(Your POV)
"Finally," Isogai beamed as soon as you opened the door.
"You sure took your time didn't you?" Karma smirked.
"(Y/N) here was teaching a guy a lesson," Yada giggled.
"Yeah, you should have seen it," Fuwa exclaimed as she nudged you in the ribs.
"And what did Miss goody two shoes do?" Karma grinned as he turned his attention towards you.
You blushed red in embarrassment as you thought about what you had just done. It wasn't like you were regretting it since he deserved it but it was more about the fact that you had lost control like that. It was nothing like you. But, you would be lying if you said you didn't enjoy it a little bit.
"You should've seen it!" Kurahashi giggled. "She poured her drink on that boy who was flirting with her," she continued giggling. "You should have seen his face! I don't know what she must have told him but he seemed pretty scared."
"That's not what happened," you murmured. "At least I didn't do it for that reason..." you added.
"Aww you're such a hypocrite," Karma poked your cheek. "So you get to pour the drink but I don't, huh?" He said taking you back to that day at the cinema.
"He really deserved it," you argued, emphasizing the word 'really'.
"Funny how you assured me you wouldn't go picking up fights," he smirked as he stood up straight.
"I said I wouldn't fight an assassin," you rolled your eyes, "not an 18 year old guy," you chuckled.
"Well you sure are a box full of surprises," he ruffled your hair in amusement. "Though next time you do that remember to call me," he smiled darkly as you saw the horns of the devil coming out of his head. "I too would like to show him something of my own."
You continued walking down the maze-like corridors until you came to a stop.
"From here on out, it's the VIP floor," Karasuma-sensei announced as you waited, hidden behind a corner.
He took a peek and informed you all of the situation. There were two bodyguards guarding a door.
"We need to take them out to get through," Terasaka cracked his knuckles.
"You are correct Terasaka-kun," Koro-sensei agreed. "And in order to defeat them, it would be most appropriate if we used the weapon you're carrying, wouldn't it?" He said as you looked down at Terasaka's bag.
Terasaka agreed with Koro-sensei's idea. He took off his backpack and crouched down.
"Hey Kimura," Terasaka called as he rummaged inside his backpack. "If it's just you, they won't think of you as an enemy. Go lure them over here," he pointed at the place in front of him.
"Me? How?" Kimura frowned his brow.
"Try saying this," Karma snickered as he whispered something in the boy's ear.
Kimura nodded his head and turned the corner.
"Wait a sec!" He shouted as he looked around the room in exaggerated confusion. "Are there any brains around here?! These guys are just pure muscle. Down to the inside of their heads! You shouldn't pretend to be people you meatheads," he stated as he turned around.
"Hey!" One of them shouted as you heard loud footsteps.
"Hold on you!" Another one yelled as Kimura ran for his life.
As soon as the two bodyguards came to view, Yoshida and Terasaka tackled them to the ground. Taking out the two stun guns Terasaka had in his bag, one for each one of them, they knocked the bodyguards off.
Koro-sensei then told Yoshida and Terasaka to look inside the bodyguard's inner pocket and what they took out nearly made you lose your balance. They were... real guns...
After assigning the two guns to Chiba and Hayami, the best shooters in the class, you continued on walking. Entering inside the concert hall, you were about to continue to the next room when you heard footsteps coming as Karasuma-sensei ordered you all to go hide behind the red, velvet seats.
You and Karma were hiding in the same area, your heart was pumping faster and faster and you were convinced everyone could hear it. Your breathing was agitated, your knees trembling at the sudden turn of events. This wasn't like assassination training or even the assassination attempts. This time, you were dealing with real assassins and that thought was unsettling to say the least. Suddenly, Karma placed his hand on top of yours and gave you a smile in an attempt to calm your nerves.
"Fifteen? No, sixteen," a man's voice echoed throughout the whole theatre. "The breathing sounds young too, it mostly sounds like teenagers."
Your heart skipped a beat. The man's incredible abilities startling you. Karma squeezed your hand and placed his index finger on his lips, motioning you to keep quiet.
A sudden, deafening sound was heard. It was the sound of a gunshot. You then heard the sound of glass shards falling onto the floor as the lightning in the room went dimmer.
"I'll tell you this, the hall in this room is soundproof and this is a real gun," the man said. "You guys aren't prepared to kill, right? Then surrender quietly and go grovel in front of the boss."
Another gunshot was heard, but it wasn't from the man, it was from Hayami who was hiding a few seats to your right. However, a few seconds after the second gunshot was heard, a third one reverberated throughout the whole room. Your heart stopped beating. The man had shot through the tiny space between the seats, aiming at the place where Hayami was.
"I never forget the location of an enemy who was fired a shot," he said proudly. "You won't be able to take a single step from where you are."
Suddenly, Koro-sensei's voice began barking out orders, calling each one of you individually and telling you where to move. Gulping, you prepared yourself to follow your teacher's orders, ready to move as soon as you heard your code name.
"Handkerchief girl, move 8 seats to your left!" Koro-sensei yelled.
What? Handkerchief girl? How? How did he know?
You shook your head. Now was not the time to think about it. As you were about to move to your new location, Karma squeezed your hand one last time and let you go. You crouched down and followed Koro-sensei's orders, your heart pumping rapidly.
Once everyone had moved, Koro-sensei ordered Chiba to shoot and Hayami to be ready to back him up. You saw a figure stand up, a gun in his hands. As he was about to aim, the man shot him in the head.
Your heart stopped beating as you watched the scene in horror. Chiba was... dead? But, as you looked closely, you saw something was off and realized it was just a puppet. Not a second later, another gunshot was heard.
"You missed," you heard the man laugh.
However, it didn't take long before a crash was heard. Another gunshot reverberated across the room.
"Finally, hit him," Hayami sighed in relief.
You took that as your cue to take a peek and found the man knocked down on the floor. He no longer had his gun with him and the theater's spotlights were on the floor too. Terasaka and Yoshida jumped from their hiding spots, ready to tie him down with duct tape. You all gathered around Hayami and Chiba, congratulating them for their flawless coordination and aim.
"I'm so glad we're one step closer to finding the culprit," you told Nagisa, sighing in relief once you were outside that theatre and back to walking through the corridors.
"I've figured something out regarding the boss," Koro-sensei grabbed your attention. "That mastermind isn't an assassin. He hasn't put the hitmen to proper use."
He then proceeded to explain how he had probably hired them to assassinate him but since you had already partially carried out the job and had managed to put him in that form, he had decided to use them as simple guards.
Finally reaching the top floor, you came face to face with a door locked by a high-end security system. Using one of the cards from the guards Terasaka and Yoshida had previously knocked out, the doors opened with ease. Karasuma-sensei whispered the plan though he didn't need to explain it any further since he had been preparing you all for these types of situations.
You walked quietly as you approached the man. He was sitting at his computer, the screen being the only thing lighting the dark room. There was a suitcase by his side with a bomb attached to it. The bomb's remote was also by his side.
'That's where the antidote must be,' you thought as you looked at the suitcase. 'If we could only knock him down and grab the remote before he does...'
"Now!" Karasuma-sensei yelled as you prepared for what was to come.
"Itchy," the man suddenly muttered as he scratched his cheek where a wound was. "Because my wounds are always exposed to the air, my senses have become more sharp."
He suddenly threw into the air millions of copies of the same remote you had seen lying on his desk.
"I made spare remotes so that it wouldn't be stolen," the man chuckled lowly, making your hair stand on end. "Enough so that I can still press it even if I'm defeated."
That voice... You had heard it before.. Could it be? Was it... Takaoka?
"What naughty children," he turned around. "You came to see your respected instructor. Papa would have never instructed such bad children. I guess I have no choice... I'll give you children supplementary lessons for your summer vacation," he grinned, his face etched with madness and hatred.
He ordered you to follow him to the roof and none of complained, it was too risky. Once you reached the rooftop, he then explained his initial plan where he was planning to bury Kayano and Koro-sensei in anti-sensei material. So, that way, Koro-sensei would have to set up an explosion if he wanted the anti-sensei material not to touch him and this decision would subsequently kill you all. He explained how you all had been the cause of all his problems and how everyone at the office mocked him for getting beaten by mere high school students.
"Especially you, Nagisa Shiota," he pointed his finger at the boy, his face full of hatred. "I'll never forgive you for tainting my future. Come up over here alone," he ordered him as he began climbing up the stairs to the helicopter port.
"Nagisa, you can't go," you whispered.
"I don't want to, but I'll go," he gave you a sweet smile as reassurance and proceeded to hand Koro-sensei to Kayano. "I'll try to talk to him and calm him down. And I'll try to get him to give us the antidote without destroying it."
The events that followed suit were straight out of a movie. As soon as Nagisa reached the helicopter port, Takaoka blew up the bridge connecting the port to the main base. He then gave Nagisa two options, either fight him with the knife he gave him or apologize for what he had done.
Nagisa decided to apologize as Takaoka-sensei listened. Once the apology was over, he seemed pleased but you were sure there had to be a catch. It couldn't be so easy. He talked about the virus' effects and how funny it was and, before anyone of you had time to react, he threw the suitcase into the air and detonated the bomb.
Your eyes widened, your mouth agape as you watched the explosion. This couldn't be happening... Nakamura... Sugino... The whole class that had been infected... What would happen to them? Your eyes travelled back to where Takaoka and Nagisa were. The blue haired boy was trembling and you didn't know if it was in fear or in anger. He gripped the knife on the floor as he stood up, his face darkening.
"I'll kill you," Nagisa's voice sent chills down your spine. "I'll kill you! How could you?!"
Suddenly, Terasaka threw his taser gun at Nagisa's head. The impact made the boy return back to his senses as he looked around in confusion.
"Don't get carried away Nagisa!" Terasaka shouted.
In between all of you, you were able to clear Nagisa's head as you came up with solutions. The blue haired male nodded his head as he picked up the taser gun Terasaka had thrown at him and prepared to fight.
Takaoka's eyes were filled with bloodlust and you couldn't help but fear for your friend's safety. You had already seen Nagisa in action and you knew he had been training with Lovro but you couldn't help but be concerned. Takaoka had already shown how violent and strong he was and now that he had descended into madness, he was even more dangerous than before.
The fight was hard to watch to say the least. Nagisa appeared to be no match for Takaoka's brute force. But, when it seemed that all was lost, Nagisa used a technique you had never seen before. He walked up to Takaoka, his facial expression calm and collected, full of confidence. One of his hands was gripping the knife whilst the taser gun was hanging from his belt. He approached Takaoka and once he was face to face he made one loud clap with his hands. You didn't know how he did it or how the technique worked but it petrified your former teacher and pulled him aback. Taking that confusion to his advantage, Nagisa took the taser gun and tased him in the ribs. Electricity ran throughout the whole of Takaoka's body as he fell to the ground.
Your body was numb as everyone cheered for Nagisa. You would have never imagined Nagisa, out of the whole class, would be fit to be... an assassin. He was precise, calculating and unemotional until hitting the final blow where he would flash a sweet and innocent smile at his opponent.
"You there (Y/N)?" Karma shook your shoulder, bringing you back to your senses. "Are you checking out Nagisa or what?" He teased. "Should I be-?"
"Do you think this is over?" A voice suddenly interrupted your conversation.
"Don't you guys know when to give up?!" Yoshida yelled in outrage as you turned around and saw the three hitmen Takaoka had hired.
"What I served you was an improved version of the food poison bacteria," the first man said. "It will stay active for about another three hours. After that, It will quickly become inactive and become innocuous," he explained as you felt a huge weight being lifted off your shoulders. "And the one the boss told me to use was this one," he took out a vial. "If I used this one, you guys would've been in some serious trouble."
The three of them then proceeded to explain how they had gone against their boss' orders because Takaoka was never planning on giving the antidote so they weighed out the pros and cons and decided to have their reputation as professionals tainted over being the ones responsible for a mass murder.
__________________________
You covered Nakamura, your hotel roommate, with the bedsheets. You had already given her the pills the man had given you. Nakamura was already sleeping soundly but you were sure you wouldn't be able to sleep after everything that had happened.
Even if it had all ended up well, you were still shaken by today's events. You lied down on your bed and tried to sleep. You kept tossing and turning and you didn't know how much time had gone by.
You finally gave up and sat up straight. You looked down at your watch, it was 4am. You sighed. Standing up, you put on your slippers and, after checking on Nakamura one last time, you left the room. You walked slowly down the corridor as you allowed your mind to wander.
You thought about your brother, about Kaori, your family's issues, today's events and lastly, you thought about Karma. That day on the rooftop, you had finally understood your feelings and, deep within you, you wanted to tell him. But you were afraid. It was the first time you had ever thought about someone like that. Of course you had had one or two crushes in the past, but it didn't compare to what you were feeling right now. Moreover, you were new to all this... love aspect. Heck, you had had your first kiss just a few months ago!
You really didn't want to ruin what you had with Karma. That friendship kept you going, and you didn't want a crush to ruin it just like it had ruined your relationship with Kaori...
Crushes...
They sure were so complicated. They turned people's emotions upside down... they made people do crazy things. And all in the name of love...
Love...
It was an unfamiliar emotion for you, only having it experienced when you were little, but even so, you knew it was one of the strongest and most powerful emotion out there. But, all the pain and suffering that came with it... was it even worth it? You didn't want to end up in a relationship similar to the one your parents had. Though it had been an arranged marriage, you imagined there might have been some sort of love, at least at the beginning. Why else would they have stayed together? Sure the main reason was for appearances... But that couldn't be entirely it.
Honestly, you were scared. You were afraid of making a mistake. What if it was only friendship what you felt? And you were just confusing it...? It wouldn't be a surprise...
But what if you did love Karma? Would you confess your feelings? Would you want to be in a relationship with him? And, most importantly, would you tell him the truth behind your family's appearances? That was a thought you had lately been mulling over but you still didn't know how to proceed.
You had been so absorbed in your thoughts that you hadn't realized where your feet had taken you. You had left the hotel and you were now in front of the beach.
The sight took your breath away. It was gorgeous. The crescent moon was high up in the sky, its light reflecting on the crystal clear water as the tides went up and down. It was a peaceful night. You took your slippers off as your bare feet touched the sand. It was a cold sensation since the sand had cooled off during the night but you didn't mind. It made you feel alive.
You ran around in glee. You were having such a blast that you even did pirouettes. You were nothing compared to Okano but you didn't mind, it was an incredible sensation. After doing one more complicated one, you lost your balance and fell down to the ground. You giggled at yourself for your clumsiness. Inhaling deeply, you savoured the moment. After a few minutes of just staring at the stars, your mind completely blank, you stood up and walked over to the sea.
Once you reached the shore, you crouched down and touched the water. The sea's cold water sent shivers down your spine but you didn't mind. You grabbed a handful of water and threw it into the air and spun around, the water droplets falling on your skin and hair. You splashed around for a few more minutes until you got exhausted. Breathing heavily, you sat down on the sand, hugging your knees as you watched the moon.
Just as quickly as that sudden wave of happiness and adrenaline had invaded your body, a wave of sadness now consumed you.
Now that the trip was coming to an end, you would be going back to the main campus. The feelings you felt right now were similar to the ones you had experienced back at Kyoto, but this time, they were much stronger and much more sadder. This time it was different, you weren't just going home. You were leaving the end class. You were leaving your friends... You sighed. You didn't want to. After experiencing for a second time such a powerful feeling of freedom, you didn't want to go back.
"Mind if I join?" A sudden, unexpected voice made you jump, interrupting your train of thought.
Turning around, you saw Karma with his hands inside his pockets, the gentle breeze swaying his red hair, his mercury eyes shining in the moonlight.
"How-how long have you been here?" You managed to stammer. Had he seen your little scene?
"Long enough~" he flashed you a teasing grin as you flushed a deep shade of red. How embarrassing...
"I'm sorry if I woke you up," you apologized as you averted his gaze.
"Nah, don't sweat it," he shook his head as he sat down beside you. "I've been walking for a while now."
"You can't sleep?" You asked.
"I've already told you I prefer the night," he said nonchalantly. "And you? Why are you up so late?"
"I can't sleep," you said looking at the moon. "There's too much on my mind," you whispered to yourself, your smile falling immediately.
"Huh?" He sat up straighter as he turned to face you.
You remained silent. You had never told anyone about your situation at home. Everything had been piling up inside of you. Though you knew that if you kept on like that you would someday explode.
You wanted to tell him. When else would you have the opportunity to? As soon as you got back, you would be transferred back to the main campus and you didn't know what was waiting for you. Maybe your mother would devise a way so that you would never leave her eye of sight. You had to tell him.
"Karma."
"(Y/N)," he called your name at the same time as you called his.
You stared at each other in silence and awkwardly chuckled at the situation.
"You go first," you smiled.
"Nah, you can go first," he shook his head.
"No really, you can go," you gave him a small smile.
"No, you go first," he said sternly. "And no, you can't argue. I've already made up my mind," he shrugged his shoulders, a playful smile not once leaving his lips.
You sighed. Okay, it was now or never...
"I...I," you nervously bit your bottom lip. You had to be honest with him.
It was harder than you had expected. But, as soon as the first words rolled out your mouth you couldn't stop. You told him everything as he listened closely, not once interrupting you.
You told him why you were always so correct and polite to people who didn't deserve your time and effort. Why you were doing so many activities and how it had affected you and the pressure it brought. How you didn't like acting and had shot the film against your will. You explained to him your family situation. How your brother had always outshone you and how your parents put him in a pedestal. How much your mother despised your father and vice versa.
You told him about the appearances you had to keep up for the sake of your family and the reason behind your messed up situation. You blurted it all out, your feelings, your fears, everything... All those things that had made you suffer for years, that had made you miserable... everything came out. It was something you had been dreaming of for ages and you had finally done it. You had finally taken that step. That step that had always seemed so far away, so unapproachable, so unreachable... you had finally gathered the courage to take it.
You began breathing in and out at a rapid speed. You were having trouble breathing. You tried to desperately gasp for air but it was like no oxygen was getting into your system. You felt like you were drowning. Just like that day at the stream. You couldn't breathe. You needed air.
"(Y/N)?" Karma frowned. "(Y/N) calm down!" He began shaking your shoulder as he tried to grab your attention.
You could barely hear him. It was as if you were under the water and he was talking to you from the surface. You wanted to concentrate and listen to him but you just couldn't make yourself do that. Everything you had just told him invaded your mind. What had you done? Now he knew everything... There was no turning back.
"Hey, hey! Listen to me!" He shook your shoulders.
You tried to even your breathing as you listened to his voice.
In and out. In and out...
You counted to ten. Then to twenty as you tried to calm yourself.
The scene seemed familiar. It was just like the other day when your mother told you your father and brother would be coming home so you would have to score into the top five... But this time, Karma was present to see you break down. You panicked.
'What have I done?' That same thought clouded your mind. 'And what will he think? Will he still want to be my friend?'
All of a sudden, Karma pulled you into a tight hug as your head rested on his chest. Closing your eyes, you listened to his heartbeat. You smelled his cologne with a hint of strawberries from that drink he liked so much, the familiar scent instantly reaching your nostrils. It was the same scent you had smelled when he gave you his jacket. You inhaled deeply, your shoulders relaxing, your breathing evening slowly. You felt safe.
After what felt like an eternity, your breathing finally calmed down. You were still shaking because of what had just happened. It was an experience you hoped never to endure again.
"I'm so sorry," you mumbled into his chest. "I'm so sorry you had to see me like this," your voice cracked as tears threatened to fall down your cheeks. "I'm so sorry for dragging you into this mess," you began shaking your head, your mother's words reverberating inside your head.
'Why are you crying?' You remember she had yelled at you one day when you broke down into tears because of the stress. 'I gave you everything and this is how you repay me?'
"Why would you apologize for something like that?" He frowned as he stared into your eyes.
"Mother always said I have no reason to cry since she gave me everything," you mumbled, your gaze dropping down to the floor. "I just... Even if I don't want to... Sometimes, I can't help but follow by the rules they impose on me... I'm just a coward," you sighed, covering your face in shame.
"Don't say that... If you've been able to withstand all this for years, you must be pretty damn strong," he chuckled, as he gently ran his fingers through your hair.
"I... guess," you sniffle.
You remained in silent as you listened to his heart beating. You really wished you could stay like that forever. You didn't want to go back to class A... you didn't want to leave the end class... You didn't want to leave Karma.
"Do you... do you still want to be my friend?" You stuttered, fearing the worst.
"Eh? Why wouldn't I?" He frowned his brow.
"I-I..." you stammered as you tried to search for a reasonable answer. Now that you had calmed down, all those questions that had ran through your mind and all those insecurities that had invaded you seemed so stupid. Though he could be violent and sadistic, you knew that he had good morals and he would never turn his back on you for something like that. "I don't know," you admitted.
You remained in silence as you watched the moon. Now that you had finally figured things out and you had finally taken it out of your chest, you felt lighter than ever.
"So," you sniffed as you tilted your head upwards to look at his face. "What did you want to tell me?" You asked as you remembered he also had something to say.
"Don't worry about it," he shook his head, quickly dismissing your question as he continued looking at the beautiful sea in front of him.
The two of you spent the rest of the night staring at the moon and the sea, his arm around your shoulders, your head resting on his chest. For the rest of the night, you just wanted to enjoy his company and live the moment. You would think about the rest later.
A/N: Okay, so I may take a while to publish the next chapter.
I haven't been very inspired lately and for the next chapters I have to change quite a lot of things and not just edit (like I did with this chapter). But who knows? Maybe inspiration hits me? XD
Anyways, I'm really sorry but I hope you've enjoyed this chapter!