Let's Look Forward to a Hopeful Future
"Look, I'm sorry-"
"Sorry doesn't excuse the fact that you almost got killed and the fact that you almost got Mikan killed too!" Hajime placed his hands on his hips as he reprimanded the Yakuza heir. Fuyuhiko might sort of been his boss, but Hajime was not letting Fuyuhiko leave the room without knowing how damn stupid he was.
"It was supposed to be a reconnaissance mission!" Fuyuhiko exclaimed defensively, almost as if he heard Hajime thinking about how stupid he was. "But we got caught, end of fucking story!"
Meanwhile, Mikan was facing her own interrogation...sort of.
As the pink-haired girl (Kotone? Something like that) played with her hair, Mikan gulped nervously. Because apparently, everyone in the Kuzuryuu family was very very intimidating (with the exception of Hajime, and maybe sort of Fuyuhiko).
"How in the world did someone like you get involved in all this? Make sure you tell me every single detail," The blonde leaned in, far too close for Mikan to be comfortable. She stared the nurse right in the eyes, smirking. Even her voice sounded dangerous, carrying so many undertones of threats that Mikan wasn't sure what the overtone was.
'Save meeeeeeeeeeeeee!' Mikan almost shrieked the words out loud, but her voice was frozen in her throat.
Thankfully, just then, Hajime and Fuyuhiko came in from the other room, still bickering.
"Try again!" Hajime ordered, using his height to his advantage to tower over Fuyuhiko. "But this time, use your fucking family! We're here to support you and make sure you don't get killed, so depend on us every once in a while!"
Kotone and the really really really intimidating Kuzuryuu girl looked up at the duo, grinning excitedly.
Mikan gulped. She could tell that this would either end horribly or end perfectly.
Sneaking into the Enoshima home was much easier when you had a computer virus that could delete camera footage as the camera was filming.
The sleeping drugs Mikan had brought were converted into sleeping darts. It was almost anti-climatic how easily Ikusaba and Enoshima were drugged. But then again, they were kind of sort of cheating by using sleeping darts anyways.
"If you have any goodbyes, now's the time to say them," Fuyuhiko stated, pointing a gun at Enoshima's unconscious body. The sleeping dart was still sticking out of her side. Mikan was tempted to pluck it out, but resisted.
It wasn't until then that Mikan realized what it meant to take a life.
She really should have realized it sooner.
'It was for the best. Enoshima didn't deserve to live.'
But no matter how many times she repeated the words in her head, Mikan couldn't convince herself, and if she said it out loud, she couldn't convince others either.
Because... because... Mikan loved to save lives. She lived to help others. So why was she here, going against everything she stood for? Even if it was Enoshima, Mikan couldn't convince herself to think that Enoshima deserved to die.
"Fuyuhiko-kun... Please wait," Mikan did her best to keep her voice level and calm. She really did, so why did her voice sound desperate?
"For the medicine to wear off?" Fuyuhiko asked.
"No, I..." Mikan hesitated, her voice even quieter as she finished her sentence. "I don't want to k-kill her."
"You're backing out now?" Fuyuhiko looked disbelieving, almost annoyed.
Mikan was pretty weak, wasn't she? She couldn't kill someone who had hurt her like that. She couldn't live by the same 'eye for an eye' philosophy Fuyuhiko did. Her voice faltered whenever she talked, she got tongue-tied and nervous easily, she was clumsy, she had many, many faults.
But even so, there were still people that loved her. There were people that enjoyed being around her and talking to her and she could call those people friends, right? And if she had friends, then she would be okay. Mikan wanted to be okay. She wanted to be okay and safe and happy, and she had no doubt in her mind that her friends would help her accomplish that.
Tears began to flow, but Mikan didn't stop. She needed to say the words that had been on her mind.
"Even i-if it's normal for you... if she d-dies, I... I wouldn't ever be able to stop thinking about her, I wouldn't ever be a-able to move on!" Mikan was rushing to say those words out loud. She stumbled over a few, but that was fine. Mikan wiped her face with one arm as she continued.
"A-all I want... I just want a-a normal l-life! A normal, h-happy life with my f-friends... with you and Chiaki-san a-and Ibuki-san and Hajime-kun and P-Pekoyama-san! I don't w-want to keep b-being haunted by... haunted by her memory a-anymore! Please understand! I'm so-" Mikan paused as she felt a hand on top of her head.
Fuyuhiko was reaching up to pat her on head comfortingly.
"I get it," Fuyuhiko said simply, before sighing. "But what do you want to do with her then? We can't just let Enoshima go free."
Mikan smiled slightly, before 'hm'ing thoughtfully.
"If s-she wants despair a-above all else..."Mikan stopped herself as she hiccuped, before continuing. "Then t-the best punishment would be having to see people b-be hopeful around her, and she can't do anything to change that."
"And how do we do that?"
"Well..." Mikan's grin returned as she whispered her plan into Fuyuhiko's ear.
With lots of effort, Enoshima's security room was converted into her living quarters, bed and bath included. The cameras and microphones were already there, but the output was disabled, so Enoshima couldn't talk to anyone over the speakers. The cameras and mics in the bedrooms and bathrooms were also disabled. Soundproof walls were also added to the room, to the point that you could set off a flash grenade in there and people on the other side of the wall couldn't hear it. The trapdoor leading to the security room in Enoshima's bedroom was replaced with flooring after she was put in. A small dog door, barely big enough to fit a bowl, was installed so Enoshima could have her meals. It blended in with the walls and couldn't be opened from the inside, so no one could find it unless they knew where to look.
A lot of effort was also put into convincing Mukuro to agree to her new living conditions and to feed her sister every now and then. Sort of. Maybe.
Actually, Hajime just took her into a room to talk for an hour, before Mukuro was on-board with the idea.
("All you want is to give your sister the despair she wants, right?" Hajime asked, continuing at Mukuro's nod. "Look at it this way. She gets the despair of not being able to inflict despair on others. She'll love you for it.")
However, the first person to feed Enoshima wasn't Mukuro.
With a smile on her face, Mikan hummed to herself as she slid the bowl of cereal through the dog door. She knelt to hold it open so she could talk to Enoshima as the other woman ate.
"I really loved you, you know? But that was a mistake," Mikan kept her smile on her face as she peered through the door. She knew it was unnecessary, since Enoshima could watch her through the cameras, but she wanted to see Enoshima's face as she spoke. "I'll do my best to find better love in the future!"
Even without response, Mikan continued, her voice as cheery as possible to aggravate the despair-loving maniac.
"Thank you, actually. It's thanks to you that I could meet Fuyuhiko-kun!" Mikan considered gushing about Fuyuhiko's good traits just to annoy Enoshima, but decided not to. That would just take up a lot of time.
"I've decided. I'm going to forget you," Mikan declared, her voice calm and clear as she went on. "I'm going to live a life free from your despair. I'm going to move on. So goodbye forever, Enoshima."
It felt... really weird, yet calming to say these words. Like she was leaving behind all the pain that came with knowing Enoshima, loving Enoshima. Mikan was letting go of the past that hurt her and looking forward to the future.
Mikan's smile grew brighter as she stood, dusting herself off. She couldn't be late for movie night, after all.
"Thank you so much!" Makoto had already said those words over and over, but Hajime couldn't help but smile as he led the younger brunette to the house. "It's really kind of you to help me find a place to live, Hajime!"
"Isn't that what family is for?" Hajime gestured to the gate, grinning. "Welcome to your new home, Makoto."
"What happened to the wall?" Makoto asked, staring at the spear holes in the wall.
"Yakuza attacks," Hajime stated truthfully. "Don't worry, they've already stopped."
Makoto nodded, a little bit less certain now.
A black-haired woman walked up to the gate, staring at the pair.
"Oh, there's your roommate," Hajime noted. "I should get going then. Have fun!"
"Bye!" Makoto waved to his cousin as he left, before taking a deep breath and walking up to the gate. "Excuse me, are you Ikusaba-san?"
"Yes," Ikusaba said simply, staring at Makoto like she was dissecting him for any weaknesses. "And you are Naegi-kun?"
"Yes! I'm glad to meet you!" Makoto smiled as Ikusaba opened the gate for him, dragging his (admittedly small) luggage with him. "Thank you very much for letting me stay with you, Ikusaba-san!"
"I-it's nothing," Ikusaba mumbled, her cheeks slightly pink as she guided Makoto towards their new home.
In her room, Enoshima rammed her head against her desk, screaming.
Mukuro silently sneaked up the steps, taking great care not to jostle the tray in her hands. It would be troublesome to clean up the orange juice later, especially if it spilled on the stairs.
However, her plan was quickly foiled when she saw Naegi, slumped down on the floor in the fetal position, right in front of the dog door.
She was tempted to drop the tray to the floor, only to be reminded of how much of a mess that would make. Instead, Mukuro gently placed the tray by the wall, kneeling down to check if Naegi was hurt.
Mukuro leaned over him, placing her ear right by his mouth to check if he was breathing, only to flinch away at how much his breath tickled. At least he was breathing. Mukuro rolled him onto his back, placing her hands on his skull to check for injuries.
Instead, the soldier got distracted by how soft his hair was, and his tiny, almost inaudible snores. She decided to pull him up so he could rest his head on her lap. Naegi deserved a pillow after sleeping on the floor.
It only took a few minutes for Naegi to wake up, staring up at her sleepily.
There were probably a million smooth things Mukuro could have said to break the silence. Instead of saying one of those, she let out a stiff, "Good morning."
Naegi yelped, springing up so fast that only Mukuro's soldier instincts stopped her from getting whacked in the head.
"W-what time is it?!" Naegi gasped, flustered and bright red as he turned to face Mukuro.
"About zero five hundred hours," Mukuro answered, basing her guess off of her internal clock, rather than checking a watch.
"Is that... five am?" Naegi asked for confirmation. Mukuro nodded.
"I'm sorry for falling asleep in such a weird place," Naegi said bashfully, rubbing the back of his neck. "I-I've always had this habit of sleepwalking, so, heh, maybe it would be best if you tied me up so I don't wander around at night."
"I wouldn't do that. Now get back to bed."
"Yes ma'am!" Naegi saluted playfully, bringing a smile to Mukuro's face, before he noticed the tray. "Is that your breakfast?"
"Er, no," Mukuro mentally apologized to Junko. It was a necessary lie. "I was actually bringing you breakfast."
If anything in her voice indicated that she was lying, Naegi didn't notice it. Instead, he inspected the tray, smiling.
"Oh wow! The pancakes are shaped like the bear statues on the wall!" Naegi exclaimed. "That's really cute."
Mukuro did her best to hide her blush, but the only reason she succeeded was because the hallway was dark.
"Thank you for your kindness, Ikusaba-san!" Makoto said, before cutting up the pancake.
A few hours later, Junko scowled at the bowl of cereal hastily shoved through the dog door. A fork was floating in the milk, a true testimony to Mukuro's absentmindedness anywhere that wasn't a battlefield.
I feel mean for adding Naekusaba scenes just to anger Junko. I would apologize... but it's Junko. So no.
Fun Fact! Peko, Natsumi, and Hajime are technically in control of three important fields of Yakuza work. (Technically since they report to Fuyuhiko and are being supervised by advisors working for Fuyuhiko's parents.)
Hajime makes sure that the Kuzuryuu family is on good terms with other families, businesses, the general public, etc. He's also in charge of the expenses.
Peko trains gunmen and handles hiring bodyguards and assassins. She also works as a bodyguard/assassin, but only for the Kuzuryuu family.
Natsumi is in charge of blackmailing business heads, prostitution, and human trafficking. Basically, she does the dirty work.