“Ikusaba-chan?” A higher male voice broke Mukuro out from her trance. Twin pairs of stormy grey turned to where the short males stood.

“Yes, Naegi-kun?” The soldier asked, voice holding still a hint of boredom. By all accounts, seeing the hopeful boy had brightened Mukuro’s day considerably, though it seemed unable to completely remove her boredom.

“I was wondering if,” The ahoge boy blushed a small bit, rubbing at his neck. Mukuro narrowed her eyes slightly, trying to figure out the boy. Makoto was usually a bit of a mess, an odd mix of clumsiness and naivety served as the cocktail for why. Still, this was beyond normal.

The boy flinched slightly under her scrutinizing gaze. Realizing her mistake, Mukuro quickly eased her expression up.

“What is it?” She asked in a it more earnest. Whatever Makoto needed from her would most certainly be better than staring out the window, waiting for lunch to end.

A smile quickly returned to the boys face, making Mukuro mirror it internally.

“Well, Maizono is planning a Christmas party and I wanted you to come.”

A red heat made its way up the back of ravenette’s neck. It was a rare occurrence for her to be invited to a social event. Quickly, Mukuro felt the blush wrap around to her cheeks as she thought about the offer.

It was Makoto who invited her, the first of her classmates to show her kindness. Not only that, it was to Sayaka’s party as well. Her classmates may have been a bit hesitant, the title of ‘Ultimate Soldier’ was nothing to scoff at. Yet, this may possibly be an attempt for them to integrate her in.

A small, persistent voice reminded Mukuro that this was only Makoto asking. As much as the soldier liked the boy, it should have been Sayaka asking. She nipped at the inside of her cheek, knowing it was a bad habit. Truth was, she would likely bring the party down. The quiet girl took the role of wallflower, only coming into a conversation when Makoto asked her to or Junko dragged her into one. Tension filled whichever room she happened to be in, many of the students scared she would be set off. It had never happened to date; it did nothing to stop the suspicion.

“I’ll think about it.” It was a noncommittal enough answer to satisfy Makoto for now. She would have leave not to go if it came to it, and she could talk Junko out of forcing her.

Naegi smiled a bit weaker, light dimming in his eyes, “Well, let me know if you figure it out.”

The lucky boy left her desk after that, sending Mukuro back into loneliness. Her eyes fell back to the classroom window. The courtyard below was covered in thin, powdery white snow, an obvious tell of the season. It would be her first Christmas since leaving Fenrir, even being a wallflower was preferable to being lonely.

With a small sigh, the ravenette rested her head on an open palm, supporting it as she zoned back out. It was difficult to focus on the still outside, thoughts floating through her head. Faintly in the background, she could hear the chatter of her classmates. The joyous conversations of plans or the day’s goings, the laughter of jokes being told, or the tired rants of too much homework. Something she would never be a part of.

A hint of movement caught her attention. A small brown bird with a white underbelly fluttered onto a branch. It gave the perfect focus as wisps of snow fell from the shaken branch. It hopped around a bit, sharpening its beak on the cold stick. Grey eyes twitched slightly as it hopped between branches in a search for something.

“Ikusaba-chan?”

Jumping from her seat, Mukuro spun quickly to the voice, hand up in a block. Consciously, she had to stop her hand from reaching the knife sheathed in her boot. The experience had shaken her; being surprised was still rather new.

Heart racing, the soldier took a better look at the cause of her fright. A short, blue-haired girl stood before her, holding a tree shaped card in her hand. A bright smile adorned the girl’s face, brighter than the LEDs sewn into the festive sweater.

“Sorry to surprise you Ikusaba-chan,” Bright blue eyes trained on her, smile not lessening for a moment, “I thought I would invite you to my party myself.”

The soldier quickly blinked, reeling her mind in from the shock. The idol took her lack of verbal response as a consent to continuing.

“Naegi-chan told me you were a bit hesitant about coming. Since I want all my classmates there, and that includes you,” Sayaka reached up, poking the soldier’s cheek. It took restrain not to instinctively slap the hand away. “To be there. I thought inviting you myself might encourage a better response?”

It was clear the question the idol was asking her. It was hard to discern whether the bluenette really wanted Mukuro in attendance, or if was at the request of Makoto. Unfortunately, Mukuro was not her sister and lacked the same skill to read people. In a case of this, it would be best to go with her gut.

Just as the soldier was about to say no, the blue eyes turned pleading.

“Please Ikusaba-chan? I really want you there.” The Idol had pulled other ultimate weapon, the puppy eyes. Even the battle hardened soldier that Mukuro was, she was not immune to the sorrowful eyes.

“I’ll be there.” The words were weak, but they were enough to stop the look Sayaka had been giving her.

The other girl brightened once more as she shoved the card into Mukuro’s hand, “That is great. We will have cookie decorating, karaoke, eggnog pong, an ugly sweater contest, and pass around gifts.”

Mukuro cracked a small smile, taking the card, “I’ll look forward to it.”

“Great!” Somehow, the idol’s smile grew. Then on a quick pivot that impressed even Mukuro, Sayaka skipped back off to her desk.

A pale finger ran over the smooth face of the card. It was a cartoon Christmas tree with red garland wrapping around. Yellow dots acted as ornaments on the leaf green tree; there even was a star atop it. Thumbing it open, Mukuro read through the neat writing on the inside.

“You are invited to Sayaka’s Christmas Bash!

Party starts promptly at 8 pm on Christmas Eve with the lighting of the tree.

Snacks are welcome but not required, however do bring a wrapped gift!

We wish you a merry Christmas and look forward to the party! :)

~Maizono Sayaka”

The words Christmas Eve caught the soldier’s eyes. Even with the lack of familiarity with the western holiday, she knew enough that it was the 24th. A grain of sadness planted in the ravenette, would her classmates really forget her birthday?

A loud yell snapped Mukuro’s attention over to where her sister sat. It seemed that Sayaka was giving Junko a similar invite to the one that was still held in her gloved hand. Junko would remind the class of the fashionista’s birthday, it was certain enough. Even if they did forget her birthday, at least Sayaka and Makoto cared enough to invite her.

‘Perhaps the party might not be half bad.’ Mukuro thought, smile growing just a bit.

A few days more lead the ravenette to be standing outside the modest house with a present in her hand and a complaining sister at her side.

“Hurry up Maizono, it is freezing out here!” Junko moaned, breath fogging the air. Dressed to the dime in winter wear, somehow the fashionista still managed to complain.

It was her sisters fault they were stuck out in the cold, after claiming they should be fashionably late. Yet, Mukuro did not call out her sister’s fault in this. The best revenge would be to let Junko freeze until Sayaka could get the door.

“I’m going in.” Junko muttered, reaching a gloved hand to the door.

Unwilling to leave a worse impression on her classmates, Mukuro gently slapped her younger sister’s hand down, “That is rude.”

A small pout formed on Junko’s face, pulling alligator tears to the edges of baby blue eyes. Rolling her own grey, Mukuro turned away from her sister’s antics. While it was normal behavior for her sister to act like this, it did not mean it had no effect on Mukuro. It was an internal struggle to not let her sister have her way, it was quite simply what she knew second best. Avoiding eye contact was the best way to keep her composure.

“Aren’t you cold as well?” The whine from Junko forced the soldier’s attention back to her.

Bored grey eyes looked back to where her sister was shivering, “I am used to the cold.”

In retaliation, Junko stuck her tongue out. In a childish moment, Mukuro quickly returned her sister’s gesture. The blonde’s face narrowed into a small scowl, then turned away. Shaking her head, the ravenette looked back to the door, silently waiting for it to open. As use to the cold she may be, warmth was always better.

As though her prayers had been answered, the door swung open revealing a warm glow. The host herself smiled from the doorway, a Santa hat upon her head. A huge smile broke out on Sayaka’s face at seeing the two on her doorstep.

“Enoshima-chan, Ikusaba-chan!” The idol chirped, handing out hugs to the both of them, “Sorry it took so long, there was an issue at the cookie decorating station.”

“It is alright Maizono-chan.” Mukuro stopped her sister before she could speak.

“Come on in, your the last to arrive.” Quickly, the idol waved them in. Gratefully, the twins stepped inside and let the door shut behind them.

The main room of the out was bathed in a warm orange glow, providing a homely feeling. Sliding off her combat boots, Mukuro took a step in further. Small lights of various colors were strung up around, adding additional light to the already bright room. Her classmates and strangers she did not know stood or sat around, cheerful conversations and laughter drowned out the stereotypical Christmas music being played from somewhere.

Between the bodies, tables sat adorned with decorations, treats and activities. Festive garland and tinsel was strung about both on the tables and covering the ceiling. Several side tables hosted fake snow nestled around Christmas scenes.

“You can put the presents over there and I’ll take your coats.” Chirped the Idol, gesturing a hand over to a twinkling tree. Mukuro nodded and begun to shrug off her thin coat as her sister began to speak.

“This is so nice Maizono-chan.” The heavily veiled sarcasm either did not reach the blue haired girl, or it was shrugged off as a response was given.

“Thank you, Enoshima-chan! I spend hours making sure everything was perfect.”

Mukuro watched in slow horror as her sister did not say a word, but instead threw her leopard print coat at the idol. There were clear moments where Mukuro hated her sister’s actions, this was one of them.

Even after pulling the coat off her face, Sayaka held a bright smile. She offered out her other arm, which Mukuro gently placed her coat on.

“Enjoy the party! Also nice sweater Ikusaba-chan” Then in an instant, Sayaka was gone.

A touch of pink dusted Mukuro’s cheeks. The said sweater she was in depicted a reindeer face, with a giant red puff ball for a nose. Sequins covered it’s eyes and and red collar, sparkling. As if to make matters worse, Junko had ensured the lights that wrapped around the stuffed antlers were actual lights that were lit.

Despite being very much against the sweater, when Junko presented it as a birthday present, it was difficult for Mukuro to say no. On some occasions she was able to fight of her sister’s vintrol, though this had not been one of them.

“Let’s go party, Mukuro!” Her sister cheered, before running off. Mukuro let a small sigh out, party in her twin’s definition was to cause as much chaos as possible. At least, it only happened when Junko ran out of other things to do.

Depositing her gifts at the table, the soldier looked around. She could spot any of her classmates in the crowd, and what looked to be a few upperclassmen.

Through the gathering, the soldier could see Makoto making his way over. She waved a gloved hand, and the boy returned with a smile.

“Ikusaba-chan, you made it.” Makoto greeted, face lighting up.

“Yeah,” She smiled back at the boy.

“What do you think?” The hopeful boy asked. It seemed that he actually wanted the soldier’s input on this, even if she had nothing.

“It’s nice.” Even to her, the words sounded disinterested. Silently cursing herself, Mukuro tried to grow her smile a bit to make up.

“Naegi!” A female voice shouted through the crowd, startling Makoto a bit.

“I have to go, Hina needs me.” Makoto waved shyly, and then was off.

Once more Mukuro was alone in the crowd. Talking with Makoto had raised her spirits considerably. Though, there was a nagging feeling of he had forgotten. She had no expectations of the rest of her classmates wishing her a happy birthday. Still, it was strange that even Makoto forgot.

Brushing off the mild disappointment, Mukuro surveyed her surroundings. Junko had temporarily stationed herself cutting snowflakes. The possible abominations her younger sister could create should have worried Mukuro. The innocent paper could become a weapon of despair in Junko’s hands; it took very little to do so. Yet, it was her sister’s birthday too, and there was an extent to the mischief that could be caused. The threat of scissors was not included.

“Hey Ikusaba-san, wanna play?” Leon called out from a table set up with two doen little cups. It took a second for the ravenette to reconize it was in a set up to play pong. Despite her little experience, Mukuro knew this was beyond a traditional game for the holiday. Still, the thought of inclusion was a nice one.

She nodded, and closed the distance between her and the table.

“You ever played before?” The red hair male asked, holding up a ball.

Games similar had been played in Fenrir. It was a quick way to pass the time between missions, and one to keep their skills working. There had been laughter the first time she had stepped up, just barely an initiate.

“I do.” A cocky smile graced her face, if even barely. She had won the games back then, this certainly would yield no different results.

“A bit cocky, huh?” Leon asked, a smug look on his face, “You’re going down.”

It was safe to say who the victor was of that round, and the next two as Leon desperately asked to keep going.

“Damn, lost again.” He muttered as the final cup on his side went down, “You’re seriously good at this Ikusaba.”

A red tint twinged her cheeks, both at the praise and at the realization he had finally dropped the suffix.

“Your not bad either.” She complimented back.

A dumbfounded expression quickly crossed his face after, “How are you so good?”

A sly smile worked across Mukuro’s face, “Practice.”

The response was a grumble from Leon. Holding back a small laugh, she waved her leave from the table.

“Ikusaba-san, can you help me for a minute?” A struggling Ishimaru asked, a swaying bowl of punch in his hands, “Some delinquent had spiked the punch.”

Nodding, the soldier scooped the bowl from the moral compass’s hands. The boy looked far happier to be relieved of the weight.

“Thank you very much, Ikusaba-san.” Ishimaru quickly bowed. As embarrassing as it was, it was hard to hold the politeness against the boy.

“Where do you want this?” She asked quickly. The bowl was not heavy to her, however, an antsy looked crossed the boy’s face.

It was hard to figure out why though. Ishimaru seemed to be in no pain, and the bowl was confiscated already.

“Take it to the kitchen if you would.” It was a simple enough request. With a small nod, Mukuro left the boy where he was standing.

“Thank you, Ikusaba-san!” The voice trailed after her.

In the the kitchen, the ravenette set the contaminated punch bowl on a counter. Two others were in the semi-enclosed area with her.

“Ikusaba-san, pleasant to see you here.” The cool voice of Celeste greeted from beside Kyoko.

“Ludenberg-chan, Kirigiri-chan.” The soldier greeted, pulling her gloves back on once sure no punch would be spilled on them. It felt nice to ensure the tattoo was covered, already there had been several interested eyes.

“So Kirigiri, are you interested?” The blood red eyes of Celeste turned to her companion.

“I told you, we do not have enough players.” The detective deadpanned.

Curiosity sparked in Mukuro, there was something going on there.

“What are you talking about?” The soldier questioned, interest peaked.

“I was questioning if Kirigiri’s detective skills were refined enough to match my poker face.” Was the response Celeste gave, “Care for a game of cheat?”

Kirigiri remained silent after Celeste finished explaining, it appeared to be that simple. A game of cards against the Ultimate Gambler and Detective did not seem fun. However, it certainly beat standing alone for a while.

“Sure.” Her voice was a bit hesitant, though it did not faze the gambler for a second.

“Great, shall we move to the table?” Celeste queried.

With a simple nod from the both of them, the table was cleared and the playing field set up.

It was certainly interesting to see the truth and lies that Celeste spouted as her deck dwindled. More so, as Kyoko used her skills to raise her success rate at calling out the self proclaimed Queen of Lies. As Mukuro’s pile grew bigger than the others, it was hard to force herself to care. Cards were never her specialty, unable to read people, it often left her as a loser. It was of no concern, besides it was fun to take the bullet to watch these two.

Yet, Ishimaru’s strange nervousness was bothering the soldier.

“Have you talked to Ishimaru-kun?” Mukuro asked once her turn was finished, her prior bluff not being called.

“Why?” Kyoko was the first to ask, carefully watching Celeste ponder her hand.

“He was acting strange.” The concerned face that Ishimaru had made when Mukuro had taken the bowl flashed in her mind.

“I haven’t the slightest clue as to why. Four aces.” Celeste replied, placing four cards down on top of the pile.

“Has something happened?” Kyoko asked, face full of though, “I call lies.”

A smile formed on Celeste’s face as the cards were flipped, “Now, I thought you were a detective.”

Four aces sat there as Kyoko silently grabbed the pile.

“It is my birthday.” It seemed strange that all of a sudden one of her classmates would care about it.

“Really?” The question came from Celeste as three cards were placed from Kyoko’s hand.

“Three kings.”

Looking to her own hand, a single king sat in Mukuro’s deck. Not calling it, she instead answered Celeste’s question, “Yes.”

A larger smile blossomed on Celeste’s face, “Happy birthday then, Ikusaba-san.”

“Happy birthday, Ikusaba-san.” Kyoko seconded, browsing her hand.

Turning her focus back to the game at hand, Mukuro knew she would have more time later to ponder what had been bothering Ishimaru. It was made easier by the warming of having her birthday acknowledged, even if it seemed her classmates had truly forgotten.

Bidding a short goodbye after Celeste won, the soldier headed back out to where the rest of the party was. The party had been enjoyable so far. Plenty of time was spent with her classmates; it almost felt like she was bonding with them. Still, there was the present disappointment of not a single one remembering it was her birthday. In the few times she had managed to pass Junko, her twin had been wished well several times. It appeared as her classmates either forgot or did not care it was Mukuro’s birthday as well.

Disappointment dampening her mood, the soldier was whisked off by another of her classmates. As soon as one was done with her, another seemed to pull Mukuro in like clockwork. It started with frosting cookies with Chihiro and Mondo. The trio had ended up making some less than Christmas themed cookies in the end. Of course, they were not the only ones as Junko’s lovely contributions of monochromatic bears and dead gingerbread littered the plate.

Next was snowflakes with Yasuhiro and Toko. It was an unusual pair that kept quipping at each other. Yet, some interesting designs were made, even if they did not look geometrically possible at points. Of course, it was not complete without Syo making an appearance. Mukuro had watched in subtle awe as the killer cut away without remorse, and left stunning snowflakes in her wake.

As with Syo, Byakuya was dragged into a short conversation that gave Mukuro a moment to recover from the activities. It was nice to sit and talk without having to focus on another thing. Though, as will all good things, it came to an end as Aoi begged the ravenette to judge an eating contest with Hifumi. A hesitant degree later, Mukuro was dumbfounded with how much sugar the swimmer could put away. It even put Hifumi of all people to shame.

Sakura passed by with Ishimaru after that. When Ishimaru had finally finished thanking Mukuro for disposing of the tainted punch, the three had ended up decorating ornaments for a smaller tree dedicated to their class. The small talk with the other two was pleasant as they focused on their individual ornaments. Ishimaru may have been uptight about what belongs on an ornament, the soldier was able to leave one behind. A small ornament resembling the bittersweet tree she had made her first Christmas away.

After leaving the final group, there was no time to relax as Junko pushed Mukuro onto a small stage for the ugly sweater contest. It had been a merciful forgetness as none of her classmates had called attention to the sweater she had been wearing. Though it seemed not many of them had room to speak, as they too, were wearing ugly sweaters.

As the contest ended, Sayaka had pulled her back up to sing a duet on the karaoke.

“Ready?” The idol asked, song already selected.

Mukuro only returned a nervous nod as she gripped the microphone.

“Perfect, we’re singing ‘I’ll be Home for Christmas’.” The happy Sayaka spoke as she took her spot next to the ravenette.

As the notes started, and the two sung, a crowd slowly formed. As the song continued, it seemed as if the entire party had eyes on them. Heat filling her face, Mukuro continued to sing with the bluenette. When the song came to an end, Sayaka only let it go on long enough for applause. The cheering and shouts of encouragement fueled the fire burning in the ravenette’s face, turning her scarlett.

Once everyone died down a bit, Sayaka skipped over to the machine to start another song. Confusion filled Mukuro, wasn’t she only to sing one song?

Skipping back over, Sayaka thrust a microphone back into the soldier’s hand with a knowing smile.

“Just one more?”

The temptation of hearing the cheers again was too strong for Mukuro to resist. Grabbing the microphone, grey eyes were turned back to the waiting audience. Cheers of encouragement erupted as Sayaka stepped down with a thumbs up. The music started again, and so did the singing.

It was enjoyable, and with the vocal lessons the twins had been forced had ensured Mukro had sounded good. The soldier even found herself smiling as the second song came to a close. With its ending, the applause broke out again. For once, people were cheering for her.

Conversations passed with her classmates telling Mukuro how she was amazing. A content feeling had risen as Aoi had retreated back into the crowd, signaling the end of the final conversation. Though the small reprieve of being left alone was soon interrupted.

“Attention everyone, I have an announcement!” Sayaka’s voice rang out from the stage, “Tonight we have a very important birthday. Everyone, wish Ikusaba-chan a happy birthday!”

A multitude of voices of voiced shouted out, startling the soldier a bit. Confetti poppers sent streamers flying, voices crying out, and cheers filled the room. Never had it crossed Mukuro’s mind something like this would happen. Even Junko had her own voice in the gathering.

“Of course, no birthday is complete without presents! Sorry, Ikusaba-chan, it looks like you have to share a bit as it is still Christmas Eve.” Then hopping off the stage, Sayaka led the crowd to the present table.

The rest of the night passed in blur. Gifts, songs, conversations all occurred that Mukuro could hazily recall with fondness. Snacks, laughter, and odd looks at Christmas gone wrong were shared with a joyous feeling that had been absent for so long. Even as the night ended and the guests were bid a farewell, the happiness remained in Mukuro. Hope shone brightly in the girl, clearly bothering her younger twin. For the first time in a long while, Mukuro felt as though she belonged.