OMG! TEN REVIEWS FOR A CHAPTER? YOU GUYS ARE AMAZING! THE BEST! I LOVE YOU SO MUCH! THANK YOU SOOOOO MUCH!
THIS STORY IS NEARING ITS END! THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING! I'M SO SORRY ABOUT THIS CHAPTER! THIS STORY HAS BEEN RAISED TO M!
Review answering section:
Anime Neko nya lover: sorry, sweetie, but it was bound to happen *shrugs* it's not the end yet though it is very near.
Emi: here is a handkerchief *hands you one* ^^
Kuroi Rin: yeah, the writing style was too similar but i didn't want to ignore just in case it wasn't the same person, tehe. the reason why it was cut short is because that in the email it was too long so only could be viewed fully in the site but since ff had problems with showing reviews i couldn't see it there, hence i didn't see the entire review until now.
sorry about making you cry, but i had to do it, it was coming and i couldn't stop it *shrugs* i will write one but it'll be only as a side story, not here. i think i prefer my ending the most so we'll see.
and it was to be expected. luckily i never lost someone so i didn't have to go through this, but on the other hand it means that i don't really know how to write it so i hope i did it justice ^^
people will die, don't worry. and even if you weren't scared, karma's reaction is in this chapter so no regrets, okay?
i am not quite sure you are looking forward to it *cackles* i torture them too much, sorry.
see ya!
Cloy552: sorry about that. i changed it so no one would make the same mistake *smirk*
Kyuremblanco7: okay, i am deeply sorry but i don't understand spanish but i think it says that i am cruel... right? if that is the case, then you're right, i AM evil *dark smirk* and it's not even the end yet.
catturner7007: sorry, sweetie, want a napkin? *hands you one while holding back a grin*
XAltaleX: *chuckle* it's fine, don't worry about that ^^
well, that's what i aimed for, AC was too light for my taste so i decided to... spice it up *smirk* thank you for telling me, i was worried that i may have typos or mistakes, you know ^^
updated now!
WonderLand-KuroNeko: no, don't cry. you need to be able to read the chapter! thank you and karma's reaction will be in this chapter so don't worry about this. and the ending... won't get worse than that, i promise ^^
ynius: *chuckles* sorry, but no can do. and please don't go away, i need readers! and it's not the end yet, just nearing it.
Liana: OMG! you're my tenth reviewer today! that the most reviews i got for one chapter!
now for the review: sorry about your mascara *grin* and i didn't think that being on your period would make it worse, sorry (though personally i never get this moody during mine) and please stay for the chapter, okay? ^^
thank you Griewer for helping me. go check out his story 'Assassination Classroom: notes of indifference'.
i do not own assassination classroom sadly *pout* i wish Nagisa was mine...
but the plot and OC are mine
Music to listen while reading: Akiko Shikata - ar tonelico 3 EXEC_FLIP_ARPHAGE
Last time on 'I am a snake. I am a human. I am an assassin':
"For now…" Kataoka started but couldn't continue as her walls broke and she held into Okano as she grieved their loss.
They were too late again.
They couldn't save them again.
And this time they didn't get a third chance.
Oh, what a cruel, cruel world.
Chapter 25 - Goodbye Nagisa
No one moved from the spot until late in the evening, then Isogai told them that they'll need to call the police to tell them about... their situation and have Nagisa's body buried properly.
"What about Koro-sensei…?" Kurahashi asked timidly, wiping her tears away, visibly looking away from the remains of their teacher and the body of the blunet.
"We'll call Karasuma-sensei," Kataoka said, pulling herself together and helping some of the students up onto their legs, "We need to wrap this all up. It's time to go home."
"No!" Sugino yelled, still holding Nagisa in his arms, trembling like a leaf, haunted eyes bloodshot, and face a mess from tears, snot, and blood. "I… I can't… I don't want to leave him yet."
"Sugino…" She started wearily but was silenced by Isogai's hand on her shoulder. She looked at the class' rep and he shook his head. She bit her lip, fists clenched, but she nodded and backed away from the brunet.
"I'll call Karasuma-sensei," Isogai took out his phone and asked from the AI to connect him with the raven haired man. After two rings it picked up and Karasuma's gruff tone answered.
"Karasuma-sensei, Koro-sensei is dead," Isogai said quickly, face drawn and pale, cheeks flushed and hair limp.
Silence.
"... What? Wait, just a moment, I'll be right there," Karasuma said, shock and disbelief heavy in his tone, "What about Nagisa-kun?"
Isogai shook his head. "Karasuma-sensei, both of them… there was a big light and when we got to the place, only Koro-sensei's clothes remained and Nagisa… he… it was too sudden…" Isogai pressed the heel of his hand to his eyes, tears leaking from behind it. Kataoka rubbed her hand on his back, sharing his grief and shock.
"I… understand…" Karasuma sighed and told them to wait until he gets there. Isogai gave affirmation and hung up, leaning into Kataoka's hand and giving her a tired smile.
"Kids." They turned to where Ilana and Irina approached them, the brunette carrying a folded stretcher; her hair half out of her hair-band and face caked with mud and blood; the blonde holding a big bag. They watched silently as Ilana stood before Sugino, who was still holding Nagisa's body, and Kayano, who was clutching Nagisa's shirt, the very picture of misery.
"What is it?" Sugino said warily, grip tightening on Nagisa. Ilana regarded him sadly before dropping the stretcher and bowing deeply to him, stiff from being unused to those kinds of gestures.
"I'm so sorry!" She exclaimed, fists clenched, "It's my entire fault!"
"Ilana, stop that!" Irina said and forced her to straighten up, "You didn't kill him!"
"But I was the one who gave the octopus the serum!" She shouted back. Alarmed exclaims caused the brunette to look up and at the students' mistrusting and shocked glares she gritted her teeth and gripped her shirt, eyes lowering back down.
"When... when we were going over the plan to take out those horrible things out of Nagisa I found a sedative to stop those tentacles from going rampant but then I went over the notes again… and I… I found a solution that could annihilate the anti-matter completely;
But the catch was that Koro-sensei will die and Nagisa… will most likely die as well."
Gasps were heard and the glares intensified, but she took it on, knowing that she deserved it. "I told Karasuma-san that it will be plan C, the last ditch if everything else fails. And then… it did and Koro-sensei asked me for the grenade filled with that serum and told me to get away…" She looked away with shame and guilt contorting her face, "I'm a terrible human being and I'm a murderer. You have every right to kill me, to resent me, to do whatever you want. My creation killed an innocent child so I deserve nothing better."
"Ilana…" Irina sighed and looked over to the students, who looked conflicted. Some were deadly furious, some were appalled, and the rest were simply too tired to even care anymore.
"It's not going to bring them back, so why should we care about hurting you?" Kayano said after a long silence, first words she said since they came here. "I tried to do the same thing after nee-san died, but then I realized that killing Koro-sensei won't bring her back. Killing you won't bring them back, even though I really want to."
"I see…" Ilana said. "I'm sorry…" She bowed her head and then turned away to the stretcher, unfolding it and setting it up. "When Karasuma-san gets here with the police I will already be gone so here is something to place Nagisa on since I know that the police won't know to bring one."
"Thank you…" Kataoka said and Ilana nodded, eyes hidden behind her messy hair and cracked glasses, shirt bloodied and arm neatly bandaged, a big red dot blooming on it. "We're not blaming you," The female class rep told the woman and wide shadowed eyes looked up, "You never intended to kill Nagisa. The one to blame is Koike Masato since he was the one to plant those… things in Nagisa…"
"Actually, it was Yanagisawa," Ilana blurted quickly. The class looked at her with glowing eyes, bloodlust and rage burning in them.
"That bastard…" Terasaka growled and Itona placed a hand on his arm, forcibly calming him down despite his eyes glowing with the same intensity.
"At least now we know who to add to our list," Hazama said creepily, fingering her knife.
"He will not be allowed to inject another one of our classmates," Nakamura said with dark aura behind her, a wide scary grin on her face, "We may not be allowed to take our revenge but we're assassins, we will kill any target we will be asked to take care."
Twenty plus pairs of glowing eyes lied on the brunette and Ilana had the sinking feeling that she is going to regret it, but after looking once more at the pile of clothes and the cold pale Nagisa, nestled in the brunet's arms, she made up her mind.
Those who dare play with innocent children's lives like that deserve to die. Slowly and painfully.
She took a deep breath, eyes going sharp and posture tense as if she was standing before her soldiers.
"I want you to bring Yanagisawa's head to me. Do whatever you want with the rest of his body."
The bloodthirsty aura answered her as the class stood up, new determination pumping through their weary veins, bringing to life muscles that almost gave in and brought purpose to those that felt that they had lost it.
She smiled in melancholy and bowed to them again, thanking them.
Perhaps a little justice can be brought back this world after all.
She can't wait.
I failed to protect Nagisa. I won't fail at stopping the source of all this agony and grief.
At the hospital, a while later...
The white lights of the room blinded him when he came to, a pounding pain in his right arm. He tried moving his arm to inspect what is wrong but there wasn't any response or even a feeling from there. His brows furrowed, maybe it just fell asleep? He forced his arm to move but to no avail; it was as if nothing was there.
His eyes blinked and he shifted so he could see his arm, eyes widening at the sight of the bandaged stump where his right arm and hand should be. He stiffened, mind racing to understand why he is now an amputee.
But then a flash of black spikes breaking the bench into two and going through his arm into Nagisa's nape flashed before him and he was left scrambling to stand up, vertigo hitting him harshly, leaving him gasping for breath while he leaned on the wall.
"Nagisa!" What happened after he passed out? How dare that bespectacled bastard stop him from helping Nagisa!? He needs to get to Nagisa! Nagisa!
"You shouldn't move around!" A frantic nurse with no face rushed into the room and gently pushed him back towards the bed, "How did you even get up?"
"Cut the crap!" He yelled and pushed her, his hand flying up to cover his mouth to prevent himself from vomiting at the movement, but he felt no touch and looked down to see his right elbow bent as if to complete the action he wanted to do, but there was no arm and hand to follow up on the order. That realization made him bend over and empty everything in his stomach, nearly crashing face-first into the mess if it wasn't for the nurse catching him in time.
"Sheesh, you patients really need to listen to us nurses when we tell you to get back to bed," She pulled him and this time he was too rigid to fight her, thus finding himself back in the bed with the world spinning around him. He held his head as it pounded, barely registering the nurse putting back the IV from where he had ripped it out.
"You lost a lot of blood but you got here before it was fatal so you should be fine," She smiled at him. "I know that losing an arm can be rough, but today we have technology so please don't think it is the end of the world, okay?"
He simply glared at her until she got the idea and evacuated the room. Finally alone, he took deep breaths, looking around for his phone in order to contact Karasuma. He needs to know what is going on and how is Nagisa. The tentacles got to him, but did they manage to get them out again? Is Nagisa in the hospital as well? Someone answer him, damn it!
He finally located the phone in the drawer in the desk by his bed, a note attached to it. He took them out and unfolded the note.
'Put it there so no one will know about it. Call immediately when you wake up.'
Obviously, Karma rolled his eyes and turned it on. Ritsu's face greeted him, but the dark clothes she wore startled him. Why is she wearing black clothes? Did the octopus change her clothing feature or something?
"Ritsu, connect me to anyone who knows what the fuck is going on," He demanded, nerves strung thin and a gnawing suspicion in his guts. The AI regarded him for a moment which tore at frayed nerves. "Come on!"
"I don't think it would be wise," She said calmly, "I personally think that the recording will explain everything."
He stiffened; what recording? He narrowed his eyes and growled, "Show me."
She nodded and the screen faded to white before a low-resolution shot from inside the classroom of the clearing where they took out the core out of Nagisa and learned that it was a mistake. Then it started moving and he saw him being carried away by Takebayashi, Karasuma taking him away. He saw that scientist woman... Ilana if he remembers correctly approach Nagisa's prone body and point her tranquilizer gun at him but then was grabbed at the neck by the blunet.
He watched as Nagisa's body turned more and more nightmarish; hair turning black and extending to four tentacles, four pitch black tentacles coming out of his nape, eyes painted black with a red dot in place of the irises. Ilana's shooting the needles and releasing the octopus from the rubble.
Then a swift battle ensued until Nagisa managed to regain control and Koro-sensei holding him as Ilana approached them, shouting at the octopus and then begging him before taking out a grenade and passing it to him. His brows furrowed, heart beating loudly until he could hear nothing but the beating and the roaring in his ears.
Something is wrong. Why is she handing him the grenade as if it was the thing that decided Nagisa's fate? What is it filled with?
"When did this happen?" He said quickly, maybe he has time to get there before Koro-sensei will use the grenade? He knew it was wishful thinking, but…
"Twenty-two hours and seven minutes prior to the moment you had woken up," The video froze for a moment just as he saw Ilana leave the premises, the AI voice monotone.
His eyes widened. That long?!
"Continue please," He said in alarm, stomach sinking lower and lower. The video resumed and this time it moved to a recording of a video chat. He saw the screen split to two, on the left was Koro-sensei and on the right was Kataoka, her face pale and weary.
As the conversation continued and Koro-sensei begun his speech, Karma's breath came shorter and shorter until he was gasping for breath, feeling a punch to the guts when he realized where this is heading to. Then he saw Sugino scream and roar for Koro-sensei not to mess with them and Kayano exclaim of not wanting to lose her precious people and then the exchange with the barely human blunet. He wanted to clench his hand, but one was holding the phone while the other… he didn't have…
He gritted his teeth as the conversation ended and Koro-sensei setting the phone so that the camera would see everything.
'So I'm going to die…' Karma choked at Nagisa's soft voice.
No!
'Yes.'
'I already knew… back in the black womb…' No!
'You can say whatever you want. It will be recorded.' No, he doesn't want to hear it!
'Okay… tell Karma that I'm sorry… and thank you for everything… Kayano… I will always think of you so you're never alone… Sugino… you are my best friend and I am really happy to have met you… tell them that I love them all dearly… please don't stop looking to the future…'
"No!" Karma exclaimed, eyes wide, "Ritsu, tell me fucking right now that this is just a sick joke!"
The AI didn't answer, the video continuing as Nagisa raised his hand, flashing his famous assassin smile and thanking Koro-sensei.
His heart broke one piece at a time as he watched the grenade leaving Nagisa's hand and flying to the ground as if he was watching a slow-motion movie. His mind short-circuited when white light washed over the screen, blinding him.
The light slowly dimmed until he saw a pile of black clothes and the last person he wanted to see like that perched against the tree, a serene smile on his unblemished face.
He looked like he was simply sleeping.
As if he could wake up any moment.
Not as if he was kidnapped for experimentation and injected with tentacles.
He looked more alive than he looked the past three weeks.
But... but he wasn't… he wasn't sleeping… he wasn't sleeping…
He was…
'NO!' Ritsu turned off the video just as Sugino's voice bellowed in his ears, the last thing he saw was Nagisa's face, half-hidden by long blue hair.
Karma stared blankly at the black screen for a long time, mind reeling and chest empty as if someone had ripped his heart out just like with his arm.
But then uncontrollable rage bubbled inside of him, filling the void in his chest and causing his body to tremble with it, eyes alight with bloodlust and vengeance. He threw the phone to the other side of the room, the crack resounding as it hit the wall, falling to the ground in pieces.
Just like his whole being.
He bent over and his hand gripped the sheets in a death grip as he screamed and howled, heart-wrenching wails ripping out of his throat, face pressed into the bed.
Someone entered the room but Karma couldn't care less at this point. All he cared about was that he had just witnessed his best friend, the closest person and the one he had finally mended ties to for the second time, getting wrenched out of his arms for the third time.
And this time he won't ever get him back.
He won't ever talk to him, make jokes on his figure, protect him from those who were after him, try to assassinate the octopus before him, plan pranks with him or on him.
He won't ever hear his voice again.
He won't feel his comforting hand again.
He won't ever embrace him again.
Nagisa won't ever come to his house again when his parents are away for too long. They won't ever go to see movies or read comics together. They won't spar again.
They won't do anything ever again.
A familiar presence patted his back and he finally looked up to see Karasuma hover over him with a grieving expression. Golden eyes narrowed and he grabbed the man's collar with his one hand, snarling at him.
"HOW DARE YOU?" He yelled, eyes burning, "HOW DARE YOU SHOW YOUR FACE TO ME?"
"Karma-kun," Karasuma started but Karma wasn't having of it. He released him, cursing the fact that he has only one hand, to hit him in the jaw. Karasuma took a step back from the force of the punch but stood there while the redhead hit him again and again, letting everything he felt loose, screaming and shouting and accusing and mourning with each hit and punch, not able to move his legs.
He didn't have anything to live for anymore.
Nagisa is gone.
He is alone.
"You're not alone," Karasuma said, halting his movements with a gentle hand, "The whole class is at the safe house right now. We asked to keep Nagisa there until you will see him so you can say goodbye."
"I don't want to," Karma growled.
"You will regret it."
"I don't care. I don't want to see him like that," Karma shook his head. The dark haired man sighed and pulled a bit on his hand, Karma silently standing up, swaying a bit on his unsteady legs. He felt as his IV was pulled out gently and the heart wires taken off his chest, and then he was helped into a shirt and a sling, his pants still on him thankfully.
And then he was led out of the room and through the halls, stopping once or twice (he didn't care) to calm down a nurse thinking that he was being kidnapped.
He snorted half-heartedly. He wasn't the one who got kidnapped and murdered. Why should they care?
He didn't want to go. He didn't want to see him. He didn't want to do anything! Yet he had let himself be dragged easily into the car and placed on the seat like he was nothing more than a rag doll. He stared at the scenery as it passed, not registering it as the last picture of Nagisa's face burned into his memory; a peaceful expression, pale but unblemished; as if nothing had happened in the past three weeks. As if everything had been a long, long nightmare.
"Karma-kun," Karasuma's hand guided him up and towards the safe house he had seen last before they had went to rescue Nagisa a week ago. Was it really only one week since they got him back the second time?
He saw Kataoka and Isogai stand in the entrance, eyeing him; one with broken gaze and the other with a barely held together blank expression. They took him from Karasuma and pulled him into the main room, where a casket was laid in, its lid closed.
He hovered over the wooden casket, knowing that Nagisa is lying in it, waiting for him to say goodbye.
"Tell Karma that I'm sorry… and thank you for everything… Tell them that I love them all dearly… please don't stop looking to the future…"
But how can he look towards the future when he has nothing? Kayano approached him and wrapped her palms around his sole clammy hand. She looked calmer than he felt, but she had a day to grieve, he had an hour. She had said goodbye to Nagisa, he didn't. She was left with no regrets, he did.
He didn't say goodbye to Nagisa. He wasn't there when Nagisa needed him the most.
He gently opened the lid, eyes screwed shut. Kayano squeezed his hand and he fluttered his eyes open, taking in the body of his most precious friend.
It was almost laughable. Nagisa was dressed in his usual school uniform attire, hair tied in longer pigtails and hands folded on his stomach, looking peaceful than he had ever seen him. He looked like he fell asleep in lunch break and someone placed him on a bed. What a sick joke and he knew many of those.
He reached out and held one of the hands, startled by the ice-cold skin when he had known Nagisa to have very warm hands. He used to like to hold them on extremely cold days when he had forgotten to bring his gloves. Nagisa would eye him strangely, telling him that usually people who date hold hands and he used to laugh, asking him if he was the girl then. And every single time Nagisa will flush and swat the hands, looking away until he would roll his eyes and apologize. The blunet would then sigh, knowing the drill and extend his hand, letting him hold it.
But this hand wasn't Nagisa's; it was too cold and dry. It was tiny and bony and Karma suddenly realized how much fat the blunet had lost since everything had started. It was a doll's hand, not Nagisa's.
It wasn't Nagisa. It can't be.
"Karma, we need to bring him to cremation," Karasuma said softly. Karma shook his head. He wanted a few more moments. "I can only give you ten minutes, but after that we must let him go."
"Leave me alone," He growled, grip tightening. Karasuma released him and his classmates gazed at him solemnly before they filed out of the room, leaving him by himself with the open casket and the fake Nagisa.
He took a deep breath and looked over the blunet's body, his brain telling him rationally that this is the real deal while his heart was shouting that it wasn't. It couldn't be. Nagisa was never this still; sure, he was quiet and he was deadly silent. But even in his sleep he was never this still and cold. He moved, he breathed, and he even had this adorable soft snore that he loved making fun of him for.
"Why?" He croaked out, tears finally coming up and spilling from his accusing glare, "Why did you leave me? You promised not to die. I promised to protect you. How dare you break that promise!? You liar!" He roared and threw the blunet's arm back, raising his hand for a punch but he couldn't move his hand. He wanted to punch the damn liar, but his hand wouldn't listen to him!
Damn it! He hit his knee, pain spiking from it along with the strange phantom pain from his stamp. He inhaled and exhaled, trying to keep his temper in check. It was not the time to be angry, he needs to say goodbye. He must look properly into Nagisa's eyes and tell him a proper goodbye.
But Nagisa was… he is dead. He can't open his eyes. He won't ever open his eyes again.
He sighed shakily and stood over the blunet, hand brushing hair away from the forehead and pressing his onto it, trying to convince himself that Nagisa is merely sleeping.
"I'm so sorry I broke my promise, Nagisa," He murmured, hoping to see the blue of the other's eyes again, even if just for a little while, but was only faced with the pale eyelids.
But even after what seemed like eternity, the eyes didn't open. Tears fell and splashed onto the cold pale skin, trickling down the cheeks and for a moment it looked like Nagisa was crying for him, crying for having to leave them and his heart finally settled.
He could finally properly say goodbye.
"Thank you for everything, Nagisa," He muttered and embraced the blunet, pressing his forehead onto the bony cold shoulder, "Thank you for being there for me. For staying my friend even after everything. I love you so much and I wished I could rewind time but I can't."
He released the boy and took a step back, fixing the blunet's clothes, hair and arms, grinning cheekily at him even when tears streamed down his cheeks.
"I will kill that bastard Koike Masato. I will make him pay for every second of pain you had been through. I will see that he won't get near anyone you care ever again. And then… then I will try and move on.
Goodbye, Nagisa."
He bowed deeply to the casket and turned around, a hand over his eyes as he dashed out of the room and collapsed onto the ground the moment he exited the safe house.
His soul cracked and shattered, coloring the skies dark grey as rain fell down and washed the shards away from the empty body, every tear and mourning cry taken away by the silent rain, leaving behind an empty vessel.
Gold eyes stared emptily at the grey skies, unblinking.
He had nothing left.
Goodbye Nagisa.
I will see you soon.
No chapter this Saturday , sorry.