Finally, after fighting one final assassin, they'd made it to their destination – the top floor of the resort. Nagisa was exhausted from their previous encounters, but now they were so close, the desire to protect his friends won out. The room was just a pretty nice looking suite, save for the multi-monitor set up on the desk, and what looked like a bomb beside the chair. Karasuma signalled them, and they approached silently, as they'd practised before.

They made it very close to the man in the chair, before he let out a deep breath. "Itchy. The very memory makes me itch. But maybe that's why my senses have grown so much keener: because my wounds are always exposed to the air." He tossed a variety of detonator remotes up into the air, causing them to fall around the room. "I told you, I'd come prepared to kill a Mach 20 monster. I have spare detonator remotes in case one is snatched away at high speed. Enough to press any one of them if I happen to collapse."

Nagisa had definitely heard that voice before, but this time it was much more sinister.

"Of the people I couldn't reach, there were three assassins and one other." Karasuma said, fully recovered and holding a gun. "An insider who vanished with Ministry of Defence secret service funds and the assassination budget. What do you think you're doing, Takaoka?"

Takaoka, the man Nagisa had faced before, stood up. "What naughty children. Coming in the back door to see your dear teacher? That's not how your good old dad raised you. Ah, well, I'll have to give you some summertime tutoring." He kept scratching at his cheeks, where there were already exposed wounds and scars. "Shall we go to the roof?" He picked up the bomb. "I've got everything ready to welcome my beloved students. You'll follow me up there, right? After all, your class is only alive thanks to my benevolence."

They didn't really have much of a choice but to follow him. Though highly on guard, the class trailed behind their old 'teacher', until they met the warm summer air. There didn't seem to be anything suspicious going on, so they could probably rule out any kind of ambush. It just looked like a regular roof, albeit with a helipad in the centre.

"Hiring assassins, threatening students with a virus – such atrocities… Have you gone mad?" Karasuma said, glaring at Takaoka.

"Now, now, I am exceedingly sane! This plan will save the world!" He responded, not sounding sane. "If only you'd sent those two small ones along to bring me the one with the bounty, my assassination plan would've gone off without a hitch. See, my plan would have used the… what's her name? Kayano? The girl. The bathtub in my room here is filled with anti-Sensei BB's. I'd have her go in there holding the target. Then I'd bury them alive in cement. For him to return to his usual form without touching those BB's, he would have to blow everything up, including his student. But he cares too much for his students to do anything heartless! So I figure he'd just do me a favour and melt away! It gave me a fright when I learned you all came here together, but it doesn't much change what I have to do. My mood will determine how many of you leave here alive."

He was talking far more like a sadistic monster than a real human.

"Do you think you can get away with this?" Korosensei asked.

He laughed. "It's the more humane route… compared to the inhumane way you've treated me! Their humiliating glances and the knife you tricked me with… Whenever they cross my mind, my face gets so itchy I can't even sleep at night! I'll pay back my bad evaluations with results. I'll take the humiliation I suffered and give it back in spades! You in particular, Shiota Nagisa. I will never forgive you for spoiling my future."

Nagisa felt very exposed all of a sudden, as all eyes turned towards him. Did that mean that this whole thing was his fault? If they failed, the lives of his friends would be blood on his hands. He would be responsible. Nagisa couldn't let that happen.

Chiba cut his thoughts off. "So in asking for the shortest students, he was going after Nagisa."

"A completely unjustified grudge!" Yoshida agreed.

"Huh," Karma stepped forwards, "you wanted Nagisa kun here so you could settle the score? Would that make you happy, beating him? Given the size difference? I could show you a much better time." There was the same kind of taunt in his tone, but something in it made Nagisa wonder if it was Karma's efforts to protect him.

"You're nuts." Terasaska bit out. "You only lost to Nagisa by your own damn rules! Listen, whether you'd won or lost back then, we'd still hate your guts!"

It had at least agitated Takaoka. "I don't remember asking for you blockheads' opinions! Don't forget I can get rid of half of you with just one finger!" He'd begun to scream. "You. Shrimp. Come upstairs alone. To the heliport."

"Nagisa! You can't!" Kayano called out.

Their blood would be on his hands. Nagisa handed Korosensei over. "I don't want to… but I will"

"You can't," Karma said, panic evident in his tone as he grabbed Nagisa's wrist in a vice. "It's too dangerous for you."

He was doing it again, the control he'd placed on Nagisa a few months ago, in order to prevent him from helping with Terasaka's assassination plan. Nagisa could feel it in the air, the toxicity of the pheromones attempting to wrap around his senses, compelling him to remain still and paralysed. It was so unnatural for Nagisa to close his eyes, but he forced himself, remembering everything he'd learnt.


"I can't believe I agreed to this," Asano complained, sitting opposite Nagisa, cross legged on the bed.

"Please," Nagisa asked softly. "I really need to practise, and I don't know many other alphas."

The alpha rolled his eyes, but then focused on maintaining eye contact. It was much slower than it had been the first time Nagisa had experienced the sensation. Before, it had been as if Karma was yanking the ground out from under him, more powerful, like the snap of a whip. With the way Asano's pheromones filled the air, it was more like a slow lull.

"Nagisa kun," he said steadily, "nod your head for me."

It wasn't the same as when Karma had commanded him, but that didn't stop the static buzz at the back of his head. It accepted Asano's words, making him sway forwards. He wanted to do as the alpha pleased, wanted to fulfil the command. Nagisa nodded.

Almost instantly, it was ripped away, making Nagisa feel cold. "You're not even trying."

"I'm sorry," it felt weirdly exposing.

There was a fire set in Asano's usually cold eyes. "Alright, Nagisa kun. We'll do it again."

"Okay."


Yeah, that was right. Nagisa didn't need to listen to Karma. He wasn't his alpha, and even if he was, even Nagisa's omega nature didn't mean he had to do what he said. This mission was more important than Karma's will, more important than the potential danger. He broke out of Karma's grip, and any mental hold Karma had over him fractured, causing his eyes to go wide.

"He's so agitated, who knows what he'll do," Nagisa stepped towards the helipad. "I'll hear him out, talk him down, and get him to hand over the remedy in one piece."

With no other protests, he climbed the stairs, getting up onto the pad where Takaoka clearly wanted him. He was waiting there, staring at Nagisa like his next meal. Nagisa couldn't help but feel a little sick, once he noticed the knife laid out for him. It really did seem like Takaoka wanted a rematch.

"Oh – don't take this the wrong way," Takaoka announced to the rest of their group. "I don't want you interrupting my precious time with Shiota Nagisa." In one swift movement, he pressed one of the detonator remotes, blowing up all possible exits to the helipad. Nagisa was trapped there. "Now no one else can come up here. Do you understand what I'm trying to do? This is revenge for our earlier fight."

"Wait, please, Takaoka Sensei," Nagisa tried desperately, "I didn't come here to fight."

"I'm sure. Those dirty tricks won't work anymore. I can see myself doing you in, quickly, just like that. But it'll be over too soon to make me feel any better. So before we fight, there's something I need you to do. Apologise. On your hands and knees. Atone wholeheartedly for having pulled a dirty sneak attack because you lack any real skill."

He had to, for his friends. Nagisa lowered himself so he was kneeling. "I-"

"You call that on your hands and knees, you rotten brat?! Head on the ground!"

Nagisa's eyes fell on the bomb containing the remedy. He could get this out. Shaking slight, Nagisa put his head to the ground. "I have no real skill, so I pulled a dirty sneak attack. I'm sorry."

He flinched when Takoaka dug his boot onto his head. "Oh, and after that you talked back to me, told me to get out. Is that any way for a brat like you to talk to an adult? Is that any way for a student to talk to his teacher?!"

"I'm just a brat and a student, and it was wrong for me to talk back to an adult, a teacher. I'm very sorry."

"Now you're speaking from the heart. Your dear old dad is so pleased!" He let Nagisa up, though he remained on his knees. "As a reward, I'll let you in on a little something. I asked Smog what happens to the people who die from that virus. He showed me some pictures. What a laugh! Their bodies, covered in boils! Faces like bunches of grapes! Wouldn't you like to see that, Nagisa kun?"

Before Nagisa even had time to react, Takoaka picked up the bomb and threw it far away, pressing the detonator once again. It, and the cure within, exploded. Just like that. In the matter of a second, all of this had been for nothing. He'd just signed everyone's death sentences. It must have shown on Nagisa's face, because Takoaka begun to laugh like a madman.

"Yes! That's the face I wanted to see! You ought to put it in your summer diary – your friends' faces, bubbling up like so many grapes!"

Nagisa's hands folded around himself. Unlike when he usually placed his hands on his stomach, as he'd found himself doing a lot recently, it didn't calm him down. Nowhere within him was the urge to cry. No, all Nagisa felt was sickening rage. It was if Nagisa couldn't even see. He could have been in a pitch black room, for all that it mattered. There was nothing, just Takoaka. Just his target, and him.

It was said that violence was against an omega's nature. Even Lovro, a true professional and expert in killing, had told him so. By all means, Nagisa should be shying away, crying and begging. There was nothing, nothing but cold. His eyes were fixed to the ground, and then they raked up to the knife. The blade looked sharp, lethal with its cool metal. Nagisa reached out for it, feeling its weight and the steel on his fingertips.

"I'll… kill you…"

He would use the blade to kill his target. Nagisa pictured it, driving it into the man's chest. Or maybe he wouldn't go for the quick kill. If he could get the right angle, perhaps a slash to the throat. It wouldn't even be that hard. Nagisa wanted it, wanted Takoaka's blood to paint the plains of his skin crimson.

"That's right… that's the way."

The voice caused Nagisa's eyes to snap up to meet Takoaka's. Maybe he'd carve those demon eyes out and keep them as a reminder. There was nothing left now there was no hope. The only thing Nagisa could do was make him pay for the lives of his friends. He owed it to them, to himself. He was going to kill Takaoka, and he was going to make it hurt.

"I'll kill you… for what you did to them," he pulled himself to his feet.

"That's the spirit!" Takoaka goaded. "Come and kill me, Nagisa kun!"

Oh, he would kill him. He'd kill him so bad that before he was done, Takaoka would be begging for his own death. Before Nagisa could advance, something hit him in the back, hard. He turned naturally, realising the object was Terasaka's stun gun.

"Don't be getting cocky Nagisa!" He called out. "Quit worrying about other people, you damn wimp. This virus will go away by itself with a good night's sleep! Murder is murder, even with a piece of trash like that! You gonna give into the crazy, and throw your chance at ten billion out of the window?"

"Terasaka's right, Nagisa kun," Korosensei also called. "Killing him isn't worth it, and being in a blind rage will only work against you. Besides, he doesn't know anything about the remedy. We'll ask the poisoner downstairs. Just knock this one out; that's enough."

Takaoka stopped laughing, and scream shouted. "Hey, now, quit being a wet blanket! Unless he comes at me with a real intent to kill, what's the point? I'll use this squirt's bloodlust for revenge in a most humiliating way, and finally my own shame will disappear."

"Nagisa kun," Korosensei's voice was level, as if he was teaching him math, "take Terasaka's stun gun. His life and my life. His words and Terasaka kun's words. Think carefully, now. Which are worthy?"

Nagisa… suddenly didn't know what to do, what he wanted. The blood was still appealing, but he bent down, fastening the stun gun in his belt.

"Ooh, don't you look cool?" Takaoka went back to laughing. "I see you're determined to use the knife. That's a relief. Oh, and just so you know, I do have spare vials of that remedy. If you don't come at me like you mean it, or if your friends get in the way, you can kiss these babies goodbye. Hear that, Karasuma? Stay out of this. This stuff takes a good month to make. There's not enough for everyone, but it is your last hope."

As best he could, Nagisa got into the correct stance, brandishing the knife. When he approached, though, it wasn't with as much vigour and confidence as he'd felt just moments ago. No, now he was shaken up by the advice of Terasaka and Korosensei, Nagisa easily missed his blow. It gave Takaoka the opportunity to kick him hard on the chest, knocking him back.

"What's wrong? Aren't you going to kill me?"

Nagisa would, he had to. He owed it to avenge his friends, to himself… He attempted to attack again, but Takaoka easily grabbed him by the wrist, knocking him back. Every attempt to fight was almost instantly thwarted, yet every hit from Takaoka landed. Nagisa was left coughing and panting, thrown off and already worn down to the bone.

"Hmm," he said, making for a kick to Nagisa's stomach (which he managed to block). "You're awfully protective of right there." He held him sickeningly close, making a show of scenting his neck. Nagisa was never forgetting scent blockers again. "How precious. Almost enough to make me feel bad." He kicked him the chest once more, causing Nagisa to fall to his knees. "Hey, don't be tiring out on me! We're only just getting started! Looks like it's time for me to use this, too," he pulled out a knife. "I'll cut off your hands and feet, have them stuffed and mounted. I'll keep them with me and cherish them forever. Nothing better than the prize of a poor, tragic omega to keep with me."

Shuddering, Nagisa's mind finally cleared up. He wasn't in the right state for a kill, not anymore, and now Takaoka had mentioned it, attacking more in this way would only put himself and his baby in more danger. Nagisa had been trained to be an assassin, not a murderer. Besides, he thought, he didn't particularly want to give birth in prison. It was almost funny, the day he'd defeated Takaoka the first time had been the day he'd been taken to the hospital. He could defeat him again, the same way.

Remembering the technique Lovro had taught him before the trip, Nagisa went through his mental checklist. Takaoka was definitely a professional who knew the fear of death, and, as he stood up again, Nagisa could feel he had the stun gun attached to him, his second blade. Good, that was all three of the conditions. Takaoka was about to become Nagisa's guinea pig.

"Wh-what are you doing?" Takaoka noticed the shift in his demeanour.

Finally focusing, Nagisa approached as casually as he had before, like he was walking down the street on a perfectly normal day. Takaoka froze, and made no attempt to defend himself as his eyes clearly slid to the knife Nagisa was holding. As soon as he was close enough, Nagisa let it fall to the ground, lunging forwards as he clapped as loud as he could. Just as Lovro had promised, it stunned the man, causing him to stumble back. Before he could come back to his senses, Nagisa swiftly pulled the gun, activating it.

As Takaoka was electrocuted, and fell to his knees, Nagisa realised he'd won. There was no immediate rush of victory, though. No, he still had something to say. After all, this man had taught him what true blood lust felt like. If anything, Nagisa should thank him. He tilted the man's face up with the gun, forcing him to look him in the eyes.

"No. Just, please, don't end this with that face! That face will haunt my nightmares until my dying day!"

Nagisa ignored him. "Takaoka sensei, thank you," he smiled genuinely, before electrocuting him a final time, and Takaoka fainted.

He was vaguely aware of cheering in the background, but Nagisa only really came back around when he felt himself being pulled into a firm hug. He didn't return it, blinking to look up at Karma's face. Oh, he wasn't sure if Karma had ever hugged him before.

"Nice," Karma cleared his throat, trying to pass the gesture off.

"Are you okay, Nagisa?" Isogai rushed over to ask.

He felt a little faint. "Yeah…"

"Well done, Nagisa kun." Korosensei said from Kayano's arms. "For the first time, I wasn't sure how things would turn out. I'm relieved."

"Yeah, and I'm fine," Nagisa said, though dizziness was settling in suddenly, "but now what? The remedy we took off Takaoka sensei won't be enough."

Karasuma pulled out his phone, dialling something. "Let's get out of here, at least. I've called a helicopter. You wait here. I'll bring up the poisoner."

"Ha, you don't need a remedy," the group's attention suddenly went to the other side of the room, where the three assassins they'd defeated were standing, poised for a fight. "You brats thought you could get out of here alive, huh?"

"We've defeated the man who hired you," Karasuma said calmly. "you're out of reasons to fight. I've mostly recovered, and these students are pretty strong. How about we stop now before anyone else gets hurt?"

"Yeah, okay," the third one said.

"You just don't know when to give up-" Yoshida started. "Huh, 'okay'?"

"Our contracts don't cover avenging the boss," he shrugged. "Besides, it's like I said, you don't need a remedy."

"This here is what I gave you," the poisoner demonstrated. "An improvement on the food poisoning bug. It'll keep going strong for another thirty hours or so, but then it'll lose its oomph, and with it, its poison. Now this is what our boss told us to use. If we'd used this, you'd really be in dire straits."

"Right before using that virus, we three talked it over, hm," the second assassin said. "Our boss only gave you one hour, hm. We figured we could do the handover without resorting to a deadly virus, hm."

"It was enough to make you feel like your lives were in danger, anyway," the poisoner continued.

Okano stepped forwards. "So you went against orders? Can you do that when he's paying you?"

"What are you, stupid?" The third assassin sounded offended. "If you think pros will do anything for money, you have another thing coming. Of course, we'll do our best to abide by our client's wishes, but he never had any intention of giving you the remedy. Either we become killers of a bunch of respectable Junior High kids, or we take a hit to our professional standing. We just calmly weighed which option had more risk from here on out."

"And that's why, sorry to say," the poisoner cut in, "none of you will be dying. Give the patients that supplement and put them to bed, they'll feel even better than before they were sick."

"I'll believe it once I see those students recovered," Karasuma said carefully, as a government helicopter arrived. "I'll have to detain you for a while for questioning."

"Ah, well, you've got a week to wind it up before the next job starts," the third assassin said casually, leading the rest of his group onto it.

With that, it was just their small group left on the rooftop, waiting for the transport back to the hotel. In each passing second, where the weight of everything that had happened set into Nagisa, the adrenaline faded. He was exhausted, so worn down that all he wanted to do was sleep. The more he tried to stand upright, the more he swayed, before everything went blurry, and then completely dark.

When Nagisa stirred, it was still pretty dark out. He was lying down, flat on his back, and looking at a nicely maintained ceiling. Once his brain caught up, Nagisa realised he must have been taken back to the hotel they were staying in. He wasn't in his own assigned room, but rather some sort of empty reception room, lying on an uncomfortable stretcher. He didn't feel particularly injured, just a little sore and groggy. Feeling confident he could, he sat up, taking in the room around him properly. There was nobody else there, save for the boy snoozing in the corner. How long had he been out?

"Karma?" Nagisa questioned, tentatively.

Immediately, his eyes flew open. Something seemed to cross Karma's face, but he resorted to a grin. "Good, you're awake."

"What-"

Karma came closer, waving him off. "You passed out before the helicopter came, but the paramedics checked you out and cleared you. Don't worry, I made sure they wouldn't spill anything."

That sounded… threatening. "Spill anything?"

He shrugged. "You're both just fine. Or alive, at least."

Oh. Nagisa had been so caught up in the adrenaline of it all that he hadn't considered whether the baby was okay, once he'd launched his attack on Takaoka, aside from that one glancing thought that had brought him back. That was comforting at least, to know Nagisa hadn't accidentally harmed it with his actions. Perhaps it would have been easier, though, if the 'big secret' had been spilled that way. If Karma said they wouldn't talk, though, they most definitely wouldn't. Thinking about it, had Karma stayed by his bedside all night? His eyes bore dark circles that suggested that was the case.

"Just in time," Karma looked at his phone. "They're going to start the assassination soon. Want to come to the beach and watch?"

Though he didn't doubt Karma wouldn't care too much about the rules, Nagisa was probably deemed healthy enough to carry on as he liked, if he'd been left without any medical supervision. He wouldn't miss the assassination for the world, after everything.

"Okay."

They didn't say much, on their walk down to the beach, though Karma stopped further back from where their friends were also waiting. In the centre of the sea, there was a large metallic structure. If Nagisa had to guess, the government had built it to contain him, filling it with some kind of anti-Sensei material. Perhaps it would work.

"That was some impressive assassination earlier," Karma finally said, following Nagisa's eyes to the sunrise.

Nagisa found himself stiffening for a moment, before his shoulders dropped down again. "Mm, it was nothing. Just something Lovro san taught me."

He sighed. "Do you think the government plan's going to work?"

It was odd, for Karma. Not the kind of question he'd phrase aloud to Nagisa, of all people. Knowing him, Karma had probably already come up with three loose ideas of what to do when Korosensei inevitably escaped from the holdings. Nagisa felt it though, he knew deep down it wasn't going to work. Everything felt far too clean and perfectly judged for that. There was no way Karma didn't sense that too, which lead Nagisa to believe there was something else on the tip of his tongue.

Deciding to indulge him, Nagisa shrugged. "I get the feeling Korosensei will find a way to escape."

Karma inhaled sharply. "Nagisa kun…"

"Yes, Karma kun?" He couldn't help but soften a little those rare moments where Karma lost all of his natural charisma. Nagisa turned away from the facility that was holding their teacher, facing him.

His fist clenched. "I'm… sorry." He paused for a second, as if he was waiting Nagisa to bail him out of the apology. "I know I can't understand what it's like to be an omega, but it can't make it any easier and… Look, I should beat you fair and square, not because you had no choice. It's no excuse, but I just feel this urge to protect, and," he swallowed, "I should trust you more. Your fight with Takaoka proved that… not that you should have had anything to prove in the first place, but… I'm sorry, Nagisa kun. I swear, I'll never command you like that again."

It was a lot to take in. Nagisa had buried much of the emotional impact away, focusing on never letting it happen again. He did believe Karma. It was rare to get a forced apology out of him, let alone an admission that he was actually wrong.

"Where's this coming from?" He found himself asking

"Huh?" Wow, he looked vulnerable. "Karasuma sensei spoke to me about it, after they finished checking you over, but," he clenched his teeth, "I should have known it was wrong on my own.

"It is a lot to forgive you for," Nagisa realised.

"Please Nagisa kun, accept my apology," he said once again, genuinely. There was no hint of darkness in his form.

Smiling softly, Nagisa offered his hand. "Okay. I forgive you." Or at the very least, he'd begin to. He didn't want to make it too easy, of course.

Karma accepted it, and Nagisa looked down at where their hands were joined, feeling a new sense of peace wash over him. There was no magical fix, but he felt strangely balanced again. They still had a lot of talking to do, of course. Not right then, though. There were more urgent things. Nagisa turned his head to the sunrise.

"It's a new day, after all," Nagisa looked out.

A few minutes later, and predictably, Korosensei was free, zooming around the beach at Mach 20 like his old self once again. Nagisa had almost missed the tentacles. There was no disappointment there anymore. They'd just have to assassinate him extra hard, next time.

Karma seemed to share the sentiment, taking the safety off his gun. "Want to take a shot, Nagisa kun?"

"Sure," Nagisa replied, and followed him further down the beach to join the fire of bullets.