Normal's POV
On the day of the ambush, exactly 7 days after the burn down of the palace. Exactly 7 days after the lese majesty and 7 days after Sakura and Aoi passed away along with the other staffs who had sacrificed themselves for Hime's survival. The days went on normally for other students but for class 3E, they are all abnormally working hard. Helping one another and polishing up their skills for this day.
Hime and Karma are the only ones who had suited up before their classmates as they hang out at their usual spot: the cliff.
Both of them sat near the edge as they stare at the horizon. School had ended a few hours ago and club activities will be ending soon. The sun is their mark. When it sets, that's when they get going. As the sky turns from blue to orange, Karma looks at Hime. The wind was blowing her hair in all directions and the orange doesn't really sit well on her but for a moment, there was no sight more breath taking than her as he wants nothing more than to hug her and hide her from the world. He doesn't want her to go on this raid with them despite it being a rescue mission for both her father and brother. He doesn't want her to get hurt anymore.
He knows how hard it was for her the past 7 days to heal. She was on pain killers that couldn't numb half her pain when she takes it but it does its job because it kept her from crying and passing out when it got too much to handle. It worried him to no end as it was taking a toll on her health and it shows on how dull and pale her skin is. Her features are always tense as she forces out a smile to keep appearances around her classmates during class or trainings. And truthfully, she hasn't healed at all for her wounds are always reopening. At this rate, Karma is more worried for her dropping dead even before reaching the hill where her step mother now resides.
But he can never tell her that.
He also couldn't tell her how much he loves her. How much he wants her to be his. How much he wants to just protect her. He's scared and insecure to part with her. And maybe that's the reason why he never parted from her the past 7 days. He insisted to following her wherever she goes and masking his fear with a few of "Hime, have you actually gained weight?" "It appears you left your agility in Sussex." and "Are you sure you want to leave me here? I might put in hot sauce in the straws of your drink." In multiple different ways.
There was one moment where she wasn't in his arms reach during practice and fell down to the ground. It was true that she hasn't been in her top shape in Sussex. The whole school is about being poised and graceful. Where does being an assassin fit in, in that kind of environment? Besides, her lady in training, Jemma would definitely wont let her get away with it. Not to mention her other friends, Chen, Nick, Elvin and Tae. They will most definitely have her back but where does she fit in that picture? They have been friends since god knows when. Much like Karma and her. Anyway, during training, her grip wasn't strong enough to pull her weight up and had lost her breathing and concentration. She had called out for Karma when she fell and it appears that her strength is lost due to her wounds reopening.
Thankfully Maehara and Isogai were around to catch her before she hits the ground but Karma had never been more scared in his life. He didn't show it verbally but his actions definitely did. He became quiet as he presses onto her opening wound with quivering cold hands as he patiently waits for her to open her eyes. When she did, he lets out a breath of relief and brought her to the infirmary after calling both taekbayashi and Okuda who are both in the lab to help with Hime's opening wound. He would normally do it himself but he isnt sure if he could.
At that point, bad memories flash across his eyes and he was haunted by the gruesome scenario of her death. He never wants to see that. He doesn't want her to ever leave him again. She did it once and he isnt sure if he could handle it if she does it again.
'Please don't leave me.' Yea. As if he could say that.
"You've been staring at me for quite some time. Do you want to take a picture? I'll give you consent." Hime said, jokingly but her eyes never left the scenic view in front of her. Karma snickers and takes out his phone which made Hime turn to him with an annoyed look. He did manage to take a few pictures of her before she turns and a few more after she does.
"Won't you look at that?" The red haired boy shows the picture to Hime. The girl lets out a grimace at the picture. In her eyes, it was the ugliest picture she has ever seen. It was too dark, the sky was too yellow, her side profile is too bloated for her liking and her hair is so messy. But to karma, it was just Hime. The beautiful princess he had somewhat befriended and fallen in love with. She had asked him to delete it but seeing how distressed she looks, he just wanted to play around with her more. "I might set this picture for my new wallpaper." Karma did as he said he would and kept his phone in his back pocket.
"You're unbelievable." Hime mumbles as she stands up, ready to leave him at the cliff before it gets too dark. But he was quick. Very quick. He scrambles up to his feet and held onto her hand with a firm grip and hugs her. Maybe it was because what happened between them and maybe it was because he had almost lost her. But at this moment, at least in front of her, Karma wants to be true to himself.
"Don't leave." She has never heard Karma use this tone before and for the first time in her life, she doesn't know what kind of face he's making. When she tried to pull away, he only pulls her in tighter. She wraps her arms around him when she realises how red his ears are and dare she might say that they are almost in the same shade as his hair. "Don't try to get away from me this time. I wont let you slip from my fingers again." Karma promises and Hime smiles.
"Okay." Hime smiles and jabs his sides. Karma lets go with an offended ouch and Hime gives him the brightest smile. "Then don't piss me off or push me away, asshole." When she was about to walk away, he hugs her again, once again laying it all bare for her.
"Hime, I love you." Karma confesses all of a sudden, catching the platinum blonde haired Hime off guard. She stood perfectly still in his arms and he was beginning to get impatient. Karma is suddenly too aware of his surroundings when he hears a rustling in the bushes somewhere but even if they get attacked by a wild animal - or any animal that has yellow hair - he needs to hear her reply. "Hey, are you not going to reply me?" It was his time to be caught off guard when Hime turns in his embrace and quickly sneaks a kiss on his lips. The two turns red at the sudden kiss and Hime runs off to the classroom just as the sun sets.
***
When Karma gets to the classroom, everyone is already set in their suits and gearing up their weapons. He had Isogai and everyone's approval to act as the team leader this time around and it wasn't anything new to act under his orders but it was the first time his classmates wouldn't look at him straight in the eye. Hime had just entered the classroom with Irina, Karasuma and Kamakura and she turns red the moment her blue eyes meet his golden ones. He snickers at her had everyone in their teams for the last briefing. Everyone needs to be clear of their post and he couldn't afford a single slip up for the ones they're going against will be more dangerous than the Dragons. But there is one person who is looking right at him and she's straight up making him feel uncomfortable.
"What?" He asks, looking straight at Rio.
"So, you got some extra attention from Hime, huh?" Rio wiggles her eyebrows as she teasingly pokes his sides and Karma scoffs at the blonde. There you go. The yellow haired 'animal' pounced.
"Never saw two people kiss? I have never taken you as a prude." Karma goads and much to Karma's liking, Rio bit the bait.
"Not all of us have a romantic interest, Karma. Some of us are busy with other things."
"Like eavesdropping?" The red-haired challenges and Rio pouts. While the class's mischievous demon and the class's silent genius slash prankster shares a friendly bickering, realisation dawns upon Hime almost too quickly.
Had whole class witnessed the kiss? And did Karma know about this? Hime looks around and most of the girls wink at her almost to say, good job, Hime! Much to her own chagrin, it didn't feel like an accomplishment at all. Forget burying her step mom, she's burying herself 7 ft deep.
"Hime-chan is supposed to be mine!" Maehara cried animatedly as Isogai sweatdrops at his friend. 'Hey, don't say it too loudly, you'll start a fight with Karma-kun again.' Was what the peacemaker of Class 3E said.
"Yeah she's so much better off with us." Okajima complains.
"I also think that what a princess need is a prince. Isnt that how fairy tales go? Even the darkest ones." Kirara Hazama butts in, giving Karma a little smirk. She knows that if she lets Terasaka say it, it'll make matters long and draggy and no one has time for that.
"Hey, don't-" Rio was about to step in when Karma places a hand on her shoulder. He can handle it. It isnt like Rio doubted he could she just thought that the class should listen to her too.
"This is rather interesting. You want a debate on who deserves Hime most? Sure, I'll entertain you. We've got time. So, you think a girl like Hime would settle for less?" Karma walks towards Hime with pride. It is as if the embarrassment from early had disappeared in thin air as he wraps an arm around her waist and pulls her closer. "She doesn't need a prince, an assassin, a rabbit or even a perverted photographer. She needs the devil." He leans in to place a quick kiss on her cheek and dodged in time for Kamakura to punch him in the face and Hime's attempt to jab his side again.
"Bakabane!" Hime shouted, abashed.
"Akabane if you do that kind of thing in front of me, again, I swear to God I will put you in Hell." Kamakura threatens, cracking his knuckles.
"And as for skills, haven't I proved myself again and again?" Karma said, suddenly appearing behind Kamakura with two fingers pressing against his right flank, Hime's hair becoming undone with the black satin ribbon on his other hand. "Right, Hime?" He smiles at her and she turns away shyly, her hair bouncing at every move.
"Shut up, Bakabane." Hime mumbles as he chuckles happily while tying her hair back up into a ponytail.
"Look at them! They're so lovey dovey already." Hinata Okano comments and Karma's eyes glint of mischieviousness.
"Yeah, we're very lovey dovey and I would like to save my father and brother in law as soon as possible to make her even more in love with me. So, as I was saying, get in your teams and I assume everyone knows what our postions are?" He gives a pat on Hime's head gently before turning his attention to his classmates.
"Yes!"
"Then let's go."
***
As soon as Karma's team arrive at the east-west of the hill, they had immediately taken cover in the trees and bushes. He had given a signal to Irina and without a single sound or rustling of leaves, she left to complete the job she had promised Karma on. It was still early to say but to karma's delight, he found that the formation of the Silver Sakura stayed the same. 'Mimura-kun is right.' Karma thought as he snuck closer to one of the guards and covered his mouth with a cloth soaked through and through with chlorofoam. 'There is a spot where the guards aren't concentrated and is closer to the house than the rest of the place.' Okuda had frantically given Terasaka and Sugaya one too as they did the same.
The first team that will save the Emperor of Japan and the prince is captained by Karma and the members are Kamakura, Okuda, Terasaka, Itona, Sugaya and Irina. The path they're taking will be much different from the rest of the team. While everyone else attacks straight on, they'll be sneaking straight into the house.
Boom!
"What was that?!" Okuda said in panic.
"You don't think..." terasaka trails off and Karma knits his eyebrows together.
Have the old man really lost his marbles and injected those ugly tentacles into his body? Karma thought in distaste. If the old man had wanted to win so badly, do it as a human. Why turn into an alien?
"Yeah. That's Ichiro-san, alright." Kamakura's jaw tenses up. He doesn't understand what had happened to his superior. He is such a gentle man how did it come to this? As the ground shook again, anxiety begins to bubble up in the other students. "Akabane, have the others arrived?" Kamakura asks and Karma connects his communication device which takes the form of an earpiece and a small, clipped microphone to Ritsu. Thanks to Itona and Yoshida who had taken the initiative to build a smaller and camouflagable communication device to keep in touch with each other. The smile on Karma's face never unfalters. He is seeking for a complete victory with no casualities on his side.
Ritsu has shown him the overall layout of the hills and the house that kept Natsume and Haru captive, something she managed to acquire with the help of Mimura and Okajima who had been taking videos and photographs of parts of the hills that she could not show due to insufficient data along with the status of the Silver Sakura, the piece of information she managed to put together thanks to Rio and Hazama who has been gathering them. And lastly, the formation os the Silver Sakura is rather stale. It never changes from Mimura's observation while he was accompanying Hara and Sugaya set up traps all over the hills.
Boom!
'Wait just a little bit longer, sensei.' A thought that was shared amongst all 29 students of Class 3E.
Karma looks at how Ritsu animates his friends in his phone with cute chibi pictures and he was delighted to see that his friends have arrived at around the same time except for one team; Nagisa's team for his team had to be situated on a difficult terrain. According to Isogai, the place that he had assigned for Nagisa's team is steep and it might take some time for them to go up.
"Is everyone in their position?" Karma asks into the microphone and slowly, one by one, the team captains responds to him.
"Yes!" The third team: Propel is the group that has students who are good with close range attacks and is lead by Kataoka. His team members are Sugino, Yoshida and Okajima.
"Yes!" The first team: Ink whom Karma had grouped the ones who are good at close range attacks. The captain is none other than Isogai and his team members: Maehara, Fuwa and Okano.
"Yes, Karma-kun." The second team: Beak is a group of students who attacks at point blank. They will be in the bushes and on the trees, protecting their friends from the eyes of other snipists. The captain is Kanzaki and her team members are Hazama and Muramatsu.
"Yep!" The fourth team: Camouflage has students who attacks in a close range too. The captain of Camouflage is Kurahashi and those working with him is Hara, Kimura and Yada.
Karma is well aware that there are many of his classmates are in the closs range category and that's because after a long and elaborated discussion with Irina, she had strongly suggested Karma to play his cards right. They are 14 year olds, trained to be assassins and while they are more agile than others, most of them cannot win against physical strengths. To protect one another, he needs to put more close ranged attacks and the long ranged team can support their friends while taking down pests on trees and in bushes. Besides, it is important to have them balanced out.
For an example, the third team; Propel has two proactive assassins (Katoka and Sugino), one acts as a supportive assassin (Okajima) and one indivualist assassin (Yoshida). The scenario in Karma's head is simple: while Yoshida attacks with the help of Okajima as a bait, Kataoka and Sugino can take down the guard like the opportunists they are. But as long as they work together, it doesn't matter how Karma groups them, they will always save each other anyway.
"And team Nagisa-kun?" Karma asks, eyes never leaving Hime's chibi face in his phone. She is teamed up with Nagisa and they will be rescuing Koro-sensei from south. From where the team is, they can almost see the house from how high the terrain is. Chiba has settled down rather quickly and so did Hayami on a terrain next to theirs. His team is supposed to bring back Koro-sensei from the tentacle uncle and that's exactly what he'll do. They have failed to come home with Koro-sensei 7 days ago and they have come to do it now. And at that moment they saw how Koro-sensei was thrown to the air and slammed to the ground by another tentacled creature which Hime quickly recognizes as Ichiro.
Boom!
"Are you ready?" Nagisa asks his team as he looks at them one by one. He looks at Rio, Chiba and Kayano who vowed to not let go of their sensei like they had a few days ago and then at Hayami, Takebayshi and Hime, who had given him a nod. "We're ready, Karma-kun." Nagisa, the captain of the Save Koro-sensei squad said into the microphone with one goal in mind. Rescue Koro-sensei!
"Operation: Class 3E time start!"
***
THEY HAVE FINALLY CONFESSED. I CANT BELIEVE IT TOOK THEM 63 CHAPTERS T-T