Nagisa's head felt like it was on fire.
He managed to keep a straight face, since avoiding questions and suspicion was almost his most important goal. But all the while he wanted to rip his hair out and bury his face in his hands. It wasn't just a simple headache, though. It was like his blood itself had turned to poison and was primed to kill him from the inside out. He wanted to scratch and claw it out of himself, but he could hardly yank his veins out.
"Nagisa," Sugino addressed him. "You don't look so good."
He turned around, the engines of the jet whipping a strong gust of wind through his hair, and he forced a smile on his face. "I feel fine."
There was a strange kind of foreboding right then, low in his stomach. As though Nagisa was anticipating the coming of something, though he didn't know quite what. Before Sugino could question him further, he climbed on board, taking his seat without further interruption. Thankfully, nobody sat beside him, and it was only the noise of background conversation to focus on. That, and the heavy weight of his obscured weapons. They were the real deal, this time. They couldn't exactly be sent in with nothing.
Somehow all he felt like doing was falling asleep. At least then the fire might turn off. Honestly, Nagisa hadn't taken many aeroplanes in his life. It wasn't like his parents ever took him anywhere when he was younger, only to visit relatives once or twice. And then after that, he had Daichi. He couldn't exactly jump on a trip whenever he felt like it. He wasn't a nervous flyer, but he still felt a kind of anxiety.
Soon enough, though, the engines started to make him vibrate in his seat, and he let his eyes fall closed in a kind of concentration. Thankfully, the journey to South Korea didn't take so long. Nagisa found himself completely zoned out of it, and the next thing he knew, they were already making their descent. With that kind of motion, his head started to hurt even more and he thought he might start vomiting. He just about managed to hold it in, till they were on solid ground again.
Some heavy looking cars were ready to pick them up from the moment they stepped off the plane. Nagisa assumed they were being provided by the Korean government and they weren't just sneaking into the country, at least. Somehow entering another vehicle made him break out into a sweat, though. Thankfully the roads were pretty well maintained, but he cringed every time they turned.
To keep up appearances, of course, he tried to look as unbothered as possible. Forcing him to stop just because of his weakness… that was the opposite of what he needed, somehow he just knew on some internal level. So, once the cards finally pulled over and they got into position, Nagisa tried his level best to keep steady, simply ignoring the piercing in his head.
"Is everyone ready?" Isogai's voice came over the earpiece, his tone a whisper but loud considering the volume of his device.
Nobody replied, but nobody said otherwise either.
"Ritsu," Isogai continued after a beat, "let's go."
"Rodger!"
The work Yuu had done to give them access was what would see them through. Not only had it allowed them to access to Ohno's systems for their own planning purposes, but they'd also been able to get Ritsu in. Nagisa was no genius on the subject, but he did know that AIs could teach themselves. And Ritsu had studied the system enough that she could pretty much walk through the front door once she was even in range of their WIFI.
"The lock on the marked entrances are open," she announced, "all cameras you selected are off."
Well, they couldn't mess with the entire system at once, not without creating a huge alarm. A single camera acting a little weird, that could be any kind of system error. Nagisa ignored everything else he felt to the best of his ability, trying to focus on the way they'd planned for this. Their biggest cue was Maehara and Isogai sneaking towards the door first, so fluid they had disappeared into the night in just a blur.
Nagisa crouched low to the ground, and the ringing in his head built. With every little noise that came through the earpiece, it was like it was going to electrocute him. All he wanted to do was yank the wretched thing out of his ear and toss it miles out of his sight. He was close to, actually, as it drilled into him and he drowned the actual speech out.
Hands clapped down on his shoulders, and whoever it was was extremely lucky to not receive a knife to the throat. He was already so on edge… Of course it was Karma. Nagisa's expression immediately flattened. He wasn't happy about this arrangement, not in the slightest. Though, he didn't really know the reason why. It was just this deep down need to avoid him. Not that he had any sort of choice about it.
"Ready?" Karma kept it simple, at least.
Thankfully this was pretty much muscle memory. Assassination was something that lived deep at his core, and it was easy to tune into again. Stealth, being able to sneak his way into a building, was but a small part of that. He nodded, and followed Karma's lead. That at least he was capable of doing. It was like muscle memory, as the two of them moved around each other until finally they were inside, and able to head off their prepared route.
Even though it was the night, all of the lights were still switched on, though it was far too quiet to pass as just a regular work day. Although he knew that Ritsu, being a machine, was able to control all cameras at once to make sure their entire group would be invisible to security, he still felt incredibly exposed out so in the open.
"Come on," Karma said, "we're covering these rooms."
Nagisa followed after him obediently. It was easier than trying to think for himself, right then. He could at least focus on making his legs work. He wasn't sure what he'd been expecting, exactly, but it was a normal laboratory, just like the ones in Karasuma's facility. Well, somewhat. Nagisa couldn't actually read the writing on most surfaces.
"What are you doing?" He asked, when he noticed Karma's rustling.
He shoved whatever he was holding into his pocket. "We should take a bit of everything. Unless you know for sure what any of this is."
Nagisa didn't. So, all he could do was shrug. Part of him wondered if any of this stuff was a pain killer. He could really use that right now. The lab was full of too bright artificial lighting, and it made him so dizzy where he stood, like his legs were going to buckle at any second. He kept his head down, though, and tried to act like he was doing something of use.
"It's clear," Karma said, also speaking into the earpiece momentarily. "Come on Nagisa, we need to go to the next room."
"Right." It was easier to follow.
Another voice came through the speaker, and Nagisa was so taken aback by it that he ended up jolting, falling into a weird squat as he covered his ears, trying to make himself as small as possible. He wasn't quite brought to tears in the pain, it was something beyond that. White hot panic passed through him, it was like he was going to die.
"-gisa." It cut through the pain, just a little.
Karma was lucky he was standing back, because Nagisa was pretty sure he would have otherwise punched him in the face with everything he had. Instead he stilled, the buzzing calming for just a moment again. Focus. Except, Nagisa really wasn't sure how to make that happen. He knew that he couldn't just give up and walk away, but he wanted nothing more than to just go into the corner and sob.
"You should leave," Karma said sternly.
Nagisa made himself stand up. "No."
His eyes narrowed. "You're going to get the both of us hurt or worse. Go sit the rest of this out."
Something within him was struck. Karma wasn't asking him, he was demanding it. A deep dark part of him was immediately called to attention, and mechanically he just listened to it. He lowered his head, going towards the door exactly as he surely meant, ready to leave the building and sit cross legged on the grass outside. In fact, that's exactly what felt perfect to him. He needed to go immediately.
"Wait-" His voice was panicked. "Stop."
Nagisa's hand stilled on the doorknob, and something else twisted like fire. His brain was burning even more, trying to force Karma's presence out. His hand slipped, but he just about managed to maintain his weight beneath his own two feet. Some force was within him, and it didn't like that Karma had just told him what to do.
"Did you just command me?"
Karma's jaw clenched. "Like you left me with a choice."
Somehow, Nagisa knew right then that Karma was going to die for that. At even the passing thought, suddenly the fire was quelled. Tamed. Kill? It liked the sound of that. Nagisa felt static rise in the air as he tuned into his best killer instincts. He had weapons. Karma was too tense for a calm and easy kill, he could feel it through his consciousness. But expending too much energy was dangerous-
The door clicked open.
Perhaps counterproductively, his blood lust instantly disappeared. At least for a moment the pain was gone, enough for him to hold himself on guard. Karma reacted quicker than him, grabbing the guard before he had the chance to signal for anyone himself. It seemed like just a quick reaction, but Karma grabbed him by the material of his uniform to swing him properly into the room with them and headbutted him backwards.
The guy staggered back, but Karma didn't give him a chance to recover. Within seconds, he was launching with his bodyweight into a perfectly positioned axe kick, and despite everything Nagisa winced when it landed. Like a stack of cards, the man collapsed like he weighed absolutely nothing. Meanwhile, Karma's own stance was smooth and practised. The man really stood no chance.
"Guess we should move on in a different way," Karma suggested.
Nagisa swallowed, and braved the earpiece again. "Is the coast clear, Ritsu?"
"All clear!"
Karma stared at him. "You know our next target?"
All Nagisa could do was nod somewhat meekly. He had been involved in the planning of this, after all. He reached for the door handle again, feeling much better than he previously had. So long as he ignored the sweat starting to build on his forehead. As it turned out, studying the plans to the place didn't make it any less confusing. It was absolutely set out more like a labyrinth than a laboratory. Maybe he was imagining it, but the lights seemed to start flashing manically, like they were primed to disorientate him.
"Ah," Nagisa stopped in his tracks, immediately crumpling again as the ringing returned. It was stronger, somehow, louder.
Karma really did grab him by the wrist that time, pulling him fiercely back to his feet. "What's going on?"
He could barely hear him, though. How could Nagisa even dream of focusing? It was louder and louder, like a hive of insects buzzing around his brain. Stop, he begged to himself, make it stop. Maybe Nagisa even screamed out loud, he didn't know or particularly care. Not when he was full of pain. Karma's eyes turned to threatening lava. It was like his face was shifting, melting off into something horrifying, and Nagisa couldn't bear to look at it anymore.
Just like that, everything changed. The pain faded again, but it felt different to just that small break in it he'd experienced. No, everything was light and clear. Serene. He saw the person in front of him when he opened his eyes again, and everything else was gone. He did know this wasn't a position that he particularly wanted to be in, though.
"Let me go," he said, gently placing his hand over the grip that was on him. "I'm okay now."
If anything, though, he gripped tighter. "You're not okay."
"I'm going to take care of this now," Nagisa said calmly. "Let me go."
"No."
Unfortunately, standing there like that meant a major thing. The coast may well have been clear just as Ritsu had assured, but that was on the basis that they moved quickly. Sticking around in one place… being loud… of course their position was alerted. He heard it before Karma did, those footsteps racing towards them, and he was ready, knife in non-dominant hand.
He turned at the right moment, feeling their eyes go directly to his blade. He moved quicker than a human could blink, snapping his hands together in a perfect clap to stun them into a paralytic state. To do so, of course, he had to let go of his knife, but he was quick enough to catch it with his right hand, that time. He didn't hesitate to slash the closest guard's throat.
The resistance as it dug into his skin was so satisfying. More than a clarity, it was almost euphoric, and he lingered as long as he could before his momentum carried him out of position. He didn't hesitate, once he was back in a solid position, to lunge forward, his knife stabbing right into his unprotected eye. It felt just as good, adding to his high, as he made sure it had pierced through his brain. He instantly crumpled, lifeless, and Nagisa removed the knife. '
The only thing that cut through his moment was an unexplained shocked noise. Nagisa frowned, wiping the blood from the knife with his own trousers. He turned, and Karma had an entirely different expression across his face. What was it? Horror? Maybe. Nagisa couldn't tell. Not that it was important to him right then.
He tilted his head. "What's wrong? They're enemies, aren't they? We're supposed to be taking them out."
The fear across his expression faded then. "You know what?" Karma let out a dull, humourless laugh, "Snap out of it."
Nagisa could only stare at him. "There's nothing to snap out of, Karma."
Fire burned in his eyes. "I don't care. Something's up with you."
"You're getting in my way," he tried to side step around him.
"If you can do it so can I," Karma muttered, before suddenly he was moving.
Had Karma been trying to kill him, Nagisa would have reacted, but instead he moved too close, and he couldn't stop where he was headed. No, he didn't stand a chance before Karma's lips were crashing onto his. Apparently no amount of whatever he was feeling was enough to erase the muscle memory. He knew so deeply how to respond, his lips moving too to return it.
One of Karma's hands gripped his wrist again, the other clinging on to his waist, like he was afraid of Nagisa slipping away. Just the hesitation, and Nagisa's automatic response, gave Karma enough time to move in deeper. In pretty much every sense, he was stronger, so he was able to pry Nagisa's mouth open and slide his tongue in.
Nagisa felt immediately unbalanced. Even though Karma was basically holding him up, he was sure he was about to slide down onto the floor at any moment. With every calculated movement of his tongue, the ringing started to grow in his ears again. It was conflicting, even though his body was starting to go weak, the excruciating heat that left him in absolute agony filled him with artificial strength.
But then Karma released. "I love you, Nagisa," it spilled from his lips almost desperately. "I know what's wrong now. This worked when you did it to Kayano. It's- "
"We should go our separate ways," Nagisa said, "we'll cover more ground."
There was something dark and empty in Karma's eyes, and he came to the same conclusion as earlier. Karma was going to keep fighting him. It wasn't smart, to deal with so many distractions. So Karma should die. It wouldn't take Nagisa long to take him out, not in this state, and honestly the less mess he made the better.
"Karma," he said, getting his attention properly. All it took was one look dead on, and Nagisa slammed his hands together right in front of his face.
He was fast, of course. The moment Karma crumpled, he poised his knife, and darted right behind him. Karma couldn't be underestimated, he knew that deeply. He had no idea how long his stun would actually keep him out, so he might have just seconds to finish him off. It was easy to trip him onto the floor when he was unbalanced, though, darting behind him to pull him down in a controlled way. That left him poised, Karma almost between his legs on the floor, one hand pulling his chin up to make room for the knife his other hand was holding, and he readied himself to make a deep slash.
He was interrupted by a dry cough, though. He whipped his head around at the interruption.
"Ah Nagisa," Ohno said, "my favourite experiment. Come, come. Drop him. He's not the one you're supposed to kill."
Nagisa did as he said, letting go of Karma's limp body obediently. He did stare at it though, confused. Why shouldn't he finish? Killing… It felt like his purpose. The only thing that made him feel the way he should. At the same time, though, he turned his gaze to Ohno. From the ground, the man seemed more like a dark monstrous figure, the only parts of him not black being his too pale skin and crimson eyes.
It was a conflicting emotion. He was sure that Ohno was supposed to be his enemy. Yet… he didn't really feel much like killing him right then. He stood up, pocketing his knife again, though he still held onto it, and approached Ohno. He had a weird kind of smile over his face, like he was proud or something. Nagisa had no idea why, but he couldn't stop himself from walking towards him.
"I'm actually glad you made it here," Ohno said, motioning for him to follow. "I wouldn't worry about your friends by the way, they've all been rounded up. But not a hair on their heads will be harmed! Hmm, if this is successful, they're all great candidates for further experimentation. Speaking of which, how about a brief tour?"
Nagisa said nothing, but he kept walking at the same pace.
Ohno cleared his throat again. "You know, what I gave you isn't all I'm interested in developing. I really do want to improve people's lives. And you know, my lower strength formula really does work! So long as you keep taking them, of course… There's too many opportunities in this field. I'm even working on secondary gender hormones. That's a controversial subject, though. Anyway, here we are."
He was a little confused, when Ohno just gestured a door at the end of the hallway. Was there something waiting for him in that room? His blood seemed to buzz through his veins, knowing that whatever it was, he was going to do it. He felt it, like a crazy kind of energy. All Nagisa needed to do was kill, to feel the euphoria of his knife in flesh again.
"You're on your own from here," Ohno's hand came down on his back, pushing him towards it. "This is the only way I'm sure that I've created complete success, no matter the circumstances or loyalties. Go on, Nagisa, follow your instincts."
Ohno opened the door for him, and he was pushed inside what was a relatively plain room. The walls and floor were almost identical shades of grey, and the only real thing of note was two mirrors spanning along two of the four walls. He stared for a moment, vaguely realising that there was something off about that, before he turned his attention to the only other thing in the room, one too small figure.
Nagisa's grip on his knife tightened.
"Daddy?"
