Endnotes!

~Dining room~ Currently

"Junko... Junko" Aoi Asahina repeated Enoshima's name several times while she kept looking at nothing... 'Was that saliva coming down her lips?' the swimmer just didn't mention it.

"AH-H, y-yeah, what's up" Ikusaba said completely distressed, she had completely forgotten that her name was Junko now.

"Junko, was saying if you wanted to have tea and donuts with me and Sakura" Asahina said cheerfully.

Ikusaba looked at her and nodded sheepishly as Asahina jumped for joy.

~Hallways~ Afternoon

After finishing having tea with Aoi and Sakura, Ikusaba decided to go to one of her favorite places on the first floor.

The Monokuma store.

~Monokuma Store~ Afternoon

Ikusaba did not like this place because of the name, before starting the killing game, this room was empty, director Jin said he was waiting to be remodeled and possibly do something with it, whatever the former director had in mind was discarded when Junko seized power from the academy, and decided to make this place a room full of prizes and what she said was one of her favorite games, vending machines, or in this case a "Monomono" machine with the monochrome colors, Ikusaba did not care about this whole place, although she liked it as it was before, an empty room with some boxes and bags, she liked to pretend that it was a kind of trench or similar, it reminded her of the army, and Since no one was there then it was perfect for her.

Once in the room, Ikusaba saw things on the bookshelf and the Monomono machine, remembering why her sister liked so much.

Junko said that these machines were incredibly random in giving the prizes so that someone who wanted something specific could spend all their money on them and even so the machine would only give repeated things, even scattered throughout the academy Junko had hidden specific coins that were used in the Monomono machine.

Ikusaba saw the machine again saying that someone who wants something specific would have to have an undetermined amount of Monocoins in their pockets in order to obtain it, and even then it was not guaranteed that such an item would appear, something completely random, a tear under her cheek as another flurry of nostalgia returned to Mukuro as she recalled her days of confinement at this academy before the killing game.

'It hurt'.

-A few months ago- ~empty room~ Unknown time

Ikusaba was in a room whose sole purpose was unknown even by the director.

The room only had a spotlight that lit very little, as well as some boxes, and bags that Mukuro stacked to make a kind of wall that reached to her waist, she pretended to be in a trench inside a room to keep herself entertained inside. this academy, for many this was childish but not for Mukuro, much less for a certain lucky boy that there seemed to be nothing in the world that he hated.

Again, to Mukuro's surprise, Naegi walked through the door to see her friend Ikusaba.

"Hello, Ikusaba, you're having fun" Naegi said with that smile that the freckled girl liked so much.

"Yes" was Mukuro's simple answer.

Naegi suppressed the urge to laugh.

'When Ikusaba smiles it looks too much...' his line of thought ended when Ikusaba spoke.

"Ummh" the girl was currently pouting with her mouth while looking to the lucky student.

Naegi himself saw her with a confused face... "something happened" he said slowly.

"Because you keep calling me like that" Ikusaba said with the pout still on her face.

"So, you mean Ikusaba?"

"Yes, I think we have all spent enough time here to call each other by our names," she said with mock anger, if she managed to get Makoto to say Mukuro and not Ikusaba, she knew that the feeling she liked so much would return to her chest.

"It's w-well, Mukuro" Makoto said somewhat embarrassed... 'Why is she being so cute all of a sudden'...

Just as Mukuro had thought, her heart melted again and her face turned red when she heard Makoto say her name, because she could finally pride herself on being closer to Makoto.

"Well, I just wanted to know if you wanted to spend time with me again... and I also wanted to know why you are in this room... if you don't mind" Naegi said somewhat shyly.

"It sounds childish, but I was pretending to be in a trench" Mukuro said looking down at the ground as he told Naegi the reason for being here, at least she knew that the boy next to her did not dislike this kind of thing so she was calm.

"Sounds interesting" he said in a funny way.

"You want to join me?" she said without looking at him, in her chest her heart was like crazy.

"I would like... I would like very much" he said with a smile and his eyes closed.

and so, they passed the time, playing at being in a trench while they saw shadows coming from the other side of the door.

Probably his classmates hanging around the academy, something not very rare at the time of day they were.

After a while, they were both sitting on the floor with their backs to the door and leaning against the boxes that Mukuro stacked.

They were both relaxed, neither of them said anything, after all the silence was comfortable and calm at that moment, without Makoto realizing how much Mukuro got a little closer to his side, it felt good to be so close, she felt that everything was fine... simply fine.

She could see that smile such a characteristic of Makoto more closely, the little light that was in the room seemed to only illuminate Makoto at that moment, and more especially that smile of his...

'It would be wrong, if I just claim that smile as... mine' Mukuro thought longing to get closer.

'It would be wrong... to ask for a... even alone, a... kiss' she thought as he saw Makoto relaxed, after a moment Makoto turned to see Mukuro and discovered that she was also seeing him, instead wondering why Mukuro was looking at him so expectantly, Makoto decided to smile at her, nothing more than that, an innocent smile, a smile full of hope, as characterized, and Mukuro liked that.

She liked his hope, his smile...

'In my life I've only done bad things, things I don't like to think about, after all I've only been in despair... along with her... but if I can change, it would be nice to feel something other than lonely, despair... am I allowed to feel something else? can a monster like me ask for... love' Mukuro thought with vertigo, without warning a tear fell down her cheek... followed by another.

Makoto saw this and decided to intervene.

"Mukuro, you're crying" Makoto said worried.

"i-I" Mukuro wanted to say something, but her tears prevented her.

"You feel good?" Makoto moved closer to Mukuro.

Mukuro on her part blushed even more, being so close, being able to smell him, being able to see him in more detail, made her tears fall harder.

"Ma-Makoto, is this alright?" Mukuro said broken.

"hey, what happened?" Makoto said in a soft voice, before her friend, "What's is alright?"

"Is alright, someone like me... changes" Mukuro said with tear-filled eyes at this point.

'Mukuro what happen, you were so calm that one moment, why are you...' Makoto thought worriedly.

"Change, what is it you want to change?" the boy said softly as he tried to find out why Mukuro was so emotional.

"I just do bad things, and look at me, being as calm as usual" Mukuro said holding on to her knees.

"Mukuro, look at me, if there is something you want to change, or something that bothers you, just tell me, and I will do whatever it takes to help you" he said with determination.

"What must I do to change, to stop being so horrible" she said this time begging someone to take it so that he does not fall to the ground.

Makoto grabbed Mukuro by the shoulders and raised her tear-drenched face.

"You are not horrible" Makoto said, "Mukuro you have shown me that you are kind, and a good friend"

'Just that, a friend' a voice repeated in Mukuro's head she was sure was her sister.

Mukuro stood up and looked at Makoto.

"I may be your friend, but that doesn't take away from the fact that I'm a monster" Mukuro said annoyed.

'For Fenrir, for Hope's Peak, for our "friends" you are nothing but a horrible monster' that thought made Mukuro begin to tremble.

"NO, THAT'S WRONG!" Makoto couldn't contain the impulses to scream, so he ended up surprising Mukuro.

"You are not a monster."

'If he, knew the things that you did, the things you took care of, his words would be different'

'Poor Muku, truly do you think Makoto was going to reciprocate the feelings of a fat and ugly killing machine like you? don't make me laugh, I know Makoto has bad taste, but that would be overdoing it' Junko's voice only made Mukuro want to disappear ... forever.

"Mukuro, what is it?" Makoto said this time scared of Mukuro's reaction.

"i-I" all the time seemed to have stopped, Makoto was no longer speaking, could no longer hear the noises outside the room, perished, as if only she was, only she, alone... as it should be.

Suddenly everything seemed to return to normal, she could hear footsteps behind the door of the room, and also listen to Makoto.

Mukuro's face turned red again and her heart beat erratically when she discovered what Makoto was doing.

He was hugging her.

To her.

To a monster.

"You're not" Makoto whispered that into Mukuro's ear, he was nervous about how Mukuro was acting so he decided to hug her, wondering if he had made the right decision.

"You have shown yourself to be kind, you never did something that they should call you a monster for."

"So please just tell me it bothers you" Makoto whispered back into Mukuro's ear.

"Is it okay for someone like me... to feel something other than despair?" Mukuro said that phrase straight from her head, she no longer cared what happened, her heart was speaking for her, and she wanted to scream what he felt.

"Of course, no one should feel that way, no one should feel despair." Makoto spoke directly to Mukuro, in a soft but determined voice, in a way that made Mukuro feel... happy.

"Mukuro Ikusaba is, amazing, strong, admirable... You are not a monster, by any means" Makoto said finished with a smile.

Mukuro cried again, but no longer tears of despair, this time she was pleased by Makoto's words.

"Then what should I do to stop feeling despair?" Mukuro said looking at him still holding on to him, because she was afraid to separate from him.

"What do you want to do-" Makoto couldn't finish that sentence.

Mukuro had smashed her lips to Makoto's, making Makoto's eyes widen.

'Is it okay for someone like me... someone who only knows despair, to be in love with someone who only knows hope?' Mukuro thought as she continued to kiss Makoto.

After a moment the two separated.

They both saw that their faces were flushed.

"i-I" Mukuro is completely scared right now, she let go and just kissed Makoto, thinking of nothing else.

"You are better now?" Makoto said blushing, but with a shy smile on his lips.

"Only if... we continue" Mukuro said now completely in love, yearning to do what she did a few moments ago.

~Monokuma Store~ Night

Ikusaba wiped her face from tears knowing that he could no longer kiss the person he loved so much.

'This is not fine'.

'And even so'.

"It's not like I can do something to change it, not at this point."

Decided to leave and return to her room, even so, when she left, she saw that Makoto had entered the store, she would have liked to be there with him, but he knew that the pain would return to her heart.

END!

Well, this chapter should have been uploaded a week ago, but due to various problems, I can only upload this chapter today.

Probably I have made the same mistakes as in the previous chapter, but this time I think I have improved something... even if it is a little.

I must clarify that I have not yet decided whether to place this story in "IF" or in Despair-canon, it is something that I will solve in the next chapter... which will probably take me a little longer to upload.

The reviews are appreciated… I like to read what they think.