The next morning the class made their way to the boat, chattering about the match making attempt they had tried and how excited they all were to spend the last day of vacation doing something they wanted to. Nagisa had put up his mask and smile as if nothing happened yesterday while Karma was just... Well, Karma. But almost everyone noticed Nagisa semi-avoiding him as they got on the boat, going to hang with the green haired girl and superstar of the classroom. Karma, however, had bigger fish to fry.
By the time they were out to sea, the yellow tentacle lab reject was sea sick, the students were enjoying themselves, and Karma was on the hunt for the black braided glasses girl.
She wasn't as easy to find as he assumed it would be. Took him a good half the trip to find her. But, when he found her, she was trapped like a fly in the spider's web.
Sitting bellow deck in one of the cabins, Manami was reading her books, trying to stay away from above deck so no one would disturb her. Karma opened the door a crack, but she didn't notice. He slipped in and closed it behind him.
"So" he said in his smooth fashion that made her jump out of her skin as she slammed the book closed from the scare. "seems you saw some things back at the hotel."
"Uh, um." She adjusted her glasses, shaking a bit as she bit her lip and looked at the floor. "I-I-I-I didn't mean to. Koro-Sensei had sent me to tell you and Nagisa the plan was going to happen soon and I um, well...." She blushed a little as she fiddled with her book. "I didn't mean to stare at dinner."
"That was rude, I'll admit." Karma arched an eyebrow. "I just would appreciate you not talking about that with anyone."
"Why?" She set the book off to the side and looked up at him. "You afraid cause your gay the class won't react well to it?" He bristled.
"No." Karma said flatly. "Because Nagisa doesn't need gossip floating around that can be harmful to him. Trust me, completely selfless in this act." She shifted in her seat a little.
"Well..." A corner of her lip twitched. "Then, um... I'm gunna need something if I'm gunna be quiet."
"Hm?" Karma raised an eyebrow higher, a smirk crossing his lips." Are you trying to blackmail me?"
"Ye-ye-yes!" Her face went as red as a tomato but she stood her ground, unlike the last time when she caved. "I want you to train with me on weekends for a two months."
Karma's smile dropped a little, and he rolled his eyes. "Fine." He sighed. "But then you keep your mouth shut and never try to blackmail me again."
She nodded, extending her hand. He took it and squeezed a little. She winced, but removed her hand just as slow as he did. Karma sat down next to her and leaned himself back against the wall.
"So this weekends?" He asked, smiling just a little. "Or we start week after?" She grabbed him by the collar and pinned him to the walls taking him by surprise.
"Now."
Nagisa looked around the deck, his eyes scanning for the familiar red hair and slacked figure but coming up empty. He couldn't find him anywhere. He didn't miss the boat, he had seen him get on, but where could he have gone?
He also noticed Manami wasn't anywhere to be seen either. A nagging voice in his head told him something was wrong, but he stifled it. Karma wouldn't do something... Oh hell, he probably would. Nagisa had seen Karma do some stupid things that got him in trouble. He might be harassing her about something to assassinate Koro-Sensei or pull a prank on someone.
He decided to look to the lower decks to find him, but stopped at the stairs when he heard a muffled bang. He wished he had kept that knife from the rooftop battle, the anti-Koro knife wasn't going to do him much good.
He made a slow advance in the shadows, getting closer and closer to the sound till he saw the door open and stopped. He stood with every muscle tense and ready to attack, his eyes trained on the opening, fists at the ready. But when he saw Karma come out the door with a disheveled shirt and messy hair, his heart stopped.
"That was pretty good, Manami." Karma said, running his hand in his hair sending sweat drops into the air. "A little more practice and you'll get the hang of it."
Manami stepped out from behind him, her braids having little whisks of hair out of place here and there. Her glasses were lopsided and she adjusted them as she smiled brightly.
"Thanks!"
"That surprise dominance was a good way to throw me off." Karma noted. "But I'll know it for next time."
"I hope that soon I'll be able to do all this better." She sighed. "I'm not as good as you."
Nagisa waited till they left and went up the steps to step out of the shadows, his blue eyes glistening with tears. What was going on? Nagisa went to the room and looked in, his heart going cold as he saw how trashed the room was. Whatever happened, it was rough.
He couldn't help thinking that Koro-Sensei's stupid "test of courage" actually lead to something. But...
Nagisa felt a tear run down his face, fallows by another. He should have known. He was so stupid. Karma was just teasing him, he didn't....
He shook his head as he closed the door and slumped down, leaning the back of his head on the door. He couldn't stop the flow of tears, but he could try to deny what just happened. Karma...
Nagisa heard movement from the stairs and jumped to his feet, hiding again as he watched Tomohito come down. He looked really concerned, followed by an equally concerned Kaede. But he couldn't be seen right now, not like this.
"Nagisa!" Tomohito shouted, walking closer to his siding place. "Nagisa's where are you?! We're almost landing soon!"
"He was so worked up this whole boat ride." The green haired girl said, looking around in the rooms for him. "I swear though I saw him come down here."
"I saw Karma and Manimi come up from here, but they didn't seen him."
"I know, I know." Kaede sighed, then got a look. "You don't think that they are a couple do you?"
"Manimi and Karma?" The baseball jock stopped and thought. "Well, I'm not sure. Maybe? I remember that Karma said if he dated any girl it would be her cause the devil and witch made a good team, or something like that, back on the last school trip."
"Oh." Kaede got a really concerned face. "You don't think Nagisa-"
"Nagisa isn't some kid anymore, Kaede." Tomohito reminded her. "But he might not have even seen them. Besides, we won't tell him anyway, it's not our business. Come on, let's check the dinning room. He's so sneaky he probably snuck by us already."
"Right." The girl and boy ran back upstairs, leaving Nagisa alone.
He stayed in the shadows longer, looking down. He had forgotten about the class trip to Kyoto. How Karma had admitted that he would put himself with the chemistry queen... But his reasons were purely tactical, or at least Nagisa had thought so.
Now he didn't know.
He emerged when he had cooled off, his eyes slightly red from crying and his heart numb from the heartache but otherwise able to put on the act. He bumped into Ryoma, who took a second to study him before letting him go. He didn't know why but Ryoma looked actually worried. But Nagisa avoided everyone best he could the rest of the ride back
But as soon as the class was off the boat, everyone went their separate ways anyway. Karma tried to find Nagisa with Tomohito and Kaede, but only caught the sight of blue hair dipping into a car before it sped off. Nagisa was gone.
"What is up with him?" Tomohito said, stretching his arms over his head. "That is so unlike him."
"Maybe his mom called and told him to to dilly dally?" Kaede said, but even she wasn't convinced.
Karma glares after the car, then to the side where Manami and Ryoma were talking with the rest of Ryoma's group. Something was up.
But what?
Ryoma called Nagisa's cellphone a few hours later. It wasn't like him to call people, much less people outside his friend group, but Nagisa was acting way too unlike himself on the ship. It got him wondering. Nagisa was good at what he does, recon, assassination, and under cover work. It wouldn't be hard to sneak around the ship and dig up something he didn't want to dig up.
It only took two rings, and then a woman answered. "Who is this?" She didn't sound too happy.
"I'm a friend of Nagisa." Ryoma said, in the most good natured and high gentleman voice he could muster. "I was wondering if he was doing okay. He wasn't himself on the ride back and I was worried."
The woman paused. He could feel the venom on the other end of the phone and almost thought she was going to hang up on him. He leaned on the chain link fence of the basketball court, waiting.
"Let me get Nagisa." She finally said, flat and semi-acidic. After a pause, she comes back on. "At the moment he is getting ready to go out to eat. Give him a moment."
"Of course ma'am."
Ryoma watched as his friends shot some hoops and smash talked each other as he stood on the sidelines, cellphone pressed to his ear and sweat pouring down his body. It wasn't like him to worry about people like this, but after almost killing the kid around the first few days the yellow octopus had come into the picture, just seemed like the least he could do. Teammate or not.
"Hello?" Nagisa's voice was a little dull, but not bad sounding. "Who is this?"
"Hey, Nagisa. I was wondering if you were okay." Ryoma rubbed the back of his head. "After your vanishing act and the look like you were about to break down in tears, just wanted to see if you needed an escape for the day."
"Thanks Ryoma," Nagisa said, guarded and bland. "you didn't have to do this. I'm fine, just got a little upset over-"
"Karma and Manami right?"
The other side of the line went silent, but there was a hint of a nod from the sound of shuffling static which probably was hair running the speaker.
"Yeah, I know." Ryoma said, taking a rather gentle tone. "Not told by your best friend like that can make you feel horrible. Don't take it to heart, Manami told me they were just training before the school year started."
Nagisa sighed on the other ends "If you say so."
"Where you going to eat?" He asked suddenly, standing up straight as he grabbed his shirt from the bench. "Maybe I can eat with you and we talk about this in person. Cause clearly you don't believe a word I'm saying."
"Um" Nagisa got a real worried tone as he tried to speak clearly. "I, um, am meeting up with someone. Sorry, family stuff."
"Oh." Ryoma put his shirt down. "Then after, maybe? You can come down to the basketball courts and just hang if you want. We'll be here all day."
"We?"
"Me and my people, Nagisa. Not your group of friends." The high school slacker clarified, rolling his eyes. "Look, just consider it okay?"
"Sure." He heard the smile on the other end of the line as Nagisa talked. "Thanks for checking in on me. I appreciate it." The slacker smirked.
"Hey, don't say I didn't care. Hope to see you later?"
"Hopefully."
Ryoma hung up the phone and put it into his gym bag. He smirk as he got back on tot he court, his bare back and chest glistening with sweat as he played with the group he gotten together. The sun was beating down on them and he figured that someone was gunna get a sunburn cause they were stupid enough to not put on sunscreen. But something still ate at him.
Nagisa.