Asano's POV: Asano felt like Karma was happier, he had no enemies(well, at least one less), and his best friend understood him and they were still better friends then ever but... Karma's smiles were still forced and his eyes still had circles around them suggesting he hadn't got much sleep. He came to school with bruises tracing his arms and legs, disappearing into his pants and sleeves.

Some days Karma wouldn't even talk to Asano or, as far as he could tell, Nagisa and would just rest his head on his desk.

Karma was still depressed and Asano knew it. Asano finally confronted his fears.

He actually cared about Karma and he needed to save Karma at all costs.

He had to collaborate with Nagisa, the only guy who also realized what was happening to Karma and sadly also a guy who he was pretty sure hated him and thought he was up to something. Asano waited until Karma walked out of the classroom to get something.

"Nagisa."

Nagisa looked up and saw Asano, who looked like he really didn't want to be there.

"Uhhh, yeah?" Nagisa replied, a little nervous but alert.

"I need to talk to you about something."

Asano explained how Koro-sensei hired him to stop Karma from suicide.

"We need to both-"

"So that's the real reason you came here!" Nagisa exclaimed, "no wonder you're best friends with Karma, you just have to play the role of the concerned 'I understand' friend, convince Koro-sensei that Karma won't kill himself, and Koro-sensei will let you kill him! You don't care about Karma, you just want to kill Koro-sensei and when you do, you're just going to go back to class 3-A, pretend nothing's happened, and ditch Karma!"

Nagisa slapped Asano so hard that his face tilted in the direction of the blow. Ouch. What was this dude's problem? Well, he was Nagisa's problem.

"Do you know how terrible that is?! DO you at least get how horrible of a person you'd be if you carried this plan out?! Karma would kill himself right after!"

Asano wondered how much he changed to the extent where he could actually feel this sort of chest striking pain.

These things didn't faze him. Why did he care what the blue-headed boy said? He wasn't interested in boys. or girls. He had always had a plan: He'd beat Akabane once and for all, he'd surpass his father, get into a good college somewhere far away, graduate and become a young millionaire or whatever success he could get. He wouldn't marry(true love was a stupid theory) and he would work somewhere where he didn't hate or like and never retire until the day he died. He'd always work for more, more power, more brains, and more success but it used to never bother him.

He had a plan and the fact the plan would never end didn't scare him. He had changed. He wanted to make things out of his life. He wanted to create a new plan and he wanted that plan to include Akabane. He... loved him.

Asano looked up at Nagisa.

"Maybe that was my plan. It isn't anymore. I want to help and I've sacrificed a lot coming to class 3-E from class 3-A. I know what people say about me. I am an outsider to both classes and all classes now. I don't belong here or there. That is why I'm here now, asking you for help-to help Karma with me."

Nagisa's POV: Nagisa was silent.

He had never heard such a profound speech and he had never thought that he would hear one from Asano, of all people.

Asano loved Karma, Nagisa realized. Not as a crush. Not as a best friend, but more then that. More then Nagisa loved Karma.

Nagisa smiled a rueful smile.

"What do you plan to do?"

Asano POV: "We need to show him what he has to live for," Asano said. "Think of things that you live for."

"Ummmm. Food? My family? Places I haven't been? My friends?" Nagisa thought out loud.

Asano wrote something on a pad of paper.

"Food.. maybe we can take him somewhere that has really good food?" Nagisa suggested.

Asano looked conflicted. "Yes... But I just- I don't know if that'll help him want to live, it's like we'd be saying 'here's some good ice cream, eat your way out of your trouble-live for food!' I kind of want... I want... I want to show him moments, things that... arghh how do I say this?"

"You want to show him moments that make him want to live forever, right?" Nagisa suggested.

"Yes! Exactly!" Asano nodded. "But I don't know how to-what to show him..."

Nagisa sighed, "it's harder now, knowing that we are limited with his parents not being able to know and Karma not being able to go out for fun... If we got caught doing this by Karma's parents..."

"Karma would be in a lot of trouble," Asano finished.

They sat, thinking for a while. Then, Nagisa put his fist into his hand.

"I got it! What if we ask Koro-sensei if he can make a field trip somewhere... somewhere nice!"

"And what if his parents don't approve the trip and Karma can't go?" Asano asked.

"Well... We'd wait until Karma's parents went to travel again-they have to travel again eventually, right?"

Asano groaned, "and what if, by then, they've beaten Karma to the pulp and he kills himself?!" We can't be with him everywhere and he can't know what we're doing..."

Nagisa sighed, "this is sooooo frustrating! Think think think!"

"Think about what?"

Both Nagisa and Asano turned around to see Karma standing behind them, hands on hips.

Asano was able to mask his surprise but he turned to Nagisa and almost slapped him in frustration. Don't just gape at him! Asano kicked Nagisa's leg underneath the table and Nagisa jolted a little but was able to quickly mask his face, to Asano's relief.

"What do you need to think about?" Karma asked, suspicious.

"uh-uh, I need to think about my... all the homework I have to do! Asano is tutoring me!" This was just like in movies where the characters make it really obvious they are hiding something.

Asano wanted to turn back time so that he could teach Nagisa the Art of Masking your Expressions, what every kid learned when they did something wrong and didn't want others to know it was them. How had Nagisa survived? Asano was sure he had messed at least once in his life!

"Why didn't you just ask me?" Karma asked. "You and Asano aren't that close."

He was catching on to them.

"Because you were busy and I really needed help!" Nagisa squeaked.

Karma scoffed and leaned closer. "You know I'm never busy, Nagisa, I finish our assignments while that old squid is still introducing the subject."

"It was on Japanese!"

"Let me see it."

Dang it. Asano thought. We're about to be screwed. There are no Japanese papers on our table.

"Fine! I'll tell you the truth!" Nagisa yelped.

Asano shot Nagisa a WHAT-THE-HECK-ARE-YOU-DOING look.

"Asano likes someone and he wanted me to give advice!" Nagisa blurted out.

Asano felt his cheek go hot.

They weren't talking about Asano having a crush on anyone-so Nagisa had covered their plan-but why did he have to say that ASANO had a crush? Why couldn't he have covered with something else or even said that HE had a crush?

Karma's eyes widened. "Asano? Having a crush and going to someone else for advice?"

He burst out laughing. "You're kidding."

"No." Nagisa said, firmly. "He does have a crush, Karma! Don't be mean, anyone can fall in love!"

Karma stopped laughing. "No way! So~ who is it?"

"I don't have a crush!" Asano clarified, his cheeks still red. It was like Nagisa knew he had a crush on Karma! Why did Nagisa have to go on and tell Karma he had a crush?

Karma looked at Asano and then his eyes widened even more.

"Oh my! It really is true! Look at Asano blush!"

Asano turned away, shooting a glare at Nagisa. So he really does have a crush on Karma. Nagisa waved his hands around.

"I'm sorry, Asano! I can't keep anything a secret from Karma!" This is what Asano got for lying so smoothly, a situation he could not lie himself out of.

Karma pounced on Asano, his hands wrapped loosely around his neck and his legs clamped on Asano's legs, clinging onto Asano.

"Asssaaannnooo," Karma said in a singsong voice. "Teeeelllll meeee."

Asano tried desperately to not blush. "No."

"Tellll mmeeee or else I'll stay clinging onto you forever."

"You can't hold on for forever."

"AhhhhH! Asannnoooooooooo telllll meee!" Karma whined, playing the role of an annoying friend.

Asano shook Karma off. "No, and I told you you couldn't cling onto me forever!"

Karma tried to cling onto Asano again but failed.

"Aw, come on! How come Nagisa gets to know? I'm your best friend!"

"You're only my best friend because I have no other friends!"

"Tellll meeeee, I'm your only friend!"

"Look what you've done," Asano said to Nagisa. "And you don't even know my crush!"

Nagisa smiled a shy smile. "I think I do."

"Whisper it into my ear."

"Ok."

Nagisa leaned closer and whispered into Asano's ear, "Karma."

Asano jolted up, cheeks flushing.

"How did you-"

Karma jumped up and down. "Tell me tell me tell me!"

Nagisa leaned forward and whispered quietly, so Karma couldn't hear.

"It didn't take a brain to figure out that if you didn't come here to kill Koro-sensei then that would leave one option: to saving Karma. And then I thought to myself, 'why would Asano risk everything to come here? Love. It's cheesy and I was bargaining with this guess but... It does make sense."

"You're not as dumb as I thought," Asano remarked, "is it obvious?"

Nagisa sighed, "I'm the wrong person to ask, it seems obvious but maybe that's because I know now."

"Stop talking so quietly!" Karma whined. "I can't hear you guys!"

"That's particularly why we're talking quietly," Asano murmured.

Then he and Nagisa laughed and Asano felt like he finally found his place, a place that he belonged.