Ben's Note: Hello everyone! It's been quite some time, hasn't it? It feels good to get back in the swing of things since it's been three years, huh? So, I decided to start something new with a new fandom I found. (I know it's been around for a while, but I just found it. I feel like a lot of people are discovering this game with the new PS adaption. It was for sale on Steam, I bought it, and I haven't looked back!)

Now, you probably clicked into this fanfic and y'all are like, "Alright Ben, what's the premise here?" Well, I've been itching to give Danganronpa a try, and I discovered this cool little AU called Talent Swap. For those of you who don't know what that is, it's quite simple. Talent Swap is an AU where the talents of the original characters are switched, causing different outcomes. See? Simple! For the purposes of this Talent Swap, I want to make some things clear:

1. This first story will contain spoilers for Danganronpa 1, 2, AND V3. If you have not gone through the series (I would recommend watching Danganronpa 3 the anime too, although this will contain no spoilers for that), then before you read this story, make sure you have played through all the games you want to play. (For those of you who have NOT finished the games you wanted, stop HERE. I say it again in the next bullet, so you'll get a double warning.)

2. For this talent swap, going along with the fact this first fic spoils V3, the talents that are swapped are not limited to the original cast members switching. Some students have talents from the second game, others from the third game. (Hence spoilers. And these aren't potential spoilers either. These WILL ruin your gameplay experience if you haven't played them already. In fact, it will also outright spoil the first game, so if you're in the middle of the first one, STOP and go finish the games and then come back. I warned you twice, so spoiling from now on is now on you.)

3. This talent swap isn't fully invented by myself, a lot of these ideas were inspired by the internet. That being said, some of the ideas I pulled didn't fully fit with what I wanted, so I took the liberty to switch around some of these talents. ALL of the talents someone possesses are in this version. (I intend to do two sequels.) So if you look up talent swap and see the version I'm doing, remember that I took liberty to change things at my leisure. (So don't believe what you see if it says someone is the protagonist or antagonist. I'm the writer here, I have the liberty to make changes as needed.)

4. Now. There's a pretty big debate on how to reference these characters. In the anime and Japanese version, they are obviously referred to by their last names. In the game, they go by their first names. To avoid confusion, at least for me, I will reference their first names. If that's confusing, I apologize, but this is what's easiest for me because that's how I've come to learn the characters. This is just how it'll go.

5. When it comes to this AU, I wanted to establish one thing. All of the characters ARE THEMSELVES. They will remain in character as best as possible. The DIFFERENCE, then, is that their talents obviously have CHANGED how they are as people. So if they seem out of character, it's because their upbringing and backstory is DRASTICALLY different. They are still themselves, but they are just naturally different because the basis of who they are is different. (For example, Mondo is a confident, ask questions later kind of man because he's the Ultimate Biker Gang Leader. In this version, he's still confident, but he's more sophisticated and polite. He's still Mondo, but because of his talent, he has obvious differences.)

Ok, so I think I've covered all the points I needed to recover. I've fully warned y'all about spoilers, so again, if you get spoiled the second the story starts, that's on you. Without any more chatter, here's the chapter!

Prologue: New Roads and Beginnings- Part 1

Day 0- 6:03 AM

Outside Hope's Peak

Mukuro Ikusaba was given a second chance when she received her invitation to Hope's Peak Academy. This invitation had been the last thing she expected to receive, especially from such a prestigious Academy. She had of course heard of Hope's Peak. Who hadn't? But the fact that they reached out now, when Mukuro was so low… she knew that this was the second chance she had been hoping for. And now… she could act on it.

Still, even when Mukuro was standing before the building that would change her life, she couldn't believe she was actually there.

"Don't look so glum big sis," came a voice from behind her. Mukuro's lips twitched slightly upward as she turned around. Her little sister, Junko Enoshima, stood behind her. Her strawberry blond hair was done up in pigtails with playing cards sticking out from the scrunchies holding them in place, one side having a black pair while the other was red. She had on a choker that looked like a bowtie, one half white, the other red. She was also wearing a red and black vertically striped dress along with a pair of black gloves. Around her waist was a yellow belt with a red poker chip buckle holding it together. "This'll be an experience of a lifetime!"

For their whole life, Mukuro and Junko had been asked why they had different last names. It was always the hardest question, because it brought a lot of painful memories rushing back to both of them. Despite this, Junko was always quick on her feet and always answered that it didn't matter, because blood ran thicker than their names. Mukuro knew this was true, but she always felt better when Junko said it. Even though Junko was younger, she always took the stand when it was too hard for Mukuro, which was often.

Especially now.

"What if they don't understand Junko?" Mukuro asked. "You do because you're my sister and you don't ask questions. But what if they do?"

Junko gave Mukuro a soft, but determined smile. "It's like I always say," Junko said confidently. "Always walk into a gamble with a belief you've already won. Most of the time, you walk out with more confidence than you did going in. This doesn't mean you'd always win, but that's half the fun of gambling! Sometimes losing keeps things interesting!"

A smile cracked through Mukuro's wall, making Junko laugh as Mukuro tried to cover it. Junko was always using gambling metaphors to make her feel better, but that's the kind of person Junko was. While Mukuro suffered from her past in her way, Junko suffered in hers. Gambling became Junko's world, especially since Mukuro couldn't be with her all the time. Because of this, she ended up becoming the Ultimate Gambler, playing circuits across the world, winning some of the toughest competitions and beating national stars. She knew her talent through and through, which granted her the chance to attend Hope's Peak Academy.

For Mukuro, Junko wasn't just the Ultimate Gambler because she could win impossible odds. It's because Junko also knew when it was best to lose.

"Come on Mukuro! We should head inside," her sister said, snapping Mukuro from her thoughts. "The longer we wait out here, the more anxious you're going to get."

Mukuro nodded, glancing behind her before letting out a sigh. Might as well get this over with. She turned toward Hope's Peak and did her best to plaster a smile. Her hair blew in the wind and tugged at her brown school uniform, the bow flapping on her clavicle occasionally hitting her cheeks. She also felt her black skirt blow as well as she stared up at the clock tower, taking it in best she could.

Junko's right, she thought to herself. What's the worst that can happen? Just practice like you did back at home. Hello, everyone. I'm Mukuro Ikusaba. I'm sixteen years old. My Ultimate talent is…

Is…

. . .

Day 1- ?

?

Mukuro groaned as her eyes began to flutter open, her head slightly throbbing. As her eyes opened fully, she found herself in what appeared to be a classroom. She was surrounded by yellow walls and a chalkboard in front of her. She was sitting at a desk in the middle of this room, surrounded by other desks. Mukuro reached up, massaging her temples.

"Ugh… where… Junko?" Mukuro called. There was no answer to Mukuro's question, just silence. Mukuro blinked her eyes a few times and took in deep breaths. She wasn't scared, but appearing in an unknown place by herself when her sister was with her just moments ago wasn't the most comfortable of situations. "Junko? Hello? Anyone there?"

Her voice echoed in the room, met only by the endless silence. With a few more deep breaths, Mukuro stood up, making sure her feet were stable on the ground. When she did, her eyes flicked down, noticing a small note. Her lips turning downward, Mukuro grabbed the note and brought it up to her face.

The note actually turned out to be a hand drawn card. On the front of the card was a picture of a bear, only one of his eyes was in the shape of a sideways lightning bolt. The bear was outlined in blue, but while one half was left blank, the other half was colored in by a deep purple. Around the bear, the note read, "Welcome to Hope's Peak Academy!" After glancing over the front, she flipped open the card.

Opening ceremonies will begin at eight o'clock this morning in the gym. Don't be late!

Mukuro blinked. So she really was inside Hope's Peak. Maybe her nerves caused her to pass out and Junko had brought her into this classroom? That would make sense. She glanced up at the clock. 7:13 in the morning. Mukuro felt that she could handle her own for a little while, but theanxiety of facing who she was and her talent were too…

Wait.

"What's my talent?" Mukuro asked, fear creeping in. Mukuro wasn't one to let fear take her, but not remembering who she was at her core… she knew she was ashamed of it, but it made her who she was. But no matter how much Mukuro searched herself and tried to figure out what it was, she was grasping at straws. "Come on! I knew what you were ten minutes ago! What the hell…"

"There you are Mukie!"

Mukuro started, her body jerking around to the door to the exit of the classroom. Standing in the doorway was her sister, Junko. Mukuro let out a breath of relief, rushing to the door and tackling her sister in a hug. Mukuro felt Junko's surprise, but soon found the arms wrapping around her. Mukuro knew that expressing care and love wasn't Junko's style, but she appreciated it then. Gambling requires control of one's emotions. But helping Mukuro had always been a gamble on Junko's part, so Mukuro appreciated every bit of emotion Junko put into it.

"Hey, everything's alright," Junko said in a calm and collected voice. "I woke up here about five minutes ago. You were asleep and I got bored. I went to go figure out where we were and ran into some of the others at the entrance hall. They were going to have a meeting, but I told them you hadn't woken up yet, so I came to grab you."

Mukuro nodded, taking a deep breath. Then she paused. "Others? You mean there are other people here?" she asked.

Junko gave a quick nod. "Other students. No sign of any teachers or adults in general, but at least our potential friends are here! After asking around, I think they are all in our same class."

A breath of relief escaped Mukuro's lips. She wasn't exactly sure why she felt relieved, but she couldn't shake the feeling that more people meant safety. This instinct, she felt, was super important to adapting. She wasn't sure why she felt this way, but it was there, so she chose not to ignore it.

Speaking of being unsure…

"Junko," Mukuro said seriously, pulling away from her sister's hug to look her in the eye. "I woke up just a minute ago, and I tried remembering where we were. I could remember you, our family, and that we were in Hope's Peak, but I can't seem to remember my talent. I know I was anxious about it for some reason, but…"

"Oh Mukuro! Don't be such a worrywart!" Junko said with a laugh. She gave a huge smile and held out the two fingered peace sign. "Your talent is no big deal! You're totally the Ultimate…"

Junko trailed off, and Mukuro immediately wished she hadn't mentioned it at all. Junko's smile seemed to slip smaller and smaller until it had turned into a scowl. Concern was blatant on her face as the confusion and uncertainty of the situation set in. Mukuro rathered the worry of not being there, because seeing her sister worry, especially about her, made Mukuro's anxiety and worry spike upward. This worry spread out across her face as her eyes widened. Junko gave a reassuring look at her sister, which helped calm Mukuro down a little..

"Hey, not a big deal," Junko said, putting her hands on Mukuro's shoulder. "Something weird is going on. It's ok to be a little worried, but not remembering your talent? I'm sure there's a good explanation. You probably hit your head when you passed out."

"Oh! So I passed out?"

Junko's reassuring smile slipped slightly. "Er… I think so. Honestly I don't really remember. One second I was helping you, the next I was waking up here with you. We're definitely in Hope's Peak, that's what the note says, but something is definitely off with the windows…"

Mukuro hadn't noticed it until Junko had pointed it out, but she was right. When Mukuro looked behind her, the windows that should have been there had been replaced… no, covered by big metal plates that have been bolted to the wall. While the bolting looked crude, it looked firm, meaning that the sheets would be near impossible to move if she tried.

"It's like that all over the school," Junko commented. She backed up out the door and gestured for Mukuro to follow. She did so and quickly found that Junko was right. She came out into a purple stoned hallway with six pillars of stone around the area. Mukuro noticed a door right next to the classroom she came out of, and a hallway leading somewhere off to her left. Straight across from her were more bolted sheets of metal, covering what Mukuro could only assume were windows. "These windows and a few others in the living area are all blocked."

"That's odd. You said the others were at the entrance hall. Have some of them gone outside to…"

Junko shook her head. "You'll see when we get there," she said with a sigh. "For now, it looks like we have no access to the outside world. I'm sure there's a way out, but for right now, we're stuck. I'm sure we'll figure everything out at the meeting in the gym."

Mukuro nodded and glanced back into the classroom. A clock sat on the wall above the chalkboard. The clock read about 7:30, meaning there was a good half hour before the meeting. Mukuro turned back to Junko and let out a breath. "Let's meet the rest of Hope's Peak," she said to her.

Day 1- 7:19 AM

First Floor- Entry Hall

Mukuro knew a little about some of the other students, but not a whole lot. While she couldn't remember her talent or any solid details about her life right before coming to Hope's Peak, she did know that she spent as much time as she could to figure out about the other students as she could. She didn't want to stumble into a new situation without knowing as much as she possibly could about her situation. She never wanted to go into anything blind.

That didn't stop Mukuro from feeling that way now.

Junko had led Mukuro to the entrance hall, where Mukuro stood surrounded by other students. All eyes went straight to the two of them, and Mukuro felt her heart start to beat faster. She gave a few level breaths until she felt her body calm. She didn't normally feel this anxious, but all of the unknowns were crashing around her. This anxiety felt it's way through her nerves, and it took everything Mukuro had to shove them away.

While everyone was staring, Mukuro took time to observe the room. She saw a small table off to the back right of the room while the rest of the room was a silver color and looked very uncomfortable. Directly across the room was a giant metal door that appeared to be locked. Mukuro figured that's why Junko dismissed her when she mentioned going outside. The door seemed impossible to open by normal means, which meant that going outside wasn't an option. This didn't help Mukuro's growing anxiety.

"You got this Mukuro," Junko said, smiling at her sister. While Junko's smiles were rare for others, she always seemed to save one for her. Mukuro's lips turned up slightly, causing Mukuro's cheeks to go a little pink. She hated smiling at herself, but Junko always managed to get her to crack one. "If you need to, lean on me."

Mukuro gave a nod and braced herself for what was to come.

"Oh look, Junko's back," someone grumbled in the group. "And she brought someone who looks way too professional to be trusted. Great."

"Are we sure this is everyone?" a girl asked from the group.

"I think so," Junko said to the others. "I checked all the other classrooms before I went to get Mukuro. This makes her the last one."

"Interesting," said a rather large boy with glasses. "This brings the total of us to an even sixteen. Makes me wonder what kind of tactical plans I can make with these numbers…"

"What do you mean by tactical plans?" another girl said, a little more strongly than Mukuro would have preferred. "That sounds creepy, especially coming from someone like you!"

"Hey, settle down, alright?" came another boy. "We can't get anywhere if we all talk at once."

"I agree!" came an intense voice. "We won't know what chaos to cause without doing a thorough background check on everyone here! If we don't know each other, we won't be able to best manipulate each other into doing what we want!"

"That sounds creepy too!" came the harsh girl's voice.

Mukuro tried to keep track of the conversations, but they all seemed to get lost amongst the group. She let out a sigh and tried to slip to the corner where she would be out of the way. Before she could, however, Junko's hand grabbed her shoulder, preventing her from taking another step.

"Hey, don't slip to the back," Junko said, smiling at her sister with a firm smile. "Just like we talked about before we came in. Just introduce yourself and take it one step at a time, alright?"

Back then I knew my talent, Mukuro thought to herself, but gave her sister a nod. Despite the fact that Mukuro felt she stuck out, she knew her sister was right. Talent or no talent, if these were indeed her classmates, the best thing she could do was get to know them all. At least then she could put faces to names.

Her sister melted into the group, beginning to introduce herself with confidence. Mukuro's faint smile returned to her lips as she watched her sister. Junko was always social, even before the gambling. Gambling only helped her to further become the girl with connections she was today, but she was always trying to talk to new people. That's who she was. A way to drown out the pain of the past. If only Mukuro were that bold…

"My lady, you seem preoccupied in your thoughts to focus on the task we were assigned. Do you require any assistance?"

Mukuro's subconscious darted back into reality, suddenly aware that someone had approached her. It was the bigger boy in glasses from before and he had a very smug look on his face. He had brown hair with curly bangs on the sides of his head and came up into a singular spike on the top of his head. He was tall and very round, spanning at least two Mukuros had on a grey long sleeve shirt, the sleeves an orange color. A small blue arrow was present on the left side of the shirt, right above his left breast. He had on a pair of grey shorts and an orange backpack that looked small, but contained quite a bit stuffed inside.

"No, I'm really alright," Mukuro said with a nod of appreciation. "Just trying to take stock around me and figure things out is all. What's your name?"

The boy seemed to puff up with pride at the question. "Hifumi Yamada, the Ultimate Soldier, at your service!" the boy said, loud enough to get looks from some of the others. "Serving the country of Japan as well as other military groups across the continent to keep others safe."

Mukuro blinked in surprise. The Ultimate Soldier? That was extremely impressive, especially to her. "I'm Mukuro Ikusaba," Mukuro responded, giving him a nod.

"I see, I see," the boy said, his voice becoming lower toned, but still was high pitched. "Junko Enoshima's sister, yes? She mentioned you. What would your talent be?"

Mukuro hesitated, which she knew Hifumi caught. Without any more hesitation, she muttered, "I don't remember. My memory is blank when it comes to it. Junko doesn't seem to remember either."

Hifumi seemed to nod, almost as if he had been expecting the answer. "Explains the lack of confidence," he said with a chuckle. "Well, a young girl like you will make a fine addition to this small army we are building. With us standing together as a unit, surely we can take on even the toughest foe! Talent or no talent, you are a part of this class! Pleasure to meet you, Miss Ikusaba."

Mukuro gave a nod, surprised by the kindness Hifumi had shared with her. She wasn't used to anyone being so formal, but coming from Hifumi, it felt rather flattering. He looked creepy, but he seemed nice enough for Mukuro, which was all that really mattered for her.

After Hifumi introduced himself and gave Mukuro a nod of farewell, he walked off to find someone else to talk to. Before Mukuro could let out a breath of relief, she turned around and almost yelped. The person who was standing behind her also helped, causing a chain reaction. Neither of them were really expecting the other to be there, hence their reactions.

Standing before Mukuro was a short girl with dirty blonde hair. She wore a baggy dark green top and had on a tan skirt that puffed out a little bit, which looked very roomy. She had on a brown pair of leggings and a pair of white gloves as well. She had a small scar under her left eye. While her clothes looked baggy, she looked like she was in decent shape from what Junko could see.

Once the two girls stopped reacting to each other, Mukuro offered an apologetic look. "Sorry about that," she said. "I didn't know you were there. I'm Mukuro, Mukuro Ikusaba."

"Hey Mukuro," the girl said, her surprised look melting into a confident smile. "My name is Chihiro Fujisaki. I'm the Ultimate Aikido Master."

Ah, that explains why she looks well toned, Mukuro noted. It would make sense why she sported baggy clothing. It was more loose than other types of clothing. "So what got you into Aikido?"

"Oh, the motto," Chihiro said with a cute smile. "'True victory is victory over the self'. It's something I've been working on for years. My dad was never really into the physical kind of thing, but he helped me to pursue this passion once I figured I needed to stand up to what people expected of me."

"What did people expect of you?"

"That I was as weak as a girl and would never stand up for myself."

It took Mukuro a moment to connect what she was saying. What he was saying. Mukuro must have given off a look, which made Chihiro laugh. "Yeah, the skirt gets people," Chihiro said, blushing a little bit. "It's a long story. Besides, women aren't weak. Pretending to be one all these years has helped me see that. I lived so long in the shadows of my fear that I'm barely getting my confidence back."

Mukuro nodded, understanding what that kind of fear could do to a person. She herself had her own skeletons of fear. They may not have driven her to pretend to be a boy, but they had driven her to other things. "I understand," Mukuro said to her. "Sorry for my reaction."

Chihiro gave a laugh. "Totally normal. Like I said, it's the skirt," he said to her. "I'd love to tell you the whole story, but like I said, it's pretty long. Oh, and can we keep that a secret, fake girl to girl? I'm close to feeling strong enough to reveal it to everyone, but I'm taking it one step at a time. Getting my practice in with being open about who I am."

Mukuro gave a firm nod. "Your secret is safe with me," Mukuro said.

Chihiro nodded with another appreciative smile. "Thanks! You seem like a cool girl Mukuro. I'll talk to you more later."

With another friendly smile, Chihiro walked away, confident in his steps. Mukuro wasn't sure she really understood why Chihiro was the way he was, but he sounded like he had a tale to tell. While Mukuro couldn't remember her full story, she knew what it was like to have a story and needing to build up to tell it. Chirhio would tell her when the time was right and they got to know each other better. She knew that for certain.

Shortly after Chihiro left, Mukuro decided to step into the fray. She almost quickly regretted it though. A tall boy stumbled into her, looking a little distracted. Mukuro managed to regain her balance as the boy slipped past, stumbling for a moment before planting his feet both on the ground. A pissed off scowl lined his face and Mukuro could feel what was coming next.

"Watch where you're going you little piece of… oh," the boy said, switching from royally pissed to slightly embarrassed. "Sorry. I didn't realize I had… that was my bad."

The boy before her looked very well groomed, with combed almost orange colored hair going up for about two inches. The sides of his hair were a light brown color. He was wearing a white shirt and had on a tie that was yellow with black lines on it. Looking closely, Mukuro realized that these lines were music scales and notes were scattered across the tie. On the right side of his shirt was a pocket, where four different types of gold music notes hung out of it. He wore a pair of black slacks as well.

"No, I should have paid more attention," Mukuro responded, trying to keep the emotion out of her voice. "Trying to keep the nerves down. New people, mysteries popping up… you know, stressful unknown types of things."

"Boy, do I know the feeling," the boy said, hands on his hips and a chuckle coming after the words. Mukuro eyed him a little more, surprised at almost how complete this transformation was. He noticed that Mukuro was looking at him and Mukuro had to restrain her smiles when she saw her staring was flustering him. "Um, you know, because of my talent and all. Stress every day to make sure I'm perfect."

"What is your talent?" Mukuro asked, curiosity edging into her voice. Once she finished, she quickly added, "Oh, and your name. I don't think you mentioned it."

"Oh, yeah. Guess it slipped my mind," he said, chuckling a little. "The name's Mondo, Mondo Owada. I'm known as the Ultimate Pianist." The snort left Mukuro's mouth before she could stop it, making Mondo get more awkward. "Hey, it wasn't my idea! I wanted to go out with the boys and do manly stuff! My bro wanted to introduce me to this one sick gang leader he knew that would have taken me in, but my Ma…"

"Hey, calm down," Mukuro said, surprised the words were coming from her mouth and not Junko's. "I didn't mean anything by the snort. Most boys don't spend time on things like the piano. I think it's a little endearing."

Mondo's pride still looked a little shot, but Mukuro's comment seemed to spur him, at least a little. "Well… thanks. I definitely don't hate it or anything. While I could do without all the concerts, it's definitely something I turn to in order to relax. Helps me stay mellow, ya know?"

Mukuro didn't know, since she couldn't remember what talent she had to help her calm down. She may have been ashamed of it, but she was sure that it helped her maintain balance. Even though she couldn't remember the specifics, she knew that she got where Mondo was coming from.

"It's your center," she said finally. "Where you turn when there's nowhere else to go."

Mondo seemed impressed, almost speechless. "Wow… yeah, exactly. Geez, I didn't expect you to get it. I guess I underestimated you."

Mukuro almost cracked a smile at the comment. "Well, I was pretty rude and laughed at your talent. Sorry about that," she responded. "How about we both forget being rude and start with being mutual friends who understand the importance of their center?"

"I could get behind that," Mondo said with a big grin. "Say, what was your name?"

"Oh, me? I'm Mukuro."

"Mukuro. Got it," Mondo said, tapping his head. "I'll make sure to keep that one filed away. Thanks for the chat. Hope to see you around."

Mukuro found her lips curved upward as Mondo left. Mukuro shook her head, bringing herself back to a calm, emotionless exterior. She knew it was ok to have feelings and let emotions out, but that's what Junko was there for. When Junko was near, she could be herself. Even when she would much rather not.

"Don't tell me, you're one of those depressed girls who spend more time hating their life than getting out and using it to their advantage," came a voice next to her. Mukuro glanced to see that a girl was approaching her. She had dark black hair up in a ponytail falling down to her mid back. There was a black headband with a black rose right in front of the ponytail and what appeared to be a microphone coming to her lips. She wore a black dress, the upper half having white and purple vertical stripes and an orange bow hanging on her neck while the lower half was black on top while the rest was white. Her face was pale, which looked goth to Mukuro. "Don't worry. Every world needs some form of trash for the pigs to feast on."

Ouch, Mukuro thought to herself. The insult didn't really sting, but this girl definitely sounded like a jerk. "I may not express myself, but at least I don't have to trash others to make my status shine through," Mukuro quipped, surprising herself.

Before she could apologize, the girl giggled. "Oh, so you do have a mind of your own," she said. "My apologies, I only wanted to see if I could solicit a reaction. I would introduce myself with my normal name, but most of my fans recognize me by my stage name. I'm Celestia Von Ludenberg, but my colleagues call me Celeste. I am the Ultimate Pop Sensation."

Mukuro nodded, recognizing the name. I was right about the goth thing, she noted to herself. Celeste was known throughout most of Japan for her edgy music. While she didn't dabble in anything like hard rock, Mukuro knew that she attracted many fans from that genre of music at her concerts. Mukuro remembered listening to Celeste's music quite a bit before coming to Hope's Peak, both because she thoroughly enjoyed it and because she was trying to learn about her classmates before she met them.

"Your music is pretty good," Mukuro said with a nod. "I listened to it quite a bit before coming here."

"Oh? Trying to scope out the other Ultimates are you?" Celeste said, covering her mouth with her hand. "Trying to outshine us with your talent?"

"Oh no, nothing like… that," Mukuro said awkwardly. "I… don't actually remember what my talent is."

Celeste pretended to be surprised and gave a quick comment of being sorry, but Mukuro quickly looked past the look into Celeste's eyes. All she saw was smugness and a lack of compassion. Mukuro only ever saw this look in Junko whenever she beat some loser who was bragging about being the best at whatever game they were playing. That viciousness in Junko was plain on Celeste's face, only this seemed more permanent than Junko's ever could be.

After excusing herself from Celeste's vicious stare, Mukuro found herself approaching two people who were in the middle of a discussion. The first was a boy dressed almost like some sort of military leader. He was a tall young man with lightish purple hair. Mukuro figured that it was probably black, but had almost a purple hue. He was wearing a white uniform with golden buttons and his neckline was red and was glittered with golden stars all around it. He also had on a pair of black gloves and the end of his sleeves were red. He donned a black cape around his shoulders and had on a black hat with a golden insignia on it that Mukuro didn't recognize.

The person the boy was talking to was a girl. She had big brown hair done up in a ponytail and Mukuro noticed a red headband hidden by part of her hair across her forehead. She also had a bandage on the bridge of her nose. She didn't have much in the way of clothing other than bandages across her chest, exposing her midriff. She wore a tattered red jacket that had the sleeves practically ripped off and tattered jeans. She also had on a pair of maroon fingerless gloves over her hands. She had a look of intensity in her eyes, which Mukuro made note of so that she never provoked this girl.

"I'm telling you Miss Asahina!" the boy said, his voice booming with energy. "Sometimes the best course of action is to play the field! Revealing too much information up front is too honest for the world we live in! I didn't become who I am today because I was honest!"

"Well, I wasn't a pampered rich brat!" the girl, Asahina, spat. "I had to fight to get to where I am! I may understand needing to be a little scrappy to survive, but I would never resort to some of the things you're saying!"

"All the more reason I'm right," the boy chuckled, a smug look coming to his face as he folded his arms. "You'll never get by in the world by just relying on your strength. You have to have the ability to manipulate and read people. Take the girl that just approached us. She's dressed up well enough to look proper, but she's a complete mess of a person on the inside. She's the perfect pawn to manipulate because her emotions are completely unstable."

Mukuro winced and immediately regretted it when she noticed the boy's smile grow. Mukuro scowled and injected herself, rather surprisingly, into the conversation. "I may struggle with my anxiety and how I feel about myself, but at least I don't hide behind shadows alone in the world," she sniped.

Asahina made an ooo sound as the boy's smile faded. Mukuro smiled inwardly and made a note that she was good at quipping comebacks. Ultimate Quipper? Was that her talent? Mukuro doubted that sass hardly counted as a worthwhile talent, but at this point, it didn't really matter. Mukuro felt that she had a little confidence, and that's all she needed in the moment.

"I'll have you know," the boy growled, "that I am far from alone. As head of a secret organization that rules this country of Japan, I have millions of trained individuals that could take all of you out in an instant. The reason they do not is because I, Kiyotaka Isumaru, Ultimate Supreme Leader, need people to toy with."

Mukuro raised an eyebrow. Suddenly the title of Ultimate Quipper didn't sound so ridiculous. "Ultimate Supreme Leader?" she asked. "That's kind of a ridiculous title. Even if you are the head of a secret organization, the title takes away from how serious we take you. And if the organization was secret, it isn't now because you just told two people."

Kiyotaka paused, frowning at Mukuro's statement. "Touche. I may have overlooked this," he grumbled, putting a finger over his lips as he thought. "Well, for now, I'll allow you to live, but mark my words, you will forget what I said. I'll make sure of it."

The boy marched away, a sense of satisfaction falling over Mukuro. She turned to Asahina, who had a confident smirk on her face. "You sure showed that guy," she laughed. It was a boisterous laugh, one that Mukuro would normally hear from a boy, but it felt fitting with Asahina. "He may claim to be someone important, but Taka seems like an idiot."

"Maybe," Mukuro said with a nod. "I don't think he's someone we should underestimate, but I also don't think we need to worry about him. I'm Mukuro Ikusaba by the way."

"Aoi Asahina, but on the streets people just call me Hina," the girl said with a toothy grin. "Ultimate Martial Artist at your service. If you ever need me to beat up Taka or that weird pervy soldier, let me know. Men can be so gross sometimes."

Mukuro frowned at the mention of Hifumi. "I met Hifumi earlier. He didn't seem like much of a perv," Mukuro said.

"All boys are pervs," Hina said, rolling her eyes. "Some are more tolerable than others. Hifumi might not be outwardly a perv, but he looks the part. Look, trust me. I picked up a lot on the streets, I know a perv when I see one."

Mukuro nodded, not mentioning that she disagreed. Yes, boys are boys. Mukuro knew that. But she also knew that perv or not, Hifumi had been one of the nicest guys she had met, except maybe for Chihiro. Now that she thought about it…

"What's the difference between being a Martial Artist and Aikido Master?" Mukuro asked. "I met a… girl earlier who mentioned that she was the Ultimate Aikido Master. But isn't that similar to what you do?"

"Kinda," Hina said, a confident look coming on her face. "Aikido is one specific form of martial arts. Sounds like this girl is very proficient in that form, which is why she has that particular title. I'm more mixed. I know a variety of different forms of Martial Arts and use them as I see fit."

"It's like the difference between being a fan of One Punch Man and being a fan of anime," came a soft femine voice from behind Mukuro. A girl walked around her, joining the conversation. "One Punch Man is one of hundreds of anime, but someone could focus their energy in only loving that anime, while someone else may watch tons of anime and be well versed in many."

The girl that now stood before Mukuro was definitely the biggest girl she had ever seen. She had long, flowing white hair that was done up in a ponytail with a red bow holding it in place. She had darker skin and a pure looking face with no scratches or blemishes on it. She wore a white school outfit with a blue collar and red bow on the chest. There was a cherry blossom insignia on her shoulder and had a pink backpack on her back.

"I'm not sure what One Punch Man is, but that sounds accurate!" Hina said. "Hi there! I'm Aoi Asahina, but you can call me Hina."

"My name is Sakura Ogami," the girl said, her voice soft with a gentle smile on her face. "Many people, however, know me as Ogre."

Mukuro frowned. "That's kind of a harsh nickname," Mukuro voiced.

"Well, maybe," Sakura said with a chuckle. "However, if you take into account my talent, things make a little more sense. I'm known as the Ultimate Cosplayer. I typically dress up as horrendous monsters, hence the nickname."

"Oh. My mistake. Sorry for assuming the worst," Mukuro said, shifting awkwardly. Me and my big mouth, Mukuro thought to herself.

Sakura's smile remained on her lips. She took a few steps forward and placed a hand on Mukuro's shoulder. "No harm was done," she said simply. "I'm sometimes misunderstood, but that is why I am here, so I can explain myself. Speak your thoughts clearly. I am not so easily offended."

"Aw! You're a really sweet girl!" Hina said, giving a gruff smile. "But cosplaying won't help you if you get caught in a fight. Maybe I could teach you a few things to hold your own!"

Sakura gave a soft smile. "A kind gesture, one that I may have to lean on," Sakura said softly. "However, I may not be as weak as I seem. Cosplaying has led to several LARPing opportunities, so while the weapons may be fake, I have practice in using them and how they can be most effective."

Hina's eyes widened. "Weapons?! That's so sweet! You have to tell me more about that!"

As Sakura began to go into depth about how she wielded an ax to take down a whole horde of orcs single handedly, Mukuro quietly slipped away from the conversation. While Sakura seemed cool, Mukuro didn't feel like she was really involved. She wanted to be, but she kind of just felt like the odd one out…

BUMP!

Mukuro felt something push onto her shoulder. It was a light bump, unlike the one she had had with Mondo earlier. Before she could regain her bearings, the person who ran into her stopped and came back to stand in front of her.

"Oh! Sorry there man… I mean, girl," came a lighthearted voice. Mukuro looked up to see a taller boy standing above her, a huge open mouth grin on his face. He had big brown hair, almost in a weird dreadlock-afro kind of mix. It was bold, but Mukuro couldn't help but admire the choice. He was wearing a black suit with lines running vertically down it. He had on a white shirt underneath and a black tie around his neck. The tie had a white Hope's Peak insignia toward the end of it. Mukuro also noticed that he was wearing a couple of gold rings on his right hand. "I didn't hurt ya, did I?"

"No," Mukuro said, not quite sure what else to say.

"Cool! Last thing I want to do is cheese off any of you guys," he said, giving a light chuckle. Looking into his eyes, however, Mukuro could see there was something behind that statement. "My name is Yasuhiro Hagakure, but you can just call me Hiro! Everyone else does!"

"Hi Hiro," Mukuro said, still feeling kind of awkward. "My name is Mukuro Ikusaba."

"Cool!" the guy said, his air of positivity still permeating the air. Quite suddenly, however, Hiro's face turned serious and he stooped down and looked at Mukuro inquisitively. "Can I ask a personal question?" he asked. Before Mukuro could respond, he asked her anyway. "What's your talent?"

Mukuro let out a sigh. She would hardly call that a personal question, but it was definitely a sensitive topic, at least in the moment. "Honestly? I can't remember," Mukuro said with a sigh.

"For serious?"

"Yeah."

There was silence for a few moments.

"Cool! That means I'm not alone!"

"Huh?!"

"I mean, don't get me wrong," Yasuhiro said, a slight smile cracking on his face. "I remember my talent and it's definitely weird you don't. But I don't have to feel alone in feeling out of place."

Mukuro raised a curious eyebrow at this statement. "If you remember your talent, why would you feel out of place?" Mukuro asked him. "You'd be able to relate to everyone else better than I can right now. I have no basis to relate because I don't know my Ultimate."

"At least you have one," Yasuhiro said sternly. Mukuro's eyes widened at this, her curiosity peaked even more. "I'm not anything special, trust me. I'm just a Reserve Course student. I flunked out of high school and didn't have any hope of succeeding in life. My Mom scraped together everything she had to put me through the Reserve Course of Hope's Peak. It's my second chance, you know? I hold nothing to any of you guys, but I admire what you all represent."

Mukuro blinked a couple times, slowly, before allowing a small smile to slip onto her face. "You're right. We can relate, at least a little," she said. She paused for a moment to debate what she wanted to say. "You seem like a good guy Hiro. Talent or no talent, I look forward to getting to know you."

"Same to you Mukuro," Yasuhiro said with a chuckle. "If you ever feel like it's too much and you're alone, come find me, alright? Trust me when I say that I know what it's like to not fit in."

Yasurhio walked off, leaving Mukuro feeling at least a little better that there was someone at Hope's Peak she could relate to. She had only heard a little bit about the Reserve Course before coming here. While Hope's Peak relied solely on scouting, the Reserve Course was for those who paid significant fees and had to undergo rigorous entrance exams. Yasuhiro must have worked his tail off to get into the Reserve course, which was impressive in and of itself.

Mukuro was thinking to herself about Yasuhiro when she noticed someone approaching from behind. She turned around to find that it was a redheaded boy, his hair messy all over the top of his head. He had a small, well trimmed goatee and an eyebrow piercing along with a couple of ear piercings. He wore what Mukuro had only ever seen in detective movies. It looked like a merging of a trench coat and a suit. It was white with a chest pocket which had a chain that wrapped around to the inside. On the right of it was a skull inginia. Underneath he wore what appeared to be a pink vest and black button up with a red tie on.

The boy simply stood next to her, saying nothing. Mukuro waited for about a minute, but the boy still said nothing. An awkward tension formed inside Mukuro and she didn't know what she should do. She fidgeted with her hands as she thought about the situation. Right when she decided to break the tension to get it over with, the boy spoke.

"You have confidence issues."

Mukuro blinked before a small scowl crossed her face. She placed her hands on her hips and glared at the boy. "It's not very nice to lead with my problems," Mukuro grumbled. "Who do you think you are?"

The boy raised an eyebrow. "Self-confidence issues. Different ball game," he said with a stupid grin. "Sorry about that. I read people in my spare time. Not that I always do it consciously, but sometimes I speak before I mean to. Hope that didn't annoy you too much, not that I particularly care either way."

Mukuro's scowl deepened. This guy was already starting to get on her nerves, and she just met him. "Well, if you don't care, then we stand in agreement," she said sharply. "I don't really care about a guy who only cares about the problems of others."

"Whoa, easy there," the boy said said, scratching his head awkwardly. "Look, I didn't mean it like that. What I meant was that I don't really care so much about my talent, but I have it anyway. So sometimes I just instinctively use it, but it gets me into trouble. The only reason I go along with it half the time is the girls, but that typically opens another can of worms."

"You aren't really winning the heart of this woman, and after that statement, good luck succeeding ever," Mukuro deadpanned. "What even is your talent?"

"Oh, yeah. Guess I should have introduced myself before I ruined my chances with you," Leon said, an innocent grin spreading on his face. "I'm Leon Kuwata, Ultimate Detective." Mukuro would never admit it, but the word detective definitely made him more attractive in the moment. "The talent comes with being able to read people and figure out mysteries and crimes. It's not my favorite thing in the world, but it's a talent I have, so why not use it?"

"That… almost sounds noble of you," Mukuro said, her frown molding back to her neutral expression. "If it weren't for the girl comment you made, I almost would have forgiven you."

"Oh come on! Can't we start over? I'm not the perfect guy, but at least I try to give a damn," Leon muttered.

Mukuro let out a slight giggle, which she tried to suppress. She didn't do it in time, which made Leon's grin return to his face. Mukuro's scowl quickly returned to her face. "Alright, fine," she said, rolling her eyes. "You're forgiven. Next time we talk, try to avoid bringing up my issues the first time you speak."

Leon gave a very enthusiastic nod and Mukuro turned to leave. Before she could move, Leon asked, "Hey wait! You didn't say your name!"

"For a detective, you had a horrible memory," Mukuro said, another light smile playing on her lips. "If you really don't remember my sister introducing me, you'll have to just earn my name again."

Without another word, Mukuro walked away from Leon. She sensed that Leon was trying to rack his brain to remember her, which Mukuro found amusing. She was deep in thought when she heard a giggle come from her right as she walked. She glanced to the side to see a girl standing there. She had black hair that was so light it looked blue up close. She had her hair down and was wearing a cute little chef's hat with a pink ribbon around it on top of her head. She wore a cute chef's outfit and a pink ascot around her neck. She also had a cute pink apron wrapped around her waist.

"I talked with him earlier," the girl said as Mukuro paused. "He wasn't very sensitive about my sense of style. I just ignored him."

"He doesn't seem like a bad guy," Mukuro said with a shrug. "He just lacks all tact."

"I totally agree," the girl giggled. "My name is Sayaka Maizono. What's yours?"

"Mukuro Ikusaba."

"I like the name," Sayaka said with a smile. "Do you know what it means? Mine means "brilliant and clear", which I sure hope I am. I may not be the smartest, but I definitely have a way around food."

Mukuro decided to ignore the question as she shifted uncomfortably. She didn't want to have to explain why her parents named her "corpse". "Food? Are you some kind of cook or baker?" Mukuro asked.

"Close," Sayaka said with a smile. "I prefer the term Ultimate Chef though. I do bake and almost prefer baking, but I dabble in a little bit of everything. I hope that I can cook some stuff for you guys. Me and my friends have a fancy restaurant and I cook all kinds of things. What's your favorite thing to eat?"

Mukuro thought about the question for a moment. She didn't eat anything fancy, so long she was fed. After thinking for a few moments, she did remember that Junko used to bake this type of sticky roll that always makes her feel better. Mukuro smiled at the memory, subconsciously licking her lips at the thought.

"Sticky rolls? Oh, those are easy," Sayaka said with a grin. "I can make those in my sleep."

Mukuro started. "What the… how did you know I was thinking about sticky rolls?" Mukuro asked.

"Oh, I'm psychic."

"Wha-?"

"I'm kidding!" Sayaka giggled. "I just have super good intuition. I just know things pretty easily and can figure things out quicker than others." She lowered her voice and looked seriously at Mukuro. "I'm sorry you can't remember your talent. If you need to talk about it, you can come find me, probably in a kitchen. I'm here to help if I can."

Mukuro felt a pang of gratitude, giving Sayaka a small smile. "Thanks Sayaka. I'll definitely keep that in mind," she said gratefully. And in truth, she meant it. There were a few students she had met already that were very kind and understanding, Sayaka and Yasuhiro among them. Maybe this was a place she could open up, or as much as she could without remembering her talent.

"I'm vegetarian. A-a-are you good with that kind of f-f-food?" came a quiet voice.

Mukuro's and Sayaka's attention turned to a girl who seemed a little nervous as she approached them. She had long, almost purple hair that went down to the middle of her leg. She had some hair pins on the right side, but also some butterfly pins attached to her hair all the way down. There was a pair of silver glasses on her face. She wore an orange camo ascot and a dark purple jacket over her brown top. Around her shoulders appeared to be an insect container that was empty.

"I know several dishes that you might appreciate," Sayaka said, her grin still prominent on her face. "I also know how to make fake meat that tastes like the real thing, but it's all vegan friendly. Family secret, that one. I also know how to make a good garden salad with a variety of different combinations, so you're safe."

"Th-th-thanks," the girl said, a small smile forming on her face. "I guess I'm not technically a full v-v-vegetarian, but I prefer to not eat meat if I c-c-can."

"Not to delve into personal preferences," Mukuro said carefully, "but can I ask why?"

The girl shrugged nervously. "I didn't know how to cook meat when I was younger," she said simply. "Fruits and vegetables were easier. Besides, after seeing insects d-d-dig around a carcass… meat isn't really the m-m-most appealing thing."

Sayaka's face immediately got disgusted. "Ew… that made me lose my appetite, and let me tell you, that's really hard to do," Sayaka blanched.

The girl blushed, clearly embarrassed. "S-s-sorry," she said quietly. "My talent isn't the cleanest or the best to talk about, e-e-especially when food is involved."

"Your talent is bugs?" Mukuro asked curiously.

"W-w-well, the official term is 'Ultimate Entomologist'," she said, relaxing only slightly. "I was out in the w-w-woods a lot growing up. Bugs are second nature to me."

"That's kind of cool," Sayaka said with a gentle smile. "They freak me out personally, but at least you have a passion you appreciate. I'm Sayaka by the way."

"I'm Toko. Toko Fukawa."

"Mukuro."

Toko's smile returned and Mukuro noticed her shoulders relax. Toko was a bit jittery, but she seemed pretty nice. Mukuro did wonder about Toko's stutter a little bit though. The comment about her not being able to cook meat also didn't sit very well with her. Toko appeared to be fine on the surface, but Mukuro wondered if there was more to her than what she allowed to be seen on the surface.

"Mukie!" Mukuro heard someone say. Mukuro turned to see Junko waving at her. "Come here! I need you to settle something for us!"

Mukuro excused herself from Sayaka and Toko and walked over to where Junko was she was next to her sister, Mukuro saw that she was talking to two people she hadn't met yet. The first seemed to be glaring profusely at Junko, a kind of glare Mukuro recognized as rivalry. He had strawberry blonde hair and nothing on his face. He wore a scarf around his neck which was striped with two different shades of grey. He wore a long sleeved balck shirt and a green vest over top. He had on a nice pair of white jeans. He looked kind of average to Junko, but he still looked intense enough that she wouldn't dare underestimate him.

The other person Junko was talking to looked standoffish and that she didn't want to be a part of this conversation in the slightest. She had lavender colored hair with a dark purple bow on the side of her head. She wore a white lab coat over a dark purple blouser. Purple gloves covered her hands as well. She also had a satchel that was black wrapped around her shoulder and sat on her side as well as a tool belt around her waist. All kinds of tools decorated it, from wrenches to hammers to others that Mukuro didn't recognize.

"Mukie! Thanks for coming over," Junko said with a grin. "We need your help deciding something."

"What she means to say," the boy said, an arrogant tone in his voice, "is we need to know the exact color of your undergarments. Now."

Mukuro's face turned several shades of red. Almost by instinct, she punched the boy in the arm. The boy didn't really have very good balance and he tipped over. Right as he did, Hifumi came strolling over and tripped. He fell on the ground right behind the boy. The boy landed softly on Hifumi, who took the main part of the blow. Junko whistled as the boy scowled and dusted himself off as he stood. Mukuro ignored this and quickly went over to help Hifumi to his feet.

"You ok?" Mukuro asked Hifumi once the Soldier was on his feet.

"Oh yes Miss Ikusaba," Hifumi said, rubbing the side of his head. "That was rather odd. I was walking normally, and then I just randomly tripped. I'm not normally that clumsy. My pardens Mr…"

"Togami," the boy huffed. He shot a glare at Junko, who had a huge grin on her face and was laughing. "Satisfied?"

"Oh Byakuya! I can't believe you were serious about your talent. Oh well, I get you the yen when I find my things," Junko said with a giggle.

Mukuro frowned at Junko's statement. "You made a bet? What was it?" she asked.

"On whether or not Byakuya was correct about his talent," the other girl said, sounding almost distracted. "He claimed to be the Ultimate Lucky Student and was only chosen by pure luck. He claimed his luck has been a part of his life since he was a baby. I still think that it's superstitious nonsense and just a collection of shere coincidences."

Byakuya rolled his eyes. "Of course someone such as the Ultimate Inventor would say something like that," he grumbled. "I'll have you know that I suffer just as much as I benefit, and it is all caused by a mysterious outside influence. Yes, I understand it enough for me to figure out how to use it, but it's not like I have complete control over it. It's rather irksome to have to deal with it all the time."

"I believe it's simply an excuse to get away with inappropriate behavior," the girl said, shaking her head. "You did ask Mukuro the color of her underwear. I'm surprised all you got was a punch. Let your tongue loose and all the girls here will have a problem with you, myself included."

"Come on Kyoko! He's not that bad!" Junko said, holding up the peace sign with a wicked grin. "I know tons of dudes who are far worse. Ask me to play strip poker all the time. I always win when I take them up on it and embarrass the shit out of them, but that's not the point!"

Byakuya let out an undignified sigh. "The assumption that I would remotely ever use this blasted curse for such immoral behavior is utterly disgusting. I only said such things because I was proving a point. I would never stoop to such a low and pathetic level that you place yourselves on."

"Aw, thanks Byakuya!"

"Junko," Mukuro said awkwardly, "he didn't mean that as a compliment."

"I know!"

Byakuya rolled his eyes in annoyance while a faint smile played on Mukuro's lips. She glanced over to Kyoko, the Ultimate Inventor apparently, but she had her back to them, walking off. Mukuro found it a little odd that she seemed antisocial, but she couldn't really blame her. Mukuro was uncomfortable with all these people herself. She just was doing it to appease her sister.

"Say, Mukie," Junko said, causing Mukuro to turn to her. Junko has a smile on her face, but Mukuro could tell she was about to ask something serious. "See that guy in the back of the room? Have you talked to him yet?"

Junko pointed back toward the entrance to a boy that Mukuro hadn't even noticed was there. He had messy brown hair and an ahoge sticking up as well. He wore what appeared to be loose fitting clothing, with white long sleeves and a green vest over top. His mouth was covered by a green scarf and he looked distant, as though he wasn't here with anyone else right now.

Mukuro shook her head in response to Junko's question, who sighed. "I've managed to get everyone else to talk to me except him," she said. "I even got Kyoko to speak a few sentences, and she's the most isolated person I've ever met, minus that boy. Mind going to talk to him? Maybe the anti-socials just need time alone."

Mukuro rolled her eyes but decided to play along with her sister. She gave Junko a nod and made her way to the side of the room where the boy was standing. She tried to act naturally as she leaned against the wall next to him. Awkwardness began to build in her chest as she stood next to him. She knew that she was only trying to do what her sister was asking, but it was still out of her comfort zone.

"You don't have to talk to me. Most people don't," the boy said quietly. "I prefer the shadows anyway. They're more comfortable."

A sigh escaped Mukuro's lips. It took her a second to realize that the sigh could be taken as a sign that she was relieved she didn't have to talk, which made her tense. "Shadows are kind of more comfortable," Mukuro said, trying to relieve the tension within her. "It's a good place to hide when you don't want to do something. Or you can't remember something…"

The boy gave Mukuro a side glance, not looking at her full on, but definitely acknowledging her presence. "Yeah, there's some things I rather not remember," he said, turning his gaze back to the empty space. "Shadows are a good place to hide from the memories. They're still there, but at least I don't have to acknowledge them."

"Wait, you want to hide from your memories?" Mukuro asked. She meant that she didn't want to talk about having a lack of memories.

"You can't hide from memories. But you can find places where you can ignore them," he said simply. He gave Mukuro another side glance. "You'll remember what you need to do when the time is right. In the meantime, if you need to hide in the shadows, be my guest. Just don't expect me to have much to talk about."

"Thanks," Mukuro said quietly. While the boy was definitely reserved, far more than Mukuro ever was, he definitely didn't make her uncomfortable. "If you don't mind me asking, who are you? So I have a face to the name of the person I'm hiding out with."

The boy held the side glance for a moment before letting out a sigh. "My name is Makoto Naegi. If you don't mind, I'd rather keep my talent to myself," he said, staring back out into empty space. "It's something I'd rather forget."

Mukuro cocked an eyebrow. "Excuse me if this sounds rude, but some of us don't know what they're good at," she said. "I respect your preference, but at least you have a sense of who you are. I have no clue."

"Trust me," Makoto said softly. "You'd rather not know."

"Try me."

"I'm telling you…"

"Seriously. Try me."

"Ultimate Assassin."

The words seemed to cut through Mukuro, which was fitting considering what the words were. She blinked a few times in surprise, an awkward silence setting in around her. Makoto didn't give Mukuro another glance, simply staring off into space silently. When he did speak, it was still soft. "I told you," he said. "It's something I'd rather forget."

More silence followed the two and Mukuro felt extremely embarrassed, awkwardly, and slightly fearful. Ultimate Assassin? What kind of messed up talent was that? Makoto seemed like the silent type, but she didn't picture him very deadly. But maybe that was a part of who he was? Not looking like the type to… kill… Had Makoto really killed people? Was this boy, right in front of her, a killer? The more she thought about it, the more awkward she felt standing next to him.

Makoto said nothing more and didn't seem to move either. Mukuro was grateful for this. She didn't want to judge the boy, but that was hard when he was potentially a killer. Mukuro was having a hard time finding an excuse to move away, which caused her anxiety to spike.

Luckily, she was saved by the monitor turning on the far side of the screen.

Static appeared on the screen with an odd dark outline in the middle. The static went on for a second before a high-pitched voice came through. "Attention all students! Welcome to Hope's Peak Academy! Please make your way to the gym for orientation!"

Just as soon as the screen turned on, it flipped off. The students in the entrance hall all glanced at each other. Mukuro glanced at Junko, who still had a grin on her face. "Well, looks like it's time to see what's up!" Junko said. "How much do each of you want to bet that it was a prank? 80,000 yen?"

"No way you have that much on you!" Taka declared, giving Junko a glare. "I'll bet you the same plus 20,000! Then you'll see who the richest person here is and who deserves to lead us to conquer this world!"

"There's no way you have that much," Hina grumbled.

Mukuro rolled her eyes, that smile playing on her lips again at Junko's confidence. "I think Junko's right," she said, somewhat quietly. "We should head over to the gym."

"Mukuro's right! Wouldn't want to come off the wrong way on our first day!" Yasuhiro said with a big open mouth grin.

"Fine, if we must," Byakuya grumbled. "But I'll go on ahead. I don't want to be seen with any of you."

Slowly most of the students began to file out of the entry hall. Mukuro, Junko, and Mondo stayed behind for a moment. Mondo glanced at Mukuro and gave her a nod. "It was good meeting you again," he said to her. "Let me know if you ever want to hang out. You know… for whatever." Mondo blushed slightly and left the room.

"Wow! It hasn't even been a day and someone has a boyfriend!" Junko said with a wide grin.

"Junko!" Mukuro said, shaking her head frantically.

"Hey, I'm just teasing you Mukie! But seriously, my money is on you getting down and freaky with one of these hotties in two weeks tops!"

"JUNKO!"

"I'm seriously just messing with you!" Junko laughed, making Mukuro let out a sigh. Junko grinned again, making a faint blush appear on Mukuro's cheeks. "Come on Mukie, we don't want to keep the others waiting!"

Mukuro gave a nod and followed after her sister. Despite the strange events, Mukuro felt confident that whatever was happening that it would all turn out ok. She couldn't remember her talent, but everyone seemed friendly enough. She might not think too highly of herself, but the others seemed like they cared, at least a few of them. With her head held high, she followed Junko, having hope that she would find what she needed to at this school to have a great life.

It would only be a short time before she realized how wrong she was.

Ben's Note: Ok, so here we are! First chapter done! I really enjoyed writing it, so I hope each of you enjoyed reading it! Now that we're at the end of the chapter and I know for a fact that you are either thoroughly spoiled or you know how the story goes, I can talk about outside things in relation to the story and how it'll work.

1. As each you have read, I guarantee all of you have noticed that all sixteen characters, Mukuro obviously included, are in this story. This is the first far cry from the original game, as the first game initially only had fifteen. There's a reason for this as to why it's possible. That's all I'll say on the matter.

2. Something I want to make clear is that every talent has been swapped. Every talent. *waits for this to sink in* This means that the characters as you know them have different roles. Traitors you knew in the original game potentially are no longer traitors and have been swapped with others. (Or, they still ARE traitors, but no longer in the way you think.) Same thing goes with villains and heroes. This story is meant to switch things around. Therefore, just because you know who originally is the Ultimate Despair does no good for you here. Motivations, talents, and sides are all switched. This isn't just a retelling with different talents. It's a completely different story.

3. The only thing not switched is each character's initial backstory and most of their character. For example, Chihiro was still teased growing up and still pretended to be a girl. However, he found solace in his talent and is more open about his gender. (As far as I'm concerned, canon says he is a he. Not transgender, he just dressed up as a girl because people saw him that way. This is canonically what is revealed in the game, so that's how I'll write it.) Another example is Sayaka. She's still friendly and teases with her psychic powers. However, she's not outright popular, but still passionate about her gift. I mentioned this above, but I figured I would restate it with examples down here.

Hopefully that takes care of any comments or confusion. As always, please always feel free to leave a comment on your thoughts or comments! For this story, I will try to respond to each of you at the beginning or end of each chapter. I don't quite know how I'll structure author notes, but we'll see how many comments I get. I like leaving notes on my thoughts though. If I have an important note, I'll typically say it down here in bold. Otherwise, you can typically skip my author notes if you want. Again, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and please let me know your thoughts! I'll talk to y'all again soon!