Over Poison and Knives
Disclaimer: I DO NOT own Ansatsu Kyoushitsu.
It was a day of clear blue skies,
Of a gentle summer's breeze,
A blue bird and a kite met,
In a nest of poison and knives.
At first glance, anyone would have dismissed Okuda Manami as a shy girl, not someone worth worrying about killing them in their sleep. If you did not know her better, this would be the first mistake any unsuspecting fool would make.
Behind that innocent facade of timidness and trembling voice, hides the will of an assassin waiting to mess with your body. Manicured, dainty hands that mixed with chemicals and poisons like child's play combined with an overwhelming passion for chemistry made her someone to be wary of.
But he was not wary.
No, completely the opposite.
Okuda Manami to those who knew her, to put it lightly, was terrible at assassinating anyone. It was obvious to Class-E that if their target had been someone that even looked remotely human, she would have stayed her hand on her precious poison, too conflicted to go in for the kill. Coupled with her conflicted moral conscious, the art of subtlety was simply not her forte.
She was straight-forward and honest, with no hidden motives at all. A polar opposite to his hidden knives and cutting-edged sarcasm, and underhanded schemes.
A perfect partner-in-crime.
"Ne, Okuda-san, are you just finishing up?" a familiar voice called casually behind her, causing her to jump. Manami turned to see Karma leaning against one of the science lab tables, his hands braced behind him in a casual pose.
"H-hai, Akabane-san," she said in reply, her hands reaching out to get a cloth. She had spilled some of the sodium hydroxide solution on the counter when she jumped. Manami didn't hear him come in at all. Karma was top in their class for a reason; in terms of academics and assassinations. "Korosensei, g-gave me p-permissions to extract s-some cyanide." She hold up a peach that was sliced at him. At his raised eyebrow, Manami explained.
"I've read o-once in a b-book that y-you could extract cyanide f-from fruits, like a-apples and p-peaches," she elaborated, she waved her hand to indicate the conical flask on the table filled with a murky orange liquid.
Karma wordlessly held out his hand, and Manami handed him the flask.
Swirling the contents around thoughtfully, Karma turned to her with a smile that would have made even the devil run for the hills. "Ne, Okuda-san," he said, setting the flask on a nearby table. He straightened, and walked towards her, hands in his pockets. "You're very talented in chemistry. Even I didn't know about that."
Manami blushed at the compliment. "A-arigato, Akabane-san," she said, looking down at her toes. "I-I just really love chemistry."
Karma stopped next to her. Reaching out, he took the stained cloth from her fingers. Manami looked at him curiously as he examined it, before turning to her suddenly. "Okuda-san, you said that you were not very good with your words right?"
"N-no."
She watched him eye the flask on the other table. "Say, what if we both teamed up to kill Korosensei?" Karma proposed, setting down the cloth. He looked at her, his mercury-coloured eyes glinting. "Just imagine the things we could do with your poison and my schemes," he smirked maliciously at that thought, his head whirling as he schemed.
She blinked owlishly at him. "W-wha-"
"Oh, come on, Okuda-san!" He flashed her one of his charming smiles, and she felt her hesitation weakened slightly. "No harm in trying right? It'll be fun." He offered her one of his hands.
"A...Akabane-san…" Manami whispered, indecisive over whether or not to take his hand. It seemed too good to be true that Akabane Karma was standing right in front of her, offering to help her with her assassination. That someone like him would even acknowledged her skill and found her useful.
An warm, powerful feeling surged within her then, and she felt a small timid smile form on her face. Happiness. She felt happy.
Karma who had been waiting patiently for a reply, grasped her hand when he saw her smile at him. Linking their fingers together, he held it between them, smirking back at her. "So is that a yes, Okuda-san?"
"Um, yes," Manami said happily, nodding her head. "I w-would be h-happy to help you, Akabane-san!"
"Perfect," Karma said triumphantly. Releasing her hand, he immediately withdrew a piece of paper from his pocket. "I always wondered whether or not theses BBs could be melted, or turned into gas," he said excitedly, pouring some of the unloaded BBs in his pocket on the table.
"W-we could spike his food and h-he wouldn't even k-know about it," Manami said, her eyes widened in her own excitement as she picked up one of the BBs, determined to exploit these little death balls to reach their goal. To kill Korosensei. "T-that's a great idea, Akabane-san!"
"Karma."
"E-excuse me?" she said confusedly, tilting her head towards him.
Karma shrugged, picking up a conical flask and pouring all the BBs inside. "If we're going to work together, Manami-chan," at this Manami turned pink at the casual use of her name. "We should at least call each other by our first names. You don't mind do you?" Karma glanced at her, a playful smirk fully in place.
Manami shook her head, though her face was still quite warm. "N-not at all, Akab-I mean, Karma-kun," she replied hastily, his name sounding slightly foreign in her mouth. Like a new brand of toothpaste she hasn't gotten used to yet, but had hopes that she will eventually. Her eyes widened as it turned to see the flask full of BBs that Karma had placed over the Bunsen burner, the base becoming an alarming charcoal colour. "Karma-kun!"
Pushing him out of the way, she grasped the knob of the Bunsen burner and quickly turned it off before any further damage to the flask could occur. Grabbing a cloth, she deposited the flask under running water immediately. The thick fumes of smoke that drifted up from the flask made her eyes water and her throat itch, causing her to cough uncontrollably.
Steady hands on her shoulder pulled her away from the sink, and she breathed in the cleaner air like a person dying of thirst. Immediately, she took of her glasses, blinking her eyes rapidly to get rid of the tears, though it still took a moment for them to clear up. Meanwhile, cold fingers slide across her face, turning her head this way and that, and she could not help the blush heating her cheeks. "K-K…ar..." she tried to pronounce his name, but her throat felt really dry, it was hard to talk.
"You're burning up," she heard him murmur to himself, his cold fingers retreating from her face. She felt his hands on her shoulders again, and she stumbled slightly as he steered her into a seat.
"Manami-chan," Karma said, and she turned her head towards the sound of his voice. "Can you see me? How many fingers am I holding?"
She blinked and squinted, but everything was still a blurry mess of colours to her. Her glasses were clutched tightly in her hand, but it seemed too soon for her to wear them. It was contaminated with the fumes earlier and she did not want to risk getting it into her eyes again.
She tried speaking again, but barely getting a syllable out she was reduced to a coughing fit once again. It really really hurts to speak.
Manami heard Karma hummed in thought, before sighing quietly. "Seems like you can't speak, Manami-chan." She felt a tug on her glasses, and she gave it to him. It was silent for a while as he examined it. "Oh, I see. Were you afraid that you're glasses were contaminated?" Manami nodded, wisely choosing this time not to try and speak. "I'll be right back. Don't go anywhere." While it was said in Karma's usual teasing lilt, she could hear the worry in his voice.
A sudden warm feeling spread from her chest, and Manami felt even more lightheaded from it. It was...a good warmth. She had been afraid that Karma would scold her for being so reckless and getting herself hurt, even though neither of them knew the end result of heating the BB bullets. An inane fear that was gradually dissipating with each passing minute Karma took to look after her.
Even as he left her alone sitting on the bench (she assumed that it was from feeling the rough wooden texture underneath her palms) the feeling that he cared that she had gotten hurt remained. It was a refreshing change from the harsh glares and barely whispered curses from her previous classmates in the main building.
"Manami-chan."
She gave a startled yelp as Karma's cold fingers, that came out of nowhere, returned, brushing along the length of her cheek. The warmth in her cheeks returned as Manami blushed as she hear Karma chuckle in amusement, terribly embarrassed for reacting the way she had. Forgetting for a moment about her temporary speech disability, Manami opened her mouth intending to speak but finding herself once again bent over coughing painfully into her hand.
While fighting against her body's reflex action, Manami barely noticed the arm wrapped around her shoulders or the soothing hand rubbing her back, but it helped little regardless of whether she felt it or not.
When she had calmed down enough, she felt something plastic, distinctly shaped like a rim of a cup, placed at her mouth. "You should drink some water," Karma murmured somewhere next to her ear. With his help, Manami was able to hold the cup, and greedily drank it to satisfy her parched throat. "Hm, who knew something so small could be so lethal?" Setting down the cup, Manami was momentarily startled when his cool fingers were back, his thumb brushing lightly underneath her eye. She was surprised to feel it wet with tears. Karma glanced down at his tear-stained thumb, a frown twisted his face into a remorseful expression. "I'm sorry that you got hurt, Manami-chan."
Violet eyes wide, she took his larger hands within her smaller ones, shaking her head vehemently.
It was an accident. She gave his hands a reassuring squeeze, trying to convey how she thought through her actions seeing as her voice has failed her. It's not your fault, Karma-kun.
"You shouldn't forgive people so easily."
It's not your fault.
"It's alright not to forgive me, Okuda-san."
Karma was pulling away from her, why was he pulling away?
I wish I could speak.
Hesitantly, she brushed away a few crimson strands away from his eyes; having his undivided attention in close proximity was nerve-wrecking, but Manami pushed away the fluttering sensations to be examined on a later date. Because right now, she had to make him understand.
Lightly, she slapped his face. Karma blinked, the action entirely unexpected.
It is not your fault Karma-kun. There was a hard glint in her eyes; desperate she was to make him see. So please...don't ever think that way about yourself.
Karma-kun helped me. Manami took his hand and placed it one her head, encouraging him to pat it, an action she somehow knew he enjoyed. True enough a small smile broke through his wallowing. See? I forgive Karma-kun. Manami matched his smile for a brighter one of her own.
So please don't be sad.
Karma laughed; carefree and melodious. Manami cannot help but visibly brighten at the sound of it, the fluttering warming her heart. "Alright then, Manami-chan." Pulled into a impromptu hug, she tried to calm her heart as Karma embraced her.
"Thank you."
And thus the day ended with a budding friendship born,
Over Poison and Knives,
Through Tears and Forgiveness,
A once shaken blue bird now have found comfort in a kite,
And together they soar up to the open blue skies.
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A/N: For unnecessary clarification, Karma is the kite and Manami is the blue bird.