Chapter Seven – The Plan

Isogai and Maehara closed the café early that night, giving their employees some extra time off. It was only with the silence of the night bearing down upon them and the streetlights beaming through the windows that they began to discuss their plans. They had a monumental task in front of them, and yet their "plan" was rougher than even an outline, like scraps of paper thrown together. They tried to pull the pieces together, but one thing was becoming very clear very quickly.

They were still too few.

At the very least, Karma could guarantee Terasaka's involvement. He'd bitch and moan about it, but he'd get involved (Karma had already texted him to come over and help out). As for anyone else, they were at a loss.

"Who else could we call?" Kayano asked, scribbling down on a notepad.

"We need be careful about asking people," Maehara said, "We've got to make sure it's people that we trust."

"I don't think there's anyone we know who'd tell anyone about our plans, even if they don't want to help," Kayano said, "Everyone respected Nagisa to some extent." It was hard not to, especially after the emotional turmoil he went through after the death of their third year middle school teacher.

"What about Sugino-san?" Isogai suggested, "They were pretty close in middle school, and I think they still hung out a lot in high school, even though he didn't go to Kunugigaoka."

"Yeah, but he's a major league player. He's probably super busy, especially with the season starting soon," Maehara shot down. He leaned on his arm, mumbling, "Even though, he's probably the most physically fit out of all of us."

"Rio?" Karma suggested.

"They were also pretty good friends," Maehara agreed, "She'd jump at the chance to do something more exciting than her law classes." He yawned, the day catching up to him. Kayano added her name.

"Chiba-san?" Kayano suggested, "With his and Rinka-san's gunwork, they could be a good support team."

"No good," Isogai said, stretching, "Rinka-san's pregnant."

"She's pregnant?!" Kayano screeched, "When did this happen!?"

"She announced it a couple weeks ago, she's about ten weeks along."

"We should cross out Sumire-san and Taisei-san too, she's pregnant again," Maehara interjected.

"Again?! How do you even know this?! Anyone else pregnant that I don't know about?!"

"Well, we try and keep in contact with our old friends, Kaede," he said sarcastically.

"Everyone posts everything online anyway," Isogai added, "I believe we sent them a nice card when they announced." Maehara nodded in agreement. Kayano made a frustrated sound. Karma couldn't blame her, he had no idea about any of this either.

"Anyway, what about Okano?"

"She's a possibility. Write her name down. Also add Kanzaki and Sugaya, I don't know if either will be up to it, but it's worth a shot.

"What about Okuda?" Karma questioned. Although she had decided to go to a tech school, she still remained friends with them throughout high school.

"She's abroad," Isogai informed. He tapped his fingers against the table, "She's working for some Pharma company in America. She moved two years ago." That wasn't surprising, she had gotten a pretty good scholarship to get her master's out there.

"Good for her," Karma said. Kayano crossed her name off of the list. It was a shame, she would have been a great asset to the team. God knows she'd figure out crazy ways to keep guards distracted. "What about Okajima-san?" Kayano looked up with a disgusted look on her face.

"The Celebrity Public Enemy #1?" Kayano questioned. Karma shrugged, he wasn't ideal personality-wise…

"He knows his way around cameras, we might need that," Karma reasoned. Kayano scowled and reluctantly jotted his name down.

"I can reach out to him and Megu-san," Isogai suggested, "No offense Karma, but I don't think she'd react too well to you." Karma shrugged. For some reason he had that effect.

"I can talk to Okano-san and Rio," Maehara offered "Oh! What about Fuwa-san? She'd jump at a chance to do something like this."

"You can give her a call, worst she'd say is no," Isogai reasoned. "Karma, what kind of timeline were you thinking for this?" The group looked expectantly at him. Karma paused. He didn't have an immediate answer for Isogai (he hadn't thought that far). On one hand, if they waited too long, it would become harder to retrieve Nagisa from the Ministry. Nagisa was due for an indictment trial soon, after that, it was very likely that he would get moved to a higher security cell not long after. Karma shivered at the thought, at that point, it would be almost impossible to get to him. Although, if they moved before they were truly ready, they were much more likely to make mistakes.

He grimaced. He couldn't stand the thought of Nagisa stuck in a cell. Especially if he was innocent. He tapped his fingers against the table.

"Two weeks," he declared. There was a smattering of disbelief around the table.

"Two weeks?!" Isogai cried, "That's a little quick, don't you think, Karma? Do I have to remind you that we are untrained amateurs that are planning to break into the Ministry of Defense's highest security cells? A month, maybe we could do. If and only if we can get others to agree to help us."

"Between Terasaka and myself, we should be able to figure something out that will put us at minimal risk." Isogai rubbed his temples, trying to comprehend the enormity of what they had gotten themselves into.

"I can't believe you got us to agree to this," he muttered, "If we get caught…."

"We won't get caught," Kayano assured, "We'll take every precaution we can." Isogai wasn't convinced.

"We can't guarantee that," he said, "If we get caught, we're going to lose everything, you realize that, Kaede?" She scowled.

"Do you think I don't know that!?" She cried, standing up, "I'm doing this because I would hate myself every day for the rest of my life if I didn't!" Isogai's eyes softened. He understood.

They were thrown out of their argument as the door slammed open. "What the hell am I doing here?" Terasaka growled. He regarded the crowd in front of him. "Are we finally doing a fucking intervention for Karma's eight year gay crisis?" Karma brightly greeted him.

"We're breaking Nagisa out," he said bluntly. Isogai and Maehara winced. When it was put that way…

"What the hell are you going on about?" Terasaka gave the other three a sidelong glance. "God damn it, Karma, I told you I didn't want any part of this. Now you've dragged these three into it?! Do you even understand what you're trying to do?!" Karma gave him a level gaze. He passed the tablet to Terasaka. "What the hell is this?"

"Just read it," he said.

"I'm not going to fucking read it until you tell me what it is, fucktard."

"Nagisa was framed."

"Yeah, sure," he said, rolling his eyes, "And you don't have a gay crush on him." Karma gritted his teeth, why did Terasaka always have to go straight for touchy subjects? "You're not exactly the most objective source of information."

"Just look at the goddamn arrest report," he said, pushing the tablet on him. Begrudgingly, Terasaka began looking through the documents (though not without one last glare at Karma). His eyes widened and shot up to Karma. Karma couldn't help but feel a little smug.

"This makes no sense."

"That's what I said. What do you think about the interrogation team?"

"I don't know shit about how the interrogation department works, dude. It's not enough evidence for what you want to do. Let the courts figure this shit out."

"If he's being framed, then these documents may not even come into play," Kayano pointed out, "Terasaka-kun, do you really think Nagisa would be the type of guy to do something like this?"

"I don't know, Kayano," he said dryly, "I didn't know him back then and I sure as fuck don't know him now. Why the hell are you guys so determined to save him anyway? Didn't he ditch you guys without saying good-bye?"

"He's was our friend," Kayano said, "I'm sure he still considers us friends." She stood up. "Even if you weren't friends, hell, even if you didn't like him, we're still going to do this. It's up to you if you want to see us succeed." Terasaka tched, giving them all incredulous stares. His eyes caught Kayano's notepad. He snatched it from her.

"You assholes are dragging other people into this too!?"

"Yes, we're contacting other people soon," Isogai said. Terasaka slammed his fist into the table.

"Why am I the only one thinking things through?!" He yelled. He threw the papers off of the table. "You assholes are smarter than this!" He stared them all down. Isogai sighed.

"You are right, Terasaka-kun. This is probably the stupidest, most impulsive decision we've ever made. But are you going to let us make this decision alone?" He gave Terasaka a level stare. The man gritted his teeth, thinking over Isogai's words.

"You guys are fucking dumbasses." He sat down on a chair at the table, his arms crossed, "And what are you assholes going to do when it turns out Nagisa is guilty?"

"We'll figure it out if it comes to that," Kayano dismissed, "Do you really think that he'd hurt us if we rescued him?

"He might hurt other people!" Terasaka shouted.

"Then I'll deal with him," Karma said, "If it comes to that, then I'll stop him."

"Yeah, to suck his dick?"

"Look, Terasaka," Isogai interjected, "You can't deny that the evidence is suspicious. If he was framed the way that we suspect, then that means someone on the inside is trying to take him down. If that's the case, then any criminal proceedings from here on out are going to be fixed."

"We're the only ones who know who Nagisa really is," Kayano added, before Terasaka could protest. "We're the only ones who can do anything about it. I couldn't stand and watch him go to jail for the rest of his life for something he's innocent for." Terasaka regarded them silently and with judging eyes. Karma's phone buzzed. He was beginning to hate that sound.

"You assholes are committed aren't you," he observed. Oppressing silence filled the room as he thought over their words. After a few long moments he gritted his teeth and slammed his palms against the table. "Fine, I'll fucking do it, just to keep you assholes out of trouble." Karma grinned brightly. He knew Terasaka would come through. Just as he was about to take a seat at their table, they heard a horrified squeak from Kayano.

"Guys," Kayano said softly, her eyes were wide. Karma furrowed his brow as she placed her phone on the table for everyone to see. It was a push alert.

Minister for Finance found dead in his summer home.

Karma nearly choked. Her phone buzzed again as another news alert came in.

Japan officially under heightened security warning.

Search underway for other cabinet members.

Dead silence filled the room. A shiver made its way down Karma's back.

"Fuck."


"So what do you think of all this?" Maehara asked, long after Karma, Terasaka, and Kayano had left.

"I'm not happy about it," Isogai said truthfully. He swept the floor of the café, picking up fallen wrappers and the occasional bits of food. Maehara wiped down the tables with an old rag.

"We can still back out," Maehara suggested, "I'm not too happy about it either. Everything Karma is suggesting is insane. And what is going to happen if we get in and it turns out Nagisa was guilty? Is he going to kill us too? Do we let him free? What if we get caught? We'll lose all of this." He gestured towards the restaurant.

Isogai leaned against the handle of the broom. His hand rested against one of their tables. It was garishly decorated with bright pink and red octopi tablecloth that Kayano had designed herself. It was a little crooked, a little worn, but it was theirs. All of this was theirs. The paintings, the floorboards, even that stupid light in the corner that kept flickering. They had worked damn hard to make this stupid idea of theirs successful.

"I don't want to lose this," he said softly.

"We don't have to, Yuuma, we do still have options," Maehara reminded. He stood up, no longer hunched over one of their tables.

"But, I feel guilty leaving Nagisa where he is."

"You shouldn't! We don't know what he's been doing for the last eight years, but I can guarantee that it's probably not been good. Does he even feel anything anymore? We don't know, Yuuma. For all we know, he is guilty and this is just a suicide mission!"

"I think he's innocent," Isogai admitted. Maehara gave his husband an odd look.

"Just four hours ago you said you thought he was guilty."

"I did, I kind of do, I don't know, Hiroto." He stopped sweeping, taking a moment to gather his thoughts. "It's not that I don't believe that he could kill the MEXT Minister, but it's that I don't believe he could kill the other ministers." Isogai looked up at the ceiling. "I-I know it's stupid, and I know that I don't know him after all these years, but…there's a part of me that just doesn't believe he'd try and take down so many high level officials." Maehara frowned, thinking over Isogai's words.

"So what do you want to do about it? Do you really want to go through with this? Even knowing all the risks?" Isogai leaned against the wall, his broom forgotten in the corner. Maehara crossed the room. He took Isogai's hand in his own.

"You're still doubtful," Isogai observed.

"I liked the dude, but he moved on, and so should we." Maehara caressed Isogai's hand.

"You want to back out?"

"Tell me what you want to do first," Maehara insisted. Isogai looked him in the eyes, his resolve firm.

"I want to save Nagisa." Maehara gave him a short kiss.

"Then let's save Nagisa. When I married you, I vowed to support you no matter what stupid decisions you wanted to make. You supported me throughout the opening and running of this café. It's about damn time I got the chance to return the favor." Isogai smiled and reciprocated the kiss. "Alright Yuuma, I'll contact Okano-san and Fuwa-san tomorrow."

"I'll sent a message to Megu-san, if she agrees, I can get her to get Nakamura-san." They unlaced their fingers to finish closing up the café for the night.

Neither noticed the flickering light in the corner go dark.


Isogai knocked on a familiar door to a familiar apartment complex. It had been a while since he last visited Megu, a little over a year now. The walk felt familiar and oddly comforting. Although, the unfamiliar man at the door was strange.

"Good afternoon," he greeted politely, "Is Megu-san home?" The black-haired man shuffled a bit, glancing behind him into the apartment.

"Megu?" he called.

"Coming!" a familiar voice replied. Moments later, she was at the door, struggling to put her last shoe on. She gave Isogai a big smile. "Nice to see you again, Yuuma-kun." She turned towards the man. "Yuki-san, this is Isogai Yuuma. Isogai-kun, this is Yuki." Isogai bowed and Yuki reflected him.

"Nice to meet you," he said.

"Same to you. How do you two know each other?" he asked.

"We're friends," Isogai explained, "We went to the same university, although we've known each other since junior high." Megu nodded. She gave him a kiss before stepping outside of the apartment, her bag over her shoulder.

"See you tonight!" He nodded and closed the door.

"Your new boyfriend?" Isogai asked.

"I wouldn't call him new, we've been dating for over half a year now."

"He seems nice."

"He's very nice," Megu said, "He's great overall, but he does lack a lot of self-confidence. He's a little paranoid about me running off with some other guy." Isogai frowned, he didn't like that.

"Isn't that a bit concerning? Does he really think you're not that loyal?"

"No, I don't think it's that," Megu explained, "He's had trouble in previous relationships. It's something he'll slowly heal from." Isogai nodded.

"Well, if you're sure," he said, "So how's work been?"

"It's been stressful. I'm coaching the swim team after school now, so my free time is slowly draining away."

"How are your students this year?"

"They're great, just like they were last year. I don't think I have a bad one in the bunch." Isogai chuckled.

"Unlike, who was it, Daisuke-kun two years ago?" Megu's face darkened.

"That boy," she muttered under her breath, "Thank God he's no longer my problem. He'll do fine though, I gave his new sensei plenty of tips and tricks for dealing with him. After spending my time in high school dealing with Terasaka and Karma, I've had plenty of experience working with trouble makers." Isogai smiled softly at the memories. They certainly were a handful.

No. Are. They are still handfuls. Karma and Terasaka were probably working on their plan now.

"So how's the café?" Megu asked, jolting Isogai out of his thoughts.

"It's doing very well," he said, "We're expected to turn a profit for the first time since it opened!" Megu brightened.

"I'm so glad! How long has the café been open now?"

"Almost three years. We've been operating at a loss since we opened. But now our marketing efforts are paying off, and we've got a loyal customer base. We're very excited."

"You should be! That's big news." She gave him a genuine smile. "What're you gonna do with that extra money?"

"We're going to do some reinvesting, get better uniforms, utensils, décor, the works." Isogai gazed wistfully into the distance. "We're hoping that after a few years, we can take a proper vacation. Hiroto and I haven't had one in years. We never had a proper honeymoon, you know."

"That'll be good for you two," Megu said honestly, "You two have been working to the bone for years now. From what it sounded like, you guys were lucky to get two days off for your wedding." It was true, they would spend their days working on the business and evenings planning for the wedding, it had been a nightmare.

"Yeah, it was tough," he said. He gave Megu a serious look. "Did you see the news?" She gave him a long stare.

"Yes," she said eventually, "I did."

"I can't believe it," Isogai said, "I never thought he'd step foot in Japan again, let alone to get caught."

"I don't believe it," Megu said. Isogai blinked, that response was unexpected. "It's suspicious to me." She stopped, leaning against a wall.

"Why do you think it's suspicious?"

"Nagisa was never that type of guy. He may've been quiet and had no self-respect, but he was kind, hard-working, and careful. I find it unlikely that he would've killed knowingly killed the MEXT Minister. It feels set-up." Incredible, she was able to discern the strangeness of Nagisa's arrest without even knowing the evidence!

"People change, Megu, do you really think Nagisa can't have changed since leaving?"

"No, I don't think so. Not that much." She was really an optimist. That was unexpected of her.

"Karma came by the café a couple days ago," he said, "He saw him."

"Karma?" Megu repeated, "Oh, that can't have been good." Isogai agreed with her sentiments. He could remember finding Karma after Nagisa's departure, entirely by accident.

Isogai hadn't intended to stumble upon what was obviously a very private scene, but he couldn't bring himself to leave. Akabane Karma, the class delinquent and trouble-maker, was in tears, screaming, and punching a fence. Isogai hesitantly approached.

"Karma?" he said softly. Karma's head shot up and Isogai could see the sorrow, anger, and desperation in his eyes. For a brief moment, Isogai though that Karma was going to turn his anger towards him. Karma took a shaking breath. He hesitantly approached, placing his hand on Karma's shoulder.

"Are you al-"

"He's gone," Karma cut off, "Nagisa's gone." Isogai felt his heart drop. What did that mean? Karma pulled out his phone. "He's deleted himself off of everything. His weibo, twitter, it's all gone. He's gone."

"I'm not sure I understand," Isogai said honestly. He deleted his social media accounts?

"He's left Japan. With Lovro, his mom told me." Isogai couldn't hold back his surprised gasp.

"Then that means…!"

"He's gone off to be an assassin," Karma spat. He kicked at the ground. "He left without telling anybody." Karma quieted. "He left without telling me." A new wave of tears fell down Karma's face. Isogai pulled him into a hug. He wasn't sure how Karma would react, right now he was furious and he might kick Isogai for even attempting to touch him. Karma just stood, not reacting. When Isogai let go, Karma fell to his knees, his knuckles white.

"I loved him," he said quietly. Isogai's eyes widened. "I was going to tell him today." He kneeled down next to him, placing his hand on Karma's back. "I-I've thought about it so many times, but I always chickened out. I told myself I couldn't wait any longer, that it had to happen before we separated for college." Where the hell was this coming from?! Unexpected didn't even begin to describe it... "But apparently it was too late." Karma threw his head back and laughed bitterly. "It was too late…"

"Karma…"

"It wasn't," Isogai said, "He had seen Nagisa being taken into interrogation."

"Lord," she swore, "And…?"

"He was thinking the same things that you are," Isogai said. He pulled out the envelope that held a photocopy of the evidence that Karma had given him. Megu took it, pulling out the documents.

"What is this?"

"It's a listing of some of the evidence that Karma pulled out that indicates foul play. He thinks that Nagisa may have been framed."

"Framed?"

"He's pulled Hiroto and I into this, but I've grown more convinced of it as more information is released about missing Ministers. I disagree with the point that he wouldn't kill a minister. However, I also don't believe he would try and kill multiple ministers. He would never try and take down the government."

"So, what're you guys going to do about it?"

"We're the only ones who know the truth, about who he is and what he does." He looked her in the eyes, serious and determined. "We're going to try and save him." Megu's eyes widened. "If you're interested, come to the café on Friday at nine. Look over the evidence, I won't think any less of you if you decide against it. Destroy it when you're done." She gripped the envelope tighter. "This discussion never happened."

"Understood." Isogai paused momentarily.

"And, if you wanted to spread this information to people who may also be interested in helping. We would not be opposed to that as well."

"Understood."


Nagisa blinked as light flooded into his cell. Three silhouetted figures stood at his door, their weapons evident even in the darkness of their shadows. My firing squad, he joked to himself.

He had been left in isolation for the last few days, the only "human" interaction he had being the sound of footsteps and the creaking of the metal slot as his guards inserted food and took away the empty trays. He'd been trained for this, but the silence and isolation was beginning to take its toll. He had begun hearing things. Broken conversations…whispers… He wasn't sure if they were real or not anymore.

"Get up," the man ordered. Nagisa stood up. His knees were weak and his vision blurred. "You're coming with me. If you make a move, I will not hesitate to tase you. Do you understand?" Nagisa swayed on the spot, trying to find his legs again. "Do you understand?!"

"I understand," he said. Nagisa didn't resist as one of the guards placed handcuffs on him. His hazy thoughts began to clear with each step. His shaky legs regained their strength with every meter walked. Four armed guards, one pistol, a taser, and baton. Frequent direction changes. Probably interrogation. Adrenaline cleared the remaining fog from his head, although it was not enough to remove the fatigue from his tired and weak limbs.

He was more than a little frustrated at himself for not paying attention to his relocation after his arrest. He knew he was someplace within the Ministry of Defense, but he had no idea where in the Ministry he was. He wasn't sure where they were. It was someplace in the Ministry of Defense, but he had no idea how far up he was or where the nearest emergency exit was located.

Although, given what he was going to be accused of, adding an escape from prison charge was probably not going to hurt him too much. He just had to find an opening.

"Halt, prisoner." Nagisa stopped, as he was ordered. There was a gap between the two flanking him in the back. If he jumped back, his hand could grab ahold of the left one's gun. If he worked fast enough, he could disable the guards and make a run for the stairway. He heard approaching footsteps. The clack of expensive shoes. He looked up to see a shockingly familiar face. Nagisa's breath caught in his throat.

Karasuma-sensei… Nagisa could feel the disappointment exuding from his eyes. I taught you better than this.

He could try and escape… Nagisa had a better idea.

He jumped back, grabbing the gun from the officer behind him. He swept the man's leg, forcing him to the ground. Before the other officers could react, he snapped the safety off and shot three times. Once around the downed officer. Once at the officers closest to him. Finally, once at Karasuma. He heard a cry as one of his shots hit a nearby officer. He winced. He hadn't actually intended to hit him, but he supposed that's what happens when you can't actually see what you're shooting at (and when you're handcuffed).

Air escaped Nagisa's lungs as Karasuma's solid boot collided with Nagisa's abdomen. The gun clattered to the ground as Nagisa's weak legs protested and he fell flat to the ground. That was pathetic. Through the haze of pain, he saw Karasuma's judging eyes. He spat out a glob of blood and spit.

"I'm sorry," Nagisa said between his choked breating, "I just wanted my arrest to actually mean something." Karasuma's eyes widened. I'm innocent. Nagisa's body seized as 55,000 volts went through his body. The skin around his wrists was burning. He let out an involuntary scream.

"We need back-up!" he heard an officer yell. "Officer down! Officer down!" Karasuma stepped back, as dignified as ever. Nagisa didn't resist as the officers hoisted him up and dragged him roughly. The officer's gun was against the back of his head. Nagisa gave Karasuma one last piercing stare before he was led away. Karasuma huffed and walked in the opposite direction, his protection detail following closely behind him. Nagisa took a deep breath.

He would make it out of here. The Blue Viper wasn't going to be downed just yet.