Pre-despair Talentswap AU

This is a world similar to the original where it seems everything is the same… but not quite.

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

Mukuro Ikusaba was disappointing plain.

That's what you'd hear if you asked her twin. Her sister won't even bother expounding her description because that's basically it. Mukuro was as average as they came and even her freckles were proof that her face matched her character profile which can be summarized into any of the words such as plain, boring, and normal. What else was there to say? There's the fact that she's too quiet and has a non-existent social life but then again, shyness wasn't exactly a stellar attribute. And then there's her extremely low self-esteem which just drops lower with every one-sided conversation she has with her sister.

Mukuro was nothing compared to Junko and although they share the same blood, that's where their similarities end.

Junko was a shining model, quite literally in fact. She's made herself a reputation for being the best supermodel at her age and thanks to her, they're no longer living on the streets. She's holding her own against a ruthless industry and she made it look so effortless. Everyone knew her name but her twin? No one even knew she existed.

When Junko first decided to start her modeling career, she was the one who pushed the proposal that they should get different surnames and keep their family ties a secret. She reasoned that once she became famous, and she insisted that she will, then that meant nosy media which also meant ambush interviews. She's convinced that Mukuro will without a shadow of a doubt screw those up. Also, Mukuro's existence itself was bad reputation just like a blemish on an otherwise perfect makeup. And Mukuro, being herself and not having the heart to turn her sister down, agreed that they change surnames.

Even though she's the older twin, she truly felt inferior to Junko in all aspects.

Mukuro paled in comparison no matter what. She had no outstanding qualities whatsoever and her only social life was her sister who looks down at her at every chance she got. She can't even handle basic communication right but she got by. Her life was as boring and dull as her talent, well if she could call it a talent. It never even occurred to her that she had one in the first place.

As of today, she was attending Hope's Peak Academy as the Ultimate Luckster.

It was just a fancy name for winning a lottery. She knew that she got lucky to be picked but even she could tell that it's nowhere near having the ultimate luck. Yes, she's had bouts of good and bad luck in her life but didn't everyone? As far as she could tell, she's had just about average luck throughout and this being an outlier. That's why she was shocked when the mail came and there were two letters from Hope's Peak: one addressed to each of them.

Even her sister was surprised that a disappointment such as her got accepted and what's more, it was by a lucky break. Mukuro couldn't read her face if she was pleased or not by the news since Junko despaired over it all the same. As for Mukuro, as much as she was finding it hard to believe, she was also glad about it. After all, this way she won't get separated from her twin.

Because even though Junko could be horrible to her sometimes, she was still her sister and only family, and she loves her very much. That's why she willingly accepted her superficial title even if she didn't believe in it herself. Well, there might have been some bearing in the name.

She considered herself lucky enough to spend her high school life with Junko.

So that's how she found herself today standing in front of the gates of the prestigious academy. Junko was not with her though because they'll be coming to and from class separately. They talked about it before and agreed that they should still keep the secret about them being sisters. And Junko also insisted that she wanted to spend as less time with her as possible or else she might get sick from overexposure to disappointment. It's a snide remark but by now Mukuro's used to them.

There were a lot of students crowded at the gates. Some arrived with a fancier entourage like a squad of bodyguards, some came in flashier modes of transportation like a sports car or an expensive limousine, and some showed up with their own fans club fawning over them. Everywhere she looked was a person with ultimate talent and they were flaunting it. She didn't blame them since they earned their bragging rights. Her? Not that great of a conversation starter. There were a few who came in alone without stopping for chats but they were easily drowned out by the louder groups who seem to have already formed cliques of their own. She briefly wondered if she'll fit in especially when there's nothing remarkable left to tell before her ultimate luck break.

Someone's yell interrupts her thoughts.

"HEY! Watch out!"

And all of a sudden, she's pulled back with tremendous strength. She clumsily stumbled sideways only to be caught by her right shoulder. It only barely registered in her head the sensation of something fast and dangerous just narrowly missed her left cheek. She thinks she may have seen a blur of that something but it was only fleeting because of its speed. Her head instinctively turned to follow the movement but by then it's already stopped.

The sound of wood crunching confirmed what she had just seen. A few meters behind her was a tree and lodged in its trunk appeared to be a round object… a baseball? She heard a string of profanities from a distance and the sound of footsteps running away. That must have been the person who threw the baseball.

Did she just almost get hit by that?

She briefly remembered the sharp feeling of wind speeding by her cheek. She didn't doubt that the tree has a newly formed hole now from the impact of that especially if she didn't imagine the crunching sound just now. It looked like the ball was thrown at an incredible speed and with superhuman strength. An ultimate pitch. She shuddered involuntarily. That looked like it might have hurt a lot had it collided with her face

"Thank goodness, I made it in time. That was a close one!" Her rescuer heaved a sigh of relief.

And then she remembered that the only reason her face was still intact right now was because she was saved by someone's perfect timing. If they hadn't pulled her back at that exact moment, she knew that she would have been at least knocked out and hospitalized in the worst case scenario. Thankfully, there was someone who saw the ball coming for her and saved her from a concussion. She turned her head to the right in order to get a better look at her rescuer but she didn't expect what she sees.

Beside her was a short boy with a childlike innocence on his face. He has a mop of messy brown hair and mesmerizingly bright green eyes. Compared to the guys she's passed by so far, he seemed out of place. He didn't exude any intimidating aura or flashy personality. In contrast, he gave off a more bland impression. He looked so plain, so average, so normal. And considering that this was not a normal school and she's supposed to be the only normal student here, his very existence stupefied her rendering her speechless on the spot.

"Really, I know we're all excited for the first day but they should be a little more considerate." He tiredly sighed again, clearly upset over what almost happened. "I mean, showing off isn't necessarily a bad thing to do but they should do it under safer circumstances. That was really dangerous."

But his vice grip on her pulled her out of her reverie. No matter how simply harmless he looked like, he's still an ultimate student just like her. And although she has no means of confirming that his talent is the athletic type, she's aware that at the very least, his grip strength was formidable. It's not painful, probably because he's controlling the pressure, but it was firm enough and locked her into place. Of course, extended periods of contact also made her uncomfortable so even though she didn't like talking to strangers, or talking at all, she swallowed her anxiety and fumbled over what to say.

"Umm…" She started, hopefully that and wriggling her wrist was enough of a hint.

"Ah, my bad. I forgot to let go." His eyes widened at the same time he pulled away his hands. He profusely apologized with a stiff bow.

"It's okay, it wasn't hurting or anything." She said quietly, already looking away to avoid eye contact.

"Still…" He frowned slightly but then shook his head and started speaking lightheartedly. "That was too close for comfort. If you got hit by that, it would have been a shame to spend the first day- the first week at a hospital. You're pretty lucky that I was around to warn you."

Lucky, huh? So apparently the Ultimate Luckster title wasn't just for show.

"Yeah, I guess I am… thanks." She hesitantly added. She's still not comfortable with any mentions regarding luck but she's sure the guy didn't mean to say it just to upset her. He appeared to be decent enough, definitely no malicious intent from him. If anything, he's too kind to strangers he just met.

He seemed like the kind of guy that's too nice for his own good.

"Don't mention it. Rather than hearing your gratitude, I want to hear an apology from the guy who almost messed up your face." He narrowed his eyes at somewhere distant, probably where the baseball guy ran off to. He sighed for the third time and then beamed at her. "And that would have been a real shame considering you have such a lovely face."

It's the first time she saw a genuine smile flashed at her and it was just so bright she almost forgot how to breathe.

"...!" Her face turned red at a speed that puts the baseball pitch to shame.

She doesn't know which was more distracting, his words or his smile.

The sound of the school bell rang throughout the campus. "Ah, that's the bell. I better go ahead now. Don't want to be late for the opening ceremony." He politely bowed one last time to her and repositioned himself, ready to run after he has said his piece. "It was nice meeting you. Let's talk some more next time we see each other. So yeah, see ya!"

"Ah…" He has scurried off before her at a surprising speed for his short stature. She said her farewell too late, his figure gone in the midst of the crowd of students. "Yeah, later."

And just like that, Mukuro was alone with her thoughts again. When the guy gripped her wrist earlier, it didn't even leave a mark so it looked like he was never there to begin with. After all, what were the chances of her getting help from a stranger and then engaging in a not so one-sided small talk? The odds were almost non-existent. She almost considered the possibility that she might have just imagined the whole encounter but one glance at the baseball still lodged in the tree far behind her told her that it did in fact happen.

That certainly was an odd experience. A highly unlikely event. A ridiculously improbable encounter. Was this the work of her supposed luck? She's been living an outstandingly average life so far and ever since she received the ultimate luckster title, she realized that her simple ordinary way of living may be over. Not so ordinary happenings were now taking over her life. Like for example, almost getting a concussion on the first day of school. Followed by a chance (because no, she will not use the word fated) encounter with a kind stranger who just so happened to have a nice smile.

But she pushed the whole ordeal to the back of her mind because she had places to go.

Besides, that was obviously a fluke and it's not like she'll see him again anytime soon.

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

Soon came at a record speed of approximately an hour, just after the opening ceremony.

When she entered her classroom, there were two faces she recognized. She's not surprised to see her sister already there, talking animatedly to a small group that's gathered around her but the same can't be said for the other one. It's the same innocent looking boy from earlier and to her relief, it appeared that he's already busy talking to someone else. That's good for her because she believed that she couldn't handle another conversation just yet when she has yet to recover from earlier's experience. She would probably make the whole thing more awkward than it already was. So she walked across the room and took the last seat which was at the far corner by the windows with her sister to her right and the stranger from before in front of her.

The teacher came in just a few seconds after that and they all took turns in doing self introductions starting from the front of the class going towards the back. She made sure to memorize each person's name and talent for future reference if any of them decided to talk to her in the first place. She especially leaned forward when he started his introduction, curious to find out anything that would reveal his mysterious background.

In the short span that she's met him, he's just been full of surprises. A kindness: not only did he look out for her, he was nice enough to talk to her. A contradiction: a childish face but with a tenacious grip and probably good reflexes or instincts which saved her. A mystery: she had yet to determine his talent based from that short encounter. And the most striking of all, a heartfelt smile that she can't seem to forget just yet.

So when it was finally his turn to speak, she expected answers. She expected answers that made sense. She expected him to say anything but what came out of his mouth. She expected something else entirely for his introduction, well, not anything in particular, just that she wasn't expecting him to say something like that. His words didn't seem to match his appearance at all. She thought that his talent would have been something more simple like his first impression or of the nurturing type like his warm aura but definitely not the one he just mentioned.

The last talent she had in mind for him was Ultimate Soldier.

It turned out that the harmless looking guy from earlier was probably the most dangerous person in class. The fact just oddly stuck out in her head and stayed with her long after it's announced. Had it been any other school, she would have thought that he was joking when he said that. But the screening for this school's students was extremely stringent and since the teacher holding the class file didn't seem suspicious over his introduction then it must have been true.

But even so, knowing a fact was one thing and accepting it was a whole different matter.

After all the introductions were done, the teacher let them use the rest of the period to get to know each other. The class naturally divided into groups. Immediately, there were some who engage in upbeat conversation at a heartbeat while others were reluctantly pulled along. There were also others who crowded over someone else, mostly the famous were victims of this. And then there's also a select few who couldn't be bothered to talk with at all. She fell under the last one. No one seemed to be approaching her and she's slightly grateful for that. She preferred her own company over others' and she would have been fine just spending the whole period by herself.

But someone else had other plans. The guy from before turned his seat around to face her.

"Excuse me, but aren't you the girl who almost got into an accident by the entrance?" He fidgeted in his seat. For someone who's probably seen the worst horrors of the world, he seemed pretty nervous over talking. And for some reason, Mukuro felt like it was totally in character for him to act this way. "I don't know if you remember me but we met earlier this morning."

"Yeah, I remember you." She warily nodded. He wasn't the only one nervous about this.

"Really? I'm glad! This would have been way more awkward if you didn't." He let out a breath he was holding in and immediately brightened up with a smile. "I'm Makoto Naegi. Nice to meet you again."

She paused for a bit at that smile but calmly collected herself right after. "Mukuro Ikusaba. It's nice to see you too."

He smiled wider upon hearing her speak. He seemed exceptionally cheerful. "Oh, which reminds me. The Ultimate Baseball Star is in our class. I don't want to point fingers just yet but I bet that he's the culprit for this morning's incident. Maybe I could get him to pitch at PE then I can confirm without a doubt that it was him." He said in a serious manner but it wasn't anything threatening.

That was still oddly specific so she had to ask. "Why do you need to do that?"

"Well isn't it obvious? Once I know that it's really his fault, I'll have him apologize for the trouble he almost caused." He shot a sideways glare at the unsuspecting classmate. He really was upset over the incident and he was just a bystander. It seemed like he was invested in this more than her considering that she was the victim. "Honesty, you could have gotten seriously hurt you know."

"No, it's okay. I don't need to hear his apology." She insisted. He didn't seem like the type of guy to do anything remotely harmful but then again looks could be deceiving. She didn't want to find out what he would do if the baseball guy refused to apologize. A small part of her was curious as to how much he did measure up to his title but that wasn't worth having a classmate beaten up.

"You sure?" He asked with concern creasing over his eyebrows.

"It's alright. You were there so nothing happened." She calmly nodded as an extra effort to convince him that she was indeed certain. She then nonchalantly shrugged and diverted the topic. "Let's just enjoy the first day."

"Okay, but only because you said so." He hesitantly complied but it looked like he wasn't bearing any grudges so it was safe to leave the topic at that.

Now it was her turn to pick up the conversation. Subtly, she thought.

"So Ultimate Soldier, huh?" That was not subtle at all. That was as direct as a question could be. She might as well just straight up ask him why he looked nothing like a soldier at all. She mentally berated herself. She really was terrible at this whole communication thing.

"You say it as if you don't believe it." He chuckled, he didn't seem too mad about the question. If anything, he looked slightly embarrassed by it. "It's alright. I'm pretty used to that reaction. Even the people back at Fenrir say I look too soft for a wolf. And short." His face grimaced at the word. "Too short. They never forget to remind me of my height or lack thereof whenever they can."

"Fenrir?" Her head tilted in query.

"It's kind of an elite mercenary group that I joined in. They're the guys who trained me to build my talent and they're surprisingly nice once you get to know them. They look scary and intimidating but trust me, they're all good people at heart." He said this while smiling fondly. He sounded like he was talking about family but this was no ordinary family. This was a professional military group.

"You really are a soldier." Her thoughts came out of her lips before she could even process them.

"Is it really that hard to believe?" He smiled weakly, his shoulders slumped just like his self-esteem.

Had it been anyone else, it might have been easier to believe. But he was...

"It's just that you're too-" Innocent. Kind. Soft. "unsoldierlike." She finished flatly.

"Is that so? Well there's no helping it then. I guess I'll just have to prove myself." He sat up straighter in his seat, already full of spirits again. "I can do a demo if you like. Ah, but not right here and now because it might be dangerous if things get out of hand. Hmm, what else? Oh! I have the official Fenrir tattoo on me! That's undeniable proof, right?"

"I guess? Is it alright for you to show it around?" She's not as enthusiastic about it as him. Didn't they have a sort of code or something to keep the placement in secret?

"Yeah, it's alright. I mean there's no rule against it so I guess it's fine. Here, let me just…" He reached for his blazer but halfway through his hand just stopped. He wore the most complicated expression she has ever seen on him and he was uncharacteristically quiet. If anything, he looked frightened and restless. Then in a hurried manner, he spoke. "Nevermind, you're right. Maybe some other time. Not really show and tell material and it's not all that great to look at. It's mostly for talk and not that much for show.."

That only made her even more curious. "Why? What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong! Everything's totally fine!" Was what he said but his face said otherwise. "Let's talk about that again some time. Preferably not inside class. Please?" He pleaded and from what she could see, he literally sweated over that short time. He really must have freaked out over that.

"Okay…" She conceded because she didn't want to make him any more uncomfortable than he already was. She made a mental note to bring up the tattoo later on under better circumstances.

"Thanks, I really appreciate you dropping it." He breathed out loudly, all the tension leaving his body. He then flashed her an exasperated but grateful smile. "We can still talk about it later on. And maybe, eventually, I'll show it to you someday."

"Just not today." She finished for him.

From there, they smoothly go back to natural conversation. Just the usual things anyone would talk about during the first day. What it was like when they received the letter of acceptance, what their expectations were and if they were looking for anyone in particular, what they did during the break before the start of the term. To which his answer was that he was with his family for the whole month but before that he was fighting in a war somewhere in the Middle East. She's still finding it hard to connect his talent with his image but she listened on raptly. Even though her stories were not as exciting as his, he looked like he was still genuinely interested in hearing her out which boosted her confidence enough for her to form two-sentence stories instead of just one.

They jumped from one topic to the next, mostly due to his prompts but she didn't mind. She wasn't the type to lead conversations anyways. She was surprised at how much she was enjoying herself when usually she wanted out of social encounters as soon as possible. She reasoned that it was probably because he was a patient listener. Even though most of her sentences were clipped, he didn't seem bothered by this at all when in her previous school, she was outcasted for it. And it also helped that his cheerfulness was contagious enough that she sometimes smiled as well.

Right now they were discussing about their class and of course, their classmates.

"What are the odds of us being classmates?" He said out loud with a satisfied grin. "And you're the Ultimate Luckster too so maybe that helped setting this up."

"It's pretty odd that we're in the same class." She agreed with that however, she's not entirely convinced about the second part. "But that's not really how my luck works though."

"Oh, it's not? Then how does it work?" He innocently asked, curiosity sparkling in his eyes.

She sighed and wished she could answer his questions. After all, she asked the same questions to herself and still failed to get answers. "I don't know. I'm not even sure myself if it works at all."

"I see. Well let's not worry over the details." He nodded sympathetically. At least he knew when to back off, and she appreciated this. He spoke more surely than her. "The important fact is that we're going to be classmates for the following two years and it's going to be awesome. Honestly, I'm just happy to have made my first friend already."

He has a friend here already?

"You have? Who is it?" She asked without thinking. Was it the girl he spoke with before class? She didn't understand why she was strangely invested in his private matters but she since she already asked, she might as well stick to it.

His jaw slacked open in shock but recovered shortly with a toothy grin. He playfully hummed. "Well let's see, she's tall, definitely taller than me and has short hair, black." He paused to look he in the eyes, a mischievous glint in his pair. "What else, hmm. Oh, she apparently has crazy luck so you might know her." He finished with a smug look on his face.

That couldn't be right. Her eyes quickly scanned over the people in the room just to double check. He couldn't possibly be serious. After all, no one else matched that description except for, for...

"Ahaha, I'm kidding." He chuckled happily as he glanced over at her and then winked. "Of course, it's no one else but you!"

"Me?" She still couldn't comprehend it.

Her uncertain reply was like a kick to his joyful mood as he quickly sobered up. He looked worried all of a sudden. "Yeah, unless… you don't want to be friends?"

"I do." Her mouth spoke before she even had the chance to think. Apparently, she did want to be friends with him. She never actually had plans to form any friendships before but she thought that being friends with him wasn't such a bad plan. If anything, the mere thought of it made her unexpectedly happy. "I never said I didn't, it's just we never official claimed it, ya? You just surprised me, that's all."

His reaction to her answer was instant. He immediately brightened up at her declaration and it was obvious that he was still holding back the joy he had, self-conscious that it was showing too much. It was still obvious though no matter what.

"Sorry, I may have skipped a few steps, hehe." He nervously chuckled as he scratched the back of his head. "But I really am glad that we're friends now."

"Me too." The ghost of a smile graced her lips.

She honestly was happy to have made not just her first friend as a high school student, but her first friend in her life, not counting Junko. And Mukuro had her luck to thank for it. If she hadn't won that lottery then she wouldn't be attending this school and she wouldn't have met Makoto. If she hadn't met him then she wouldn't have someone to call a friend right now. That's why even though she wasn't entirely convinced of her talent, she's still grateful for it.

He smiled sheepishly at her but it was enough to assure her that she answered right. "Let's do our best together, okay?"

She's slowly started to believe that she may be lucky after all.

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

Ever since they became friends, a whole new world of experiences opened up to her.

For starters, her options increased to three. She could do something alone or spend time with her sister, and now, she also had the choice to have Makoto accompany her instead. Lately, she's been spending more time with him and she has a vague feeling that Junko was not at all pleased by the development. Well, it was more like she flat out told her that Mukuro was abandoning her over the "puppy soldier" who was nothing but a sickening ball of sunshine. In her sister's words, he was too peppy for a guy who killed a lot. She also had a few more choice words for him but in general, she disliked him. So whenever Makoto hang out with Mukuro, Junko avoided them like the plague.

And then there was Makoto completely oblivious to her sister's hatred. One time he asked Mukuro why Junko acted distant with him and Mukuro, having no experience in crafting lies, told him the flat truth that she didn't like him. It was a strongly watered down version of the truth. Although it saddened him to hear that, he wasn't heartbroken over it. He said that there was still hope for them to be friends if only they just talked enough. She didn't say that she highly doubted because his face said that he believed it without a shadow of a doubt. It's just like her sister said, he was brightness personified. By now she's used to his absurd optimistic view of everything and of everyone.

To put it quite frankly, he was too innocent, too kind and too trusting. He was too hopeful.

However that just made it easier for him to integrate in class. Most of the class was wary of him and his title so it was just the two of them talking with each other during breaks on the first week. He said that he expected as much and he didn't blame anyone for acting so coldly.

But he didn't lose hope.

He believed that he could gain their trust eventually even if it meant he had to do it one person at a time no matter how long it took. It only took two weeks though before a few people started to approach him not just for class activities. And by the end of the month, he had almost everyone's approval. Makoto even thanked her every time he made a new friend, saying that he's sure they thought he was okay to talk with because he was always talking to her. To which she replied that he just had a friendly personality and that he was giving her too much credit. He still insisted that she played a major role and that this was a result that was only possible because they were friends in the first place.

She didn't understand his logic but she couldn't refuse him when he was smiling that brightly at her.

Despite the distrusting and to a certain extent terrified glances shot at him on the first day, he assimilates well in class one month after. It was only natural since he actually was pretty harmless. If he looked as deadly as his title, she doubted he would have been accepted as easily. It also helped that he was genuinely a good person so it was hard not to like him. So not to her surprise, amongst all of them, he has the most number of friends in class. In fact, he ended up as everyone's friend.

This included Junko. Even her sister begrudgingly admitted that he wasn't as bad as she thought he was. At least he had cool gory stories that was entertaining enough because he looked so uncomfortable narrating them, she said with a sadistic smirk.

And even though there's always someone constantly asking for his help or attention, he never did forget about her. He made sure that he spent time with her just as much as he spent time with others, probably even more. At times when he was hanging out in a group, he would always invite her to join them, sometimes she did. She asked him about why he was so considerate of her and he laughed it off saying that this was normal between friends.

She really had a friend now.

He was nice. This was nice. And she was just discovering that friendships were nice. For all the bad things that's happened to her ever since she was born, Mukuro realized that this was probably the first time that even her life seemed nice. It was a new and definitely welcome experience.

She's learning so much right now but it wasn't enough. She wanted to learn more and specifically, she wanted to learn more about her new friend. Because as much as she's happy with whatever they do together, she realized that she still hardly knew anything about him. He was still as much of a stranger to her as he was on day one. And something in her chest was telling her that she should fix that.

That's why during one day after class, she summoned all the courage she could muster to ask more about him.

"Aren't you too young to be a soldier?" She's pretty sure that's not how you start a conversation but she never did try before this.

"I guess by normal standards, I am." He nonchalantly shrugged, not at all fazed by her sudden inquiry.

"Normal?"

He nodded. "I'm sixteen now and technically I'm in the age requirement by national standards but you probably already guessed that I've been on the job waaay before it's legal."

"Right, that's why I asked." It's hard enough to imagine him as a soldier now, it was harder to think of him as a soldier when he was smaller than he already was. Who in their right mind would even let him be one in the first place?

"The reality is that the age requirement thing isn't practiced everywhere all the time." He crossed his arms and frowned at his own words. "There are those who pick up a rifle before they even learn to write and most of the time, it's not by choice."

Not by choice? She considered this in her head. "Is that what happened to you?"

His eyes widened in surprise. "Oh, no. Nothing like that happened." He frantically raised both hands, palm open, in an effort to reassure her. His comical look quickly dispelled the tension. "I actually grew up in a perfectly normal house with a perfectly normal family."

She blinked in confusion. What he said didn't add up at all. "Wait, that doesn't make any sense. If your life was pretty much okay, then why would you try something so, so…"

"Abnormal? Dangerous? Insane?" He offered.

She nodded. Those were the words she would describe that. "Yeah."

"Well I do have a good reason for doing it but the guys back at Fenrir don't think so."

"Huh? Why?"

"Let's just say that we have different opinions and values." He awkwardly scratched the back of his head as he said this and then his shoulders slumped to match his gloomy tone. "Some of them even laughed when I brought it up but that's okay. I know that they were only trying to dissuade me from joining since I was pretty young back then."

"How old were you?" Her guess was that maybe he only joined fairly recently, about two or three years ago.

He hummed as he thought about it. "Young. I was nine turning ten in a few months."

Too young! She flinched in her seat out of shock. Despite her not being the most expressive, the surprise was evident on her face. "And they took you in that young?"

"Yeah, even I think they were a little too lenient, ahaha." He chuckled but it didn't last long. His voice instantly became somber as he stared into the distance with a wistful look. "Like I said, there are a lot of kids in the world who start out even younger. Although for Fenrir, they told me that I was the youngest to join yet. The record before is my senior who joined when she was ten, only missing me by a few months technicality."

Hearing about him joining a mercenary group that early was still just starting to sink in for her but she could accept it. But to hear that he wasn't the only person to do so, that this was almost normal for them, it was such a bizarre concept for her. Compared to the movies and manga she's read with military themes, this didn't come even close. Reality was too different from the normal depicted in fiction that it looked almost abnormal next to it. But then again, she wasn't a fan of that genre so she didn't have a lot to compare with. Still, this fact was just unbelievable for her.

"That's…" She trailed, still finding difficulty to find the right words.

"Crazy, right? I thought so too and I was the one who was joining! Ahaha!" He laughed lightheartedly but she could tell he was doing it more for her sake than for comic relief.

Well at least that answered one question, as for the other, "You still haven't told me why you joined."

"Oh, right. Sorry, as you can see, I tend to ramble on. I got scolded more for needlessly talking than for tripping up a mission. And-" He was about to say more on that note but the blank look she gave him snapped him back to his senses. "Aaand I'm doing it again. Sorry. Just a habit I never outgrew."

He was talkative but she didn't mind. That was part of his personality, and a part that she didn't necessarily dislike. "It's alright. So you were saying…"

"Right, well the reason I joined was because I have a dream." He eagerly said with a grin on his face.

"A dream?" She repeated, curiosity lacing her voice.

"Yeah, you know how I grew up in an average home with an average family dealing with average problems?" He energetically bounced in his seat as he said this and stretched both of his arms sideways to emphasize the greatness of his words. He cheekily smiled. "Well I want everyone to experience that!"

She just blinked in reaction, her face blank. "Excuse me, but what are you implying?"

That wasn't the response he was aiming for. Disappointed, he slumped forward and lost half of his previous energy. "That probably didn't come off right. Let me try again." He took a deep breath and straightened himself. "I believe that I'm lucky enough to be born into a normal life and I'm grateful for that. But others? Not so much."

Makoto clenched both his fists and a hardened look was etched on his face. It was at that moment that all doubts Mukuro had of him as a soldier were erased. He looked as though he was far older and much wiser than his age. The resolve on his face surely wasn't something forged overnight. This was the resolve of someone willing to go through all ends for his dream. This was the face of a person who has experienced hardships and conquered them. This was the person who fought in wars and survived every last one.

This was the first time she honestly thought that his title suited him.

"I want to help people. I want to help the people who don't get to choose. I want to help the world create normal lives for everyone." He said it with so much determination in his eyes, it was hard to look away. He had his heart set on his words. He truly wanted to help people in his own way.

His dream was just as kind as he was. However, his method was...

"And you thought becoming a soldier before finishing elementary was the best way to do that?" She asked flatly.

Most people would join organizations or help charities, something more positive, but becoming a soldier usually ranked low on the list. Not only were you risking your own life, you would also risk the lives of others during confrontations. If he wanted to help people then why go for a job that also destroyed people while at it? This bothered her so that's why she had to ask.

"Yes and no." He sighed but the seriousness in his gaze didn't drop. "I might have considered doing something else but I think deep down, I would have done anything for that dream. But even I wasn't expecting to do so by fighting in wars as a soldier." He smiled weakly. "It just kind of happened."

He calmly continued. "One day you're on an overseas trip with your family, the next day you get caught in a skirmish at one of the stopovers, and after that all of a sudden you're getting recruited by an elite mercenary group."

So it was by chance? She pored over the thought. "If that day didn't happen, would you still become soldier?"

"Maybe not. Who knows?" He casually shrugged. "I mean, maybe in the end even without Fenrir, I would have still walked down the soldier road. But well it looks like they wanted me in sooner."

"I never thought about being a soldier before that happened but when it did, I thought that it wasn't so bad." His smile softened. "I mean it's not exactly easy or safe but when I thought about how much I could do to help and save people, I easily made my decision on the spot.

Makoto seemed like the type who easily adapted to change maybe that's why he accepted this so well. If it was just him then that would have been fine however, she thought about the other people in his life. Did they take it as easily too? "What about your family? How did you get them to say yes?"

"I didn't. They were a solid NO even after I snuck out to run away with Fenrir." He sheepishly smiled in admission. "They were mad for a while but I think they were mostly upset. After all, it must have been hard for them to have their son, whose age hasn't even reached double digits, to dive headfirst into wars with no previous experience whatsoever."

Mukuro could sympathize with his parents. Just imagining herself in that situation was frightening enough, but imagining if that happened to her sister, she felt something close to a heartache. She would worry all day every day so what more for a parent?

And then there was the small detail of his previous experience in the field. "That reminds me, you didn't train at all before you joined Fenrir, right?"

He innocently shook his head. "Nope. The most exercise I had was at the playground."

She anxiously gulped. "Then how skilled were you to get recruited in the first place?"

"Pretty good, I guess. Not everyone gets to audition for a slot. You're either scouted or not. So I guess I was at least good enough for them " He calmly stretched his arms and spoke like it was no big deal. "It came out naturally. My skills, I mean. I suppose that's just how talent works."

Once again, Mukuro realized just how far he was from her in terms of level. He was far above everyone else when it came to his gift. His talent. She became painfully aware yet again how everyone in this school had remarkable talents except for her who got in by lottery. These talents were the real deals. The students of Hope's Peak Academy were really no exaggeration to call them Ultimates.

"It's a little unbelievable." She said this in awe.

"I know. Even I find it hard to believe and I experienced it first hand!" He cheerfully agreed with her sentiment.

From there, they talked more about his experiences, particularly his first month at Fenrir. They took the military mindset to the extreme with their regulations and punishments but as long as he didn't fall behind, they didn't ostracize him which made settling in easier for him. Everyday was a learning experience for him and even though it was dangerous, he felt accomplished whenever they finished missions together. He had a lot more fun than he expected to have but it was a welcome surprise. He kept sharing memory after memory and Mukuro raptly listened to each one. Sometimes though he would start one story but cut it off in the middle and jump to the next one. It happened a few times and the pattern became obvious. He was avoiding something specific.

And she, not knowing any better, thought of tackling the issue instead.

At the end of one of his stories, she hesitantly asked. She spoke slowly and timidly, her voice grew smaller with each word. "Have you ever… you know… someone… on the job."

"Killed?" They both winced when he said that. "Yeah, I have. I'm not proud of it though."

She already regretted bringing this up. "Sorry, I just can't imagine you…" She couldn't even say the word. It was just hard to associate the warm person in front of her with such an act.

"I'm happy to hear that. I don't like imagining it either, much less actually do it." He smiled weakly.

"But you still do it, right?" Even though she said it, she didn't believe it.

"Only when I have to." He sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose to lessen the stress he was feeling from the conversation. "The guys back at Fenrir know that I'm not too excited about it so I get less of those kind of missions than the rest of them."

A painful look was etched on his face. He sighed yet again. "As much as possible, I try not to kill. I mostly just incapacitate especially when dealing with infantry. It takes special circumstances to get me to kill."

"Special circumstances? Such as?" She was relieved to know that it wasn't as often as she thought it was.

"All three conditions must be present." He raised three fingers to emphasize his point. "One, it's an assassination mission. Two, the target is an immediate threat to lives. And three, when negotiations fail."

As specific as those were, they didn't give her a clear mental image so she asked for one. "Is it alright if I ask for one instance?"

"Okay but only one. It's not that I'm trying to forget or hide them." He solemnly frowned. "I remember every person I've killed and I think about them every night right before I go to sleep. But talking about them is another thing. It really wears me out."

Now that made Mukuro feel guilty. Of course, he wouldn't want to talk about this, his discomfort was obvious enough. She wished she never brought it up in the first place. "You don't have to talk about them if you don't want to."

He calmly reassured her. "No, it's okay. This too is a way for me to grow stronger." He didn't look eager about it but it didn't seem like he was that much against it.

But just to be sure, she gingerly asked. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine. Thanks for worrying." He smiled weakly and then took a deep breath. "I won't drop any names but sometimes I get called in to shoot terrorists. There's not a single person that I didn't try to talk them out of it. Sometimes they surrender, other times they don't."

"There was one time where this leader was set on pulling off a genocide. I tried to stop him but he never listened. He took extreme measures to set it up so that you can only save people over his literal dead body." His fists reflexively clenched in anger while his voice strained. "I may have saved a city but I couldn't even save that one person."

She couldn't understand his reasoning or why he was genuinely upset over this. In her mind, what he did was perfectly logical. He saved hundreds of lives, right? And wasn't the person he killed evil to begin with? So why was he so harsh on himself?

She asked skeptically. "Aren't you too hard on yourself? You saved a city."

He firmly shook his head. "But that doesn't excuse ending one life. I don't want to always save people at the expense of others. There must be other ways!" His expression was so intense, he almost shouted. He placed a hand over his heart as if swearing with his life. "I'm serious about my dream. I honestly do want everyone in the world to have a chance at a normal life."

"Even the bad guys?" She thought out loud.

"Yeah, even the bad guys." He strongly nodded, not missing a beat. "I believe that everyone has goodness in their hearts and that they deserve a chance to find it." He clutched onto his polo tighter in frustration that it looked like it was about to tear from the tension.

He closed his eyes. "But as I am right now, I can't do that just yet. I'm not strong enough to save everyone." When he opened them, there was no hesitation or doubt but only pure determination and unadulterated resolve. "But I'm not entirely powerless either. That's why I'll save everyone within my power."

Mukuro was certain that Makoto believed everything he just said. He honestly believed that he could save everyone or at least, he would find a way eventually. Saving everyone was an unrealistic dream and he was dead set on pursuing it. He didn't think of it as wishful thinking at all. He didn't see it as an unreachable ambition but rather an achievable goal. No matter how high it seemed, he would just have to reach higher. Just as high as his dream was, so was his hope.

And right now, in this moment, he was overflowing with hope.

"You're strong." Her voice was pure respect and admiration at his strong resolve. She couldn't help but just be awe-inspired.

"Really? I don't think I am but if you say so then I believe you." He faintly blushed at the compliment and then sheepishly smiled. "I still have a long way to go but I'll do my best and get stronger."

He really was shining. Were all students of Hope's Peak this bright or was it just him?

"Since you asked about me, I'd like to ask you questions too." He cheerfully picked up the conversation again. "Oh, but only if you're okay with it."

That was reasonable to ask for. "Fair enough. Shoot." She nodded.

He blew off a chuckle. "Pfft! Did you just make a joke?"

She blinked. "Did I say something wrong?"

"Oh? So it wasn't on purpose? Well, it's still funny either way. Don't mind me." He happily mumbled to himself and then brought his voice back up to its normal and lively volume. "Anyways, tell me more about what you did before Hope's Peak."

She visibly deflated. Of course, he would ask about that. He'd ask about it sooner or later and this conversation was long overdue. "There's not much to say. I was just an average girl attending the local all girls school. It's not an exciting story."

She wished she could tell him more but her life was just that boring.

He on the other hand, didn't look the least bit disappointed. "Well you might be right that it isn't that exciting but that doesn't make it any less interesting."

"Isn't that the same thing?" She tilted her head, puzzled at his outlook.

"Not really. Exciting puts you on the edge of your seat. Interesting keeps you listening." He flashed his brightest smile. "And I think any story is interesting as long as it's about you."

The smile and his words were a powerful combo indeed for she paused far longer than necessary.

But it wasn't enough to convince her. "I don't think I'm that interesting."

"You've got that wrong." There it was again. His adamant resolve and it was contagious. "You're plenty interesting to me."

She faltered. "...So you're really okay with just boring stories of my life?"

"I'll be the judge if they're boring or not. Honestly, anything is fine." He smiled reassuringly.

"But then why ask about me?"

"Well for the same reason that you asked about me." He said matter-of-factly. "I want to get to know you better too."

It's only then that she realized how friendship was a two-way relationship and how not everything has to be one-sided. It's an entirely new experience for her, to be even considered in the first place by someone else. Junko never was like this with her and she was family. But Makoto? He was just a friend and yet he treated her better than her sister ever did. She noted how nice it felt to have someone who wanted to get to know her better. It was nice to have her feelings reciprocated. Her days were a little less lonely with him around. As she thought of this, a warm feeling blossomed inside her chest. This reassurance and peacefulness is something precious for her.

She wished for these peaceful days to last longer.

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

But her sister had other plans.

Junko told her of the despair plan. She casually dropped it over at the table like any dinner conversation. It was just like her to bring out the heaviest of topics at the most inappropriate times. However, she did not share it to ask for help from Mukuro. It's not like her talent was useful for anything so she wasn't even mentioned in her plans. But she said it as a declaration. An omen that was set in stone. The reason why she told Mukuro was the fact that she was confident that it would happen anyways.

And also as her sister, she had a front row seat to the end of the world. She didn't know if she should be flattered or horrified. Junko on the other hand, told her to be honored. Because even though she was boring, plain, useless, and a disappointment in general, she was lucky enough to be born as the sister of the great Junko Enoshima.

Mukuro didn't know whether she meant good luck or bad luck.

She really was just an insignificant sister to Junko anyways because she didn't even bother to keep tabs on her after giving out her plan. She expected Mukuro to obediently keep quiet about it just as she was too weak to stand up against her. And she was right. It's been two weeks since she first heard of her sister's despair and she hasn't done anything about it. What could she do anyways? Pray that her luck was strong enough to survive the incoming onslaught?

"Is something the matter, Mukuro?" Makoto asked concernedly, interrupting her train of thoughts. She must have spaced out again because he was giving her the look that told her she did. Worry creased his eyebrows. "You've been quiet lately. Well, quieter than usual."

"It's nothing." It was easier for her to lie because of her blank face. But that didn't mean she wasn't hesitant. "I just… have a lot on my mind."

"Do you want to talk about it?" He carefully treaded, as if he knew it was a delicate topic to begin with.

"I don't know… if I can." She honestly answered.

"Is it something you can't mention to anyone else? Is anyone threatening you?" He placed a hand protectively on her shoulder.

"No, that's not it. They never told me that I can't tell anyone but…" She merely shook her head. "I don't think I can bring it up."

"Oh, then that's okay. Take your time finding the words." He said in his most reassuring voice in an effort to soothe her into talking.

Her mind was still in turmoil though. "But it's crazy. I don't even know where to begin."

"Then start where it first happened and tell me when you're ready."

She shook her head and looked away. "You won't even believe me."

"You don't need to worry about that." She felt his hand squeeze her shoulder gently as he said this. "I haven't doubted you since we met and I don't plan to change that over one story."

"It's a lot to take in." She argued but she already knew that nothing would change his mind.

"I've taken a lot and I can certainly take more." He stared at her unflinchingly. "Even if the rest of the world won't believe your story, I'll believe in you no matter what."

The look he gave her was without a doubt. She knew that he honestly would stay true to his word. He was probably one of the few who would even give her the chance to speak and out of every person in this world, he was the only one who would actually listen to her. But even so, there was still the issue on hand and… her sister. He would believe her, right?

She wanted to believe in him as well.

"Sorry, I don't think I can tell you after all." And she hated herself for it. If there was anyone she could trust then it was him and yet still, she just couldn't.

He smiled sympathetically, his gaze so soft it was almost heartbreaking. "I understand. It doesn't sound like it's something you can easily bring up."

What did she do to deserve a friend like him? His kindness unwittingly hurt her because of her guilt.

"Sorry." She looked down, ashamed of her inability.

"No, it's okay. I may have been too pushy about it." He leaned forward and lower so he would still be within her vision.

That small gesture did not go unnoticed to her. "Still, sorry."

"Stop apologizing, it's really not your fault."

"..."

There was a lull in the conversation. She didn't know if it was just her or if it was awkward for both of them. She didn't like it at all, this tension that she caused. She didn't mean for it to happen and she didn't want to blame him either for pushing it. This was not how their conversations usually went. She never felt this awful before because she only felt like that with her sister. As expected, she could never escape Junko. Even now, she was poisoning all other relationships she had. She was starting to believe that she may have gotten Makoto involved in this. What if her sister targeted him? What next? Would she act then? Was there even anything she could do about it?

"I have secrets of my own too." His voice is small but since they're both quiet, it's loud enough for her to hear. "Some are small ones and some are darker than others. But they all scare me."

His hands reflexively clench as if he was holding his secrets there and crushing them. He took a deep breath to steady himself and then faced forward, faced his fears, faced her. "What I'm trying to say is that you don't have to be afraid alone. Even if you don't tell me your secret, I'll still have your back no matter what."

She honestly wanted to believe in him but- "If you knew what it was then you wouldn't want to get involved."

"Why? Is it anything dangerous?" He spoke in a hushed tone as his shoulders stiffened, alert and ready. His eyes darted here and there in an attempt to find any immediate threat.

She solemnly shook her head. "Worse."

That didn't deter him one bit, in fact it just solidified his resolve. "Then all the more reason for me to stay by your side." He declared more confidently. "I'll protect you. I'm the Ultimate Soldier, remember? I've handled danger more than I can count!"

Even if he has fought in wars, this wasn't something he could just shoot and be done with. For starters, she didn't even know what her sister meant by despair but from the crazed look in her eyes whenever she mentioned it, it couldn't be anything good or easy to handle. And then there was the actual plan which involved a lot of deaths that would soon escalate to war. Not just any war but a war for the sake of war. There was something about the way Junko said it that made her believe that not even Makoto could survive its wrath.

"I don't think they're on the same level." Her voice shook a little, revealing only a fraction of the fear she actually felt.

"Then if my talent isn't enough, I still have my life to count on." But he wasn't scared at all. He held such a strong gaze over her that not even she could look away. "If it was just me then maybe I won't be able to protect you if you think so. But if it's us…"

"Us?" She thought that he simply didn't understand. What could the two of them hope to achieve?

"Yeah, us." He placed a hand on top of hers, warmth instantly soothing her nerves. Her heart clenched in time when he squeezed her hand.

Right now, all her attention was focused on him while he was focused on the two of them.

"If it's you and me, us working together, then maybe we'll figure something out." His grip tightened as he hardened his resolve. "No, not maybe. I'm sure of it. We can overcome this secret together."

"You don't understand." How could he when he didn't even know what it was? "This is something big. It's bigger than the both of us."

The sudden change in tone caught her off guard as he softened his voice to a gentle level. It was the tone of a guardian trying to comfort a scared child. "You only think that it's bigger. Anything gets bigger when you're afraid. Right now, I can tell that you're scared."

"I have reasons to be." And the reasons came with the name of Junko Enoshima, a being she loved and yet she'd been terrified of all her life. Mukuro had every right to be afraid.

"And I'm telling you that it's not so scary when you're alone." He placed his other hand above his chest in a show of his earnest feelings. "At least let me try. I want to help you. We won't know if we have a chance not until we give it a shot."

She's been trying all her life to be a better older sister and yet failed each time. Surely, this was no different. "What if we fail anyways?" She bitterly spat.

"Even if we fail, at least we won't have any regrets." And then his strong voice came back, the same voice he spoke with whenever he talked about his dreams, the same voice he used to show just how much he believed.

It was the voice of hope.

"But we won't. Until the moment we fail, I'll believe with all my might that we won't. We will succeed." He wasn't saying this just to make her feel better, he said it because he honestly did believe in this, in them. "But you can't do this alone. That's why I'm asking you to trust me."

"I trust you." She readily said. It's the only thing she said without hesitation in the span of this whole conversation.

"But do you believe in me?" His eyes pleaded.

"That's…" She faltered.

"Because I believe in you." He said it as a fact, as a truth, as something that was confirmed and not subject to change. "You're my best friend and I'll always be there when you need me. But I can't help you unless you let me."

He was letting her choose. He wasn't forcing his help on her, rather he was giving her the option of receiving it. For the first time in her life, she had to decide for herself.

"So will you let me help?" He raised his hand out to her and smiled understandingly.

Every fiber of her being wanted to turn him down. Her mind kept telling her how this was useless, how she was useless, how they were surely useless against the despair that was about to shake the world. But a small part of her wanted to believe otherwise. The same part that sprouted only recently when he befriended her. The very part she secretly wanted to root for but couldn't.

A part of her wanted to hope.

But the rest of her was already in despair.

"I…" Her hand hang in midair, neither accepting nor rejecting, stuck in indecision.

Until finally, she moved forward and decided.

In a world similar to the original where it seemed everything was the same but not quite, Mukuro made her decision that would not only affect her life and his, but also the lives of the rest of the world.

That's why between hope and despair, she chose-

~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

Falling for you

She's still not used to the fact that she has a talent now, an ultimate talent to be precise. But as much as she didn't want to talk about it, it was always brought up in conversations. This was a school who scouted students based on talent so it was only normal to talk about those qualifications especially for her. Everyone was curious about the average girl who got in by lottery. They all assumed that she had some incredible luck and her share of unbelievable stories but the truth was that both were false.

She's been monitoring her luck ever since she received the title and it really was average. There was an emerging pattern of straight bad luck or straight good luck but even that was commonplace for anyone. Today was one of her bad days. Her alarm didn't ring which made her come to class late, she forgot her wallet so she had to borrow money from her friend, her bag had a hole so she lost her pens, and so on and so forth. A lot of bad things happened but they were small enough to be ignored. This was all part of the pattern. Small insignificant nuances piling on top of one another until one big event happened.

So when she tripped over nothing at the top of the stairs, she wasn't even surprised anymore.

She was falling with her head facing the ceiling and she knew that she wasn't athletic enough to twist herself to somehow lessen the impact. This must be today's big bad luck then. She'd probably break her neck and get hospitalized for this. She had already calmly accepted this fact.

Until a pair of arms caught her in a bridal carry.

Next to her face was a smile she knew all too well. It was her friend, Makoto. In spite of his short and childish look, it seemed like he was carrying her with relative ease. She didn't hear a grunt of effort from him upon impact. He hardly broke a sweat over this so he wouldn't be dropping her anytime soon. Unexpectedly, he could be reliable despite his docile personality and meek aura. Thankfully he was there to catch her from impending doom. From his grin, he also looked amused by the turn of events, as if he was enjoying himself..

"Did it hurt?" He asked with concern and… was that a mischievous glint in his eyes?

"Uh..."

He grinned wider. "Did it hurt when you fell from heaven?"

"..."

A tense silence fell between them

"It's a joke, Mukuro." He said with his voice lost of its previous humor.

"..." She blankly stared back.

"Oh c'mon, that was the only chance for me to use that pun! You know I only say that stuff around you because you know how much I'm a sucker for them." He loudly whined, clearly displeased at her reaction or lack thereof. He sighed exasperatedly. "At least say something."

The seconds before she spoke felt like it stretched for minutes but she eventually opened her mouth.

"I just fell down the stairs. How about you?" She said in her usual flat tone.

"What about me?" He tilted his head.

She asked with a straight face. "Did it hurt when you fell for me?"

"That's!" In an instant, he was red all over his face. He bowed his head as much as he could in an effort to hide his redness but it was too late. The tables were turned and now he was obviously embarrassed. "You're sly, Mukuro."

"You need practice, Makoto." She shot back.

She considered it good luck that he was too busy trying to hide his embarrassment because if he looked at her right now, he would have seen her face just as red as his.

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

BONUS

Wolf in Sheep's Clothing

It's during one particular afternoon right after class that this series of events took place. It was almost summer which meant not seeing each other for a month. So they decided to stay and hang out for a bit. The classrooms were getting cleaned right now but since they finished early, they were now loitering outside. That was their first mistake. A lot of people were also cleaning outside which meant there were a lot of buckets of water being passed around. Avoiding them was easy enough but it was also easy to forget that some students tossed their buckets of water just outside the window without even looking below.

One thing led to another and well, now Makoto's top was soaking wet in contrast with the noticeably dry Mukuro who stood beside him.

"Sorry, this is all my fault." She apologized as they walked.

"Don't apologize. It was an accident. You couldn't have known." He smiled in an effort to reassure her. "I mean, what were the odds of this happening in the first place?"

Yeah, odds, go figure. She sighed. "Maybe it's because of my luck…"

"Oh, right your talent. I guess I just made it sound like it was your fault, haha." He chuckled nervously. "I didn't mean it that way though!"

"You wouldn't have gotten wet if I wasn't around." Which was partially true.

In his effort to protect her from the onslaught of water from the side by a student who tripped, he maneuvered her away and then himself just in position right beneath where one student tossed out a bucketful of water. She felt guilty being the only dry person between the two of them.

"Mukuro, it's really no big deal. It's just water, it'll dry off soon enough." He casually rolled his shoulders. "Besides, it's not as bad as it looks. I think my jersey absorbed most of it."

It probably was as bad as it looked because he reminded her of a puppy left in the rain.

"Aren't you going to take that off?"

"Excuse me?"

In hindsight, that didn't sound appropriate at all.

"You have a shirt underneath, ya? It's just easier to catch a cold while wearing soaked clothes." She corrected herself.

"Oh, you do have a point." He crossed his arms and the fabric squelched in protest however he paid it no mind. "I'd like to keep this on though. I'm heading back to the dorm after anyways so I'll just change there."

"If you say so." She said skeptically.

He was uncomfortable to look at because of his soaked clothes. It was only then that she realized just how far he would go just to wear long sleeves. He would either wear loose long sleeves or two regular long sleeves. He would find a loophole in the school uniform At first she dismissed it as just his fashion sense but when he actually wore his jersey to PE class, and even swam in it, she understood that there was more to it. She's never seen him wear only one layer of clothing or anything short-sleeved and she'd be lying if she said she wasn't curious.

"You always wear long sleeves. Is there any particular reason for that?" By now she's already given up at trying for subtlety, partly because she didn't care for it, and partly because he didn't seem to be bothered by her tactlessness.

"N-no, no reason in particular! Definitely not trying to hide something." His voice squeaked in surprise and he spoke in hurried sentences. "I just really like long sleeves!"

Was he hiding something? "Could it be… scars?"

"Scars?" That seemed to calm him down since he found his usual voice back. "Ah, well I guess that's only natural to think about since I did have that kind of work environment. But sorry to disappoint you, I don't have a single injury or scar on me."

She made a mental note of that fact for her to ask another day.

"I just like having my skin covered. Makes me feel safe." He said this time sounding more honest.

"I think I can understand that." She nodded in agreement but she was also aware that he was dodging the issue. "So what else are you hiding?"

"W-what gave you the idea that I'm hiding anything in the first place?" He stammered indignantly.

"You just said so." She pointed out flatly.

"No! I said I wasn't!"

"You stutter when you lie."

That actually silenced him.

"Nothing ever passes you, huh." He dejectedly sighed. "Remember Fenrir?"

"Your mercenary group."

"Yeah, well remember how I said that they made fun of my height? Turns out that's not the only thing they like to point out." He grimaced. "They liked to tease me about my body, saying that it still looks too young and how weird it was for a kid to have this sort of build.

"I kinda became self-conscious about it to the point where I don't feel comfortable enough unless I wear double layers with long sleeves just to hide it. It's a little bit embarrassing." He scratched the back of his sopping head and sheepishly smiled at her. "But you won't judge me, right?"

"Never." She answered readily.

"I thought so. Come with me." He pulled her along to a more secluded area outside and cautiously checked for anyone who might have been hiding. Satisfied that it was safe enough, he flashed her a thumbs up. "This place looks clear enough."

"Is something wrong?" She warily asked.

"Hey, remember the first day of class and I talked to you about a tattoo?"

"Yeah." She remembered how he quickly changed topic even though he was the one who brought it up.

"Well, wanna see it?" He asked in a small unsure voice.

She blinked. "Can I?"

"You should before I change my mind." It looked like he was stopping himself from doing just that but he didn't take back his offer.

She nodded. "Okay then, please show me."

Never again would Mukuro venture into territories without asking first.

She should have asked him first where it was instead of being shocked when he started to strip on the spot. Well it wasn't like he was doing anything indecent, it was just the top and he wasn't doing any unnecessary and distracting movements so this was all appropriate. It's normal for guys to easily strip their tops whenever. Guys take off shirts all the time, right?

But with him doing it right in front of her, only for her, something about that made all the blood flow to her cheeks.

He unzipped and tossed his jersey only to reveal that he had a white long sleeved shirt on. Apparently he lied earlier about the jersey absorbing the water because even the shirt was soaked through. But in contrast to his loose jersey, the shirt was a tight fit instead. It's only then that she noticed his true build. Contrary to his personality, there was nothing soft about his body, only hard and well defined muscles. Makoto's body was lean and well pronounced underneath those layers of clothes. He only looked small and fragile because of his face and height but one look at his ripped build reminded her once again that he was no harmless boy, he was in fact, a soldier, the Ultimate Soldier no less.

And then he took off that shirt so now he was completely shirtless. She could feel herself turning red from embarrassment. Wasn't he exposing himself too much? Then again, she's seen the other guys in class shirtless sometimes for PE. But he was different from them. Was she even supposed to see this? Wait, did he assume that she wouldn't look not until told so? If so then she shouldn't be looking at him now, right? She'd take any excuse to look away from this distracting view. She was just about to look away when something black caught her eyes.

On his left side, around the torso, was a tattoo of a wolf's head inside an octagonal-pointed star.

"A wolf." She said in awe.

"Yup, that's the symbol for Fenrir." He grinned toothily which mimicked the tattoo's wolf baring its fangs.

He may have looked like a puppy but he was every bit of a wolf.

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


It's an open ending! Or is it?

Well there are enough hints there to point out what happened next and I could have explicitly stated what she chose but this isn't that kind of fic. There's a different chapter for when Makoto's hope reaches her despair but oops maybe I shouldn't have said that.

This is 13k words? What the hell? How did this happen? I only planned for a 5k word fic not this? I just really liked the idea of a small docile Naegi having the capacity to snap someone's neck if any moron decided to hurt any of his friends. Also him being Mukuro's first friend and they become kinda like besties. (I swear it wasn't just for the shirtless skit.)

~xoxo~xoxo~

If you want a BETTER talentswap AU with an ACTUAL PLOT then I suggest you go to Nhitori's Dangan Ronpa: Despair Aria on ao3. Please support this fic, it's ongoing and it is beautiful and Mukuro is the main protagonist so need I say more?

And read Super High School Level New Game Plus while you're at it since it's complete and ships naekusaba. Seriously, you're missing out on high quality mukuro fics if you haven't read both of these.

Did I write this chapter just to endorse someone else? YES, that's how much I love them. NOW GO READ THOSE and tell them you love them too because you certainly will.

~xoxo~xoxo~

Anyways, I know this is too early (or too late) but we're celebrating someone's special day on the next chapter!

So tell me how this went for you. And drop by a request too! See ya!