
"You like my presence?" she asked.
"Not really. You're the one who's free, and I'm all cooped up alone. You have the whole world to talk to, and you mock me by acting like you care," he said.
"I don't care. And so that it's clear, no one cares about me. I am also alone, and you think I mock you, but I see it as the world mocking me, Mizuki-kun," she said, "But I don't care, because caring is a waste of time. I do this as a form of entertainment."
"Are you trying to make a statement?"
"No. I don't care what you're thinking."
"I don't care what you think either," he said.
"You'll learn to. They'll keep you alone for a month, then they'll begin to torture you, and you'll begin to care about me, even if I don't come often. Not that I care."
"You don't think you can care?" he asked, "Why don't we play a game. I'll make you begin to care about anything, and you'll get me to care about you. The one who gets the other to care first wins."
"Why would you want to do this?" she asked.
"For the same reason you watch me; entertainment."
"I suppose that it wouldn't make a difference. I'll see you next week then," Misery left. She wondered if this would be fun. How many girls can write that this is their entertainment?"