Makoto's luck was, as ever, had been a mixed bag. The clouds, which had been trapping heat on the surface, had parted and exposed the four students to even colder temperatures. But the clouds had also been hiding the full moon, which Kyoko had been able use to lead them to the cabin on the hill before they'd been frostbitten. And, while the cabin lacked any bedding, food, or water, it did have a heater.
Standing on the verandah, Mukuro was more than satisfied with the location. 'Good visibility, nowhere for hostiles to hide, and a steep enough slope to slow them down. Kyoko was right to bring us here.' She glanced through the window behind her to see the detective and Chihiro huddled around Makoto, making sure his wound hadn't reopened at all. She frowned. 'Makoto...' They hadn't spoken since escaping the village, and she didn't know how she felt about it. Half of her was desperate to know what he thought of her, while the rest of her just wanted to run away from him. Junko's gleeful, mocking expression flashed in her mind, and her stomach swelled with impotent rage. Unconsciously, she reached for the rifle slung over her shoulder. 'She's trying to ruin everything for me! I'll kill her! She's -'
'Mukuro?' She turned around to see Makoto standing in the cabin's open doorway, a nervous expression on his face. 'H-hey', she stammered. 'Uh, I'm sorry I didn't carry you or anything back there... I f-forgot about your wound with everything going on...' 'It's alright', he replied with a faint smile. 'I think it's completely healed now.' Mukuro shook her head. 'It's too soon for that. You... you still need to be careful.' Makoto nodded awkwardly. 'Well, uh, alright then. But... I want to talk to you about... what happened before. What Junko said.'
Her stomach felt like it was boiling. Too scared to talk in case she said something wrong, she could only nod and avert her eyes. Makoto stared at at the ground. 'Was she... was she telling the truth?' Mukuro was silent, trying desperately to think of some way to get out of there, but it was hopeless. She was trapped. 'Y-yes... it's t-true...' It took all her strength to force those words out of her mouth. But once they were out, the floodgates had been opened. 'You... y-you're kind to me. You t-talk to m-me even when you don't n-need me to do anything f-for you. You never attack me or make me feel bad about my b-body... you treat me the same way you treat other people, a-and I don't think it even m-matters to you that I'm the Ultimate Mercenary... I feel as if you'd think I had value as a person even if I didn't have any talent. And that's why... why I... l-love y-you...'
No reply came. Just a heavy silence that seemed to last an eternity. 'I... I'm sorry', she mumbled. 'I shouldn't have s-said that, it was stup-' 'It's okay, Mukuro.' Her eyes snapped up to look at Makoto. He was stepping closer to her, but she couldn't read the expression on his face. 'I... I don't know what to say', he said nervously. 'I mean... of course I treat you like that. That's how everyone should be treated. Whoever didn't treat you like that... they were wrong. You deserved better. And I'm your friend, so I'm going to try to give you that. But... I just don't feel the same way about you. I'm sorry.'
Mukuro wasn't surprised, but still felt as though she'd been hollowed out. 'I... okay.' Her eyes were suddenly hot and wet, and she was having trouble breathing. She needed to get away. 'I, uh... I'm going to ch-check the perimeter.' If Makoto said anything in reply, she didn't hear it as she numbly turned around and stepped onto the snow. Her mind felt fuzzy, and it was impossible to hold onto a single thought. There was only a raging torrent of memories, each leaving her mind as soon as they entered. Makoto introducing himself with a warm smile on her first day at Hope's Peak. Warm blood splattering on her face at Giboura. Makoto's relief when she saved him from Madarai, and the spear piercing his body when he saved her from Junko. How happy she'd been when everyone - including Makoto - had praised her singing, and how she'd focused on her singing as the Student Council butchered each other. The feeling of nervous relief when she'd helped the others escape Hope's Peak. The feeling of satisfaction as Yukizome stopped writhing in agony and started grinning.
By now she was standing in place, numb to the world and too overwhelmed to move anymore. It felt as though she would stay there forever, until a voice said 'You should go back inside and get some sleep.' She looked up to see Kyoko standing behind her, with her own rifle still slung over her shoulder. 'You need to rest before they attack us again.' Mukuro shook her head. 'I... I don't want to go to Makoto... I can't be near him now...' 'I'm j-just checking the perimeter', she mumbled, hoping that the detective would leave her alone. Instead, she kept talking. 'Makoto and I already doing that. He's checking behind the cabin, I'm checking here. Get some sleep.' Mukuro sighed. 'Maybe I should... and Chihiro's there...' Without a word, she turned around and began walking back towards the cabin.
Thankfully, Makoto was nowhere in sight. At that moment, Mukuro was more scared of seeing him than being captured by Junko's followers. Even just thinking about him was too much to bear, but she couldn't stop, not even as she opened the door and stepped inside to find Chihiro looking up at her. Even with her senses still numbed, she noticed the concerned expression that immediately appeared on his face. It somehow made her feel a fraction better. Without a word, she sat down next to him by the heater and unshouldered her rifle. As warmth spread across her body, she clumsily moved her hand towards his and held it tight. To her relief, he held it back. It made her feel a bit more alive. But, with a pang of guilt, she realised that she'd rather be holding Makoto's hand. 'If I'd left Junko before... if I'd stopped her... Makoto and I could have been together.'
In her mind, she saw herself in her dormitory room at Hope's Peak, dimly lit by the rising sun as she lay in bed with Makoto, her head pressed against his chest and his arms wrapped around her. She tried to erase the painful fantasy from her mind, but it was firmly lodged in there, tormenting her. 'That can't happen now... not after what I've done.' 'Mukuro? What happened?' Chihiro's voice was quiet, but Mukuro could clearly hear the worry and genuine care in it. 'I told him', she replied, her voice nothing but a monotone croak. After a few moments of silence, Chihiro simply said 'Sorry.'
After a few minutes, Mukuro became more and more aware of how drained her muscles felt, how heavy her eyelids were and how dulled her mind was growing. Even with all the thoughts gnawing away at her mind, she couldn't help herself. Still holding Chihiro's hand, her body lay down on the wooden floor, and her mind drifted into sleep.