Anyways. Just another idea I've been playing around with. I hope you enjoy.
Also - this takes place in the middle of the story. Somewhere around there.
You know what, it's timeless.
Tup. Tup.
Thank goodness the sun isn't too hot yet.
Tup. Tup.
The worn-out path starts its inevitable incline - nothing special to someone like him.
Tup. Tup.
"See ya later, 3-E losers!"
Ignore them. Like usual.
Tup. Tup.
Pull out a juice box, tear out the straw. Follow routine.
Tup. Tup.
Check the time - eight-fifteen? Looks like he won't be late today.
Tup. Tup.
It's not a long walk, contrary to popular belief. The clearing comes into sight in no time - along with it a smattering of students scattered haphazardly about the scene. His teacher adorns it, sitting at the door like some sort of crown jewel.
There are even a few of his classmates on the roof.
Why - he shakes his head - I'm not even going to. Continue on.
"Hey." Waltz in there like he usually does, owning the world. A few acknowledge his presence - not that it matters to him anyways.
Nagisa isn't here yet.
"Hello, Koro-sensei," he greets.
"Good morning, Karma-kun," the octopus replies.
"Why are you out here so early?" he asks, to fill in silence more than anything else. "...actually, no, don't answer that," he adds in an afterthought. "Why are -" step back, take a quick peek - "Kayano and Okuda on the roof?"
"They're patching a hole on there that formed recently." Kataoka approaches him, tilting her head slightly. "Hello, Karma-kun."
He nods uncharacteristically, not wanting to waste words on more greetings. "Them, though? Why not…" he quickly searches his mind for who he's looking for. "Terasaka, or someone like that?"
She snorts softly. "All he would do is make the hole bigger. It was just them who noticed it, and it was bothering them...or something."
"What's that you say about me?"
Unfortunately, Ryoma Terasaka chooses the wrong moment to show up.
"It was his idea," Meg Kataoka says automatically.
Normally, he would get fired up over false accusations...but this was Terasaka they were talking about. Hell, it was Karma himself who usually did the teasing!
"Yeah, it was me," he taunts, dropping his voice, not quite a whisper, but not a full-fledged sound either. "Is your head too dense that those words can't even register?"
"Karma-kun…" his teacher's disapproving voice rings out, a warning bell. Kataoka sighs, probably used to it by now.
Paying no heed, he continues on, enjoying the reactions he's getting. "Sorry, I take it back. It's not dense. It's probably just small."
"Oh, you…!" Without warning, Terasaka drops the bag he's carrying and flings himself at the offender.
Damn, this escalated quickly. Karma dodges and blocks all of the hits with ease - andry opponents are so simple to read.
"Hey - hey! S-stop!" Koro-sensei has himself in a tizzy, fretting about the two of them. He could easily overpower the both of them...I wonder why he's not? Could that be a weakness? He wonders absentmindedly. Helpless when his students are fighting?
"We're coming down now!" Kayano's voice floats down from above. He looks up, there's Okuda making her way over to the ladder, all the while Terasaka keeping up a barrage of punches and kicks.
He inches backward, unintentionally. He steals a quick glance backwards - it tells him all he needs to know. I'm close to the ladder - better put some space between us or Okuda could get hurt.
What he doesn't see though - is on the ground.
A rock.
Bested by a rock.
"W-woah!" Damn rock, putting a hitch in his plan...he falls backwards, right on par to hit the ladder...and Okuda's climbing onto it…
Shit! He twists his body, trying to angle it so he doesn't hit it, he doesn't want to become the reason for a broken arm, of course.
He succeeds...mostly.
His arm clips the ladder, barely, just barely, but enough to make it wobble a bit.
"A-ah!" Okuda cries out, flinging out her arms to stabilize herself on the roof.
"Okuda-chan! Be careful!" Kayano warns.
He breathes out...crisis averted.
Hold on...
Terasaka!
He lunges forward, spotting an opportunity to hit him. He's on the ground, defenseless.
Well, not entirely.
There's a ladder.
His eyes widen as he realizes what's about to happen.
Even Kataoka can see it.
She reaches out, but she knows it will be to no avail. "Terasaka-kun, wait -!"
Too late.
It happens in a flash - Koro-sensei is a smidge tardy.
The ladder spins, falling to the ground.
And so does Okuda.
She's never looked smaller.
Kayano is watching, a hand over her mouth.
The roof isn't that high...he could jump off and land safely...but not the way she landed.
By this time, everyone there has come running.
"Okuda-san!" his teacher's voice is frantic. Karma's still reeling from what just happened.
The chemist rolls over - in obvious pain. She's clutching her right arm, tears streaming down her cheeks. Her glasses are right in front of him.
People gasp. Terasaka stands stock-still. It's his fault, he's probably thinking.
Wrong, Karma thinks.
It's mine.
"We have to splint it! Doesn't matter if it's broken, make sure it's straight!" Kataoka springs into action immediately. His classmates shake themselves out of their stupor and gather around her.
"Someone get a bamboo stem, break it into the size of her arm!" She orders. "I'll need two of them and some tape!"
He doesn't move. His mind is numb, he feels heavy. It's my fault, I just need to apologize to her, that's all, he tells himself.
Then why are you so shaken up about it? Nagisa's figure appears.
"This may hurt, Okuda-chan, but you need to tell me where, okay?"
I...I don't know.
"Koro-sensei, you need to take her to the hospital. KORO-SENSEI!" She yells, finally snapping the octopus out of his frenzy and scaring some of the students. Meg rarely yells. It was a sign of how serious the situation was for her to lose her temper.
"Y-yes, of course." He wraps her, tenderly, in his tentacles. Karma can see her from here - her eyes are closed, but she's breathing hard.
All because of me.
"I'll be back soon!" are his parting words as he zooms off, much slower than Mach 20. Nobody bothers to try and assassinate him.
Kayano is the first to come to her senses. "Terasaka-kun, how could you?" Her eyes are watering. She punches him in the arm, albeit very weakly, but the intention is what hurts the most.
"I...I…" Terasaka, for once, is at a loss for words. Others join in, but their spirit is gone.
Why are they blaming him? They should be blaming me…
Why...why is he feeling this way? He has no qualms about breaking other people's bones, beating them to a pulp…
...but they can fight back.
The image of the violet-haired girl, laying there, small, defenseless…
He hurt her.
There is a loud boom, and Koro-sensei appears before them. Eyes turn up, sun falls on hopeful faces.
"Good news, class!" It isn't much of a class….half of us aren't even here yet.
"Okuda-san has been hospitalized without any problems! I've contacted her parents and they should be there by now. However," he pauses with a tentacle in the air, "she will need to remain there for a minimum of a week before being able to function in our class again."
There is no cheering. The air is subdued. A member of their class, their assassination team is gone for a week.
"D...damnit…" Terasaka whispers. "I told myself that I would stop giving you guys more trouble, but…"
"Let us not make Terasaka-kun feel any worse than he already is," Koro-sensei adds. A tentacle slithers out and comes to rest on his back. "You can apologize to her when she comes back."
Everyone mutters their various agreements.
"Yo! Wha - hey, why is everyone looking so sad?"
It's Maehara. More students are gradually beginning to show up - and with every one that does, the story has to be recounted...again, and again, and again…
"It was...Terasaka-kun."
"Terasaka-kun did it."
"I knocked the ladder away…"
No! Karma desperately wants to shout. It was me! My fault!
But no words seem to come out.
"Karma-kun?" The octopus nears him, this time resting a slimy appendage on his head. "Is something wrong? You have been strangely silent during this ordeal…"
He looks up into the smiling face of his teacher he has come to love (but no one knows that.) - he would understand, wouldn't he?
"It's nothing." He gets up and smoothly flicks off the tentacle. He walks past the group uninterrupted, not giving a second glance.
"Hello, Karma-kun!" Nagisa has finally come to school. He's smiling. Genuinely.
"Hello." He turns to look at his blue-haired friend as they pass by. Their eyes meet and Nagisa's smile morphs into an expression of concern.
He puts his barriers up - shields, masking his feelings from the outside. His eyes betray him.
"Karma-kun?" Nagisa starts to reach out.
No...I can't!
So he does the only thing he can think of: run.
He runs headlong down the mountain path, all the way down to the main campus, then into the foliage of the mountain.
He'd never let anyone in. Not a single person.
Why is this affecting me so badly!?
Would you feel the same if I had gotten hurt? The projection of the bluenette pops up again.
I...I don't know!
Just get away.
That's all that matters.
"...huh?" Nagisa watched Karma speed down the path. He blinks once, then resumes walking.
I wonder what's troubling him.
So...definitely multi-chapter! I have lots of fluff in store~
I sound really stupid, don't I.
Feel free to leave a review or PM if you spot any mistakes - especially on the honorifics - or even just to leave a review.
Until the next time.