Chapter 29: Save the Star and the Stray Hound

Mukuro was running with the sound of gunfire behind her.

Her adrenaline was flowing furiously. Her eyes darting for any kind of cover, she found a barricade and dove behind it. She firmly held on to her M4A1 assault rifle and listened for any approaching steps. Her enemy seemed to have halted his advance. He's really good… I won't be able to beat him like I did the others.

Currently, the nine-year-old girl was in a massive indoor facility; the arena she was in was filled with many barricades, foxholes, and trenches—just like a real battlefield. There was only one way she could leave…and that was to fulfill the conditions of what her current task was.

She had one mission: be the last one standing.

The reason being, she was in a survival game against over twenty other opponents. Making her task more difficult was the fact all her opponents were trained in this kind of competition. She was the youngest competitor by far. However, that didn't deter her at all. Throughout this survival game, the young girl had been the fiercest opponent.

In truth, Mukuro herself couldn't believe she was performing this well. Before the game, she only expected to take out one or two people if she was lucky. She had eliminated fifteen. Whenever someone met her cold-lavender eyes, they were done. The running, the shooting, the coordination: it all felt so natural.

Now there was only one foe left, and he was the strongest.

I have my assault rifle and handgun. He outclasses me in just about every way; to be victorious, I have to be quick. Mukuro decided whether to peer over the barricade or blind-fire. After a moment, she decided to take a peek. The moment she stuck her head out, bullets came firing at her once again.

He's not going to bother taking cover because he knows I'll get destroyed in a straight on firefight. I need a plan… After wracking her brain, something came to her. Acting quickly, she took off her protective vest. She through it in the air; not a second later, her opponent fired at it. It's do or die!

Grabbing her M4A1, she ran from behind the barricade and fired at the man. Despite her distraction, he was able to react and evaded her initial assault. Though, he wasn't able to return fire. Seeing this, Mukuro let her instincts take over.

Time to switch to the sidearm! Mukuro took her assault rifle and threw it at her opponent. This allowed her to quickly pull out a handgun before sliding on the ground. In that split second, she had a clear shot. She was still in motion, and she was aware that if this resulted in a miss—it was game over.

Steeling her nerves, she pulled the trigger. Her bullet left the chamber, on its way to her target. Her opponent had already regained his composure and aimed at her with his rifle. If someone would've asked Mukuro at that moment, she would've told them her shot was going to hit its mark without a doubt.

As she predicted, it hit him right between the eyes.

The moment her shot hit, the man stopped what he was doing. Then he took off his goggles, revealing his brown eyes. "Shit!" he yelled with an angry expression.

Breathing heavily, Mukuro lied on the ground; her body felt exhausted. "I really did it…?"

"I can't believe you got me…" He wiped the sweat from his face. He was a young man of about twenty years of age, and his brunette hair was sticking to his face. "What kind of little girl is that good with guns?"

"And there you have it folks!" yelled the announcer over the intercom. "In a stunning upset, the top professional himself Hideki Yoshi has been defeated byyyyy…. Mukuro Ikusaba! After an amazing sixteen kills, she is the youngest ever to win the airsoft survival game!"

The lights turned on over the stands to reveal a stunned audience. There wasn't a chorus of applause or cheering, just confused faces. Hideki had a ton of adoring fans who fully expected him to win this tournament, yet they witnessed him get bested by a nine-year-old nobody from a poor background.

Picking herself up, Mukuro smiled and reached out to Hideki to shake his hand. "That was fun. I'm actually a fan of—"

"Save it." He flicked his hair before turning his back on her. "It's gonna take me forever to recover from this embarrassment…"

The man walked away, not meeting her eyes at all. Mukuro hung her head, feeling an all too familiar feeling. While she did have fun participating in this survival game, she had wished her efforts could've earned her a smile from him.

"Ugh, that took long enough," said a voice Mukuro could recognize in her sleep. She turned her head to meet the scarlet eyes of her sister, Junko. "Any longer and it would've become real survival to keep sitting through that."

"I couldn't get him to smile... He was disgusted with me."

Junko rolled her eyes. "Duh, I told you what would happen when you signed up for this dumb thing. You were going to breeze through the game, have one final showdown against him, and he'd act like a jerkwad when you beat him."

Mukuro looked at the ceiling, recalling that her sister did predict the results. She had seen her do it so many times before, but it always amazed her.

"I mean, come on, a survival game where no one actually dies; where's the excitement in that? It's like watching a horror flick where no one gets murdered."

Mukuro looked down. "Yeah…you're right."

"Did you think he'd be so enraptured he'd fall in love and wait until you were old enough to marry? Three words: never, gonna, and happen."

"Sorry… This was just a waste of time." Tears were beginning to well up in her eyes.

Junko was silent for a moment before flicking her red hair. "Well…I guess this wasn't a complete waste. I did get a kick out of seeing those smug competitors get their butts kicked by my gun otaku sister. And there are worse ways to spend the weekend I suppose."

Mukuro smiled. "Thanks. If it wasn't for you paying for my admission, I wouldn't have been able to participate."

"Yeah, whatever." Junko went to pick up Mukuro's vest before draping it over her sister's shoulders. "Since I'm such a good sister, I'll just keep letting you see my beautiful smile."

Mukuro blushed when she saw Junko's smile. Her sister would always refer to her look as plain, but Mukuro thought it was the most beautiful smile in the world. It was a look she'd do anything to preserve. Her sister was the only one who genuinely smiled at her like that, and if Junko was right about that never changing—which she always was right—Mukuro was going to treasure it.

"Now let's go home already. Our lovely and responsible parents are making us walk home, and it'll be dark soon."

Sighing, Mukuro should've been used to their parents' neglectfulness. Both of them weren't busy but didn't even bother to come see her compete today. Their dad simply dropped her and Junko off before driving away.

"You ready?" asked Junko. "It'll be a pain if we gotta come back."

"Yeah, let's go." Mukuro took one last look at the audience before departing the facility with her sister, their long walk home to their bad neighborhood awaiting them.

VVV

A few weeks after the airsoft tournament, Mukuro was walking home from school by herself. Even though it was a sunny day, she could feel the chill of fall. She put her hands to her mouth before breathing warm air into them.

Normally, Junko would walk with her after school while going on about how lame school was. However, her sister had begun spending more time with Yasuke Matsuda. Mukuro was a bit jealous, but happy her sister was happy.

Upon arriving on her driveway, Mukuro approached the door of her shaggy house. The unevenness and holes of the wooden structure could be seen from the outside, as was the norm of the little town she lived in.

Once she walked in, Mukuro yelled, "I'm home!" The only reason she said it was because of habit. Despite her yelling and hearing the television on, there was no answer—just like always. Sighing, she walked upstairs to her and Junko's room.

The moment she arrived in her room, she got out some paper and began working on her article. Ever since the airsoft competition, she had begun writing for a military magazine that commissioned her. Since she loved studying weaponry and the military, it was a no-brainer for her to accept the offer. She only got small change as pay, but she'd do it for free if she had to.

"Greetings, dear sister," sarcastically said Junko, not looking at Mukuro as she walked into the room and plopped face first on their twin-sized bed.

Mukuro smiled. "You're early; did something happen?"

"Matsuda's mother was having a rough time, so he decided to call it a day."

Once Junko rolled over, Mukuro saw her devoid eyes look at the ceiling. For as long as she could remember, she always saw Junko look that way. When she wasn't talking or smiling, she'd look off into the distance with empty eyes. It was if she left her body. Mukuro always wanted to ask what she thought about but decided not since Junko would say it'd be over her head.

Looking at the floor, Mukuro asked, "So…did you ever find out who destroyed your castle?"

There was an extended silence after Mukuro mentioned the infamous event of last week. After her sister diligently worked on a marvelous sand castle—an event many people were in awe of—someone destroyed it. Mukuro and Yasuke searched forever for the culprit but never found anything.

"… Nope. I don't even care about that anymore." Junko sat up before looking over at the papers on Mukuro's desk. "Are you still writing for that nerdy gun otaku junk?"

"It's a military magazine. They even give me free magazines that have all sorts of cool things about guns and different branches of the—"

"Please," said Junko, waving her hands, "spare me the details. And you wonder why nobody talks to you in school. When are you gonna realize that being obsessed with weapons and people shooting each other isn't the most attractive trait a girl can have?"

Mukuro frowned while looking down at her article. "I'm sure somebody will—"

"Nope, never. You know how I'm always right."

It was true the freckled girl was basically a part of the background in school. Even without her uncommon hobby, she was antisocial and terrible at conversation. She always admired how Junko could go to acting bored to being animated and cheery. While trying to make her personality seem bubblier may be the solution, she still couldn't deny her love for the military.

"Even so, I don't think I'll stop. It's the first time I've really been interested in something. Playing in that airsoft competition was the most fun I've ever had… It feels like this is all natural to me."

Narrowing her eyes, Junko plopped back down and looked up. "Your content with being a lonely, unattractive, military nut all your life. Well, at least one of us can be happy we've found a purpose."

One of us? Mukuro was confused, never hearing Junko say anything like that. "You're the most talented person I know; you could do anything you want."

"It's not a question of what I can do…it's what I want to do."

"… I don't understand."

"Ugh, as usual, I have to spell it out to you. What would happen, how it would happen, and when it would happen… Tell me Mukuro, how do you think life would be if you could see everything coming?"

"Well, wouldn't it be easy?"

"Correction: it'd be boring. It'd be like having a bunch of presents and knowing what is in them, like going on an adventure and knowing what lied at the end of each path, like a life with no variables or curveballs… A meaningless existence."

"But you could do anything and be anyone you feel like. You could have a successful life and live in a fancy house or be a celebrity."

"What's exciting about that? I could go to a fancy university and have a promising career, or maybe I could go overseas and pursue a life a fame. Maybe I could even find some chump I'm head over heels for and start a family. So many possibilities in my head…and all of them suck. I can see so many things, except for what will make me happy…"

Mukuro tilted her head, trying to think of words to console her sister. Though, she didn't know what to say. The empty look in her scarlet eyes suddenly made more sense. I want to say something, but if she can't find the answer…what hope do I have?

Junko twirled a lock of her red hair. "I can practically hear the smoke coming out of your ears. Don't bother thinking of an answer because there is none. Honestly…sometimes I go to sleep thinking if it's even worth opening my eyes."

"I'll make you happy!" yelled Mukuro with worried eyes.

Junko raised an eyebrow. "Didn't I just say—"

"I'm sure that if you keep looking…you'll find something. You just have to look in an area you haven't really thought of. And no matter what it is, I'll make sure to help so you can always be happy because…" Mukuro blushed as she looked away. "I really…love you, Junko."

Mukuro glanced at Junko to see her nonchalant look. Like always, it was impossible to tell what she was thinking. Mukuro was sure Junko would say how dumb that sounded. But, for a moment, she saw Junko's expression soften.

Rising, Junko reached under the bed and pulled out Mukuro's airsoft handgun. Then she walked to Mukuro before putting her in a headlock. The freckled girl blushed as Junko held her firmly.

"Gosh," said Junko, smiling, "having my unsightly, gun otaku sister being the one to assure my happiness? Now I know I'm at rock bottom." Letting her go, Junko tossed the gun at her—which she caught. Junko proceeded to lie back down. "Still…I'm counting on you."

Grinning, Mukuro said, "It's a promise."

"Now let's end it here before this gets too sappy." Junko smacked her own arm, crushing a bug that crawled on her. Their house had lots of pest crawling about. "And, truly, I hate this house."

While Junko turned away, Mukuro held her gun. I promise I'll make you happy, Junko. No matter what, I'll do it…even if it costs me my life.

Pointing her gun at the ceiling, Mukuro said, "Bang," pretending she was on a real battlefield protecting her sister.

The hours passed as Mukuro wrote her article and Junko lied on the bed while moaning about how loathsome something was. Basically, just an average day for them.

And just like an average day, dinner was silent. The family of four sat at the table and quietly nibbled on their meal. On occasion, Mukuro would try to initiate conversation with her parents. The most she'd ever get was a one-word answer from her mom or dad and that was it. Junko never looked up from her meal and was always the first to finish.

Their mother was a housewife. Presumably, she was working on a career but had to put it on hold to take care of Mukuro and Junko since somebody had to stay with them. Mukuro wasn't sure what her mother was pursuing because she never asked, but it was clear she wasn't happy often.

Their father worked a low-end job at a convenience store. Mukuro would barely ever see him since he worked lots of shifts and would usually come home late. But, and she was sure of this since Junko told her, it was likely he would use extra shifts as an excuse to go drinking.

Maybe it'll work today. Mukuro tried to think of anything interesting to talk about. A task she was having great trouble with. Aside from the military, the freckled girl didn't have much of anything to talk about. After deciding, she said, "Today in school, we learned how—"

"Done," said Junko, rising from her seat and walking upstairs.

Mukuro looked at her plate, deciding to keep the story to herself.

Shifting into the late-night hours, the two sisters were trying to get to sleep for school tomorrow. After Junko made her usual demands to Mukuro about lying a specific amount of feet from her, she fell asleep. She claimed it was because Mukuro smelled and that she'd wet the bed; though, Mukuro took showers daily and hadn't wet the bed in years.

Her sister fell asleep easily; however, Mukuro wasn't able to drift off. She couldn't hear the exact words, but her parents arguing was audible. It happened often, but it still unsettled her. The walls were thin, so she could hear it every time. And whenever she did, she'd have trouble going to sleep.

She was hesitant because it'd make her grumpy, but she patted Junko on the back. "Hey, Junko? You awake?"

"… Hard to sleep when someone is shaking me."

"How can you always sleep when they argue like that?"

"I'm so bored all the time it's more of a struggle to stay awake."

"Still…families aren't supposed to be like this…"

"Get your head out of the clouds; this is exactly how it's supposed to be. Two people that had other aspirations had kids thinking it would strengthen their bond. They only had their happiness in mind, not ours. And now we have to be stuck in this craphole while they bicker every night. Talk about the luck of the draw."

Mukuro grimaced a little, her sister never being one to minx words. "Couldn't we do something? I'm sure you could come up with a plan."

"What, you want to pretend to be a happy family? No thank you. It'd just be window dressing—disgusting, unsightly, cheap window dressing. Believe me: you'd be better off bearing it until we can leave home."

"You'd never come back?"

"Why would I… I hate both of them."

"Why…?"

"… They brought me into this dumb world."

Mukuro gasped, in shock over hearing that. While Junko did often echo her disdain for the world, she had never said anything about regretting her birth. Confused, she said, "What…what do you…"

"Go to sleep, eyesore."

Mukuro knew the conversation was over after hearing that tone. Her sister's statements, as well as the arguing in the background, continued to bother her. She could enjoy the sound of gunfire on the battlefield in movies, but this was something she wished would disappear. Unable to block it out, she murmured, "Junko…"

"Geez." After a heavy sigh, Junko turned her body towards Mukuro and held out her arms. "You're lucky I have a high tolerance."

Blushing, Mukuro moved closer to her sister. Upon feeling Junko's long, scarlet hair tickle her face, she instantly felt more at ease.

"You better not wet the bed," said Junko.

"I won't—promise."

This was Junko to Mukuro. While she could be blunt, when it came down to it—she was always there for her through the hard times. In her own way, Mukuro was sure her sister was trying to find some meaning. Mukuro had found solace in the military, but she truly wanted to help her sister find a purpose.

Until that day came, Mukuro enjoyed these tender moments they'd share. Even with the arguing in the background, it was worth it for this bonding. To Mukuro, Junko was like a beautiful angel—the most beautiful angel—who had yet to find her wings. Mukuro knew when she did, Junko could be a force that'd change the world forever.

However, she didn't know that her sister would want to do just that…and in a way she never imagined.

VVV

The days passed by for Mukuro, her routine never changing. She'd go to school, come home, and write her articles for the military magazine. In a flash, her elementary school days were passing her. The issues with her family stayed the same, and she never managed to get any new friends.

However, there were changes in regard to Junko. Mukuro didn't know when it started but her sister had become more distant. She was coming home later, was passing up hanging out with Yasuke, and would instantly go to her own space upon coming home.

When this happened, Mukuro noticed some…odd observations.

She'd often catch her sister mumbling to herself, smiling at nothing for a reason unknown, and the strangest was the journal she had. She'd never let Mukuro see it, but when she stole a peek once—she saw crude drawings of abstract objects. As far as Mukuro knew, Junko always thought art was "for hermits and introverts" while expressing disinterest.

Also, the look in her eyes was different. No longer did they look empty, as if they were looking at nothing. Now they looked alive and full of intent. It was like Junko always had her mind moving at a hundred miles per hour. When Mukuro would ask what was on her mind, Junko would say not to bother her.

Currently, it was a cloudy afternoon while Mukuro was reading a magazine about Japan's military. Just like every weekend, she spent it inside reading books about weapons or the armed forces. At this point, she probably knew more than many adult gun enthusiasts. Though, she could barely focus since her mind was on Junko.

I didn't even see her this morning. Once she woke up, her sister was already gone. It worried her, but she shrugged it off as Junko finding something she was interested in. Mukuro was confident she wasn't in trouble since her sister was too incredible. What are you up to, Junko…?

"Mukuro!" yelled Junko, bursting into the room and jumping on the bed. She was wearing her brown school attire.

"Wha…!" Mukuro was initially startled by the yell and then held on the bed before she fell off.

Smiling widely, Junko said, "Let's go get some ice cream!"

"Huh?" Mukuro's heart was still beating quickly from how sudden her sister popped in. Now she was enthusiastically asking her to get ice cream—something that never happened. "But, we don't have any money."

"I got us covered." Junko pulled out multiple dollar bills.

Mukuro's eyes widened. "Where did you get that much…?"

"Not important." Junko crawled behind Mukuro and started shoving her. "Come on, come on, come on! I already asked our folks and they said it was cool; stop stressing. Every time you overthink things, you'll grow another freckle."

Is that true…? Mukuro thought Junko was playing, but it did sound plausible to her. After thinking about it, Mukuro smiled. "Okay."

"About time! Put on that ugly jacket with the hood and let's go."

Mukuro grabbed her favorite camouflage jacket. "I think it's pretty…"

After putting on her attire for the cold afternoon, Junko literally yanked her out of the house. While there were walking, Mukuro was interested in Junko's jolly behavior. She was skipping and humming some kind of tune. She never recalled her sister being this animated.

In a half hour, they arrived at the ice cream parlor. Immediately, Junko ordered both of them big sundaes. Mukuro was shocked since they never had one of those; they were really expensive and the portion was too big for a young girl.

Once they received them, they sat outside; Junko dug into their treat while Mukuro stared at it like a treacherous mountain she had to scale. "Junko," she said, "I don't think I can eat all this…"

"Duh, it's called 'eating your fill' for a reason."

"Not that I don't appreciate it, but why so suddenly? If Mom and Dad knew how much you just spent on ice cream…"

"It's my money, so I'll do what I want with it. Besides, I already know I'll have a ravishing figure when I'm older and you'll always have the body of an anorexic zombie. What's the harm?"

Shrugging, Mukuro picked up her spoon an ate a mouthful of vanilla. She smiled upon tasting the delicious treat. Even so, the tasty sundae couldn't get a lingering question she had on her mind. "Junko, I know you said not to ask, but…why have you been so happy lately?"

Junko twirled the spoon between her fingers. "You really want to know?"

"Yeah."

"You really, really want to know?"

"Um…yes?" Admittedly, the way Junko danced around giving an answer was making her anxious.

Junko looked off into the busy street. "Mukuro, in your own words…what do you think of despair?"

Mukuro felt a sudden strong gust of wind that carried the stench of oncoming rain. Tilting her head, she said, "Despair... What do you mean?"

"You know—the opposite of hope. What do you think it is exactly?"

"It's…." Not having a clue how to answer, Mukuro looked off into the distance. It was such a vague question. Honestly, she still wasn't sure what Junko meant. "Despair is what people feel when bad stuff happens to them, right?"

"Heh, that's the simple-minded answer I expected. To know the answer to that question, you need to ask yourself another question: what exactly is hope?"

"Well, it's what people feel when good things happen to them."

"Once again, as I expected. It's not your fault; that's exactly what society has brainwashed us into thinking."

Still not catching on, Mukuro asked, "What do you think hope is?"

Junko's grinned a little while she met her sister's eyes. "Hope is harmony and order. It's a human with a just heart moving towards what they think is their goal towards the right thing. In other words: it's life's boring formula."

"Don't you want to be happy? I think hope is good."

"But that's because you've been raised to believe hope equals happiness. Let me ask you this: say a bomb went off on this street while it was full of people. What would happen?"

Where is she going with all this? Mukuro thought about her answer. "Lots of people would be hurt, angry, and sad. The person responsible would have to pay for hurting people."

"Yep, in that situation, hope can only be achieved through the culprit's despair. But, if hope really did equal happiness, then why do we find such joy in someone's despair? It's because…our hearts are naturally drawn to it. You're into war; you know it's the truth."

Averting her eyes, Mukuro knew the cruelties of war well. She studied different armies around the world and wars throughout history. To her, even with all the brutality and death, it was beautiful. It was like an international stage play. "… War is different; soldiers only follow orders."

"Oh come on. What's stopping everyone you see around you from being a soldier constantly fighting for survival? I'll tell you: rules, society, and peer pressure. Once these man-made tools to control people disappear…that's when you see the real nature of mankind." Junko's grin twisted even wider. "Human hearts will naturally seek out despair. Hope is nothing but smoke and mirrors."

How long has she been thinking about these things? Despite the explanation, Mukuro still didn't fully understand. Lots of things her sister said could be confusing, but she had never heard her say such grandiose statements. "So, this is what you've been thinking about."

"Yep—I think I've finally found a purpose."

Smiling, Mukuro said, "I still don't fully understand, but if you've found something that makes you happy…I'll do my best to help you."

"Hehe." Junko took ate another spoonful of ice cream. "I know."

"It's starting to get late. Mom and Dad will be mad we spoiled our dinner…"

"Gosh, you're such a stick-in-the-mud." Winking, Junko put a finger over her mouth. "I won't tell if you won't."

Mukuro nodded, trusting Junko's intuition. After tossing their ice cream, they walked home.

As they walked, the crackling of thunder could be heard in the distance. Mukuro didn't care much since the elements never scared her. She knew in order to be a good soldier, one most face mother nature as well.

Oddly, despite how talkative she was earlier, Junko had gone silent. No longer was she skipping merrily and humming; now she was dead silent as her eyes were hidden behind her matching hair. Is she upset? She decided to ask her about it when they reached their house.

With their house very close by, Mukuro sniffed the air and raised an eyebrow. "Is that…smoke?" Wondering if someone was having a barbecue, she turned the corner where her house was.

In those moments…she forgot how to blink.

"Is…that…" Mukuro's legs moved on their own, darting towards the inferno.

The inferno that had enveloped her house.

She wanted to move her mouth, but couldn't. She simply stood still while the scorching wind blew her jet-black hair. Her heart was stinging when a sudden reality dawned on her...

Her parents were both inside when they left, and there was no sign of them.

"Sis…" said Junko, her eyes looking barren. "I think our parents are dead…"

"No!" she shouted at the top of her lungs. She was about to run to the house before Junko grabbed her arms. "We need to do something, Junko!"

Despite the amount of emotion Mukuro was pouring out, Junko was still stone-faced. "It's too big for us; that house was a huge fire hazard…"

"But…" Mukuro's tears were flowing down her face. "Our parents could be alive…"

"If they were, they'd be here. We haven't even gotten a call… This fire has been burning for a while." Junko looked down. "They're gone, Mukuro…"

Mukuro fell to her knees. The gravity of it all was choking her. Her parents, her belongings, they're home… It was all gone now. "You can do anything, right, Junko…." For the first time she could remember, Mukuro directed an angry expression at her sister. "Why couldn't you have stopped this!"

Mukuro was so caught up in her emotions, she didn't react to the slap Junko hit her with. She's normally aware of her surroundings like a soldier would; right now, she was in too much internal pain to care.

Turning her back on her, Junko murmured, "I'm…in despair too…"

Wiping fresh tears from her face, Mukuro looked at the burning house again. She instantly felt bad for snapping at her beloved sister. "I'm sorry; should we wait for the police?"

"No, we need to leave."

"Wouldn't that make us look guilty? And…I really think we should—"

"Wake up!" yelled Junko, staring at Mukuro with desperate eyes. "We'll be put in crappy foster homes, and that's only after the police get finished with us. I might get taken by a family, but you'll never be. All you are is a gun otaku with no other qualities. The only person that will ever smile and love you is right here…and they'll separate us… You'll be alone…forever."

It played in Mukuro's head like a horror movie. Junko was right. Even with her parents or at school, she was always alone. Living in a foster home all her life was scary enough, but being away from Junko… Mukuro never wanted to leave Junko side. "I…I don't want to be separated from you…"

Placing her hands on Mukuro's shoulders, Junko said, "I don't want that either. That's why we gotta run."

"… And go where? We don't have anything…"

"Did you forget who I am? I can save us. But first… you have to help me. Help me find my happiness; live for me. Can you do that, Mukuro?"

Not a second passed before Mukuro said, "I was always going to do that."

The two sisters hugged before running. Mukuro took one last look at her burning house before facing forward. Not having a destination in mind, she followed her sister—just as she always would.

VVV

The months that followed were hard. The two sisters left the town and walked for what felt like ages. Winter certainly didn't make this any easier. Still, Mukuro just kept following Junko's lead—who seemed to be indifferent.

Thanks to the money Junko had on her—which she never told Mukuro how she got—they were able to survive on light meals. Although, there would be times they both wouldn't eat for a whole day; Mukuro even had to sift through garbage on a few occasions.

Eventually, they saw an article in a newspaper about their house burning down. Just as Junko said, both their parents' bodies were found and the two sisters were declared missing. The cause of the fire was ruled an electrical shortage. Mukuro was sad when she replayed the fateful day in her head; Junko tossed the paper aside and pressed on.

It wouldn't be a stretch to say Junko was the reason she had lived up to this point.

One day, the two were resting in an abandoned train station. Mukuro was lying by Junko while the scarlet-haired girl was sitting up. Both of them were dirty and incredibly skinny from being malnourished.

Weakly, Mukuro said, "Junko…this is getting really hard."

"Yeah…I think I'm tired of this kind of despair too. Looks like it's time to move things along."

What does she mean? Too weak and too tired to inquire, the freckled girl's eyes grew heavy. She saw what looked like Junko rising before she fell into a slumber.

VVV

Slowly, Mukuro opened her eyes. After wiping the sleep from them, she looked around to see it was daytime. She was in the same abandoned train station, but there was one difference: Junko was absent. "Junko?"

It didn't take long for panic to set in. Did she abandon her? Was she hurt? Did someone take her while she was sleeping? Questions of this nature were whirling in her mind on repeat. She slowly rose before looking around for any sign of her sister. "Junko! Junko!"

"I'm in here, crybaby!" yelled a voice from the woman's bathroom.

An instant sigh of relief escaped Mukuro's lungs as she recognized her sister's voice. "Using the bathroom?"

"I'm prepping myself for the road ahead."

"Um…"

"If this is going to work, I need to refine myself. I'm an adorable cutie as is, but I need to spice it up. The less I look like you the better, hehe."

"What did you have in mind?"

"You'll see."

Before Mukuro could ask, her sister stepped out. If the freckled girl wouldn't have already heard her voice, she would've thought there was a stranger in front of her. Her sister looked completely different.

Her long, scarlet hair was replaced by strawberry blond twin-tails, and her eyes had become as blue as the ocean. She was also wearing lots of foundation and her long nails had been painted bright red. Her clothes looked more stylish, plus there was a great scent coming from her. It's almost if her sister had jumped into someone's body.

"Junko…what is this about?"

"This is gonna be our meal ticket, as well as my new look." Junko placed her hands on her hip. "By the way, eyesore… as of now, my full name is Junko Enoshima."