It was December twenty-fourth, Enoshima Junko's birthday. She was eight years old. The rain fell for her. Dark clouds gathered for her. The city grayed for her. She watched the disgruntled faces of pedestrians as they hurried by her, despairing just for her.
Enoshima Junko didn't have an umbrella. She let the rain drench her, causing her cold and discomfort. This was what she wanted on her birthday. It reminded her how much she regretted the moment of her birth into this dumb, awful world.
She was walking home from school toting a little pink book-bag with happy teddy bears and bunnies printed all over it. Happy. Her classmates had wished her a happy birthday. Enoshima detested their smiling faces. She had just stared at all of them, not even thanking them for wishing her well, acknowledging their existence only with a wry smile. Enoshima didn't smile because they wished her a happy birthday. She smiled as she imagined each of their smiles fading, falling into despair.
She reached her current home, a shabby apartment kept by her foster parents. She trudged up the stairs in her wet shoes. She wondered how many more months she would be with them before social services sent she and her sister somewhere else.
Oh, right. It was her birthday, too. Enoshima had almost forgotten about her insufferable sister. Enoshima was just eight and she could read and write proficiently; her teachers told her she was very intelligent almost as often as her foster father told her she was very beautiful. She had just learned the word insufferable. It meant Mukuro, her big sister.
Well, actually, Mukuro was her twin, born before her by a mere three minutes. Not like a lousy few minutes made Mukuro special or anything.
It was then that insufferable Ikusaba Mukuro opened the front door. Enoshima was lying on the couch in her wet clothes and coat and her shoes as well, dirtying the fabric. Ikusaba took off her own shoes instantly, hanging up her coat.
"Where were you, loser?" Enoshima asked.
Ikusaba was used to the insults.
"I went to the store." She walked over to the couch and handed her sister a small paper bag.
Enoshima glared and snatched the package from her without bothering to sit up.
"What is this?"
"I got you a gift."
Enoshima raised her eyebrows.
"What would you do that for?"
"It's your birthday. Well, our birthday, I guess."
"It's probably super lame. I should just throw it out."
"Please open it?"
"You're so annoying," Enoshima said, sighing as she ripped the bag open.
Inside was a set of hair ties and bows, some with little stuffed bunnies attached. Enoshima remembered admiring the set in a department store and her foster mother telling her they were too expensive even though they were just one thousand thirty nine yen. The twins' allowance was exactly one thousand thirty nine yen a month each.
"Aww, how ky-uteee!"
"Huh? Your voice changed..."
"I got bored, idiot."
COMMENTS
1039 JPY equal to 10 USD
written for the despaircest prompt "Mukuro buying Junko an expensive gift" submitted to my tumblr (if-youhaveghosts).
send some more if you wish xo C