Cold winter winds pass by allowing the spring winds to take it's place, gently brushing sweet cherry blossom petals into the crisp blue sky. A pair of soft lavender eyes gaze through the clear glass window at the pink dots floating by. Entranced by the beauty of spring, Okuda Manami couldn't help but ponder whether or not a special someone was also enjoying this peaceful sight. Does he even care for such things? Is he thinking about her too? These questions relay inside Okuda's mind until the abrupt ringing of the lunch bell breaks her cherry blossom trance.
With a look of anticipation, Okuda quickly begins digging through her backpack for the lunch her mother had prepared her this morning. Suddenly, a booming slap on her desk jolts her attention from her backpack to a hand. Startled, Okuda looks up to see Rio Nakamura grinning from ear to ear, with Yuzuki Fuwa and Hinano Kurahashi behind her with similar expressions. "Okuda-chan! Let's have lunch together!" squeals Hinano, clapping her hands together in excitement.
"Ah, well... I-I can't…" Okuda mumbles, lowering her reddening face apologetically.
"Aw! Why not?" Hinano questions pouting.
"It's cause she has plans to meet with her boyfriend~~!" Rio replies with a giggles, puckering of her lips.
Hinano and Yuzuki jump back, squealing over this compelling information about their quiet friend. "Okuda has a boyfriend?!" they scream in unison, staring at her, excitedly waiting for confirmation.
She shakes her hands in hesitant denial. Rio sneaks behind the frazzled brunette's chair, placing her hands on Okuda's shoulders. Leaning down next to Okuda's ear, she chuckles, "Come on! I know you've been eating lunch with Karma-kun everyday for the past couple months! Don't even try to hide it!"
Okuda covers her face with her hands to hide a very apparent reddening of her complexion. Hinano and Yuzuki howl, "Karma-kun?! Tell us everything! What's he like?!"
Rio then whispers teasingly, "You know, he really likes you too. Maybe he'd like it if you did more than just eat lunch with him."
"R-R-Rio-chan! K-Karma-kun and I are just friends! W-we haven't done anything!"
"Are you sure about that?" Rio inquires playfully. Instead of responding, Okuda abruptly stands up from her seat and scurries to the door,"I h-have to go! I-I'm very sorry! I'll eat with you guys tomorrow maybe!"
"Okay, see you later then! Tell us all the hot details about you and your boyfriend tomorrow!" Rio teased as the other girls whine in protest.
Okuda rushes through the busy school hallways, easily dodging all the students walking by, then running up a flight of stairs leading to the roof, which is usually empty. She worries that he may be upset at her for taking so long. She's breathing heavily after her short sprint upon reaching the top she immediately grabs the door handle, pulling it downwards and pushing it open.
Sunlight spills from the opened door into the dark stairway, illuminating the path behind her and warmly embracing the girl's small frame. Out of breath, Okuda walks out of the building and onto the empty rooftop and carefully closes the door. "Oi Okuda-chan! What took you so long?" a cool husky voice calls. Where sunlight does not reach, his voice warms her heart immediately.
Okuda turns to her right to see Karma Akabane sitting on the bench with his hands behind his head as he rests his back on the fence surrounding the vacant rooftop. Karma smirks at Okuda and she responds with a shy smile. "I-I'm I'm sorry Karma-kun. I was talking to R-Rio-san," Okuda mumbled, walking towards him. She'd rather forget the embarrassing events that had occurred. She looks at her feet as she walks towards the fiery-haired boy.
Reaching the bench, she sits right next to him but kept a foot distance between them to ensure they won't touch each other while eating. "Ah I see. What did she say?" Karma asks as he continues to look directly at her.
"Ah uhm she was asking if I could eat lunch with her, Hinano, and Yuzuki…. ," Okuda stammers. Her shaky hands finish unwrapping the bento box.
Memories of Rio calling Karma Okuda's boyfriend flash into Okuda's mind. Her cheeks flush with emotion, a deep red at the possibility of being Karma's girlfriend. 'Impossible…' she thinks to herself. Glancing nervously up at Karma, she meets his stoic gaze causing her heart to jump. Quickly Okuda looks back down, refocusing her mind on satisfying her hunger. 'Karma-kun and I… That's not possible! We... We're just friends! W-we're too different.' Okuda thinks nervously.
"Oh are you planning to hang with them than?" Karma inquires with a sigh.
"P-probably tomorrow…" The reply is murmured politely.
"I see…"
Okuda sensed a little hint of disappointment, or was it just him speaking normally? They begin eating what was prepared for them this morning by their guardians. Okuda nibbles at some rice and fried eggs quietly as Karma munches on a sandwich. Together they ate their lunches side by side in comfortable silence. Ever since they began attending the same high school, they have been eating lunch together almost everyday. Something about this part of the day always puts Okuda's heart at ease. All the anxiety and stress of high school dissipated whenever she is near Karma. Was it a crime that she wished to stay like this forever?
The peaceful silence is pricked by the soft sound of rustled pants fabric. Okuda glances in Karma's direction, noticing that he has finished his lunch and is searching for something inside his pockets. Karma then pulls out a bright white box and a red lighter. Standing up, Karma takes out a white and brown tipped cylindrical object. "W-what're you doing?" Okuda asks nervously.
Karma stares at her with those stone cold eyes as he places the object in between his smooth, lips. Amused by the girl's nervous expression, he smirks and lights the tip of the object with his red lighter. "My friend gave me these. I'm trying them out." Karma's reply is just as cool and controlled as always.
Okuda's eyes enlarge as Karma blows a puff of smoke into the sky. His golden eyes calmly gaze at the smoke cloud drifting off into the atmosphere, swept by the wind. Okuda stares at him shocked and confused on what to think. Karma inhales once more. "K-Koro-sensei said that it's bad to smoke," Okuda stammers nervously.
Karma's gaze shifts from the newly formed smoke cloud to her. He raises an eyebrow in amusement. "He did didn't he? I'd bet he'd give me a slap right now with those tentacles if he were here. But he's not," Karma chuckles softly.
Okuda could hear a hint of distance in Karma's voice over the recollection of their third year middle school teacher. Okuda felt something inside her chest squeeze a bit. It was a feeling that she had grown more accustomed to since Koro-sensei's passing, yet the feeling of loss was still quite overwhelming. It might as well have been an anaconda wrapping around her chest squeezing the life out of Okuda. 'Karma-kun… You miss him too don't you? Does it still hurt you too?'
Okuda shook her head gently to shake away the thoughts, instead thinking that Karma probably needed some cheering up. Karma has his back turned to her and was continuing to create more smoke. 'Is he sad?' Okuda wondered solemnly.
Karma does not get along very well with authority figures, even now Okuda knew he was struggling to trust them let alone get along with them in high school. When Koro-sensei was here, he was able to provide some form of teacher student bond with Karma. Actually Koro-sensei's acknowledgment and kindness provided a safe haven at the time from all the havoc in all of the class-E student's lives. He was the reason they were able to make it into high school with goals and dreams and although he left them with a promising new future with the tools necessary for success, there was still a large sense of loss after his death. They didn't need him but they wanted him here. They wanted his support and kind words during the hard times… If things were to go bad again, what would they do? Would everything they worked so hard for end up in failure?
'We still have each other.. all the other people… no friends from class-e," Okuda realizes suddenly.
Each and every person is different and innately alone. But the students of class-E shared experiences of meeting such a wonderful person, growing and prospering together as a community. Even though their yellow octopus' support was gone, they still had each other. They could help each other during desperate times and make things better.
Okuda knew that Karma was having a hard time adapting to high school life. The teachers were no where near as cruel as the people in their previous middle school, however that doesn't change the fact that Karma had a traumatic experience with teachers, making it very difficult to trust any average teacher. He needed somebody right now… no he needed a friend. Most of the people that Karma was really good friends with in class-e are attending different high school and it must be difficult having to adapt to a new environment alone. Okuda knew that all too well after she began attending this high school. In the beginning, Okuda was frightened concluding that it was impossible for her to adapt to normal high school life.
But thanks to Karma, she wasn't really alone. He was always silently by her side at lunch, unknowingly reassuring her that things would be okay. Okuda was so grateful for his company and kindness when she was in a dark place. If he was there for her, doesn't that mean that she owed it to him to be there for him? No she did owe it to him as Karma's only friend at this school she was responsible for assisting him. Okuda could feel courage welling up inside of her as she recalls her gratitude to him. She couldn't stand the idea of such a wonderful person being sad or distressed even for a second! The mere thought of Karma hurting nearly drove Okuda to tears. Without even a second thought Okuda runs toward Karma, flinging her arms around his waist. In her arms, she could feel Karma's body jolt and tense up, obviously not expecting it. She tightened her arms around his waist as she brought up the courage to raise her voice in an attempt to comfort him. "N-N-N-nehehehe… K-KARMA-KUN! YOU SHOULDN'T SMOKE! Y-YOU'RE TOO YOUNG FOR LUNG CANCER! YOU CAN'T T-TORTURE PEOPLE WITHOUT YOUR LUNGS!" she screeched in her best rendition of Koro-sensei's voice that she could muster, which actually sounded like a screaming old lady chasing away a cat fighting her five hundred other cats.
Okuda opens one eye, then the other slowly, looking at the back of Karma's head as he stands there in awkward silence. A color nearly as red as Karma's hair spreads through Okuda's face. Tears begin to form in burning embarrassment. Releasing her hold on Karma, Okuda turns around swiftly away from the silent boy in order to hide her bright red, embarrassed face. 'He must think I'm a freak! Why the hell did I do that?!' she screams in her head.
SIlence, then the sound of Karma bursting with laughter. Okuda turns around, startled and a little insulted. 'I knew it… I'm so stupid...' Okuda looks down, fists clenched in an attempt to not cry in mortification. Suddenly Karma places his hand on her head and pats her gently before pulling her into his embrace. "Thank you I needed that. This is my first time and it's really nothing special so I promise I'll toss it on the way home," Karma states reassuringly.
Okuda rubs her eyes for a minute averting eye contact, feeling both relieved and more embarrassed. She turns to gaze at Karma and sees him smiling at her. Considerate and very warm, without even a hint of that cocky smirk which he usually wears. 'I-I've never seen Karma smile this way before...' Okuda felt the tension in her hands lessen while her heart began to beat loud and fast. Okuda meekly smiles back at Karma, "T-t-thank you, Karma-kun. You're always so kind to me."
Karma's cheeks turn to a shade of pink as he nervously raised his hand from Okuda's head. "But you know it'd be a waste to only smoke one. How about you try one too?" Karma asks mischievously.
While still distracted in a sea of golden eyes, Okuda remains completely caught off guard to Karma's question. "Okay!"
She immediately covers her mouth, regretting the response. "W-wait! No I-"
Quickly Karma cuts her off with a chuckle as he pulls out another cigarette to hand to Okuda. "Here you are Okuda-chan. I didn't think you'd actually agree, I'm quite surprised."
She remorsefully accepts the gift, not wanting to look like she's whimping out in front of Karma. With no prior experience with cigarettes, she imitates Karma and places the cigarette between her lips. The paper lightly sticks to the saliva on her lips almost like tape. Okuda brushes her tongue against the filter, tasting a hint of the tobacco and something minty. Karma holds the lighter to the tip of her cigarette and began spinning the wheel. Small sparks begin generating at the tip like mini fireworks but a flame does not appear. After four tries, Karma examines the lighter. "It's out of lighter fluid," Karma muttered slightly annoyed.
Okuda can't help but sigh in relief at the luck she just had. Just when she is about to take the foreign object out of her mouth, Karma exclaims, "Well there is another way to do this. Inhale through the cigarette Okuda-chan."
Confused, Okuda begins to slowly inhale. The air tastes almost like minty wood. Karma grabs her waist with one hand, pulling her closer. Her chest was almost pressed against his with only her hands between them. Her heart jumps into her throat as she gasps in shock. Okuda's eyes widen as Karma's face begins closing in on her. She could feel pressure being applied onto the cigarette in her mouth. Realizing that he is going to light her cigarette with his own, she inhales to assist in the process. As Okuda inhales, Karma's golden eyes remain glued to her lavender eyes. Too weak to look away, she feels as if her heart is going to explode any second.
As seconds pass that seem longer than normal, the feeling of her throat burning with the sensation of smoke brings her mind back into focus. Her hands force Karma away and she falls onto her rear end, coughing out smoke and the cigarette itself. She coughs for minute till the burning sensation cools down, then immediately notices how light-headed she is. Okuda nervously glances at Karma who is sitting on the ground beside her with his expression hidden behind his right red hair. 'He probably thinks I'm a loser,' Okuda thinks to herself as she attempts to stand up.
"I'm s-s-" Okuda stuttered before being cut off by Karma who grabs onto her hand and pulling her into his firm embrace once more.
The smell of fresh amber fills her nose and relaxes her as she is pressed against Karma's black jacket. Okuda instinctively wraps her arms around Karma's neck and the two held each other gently yet firmly as the cold winds brush past them. Karma moves slowly to Okuda's neck and planted a light kiss on her bare skin. "Ahh… K-Karma-kun..." Okuda moans, as her senses are overwhelmed with a powerful tingling sensation sending shivers across her body. She quickly tightens her arms around him, further exposing her neck in an attempt to receive another kiss.
Karma then lifted his lips from her neck and pressed them to her ear. "I'm sorry but I need you…" Karma whispers. Another shock wave is sent through her body and Okuda is powerless in her struggle to not shiver nor whine in deep pleasure. Having never been caressed on the neck, or ear, Okuda's body is stunned, unable to respond to any commands that her mind may declare.
Karma loosens his grip on Okuda and she naturally does the same. He slowly backs his head away from her ear so he could gaze into her pale blue eyes. His eyes delicately staring into her innocently wondering eyes, somberly confessed, "I love you, Okuda Manami…"
Okuda's racing heart stopped along with time inside of her throat, preventing her from forming words let alone a thought. Closing his eyes, Kama face began gliding closer and closer to Okuda's face till the tip of his lips started to grazed hers. Okuda shut her eyes as her heart began to bloat and threatened to explode. "K-Karma…" she whispered tenderly against his lips.
A loud gasp rings through the air causing Karma and Okuda to break away their gaze toward the direction of the sound. Behind the door which provides entrance to the roof, was Rio and Hinano excitedly clasping their hands over Yuzuki's mouth. Okuda felt her cheeks burst with heat as they turned redder than blood. "Ah…. Ah.. KYYYAAAAHHH!" she screams as she desperately tries to hide her identity.
Karma stands up abruptly, flames bursting out from his back. He stomps toward the trio as they stare in horror at the sight. "SORRY!" they scream, slamming the door behind them in their abrupt exit.
Okuda hears Karma stop and sigh in frustration as he scratches his head. She is unable to look at him as she tries to calm herself down. Karma clears his throat angrily and mortified Okuda buried her face deeper into her hands. "Nagisa, Kaeda, and I are meeting up this Saturday… You want to come too?" Karma asks softly.