Nagisa knew two important things. One; that his cellmate was involved in some sort of suspicious conspiracy, and two; Nagisa absolutely had to figure out what that was. Well, there was always the possibility that Yuu was just… hooking up with the guard. But he didn't really smell like any kind of sex when he returned that night, when he returned around an hour later. Though, something was a little sanitised about his scent…

"Hey, Nagisa," he'd said the following morning, "first rule of prison is to keep your questions to yourself, got it?"

So he knew that Nagisa had seen him then. It didn't matter, Nagisa was pretty sure, by the next time they talked during their free time, that he'd let it go. Choked it up to general curiosity about why he was leaving. Nagisa chose, then, to distract him with the same meaningless conversation as the previous week. Except this time, he examined Yuu seriously.

Come to think of it, there was something off about how perfectly he seemed to sit in silence during the days. Sure, if he'd had to put up with it for two years, it was naturally that he'd become practised in the art.. but Nagisa was sure there was more to it. He spent the whole next day just staring at Yuu, which was easy enough considering he sat with his eyes closed. Perhaps Nagisa really was going crazy, because he was sure that Yuu didn't even so much as shift. On top of that, his breaths were disturbingly even, timed like a machine. Though it could be some sort of crazy meditation technique, Nagsia didn't know what to think.

Yuu was definitely something, though, and now Nagisa had to figure out how to find that something out. The most natural method would seem to be gaining his trust, but surely that would take far too long. From what he'd figured about Yuu, something like that could take years. And Nagisa didn't have that. Unfortunately, no other great plans were coming to mind either. He really wished Karma was there, there was no doubt he'd think of something…

"Oh hey look," Yuu said at the start of their break, "new book donation. 'S your lucky day, Nagisa, this doesn't happen a lot."

None of the other prisoners seemed particularly interested in the book collection, but Nagisa found himself immediately leafing through them. Admittedly, a book suddenly had a lot of appeal. Anything to take his mind out of this place. It seemed like maybe Yuu shared that desire, though it wasn't surprising. The least Nagisa could say about him was his mind was sharp.

"Woah no way," Nagisa said, "they have Sonic Ninja even here?"

Yuu blinked. "You… like Sonic Ninja?"

Admittedly, his eyes lit up a little. "Yeah! I used to read the comics as a kid, and then they started making the movies…"

"No way!" He was totally different to the Yuu Nagisa had started to get to know, eyes bright and round like a small child. "I love Sonic Ninja. I mean, I only watched the third movie because my favourite actress got cast, but after that I tried to see them all. Started the comic books, too, before I got thrown in here… Sometimes they send copies like this, so I haven't really read the stories in order. What's your opinion on the third movie? The fandom seems split about whether it's better than the first."

Nagisa remembered going to the movie premier for it. "Mm, though I'm kind of obligated to call it my favourite."

"You're a fan of Haruna Mase too?"

He almost choked. What were the chances, with his cellmate going into almost scary super fan mode, that he also idolised one of Nagisa's closest friends? Kayano sure was famous these days… Though, no matter the circumstances, he was sure Kayano would be happy that someone liked her enough to become interested in a whole series.

"Well-"

"Did I hear Haruna Mase?"

And then a slight commotion started. Nagisa had barely even looked at the other prisoners, let alone had a conversation with them, yet at the mention of Kayano's name… he was surrounded. Well, at least he knew Kayano was weirdly popular amongst prisoners. Or maybe everywhere in general. Somehow, this lead to a lively group discussion about 'how cute' she was.

"You know she's not alpha, right?"

"Yeah? She's still hot-"

Nagisa didn't want to hear this. He was almost thankful, when someone brought up that they should focus more on Kayano's talents as an actress than her looks. He supposed he couldn't be too mad, that she had so much appeal (across all demographics apparently). Though it was strangely nice, to realise that he and Yuu had something really in common.

Though the conversation was cut short by all those who joined in. To Nagisa's slight surprise though, Yuu continued it the following day. And he really wasn't kidding about liking Sonic Ninja. Maybe he even knew more about it that Nagisa did. That was almost impressive, because Nagisa felt he toed the line of being slightly nerdy about that series too.

"I guess you could say those movies mean a lot to me," Yuu said.

Nagisa thought about it, and it was the same for him. It was the only reason Karma had originally bothered to speak to him. So maybe it had also sealed his fate. But honestly, very little could compare the bubble of happiness he got from hanging out with Karma that day, discussing movies with him as they walked home just like regular friends. And then of course the sequel, because jetting off to Hawaii was definitely a special movie going experience. Actually thinking about it, he was already pregnant at that point.

"I used to marathon them sometimes," he thought, "not that I have the time to nowadays unless my son asks."

"Son?" Yuu asked with interested.

Nagisa's heart sunk. "…Yeah."

Yuu shrugged. "How old?"

"Just over eight now."

Nagisa braced himself for a reaction that never actually came. Which was odd. Usually, nowadays, if he mentioned his son without context they assumed Daichi couldn't be older than a toddler. There was always a slight look of horror/shock when they learnt the truth. It was a normal reaction, Nagisa supposed, though that didn't mean he had to feel good about it either.

"He cute?"

He found himself smiling. "Yeah, the cutest."

Maybe, logically, it should have gotten easier as he adjusted to not seeing Daichi every day. But really, the longer he went, the more his heart ached. Especially with only the walls to distract him most of the time. He tried to keep his worries to himself, the best he could, so that he wouldn't be polluting everywhere with his distressed stench, but that proved incredibly difficult.

It was honestly hard to keep track of the actual days that passed, but Nagisa knew that another week had passed where the same thing happened, as though it was somehow normal policy Yuu was called out of the room. This time, Nagisa decided to think fast. He wasn't going to get anywhere if he didn't force this information out somehow.

One of the main conclusions he came to was that all the officers seemed to be 'in' on whatever was happening. He could tell that because the next patrol that was due simply… didn't happen. At least that gave Nagisa some time to prepare. Just in case someone really was around to listen, he waited, and then stood up, stepping lightly across to the corner of the room. They weren't allowed to stand there for long periods of time, since it was kind of a blind spot from the door.

Nagisa stood there for quite a while, whilst Yuu was absent. But that just gave him time to relax himself. It had been a while, admittedly, but he remembered his assassination techniques. He breathed in and out slowly, paying attention to all the waves of consciousness around him he could sense. It was a little confusing, with other prisoners in the cells around him, but he focused it all at the entrance.

The door opened, then, and Yuu made his return, the officer who'd taken him locking the door without checking too long to see if Nagisa was actually still there. He waited for that perfect moment, before moving fluidly out of the shadows, and slamming his hands together right in front of Yuu's face.

The last time Nagisa had used this move, his opponent had been a rather large man, and he'd ended up half crushed. This time, he was ready. Not that Yuu was particularly heavy, honestly he was about the same build as Nagisa. Maybe Nagisa was just ultra focused, but he managed to get him onto the ground easily. He positioned himself over him, trapping him in place with both the force of his thighs and his arm braced at his throat.

Yuu was paralysed for a moment, eyes wide with pure terror, but he immediately started to struggle once he regained control of his limbs. "What the hell?"

"Who did you meet?" He demanded.

"What are you talking about?"

Nagisa didn't believe his confusion for a second. He'd been able to read faces for years, and he could tell when someone had something to hide. Maybe it was a little unclear, with the sheer amount of panic and confusion, but there was a darkness right under the surface. A darkness that said he was absolutely lying. So Nagisa choked him harder, cutting into his jugular. Any harder, and Yuu might actually pass out.

"Who did you see," he repeated again, staring straight into his eyes.

"L-let," he spluttered, "let me go and I'll tell you-"

He wasn't going to fall for that. "No."

"You wouldn't understand! They're giving me a shot out of here!"

Finally, Nagisa relented, at least letting go of his throat. "Who's 'they'?"

Yuu's hand came to his neck protectively. "You're this pissed about me hooking up with an officer?"

If that's what he was doing… Nagisa still didn't believe it, though. Sure, he seemed weirdly familiar with the officer who came to collect him, but that could mean anything. Nagisa's nose wasn't so bad that he wouldn't be able to sense the remainders of alpha scent. He could be hooking up with a beta, but… this place was swarmed by alphas almost exclusively.

"Why?"

He tilted his head. "Maybe you haven't come to realisation yet, I don't know, but if you want something, this is the quickest way to get it. Or the only way. If I gets me treated better in this hellhole, why wouldn't I? We're already in prison, it's not like I can cheapen myself anymore."

There was something deeper behind that comment. "But what about when you get out?"

"Hah," he fake laughed, "well, let's say I'm already damaged goods."

When Nagisa didn't say anything, he moved his hair out of the way, exposing his neck fully for the first time since they met. To his utter surprise, even though it was a little hard to see considering the lack of lighting in the cell, there was clearly a perfect set of teeth marks there. Which meant… Yuu was bonded with somebody?

"B-but," maybe Nagisa was just stressed, because he wasn't thinking clearly enough to be sensitive, "your scent?"

Yuu shrugged. "Dead."

"You killed him?"

He burst out laughing, then. "Wow, usually when I tell the dead mate story, I get a 'poor you' or 'I'm sorry', not murder accusation. Who says something like that?"

Nagisa blinked, realising exactly how that sounded. And then he flushed bright red in a mixture of horror and embarrassment. Yuu was right, what kind of person reacted like that? He moved off Yuu entirely, then, and the bloodlust drained from him. He breathed slowly, hoping that maybe that would be the best way to calm himself down.

"I-I'm so sorry, I-"

"I didn't say it wasn't refreshing," Yuu said. "Now that you're done attacking me… I'm in here because I stole money. But, I stole it from big powerful places, and they did everything they could to make sure I'd wither and die here."

He tilted his head. "Like a bank robber?"

Yuu nodded. "But I didn't do it in person. I actually wanted to study computers, after high school. I was… pretty good at it, actually. Got it in my head that I wanted to be the next Bill Gates or some shit. I got bonded just as I graduated, though, and my alpha didn't really like the idea of me going to university."

"Y-you were okay with that?"

He smiled. "I'd have done anything for him. He didn't go, either, but he wanted to provide for me, so. Not that illegal MMA fighting makes much bank. I didn't really have a choice, and there's only so much housework you can do in a tiny apartment. It was only enough to pay rent at first, but then he went and owed the wrong people, and I got ambitious - and caught before he could pay it off."

"Then?"

Yuu mimed slitting his throat, and that was enough of an answer. Nagisa was more than aware that that kind of life was honestly the reality for some people, but actually hearing about something so awful… his throat started to close up, and he had no idea what to think. Perhaps it was unlike him, but he almost completely forgot the reason this confrontation was even happening.

"So yeah," he shrugged, "I'm in here for a while. And that's if nobody tries to come for me, which to be honest, they still might. I don't want a public release-"

"Quiet," a voice from one of the officers barked, and it seemed like Yuu's favours were up.

Nagisa wasn't sure how to act around Yuu following that. He smiled, played his attack off like it was just pure curiosity. He didn't miss the way Yuu seemed to sleep with one eye open, though. But Nagisa was good at hiding his bloodlust. If anything, it was his most important skill. So he could tell how Yuu relaxed, the next day, and it was like nothing even happened. Just a silly little prison fight.

He hadn't had the chance to continue to interrogate Yuu about exactly who he was seeing, though, and Nagisa just knew it was more than just a guard. Unfortunately, it was highly unlikely that Yuu would disclose something that was clearly so secretive just like that, in front of so many people. So, Nagisa really had to think, and try and find another chance. Unfortunately, another week passed.

"Yuu san," he started, "uhm-"

Yuu rolled his eyes. "At least use 'kun', or something, if you have to. You're making me feel like an old man."

"Yuu kun," Nagisa corrected, "is today the day that you… have your meetings?"

They weren't supposed to be talking in their cells, but it was a little bit easier to get away with it during preparations for bed, considering the noise of setting up the futon. Yuu just started at him, though, as he unrolled it and sat on top, cross legged. Nagisa couldn't tell exactly what he was thinking, then, but he knew it was a lot.

"Yeah, once a week." Something in his eyes shined. "Maybe you won't believe me, but I might have a real shot of getting out early."

Nagisa squeezed his eyes shut. "How?"

"…I can't tell you." But then he lunged forwards, looking at Nagisa seriously. "I wish I could, but- I don't know, I can't-"

"It's," Nagisa thought, "it's okay."

"Nagisa," he said, "you're in here for a long time?"

He knew the right answer. "Yeah…"

"Maybe… Maybe I can help you get out quicker too."

Nagisa leaned forwards. "You can?"

He took a deep breath. "This man… it's kind of like a clinical trial thing. He has some kind of access, to pull us out for tests. If I participate, then… I can live as a free man for the rest of my sentence pretty much."

Alarm bells started to ring. Someone taking prisoners for research? That sounded exactly like Korosensei's origin story, and that had ended with the moon exploding. Of course, this was the exact lead Karasuma had been talking about, so there was no way this wasn't what Nagisa was looking for. And Yuu was practically offering it to him.

"H-how? How can you help?"

"I'll ask him!" Yuu perked up. "It's not just me… I could… I'll bring it up for you."

Nagisa wanted to ask something else, though. "Uhm, Yuu kun, how did this even start? Why do the officers just allow this?"

He had the nerve to laugh. "You just have to use your assets. Why don't you try it, huh?"

It took him a moment to catch up with what Yuu meant. "To… seduce the officers?"

"Don't be a prude," he shrugged. "We gotta use the tools we have, right? Nature gave us something at least. Needs must."

Nagisa didn't respond to that, so Yuu shrugged, and that was that in terms of their discussion. He didn't have much time to make a decision, though. If he was completely right, then Yuu would be taken soon, and perhaps this was his best opportunity. Whatever the case, Nagisa needed to manage to get out of this cell, he felt like it had to be time.

Yuu gave him a look, before the door swung open as it often did, and the officer cleared his throat. But then Nagisa started at the door, which was a little hard to do subtly without alerting them, and he realised there were four legs. Two officers. That, at the very least, was a little different, though Yuu didn't seem phased by it at first, by any means.

"Who's your friend?" Yuu joked, leaning against the door.

"Quiet, inmate, he's new."

"Alright alright," Yuu mock held his hands up. "Well, lead the way."

Nagisa snapped up immediately, suddenly not having time to think. The officer who took Yuu, he'd already started walking, but the other guy was still at the door, hesitating a little with actually shutting it. He had to do this. He slinked up to the window, and cleared his throat, so that the guy would notice him. Though, he looked a little scared.

"I-inmate," he said, "go back to bed."

There came Nagisa's biggest problem with this idea. No mater what Yuu said, Nagisa had no idea how to flirt. He'd never had to before. He'd always been the one that got hit on, not the other way around. Honestly, he'd never even wanted to hit on anyone. And with Karma, it wasn't like he really needed to explicitly ask, he just… looked at him in the right way, or reached over.

"I'm not tired," Nagisa tried to say as confidently as possible, though he wasn't sure how it came across.

The man opened the door properly, though guarded it with his body, so there was no way Nagisa could just run past him. He seemed too on guard for any attempt at his stun clap. "You don't want trouble."

"Uhm," Nagisa cringed. At least he was close… The only thing that had worked for him in this place was Sonic Ninja, of all things, and he wasn't sure that would help him. Unless… "There's seven billion people walking around on this Earth, yet right now, in all of history, you and I get to meet right here. That's more than one in a million. Some might say it's fate. And who are we to argue with fate, to waste this night, when some force greater than the both of us brought us here?"

Thank you Kayano. Though Nagisa wouldn't be able to look her in the eyes after this. He shouldn't use one of her movies for purposes such as this. The only reason Nagisa even know those lines in such detail is he'd helped her practise for her read throughs, a couple of times. Even Nagisa had found it funny, how cheesy that particular line was, and they'd spent quite a while trying to get through it without laughing. Nagisa's performance wouldn't have compared to Kayano's (who actually made it somewhat believable), though.

The guard's face was red. "Excuse me?"

Right, that's a fail. He sniffed the air, and yes, this guy was definitely alpha. Nagisa cringed even more than the romance lines, and tugged the collar of his uniform down, tilting his neck at the same time. A much clearer sign, he knew, than any words he could produce would be. It had been weeks now since he last saw Karma, so he knew his scent was entirely his own.

"W-well-"

Nagisa could smell the beginnings of arousal from him, though, and he almost wanted to hurl. By all means, on a biological level, it should have had some kind of effect on him. All he could think of was wet dog, however. After this, he might have to rub himself up against Karma for an hour to forget about it. He gulped. It wasn't… cheating, right? For the sake of a mission… would Karma be angry about this? Maybe, but, did he have a choice?

"Maybe I could… tire you out."

He hid his bloodlust, smiling pleasantly as he stepped over to the officer, rising up on his tiptoes and dragging him down by the neck to connect their lips. The officer had his arms around Nagisa's back, holding in place, but that didn't really make things harder. He tried to ignore the scraping of his chapped lips, and pried his mouth open with his tongue, giving himself the opportunity to perform his kiss of death. The man didn't even notice what was happening at first, until it was too late to pull away, and just like that he was out, crumpled on the floor.

Nagisa wiped his lips off, then, and frowned. At the very least, it had worked, and he'd already wasted quite a bit of time. He stepped over the officer's body, sticking close to the walls and using all of his skills to be as quiet as possible. Just because one officer was down didn't mean another wouldn't be able to catch him. Nagisa had never had a visitor in this prison, but at the very least he knew where the room was, and took his bet that it was where Yuu was being taken.

The room itself was pretty small, but more importantly it was completely unguarded. There was one window, though it was the kind of frosted glass he couldn't see through. He could make out shapes, and just about hear their voices, and that was definitely Yuu, in there with somebody. Hopefully, since he couldn't see through the window, they wouldn't be able to see him either. So Nagisa crouched, pressing his ear against the small gap in the door.

"Any new symptoms?" A very flat sounding voice said, sounding almost disinterested.

Yuu let out a shuddery breath. "No, not since my last dose."

"No violent outbursts? No self idealisation? Not even a headache?"

"This entire place is a headache."

The other man paused. "This is incredibly important research, I know you're aware of that. I need to know every little thing you feel."

"I don't know what to tell you, I feel just the same as last week"

"Very well. Then, you'll be getting another dose right now."

"…You said last time that was going to be it-"

"That was conditional on the drug having an effect. You don't really want to complain, do you?"

"Wait, wait-" the panic in Yuu's voice was clear. "Maybe I just have a s-strong tolerance or something. But! My cellmate might be interested i-in helping you too."

The silence that came for a moment was scary. More than scary, absolutely terror inducing. Even from outside the door, the amount of fear knocked the wind out of him. Nagisa hadn't felt anything so strong since… Reaper 2.0. He found himself shuddering, as he tried to gather his thoughts. Quite clearly, Yuu had said the wrong thing.

"You told someone about these meetings?"

"I-I-"

"I asked just one job of you. And you told someone."

The next thing Nagisa heard was a clatter, and then a groan of pain coming from Yuu. Nagisa covered his mouth with his hand as he gasped, trying to be as quiet as possible. Then the next noises were unmistakeable, fists beating against flesh, with the occasional pathetic whimper, a call for help that didn't come. Every single part of him wanted to rush in there and help.

But Nagisa couldn't. This mission was too important, and the information he'd just gained might be invaluable. If whoever this guy was found out that Nagisa had overheard this entire conversation, then a number of bad things could happen. He'd surely be way more on guard, if Nagisa stepped in. Especially if this guy might recognise him… All Nagisa could do was listen, as Yuu was brutally beaten inside. He wanted to cover his ears, but he was too afraid to. He hoped Yuu could hang in there.

"I didn't tell him anything important I swear. Please-"

"Shut it," he said, and Nagisa heard another bang, followed by a scream.

He winced, trying to shut it out. They weren't ideal circumstances, but he'd almost started to consider Yuu like a friend. It was hard not to, being in such close quarters for so long. Having so many light conversations in the midst of everything that helped to keep Nagisa sane. Nagisa was shaking as he stood and moved, finding a corner that would be a good vantage point, but hopefully he could hide in.

Nagisa couldn't bring himself to count how long exactly it was. Only that it was far too long, especially if he was being consistently beaten. Finally, the man appeared to be done, because the door opened and he walked out casually, dusting his hands off as if it was nothing. Nagisa didn't manage to get a good look at him, only noticing that he was pretty tall, and dressed head to toe in black, before he disappeared around the hallway.

He waited just a few moments, before rushing into the room. Nagisa might be an assassin, but he still almost threw up at the sight of it. Yuu didn't even look alive, lying in a small pool of blood, his face already sporting purple patches. The only thing that convinced he wasn't dead was the way that he was shaking, still in fear.

"Y-yuu?" Nagisa tried, but got no response.

Slightly passed out or not, it didn't matter, because then sirens started blaring so loud Nagisa almost couldn't think. Had that man caused this? Nagisa didn't know, but he needed to get Yuu out of here. He needed to get himself out. He was sure then that the limit of useful information had been reached, and having Yuu might be an asset.

Perhaps it was adrenaline, but Nagisa managed to hook Yuu's arm over his shoulder and pull them to a stand. Yuu wasn't completely dead weight, instinctually managing to bear a little bit of it on his feet. Walking was a little harder, but as long as they could make it to the warden's office, they wouldn't have to go any further.

Everything felt like a strange dream. The alarms continued to sound, and the lights were flashing overhead. Nagisa wasn't entirely certain, but he thought he heard shouting amongst it all, and then a stampede of footsteps. Thinking fast, he dove the both of them down another connecting hallway, and he watched as a bunch of guards ran past, like they were about to go to battle. He put Yuu back onto the floor, because walking straight there wouldn't be a good plan with all the officers around. Before he could decide on anything, though, there were another pair of footsteps, and then Nagisa looked up to crimson hair.

"K-karma?"

"Hey-"

Nagisa could barely even believe his eyes. All those sleepless nights missing Karma on a deep, soul crushing level, and now he was actually right there, just within Nagisa's reach. Perhaps it was a little embarrassing, but he found himself taking off, practically launching himself into Karma's arms as he instantly forgot everything else. Karma didn't reject him at least, and Nagisa breathed into his chest.

I missed you, he thought.

"You smell weird."

Karma pulled away. "Sorry?"

"What's happening?" He looked around. "How are you out?"

"Long story, incited a small riot," he said casually. "I came to find you, but all I found was a passed out officer and an open cell. What happened to him?"

Nagisa exhaled. "Long story. We're taking him with us."

Karma didn't argue. "You good to fight?"

Nagisa didn't know what he meant, at first, but then he bent down, picking Yuu up easily. He'd judged, clearly, that he was weighing Nagisa down. Nagisa knew just how easily Karma could pick him up as though he was nothing, so Yuu was absolutely no problem for him. Nagisa just nodded, though, and then they were on their way.

Thankfully, the office wasn't that far, but with all the lights and noise Nagisa felt disoriented. It was hard to tell which way they were even waling. Eventually, though, they did find it. All of the commotion seemed to be fully in action, the other side of the prison. He and Karma gave each other just a brief nod, before they burst in.

"What-" The warden was there, practically cowering in the corner.

"We need you to contact The Ministry of Defence right away," Nagisa demanded. "Our mission's over."

His lips pressed together. "Can't you see there's other priorities right now?"

"I suggest you listen to him," Karma turned, pushing Yuu down into the warden's chair, where his head lolled. "His wrong side isn't pretty."

The warden's eyes drifted between the two of them, before he nodded, and then made the phone call. Just about right after he finished, the sirens drew to a stop, and Nagisa finally allowed himself to breathe. He did his best to check Yuu out, but there wasn't a lot he could right there and then. Not without making it worse, at the very least.

It was a nerve wracking wait, but finally Yaiba san walked in, a slightly distressed and unimpressed look in her eyes. Nagisa felt a whole wave of relief rush over him, at her face, no matter how stiff it actually was. The prospect of seeing the free world again… Nagisa had never thought he'd been yearning so badly for it.

"Come." She looked at them all. "We're taking him into our custody."

Karma didn't bother picking Yuu up again, but he still half supported his weight, and Yuu let out a load groan of complaint. It was encouraging that he was even making noises, though, at the very least. Nagisa went after them, taking his other arm as they were lead out to the car. Despite the tense situation, he physically sighed, as he felt the leather seats cushioning him after so much.

"Don't get too comfortable," she warned, "you'll have a lot to report when we return."

Nagisa tried to nod, but he couldn't help but relax. The car was big, so Yuu sat opposite them, a whole row to himself which allowed him to lean, too out of it to sense what was happening. Nagisa sat upright at first, but whether he meant to or not, he ended up drifting closer and close to Karma, eventually resting his head on his shoulder. As if that prompted him, Karma leaned against him too, his head atop of his, and finally Nagisa fell into a satisfying sleep.