Disclaimer: I do not own Assassination Classroom.

V.

Over the last weeks Karma and I had developed a pattern. He would come in the mornings, so that we could go to school and after that we would either go back together and hang out or just walk back to my home, when I had practice. It was weird to suddenly have this kind of friendship. It was... nice. We would talk about irrelevant things or he would ask me about school related problems. He was the first one to reach out to me outside of my family and I intended to keep this bond. It was astounding how much a first could mean to me.

The encounter with my father was... weird. Simply because dad was eyeing Karma like a hawk. I didn't know why my father was thinking of Karma as boyfriend material, especially when I had no interest in a boyfriend and I had told him so.

''So Karma-kun, this is my dad Yuiichiro Kitani. I hope you get along with each other.'', I stared pointedly at my dad. He broke the eye contact first.

''Yes, it's nice to meet you, Akabane-kun.'', he inclined his head.

''Nice to meet you too, Kitani-san. You can call me Karma,'' He always kept on repeating that sentence. I wonder if he was tired of it. And now...

''You can call me Yuiichiro,'' my father responded. It was always the same. ''So how long have you known my little Sayo-chan already?''

''We've been in the same class since the first grade, but I only talked to her recently. I like Sayori-chan. She's nice,'' Karma answered. Oh, how nice. He liked me. I'm sure he meant that in a platonic way, but my dad seemed to have different thoughts.

''Ah, so you like her! Are you-'' I cut him off with a punch in the stomach. I was so not going to listen to that, even if I could have silenced him differently. But my dad knew if he overstepped boundaries.

''Let's go eat ice cream, Karma-kun. I'm up for something sweet,'' I suggested.

''Sure.'', came his answer. He was relieved to be out of this situation. My father could be a imitating man, especially because he was normally so easy-going. The sudden change in personality was creepy. We went outside and walked down the street. The ice vendor was a few blocks away, so we had to move a bit.

''What do you think of my parents, Karma-kun?'' I asked. I was curious to admit it.

''Mmmh, your parents are nice. Even if your dad scares me a bit,'' he crossed behind his head. ''They are for sure better than mine. They are never home and when they are, they only sit at their phones and computer.''

He sounded bitter. Of course he was. He craved attention from his parents, be it intentional or not. He was a young child after all.

''You know, if it's too lonely at home you can always come to us. I like having you over.'' I really did. Karma was a great friend and I could discuss things with him that were above a second grader's niveau.

''Thanks, Sayori-chan,'' he sounded grateful. ''I appreciate that.''

I nodded. We had almost reached the ice cream vendor, when three kids got in our way. They were sneering at us... or at least trying to. The biggest kid, seemingly the leader, spoke to us.

''Oh, it's Karma. Are you here with your little girlfriend?'' Why did everyone always assume that we were a couple?

''Leave me alone,'' was his only answer.

''Aren't you getting cocky? Just because we left you alone for a few days? Maybe we should teach you a lesson in front of your friend here.''

Karma stood protectively in front of me. That was really cute but I could take care of myself. I was training taekwondo after all.

''I'm sure you have better things to do than picking on us. Or are just that idle? But maybe cowards like you don't have any hobbies?'' Karma's taunting words let their heads redden. ''How about we settle down and talk a bit about our day?''

''As if!'', goon number 2 shouted. They looked really angry. My friend was for sure good. ''We will teach you a lesson!''

''You know,'' I butted in. ''You should use some other lines than those clichéd ones. You sound like some cheap gangster.''

The three seemed to have enough and ran forward with the intention of hurting us, but we simply sidestepped and tripped them. It was so easy. Kids today had no balance.

They fell flat onto their nose and looked as if they wanted to cry. Seriously, as a bully you had to take a bit of pain in cost.

''So, do still want to teach us a lesson?'' Karma's smile was devious. ''Ah, Sayori-chan, let's go. They aren't going to do anything anymore.''

He gripped my hand and led us away from those kids. He was shaking.

''Karma-kun, are you alright?'' Ah, didn't think that this would have shaken him up so much.

''Yeah,'' he still had my hand in his grip. ''It's just, they sometimes come and try stupid things. Usually I'm alone and that...''

''Well, now you aren't, are you? You pretty much showed them their place. Anyway they are just some wannabe-bullies. Don't let them get you.''

''Yes. Thank you, thank you for being my friend,'' he looked away embarassed. ''Are we going to get some ice cream now?''

Aw, wasn't he just cute? Such a brave personality outside and a little sweetheart inside. I smiled at him.

''Yeah, my treat.'' I pulled at his hand and directed us in front of the ice vendor.

We bought a chocolate flavored for me and yogurt ice cream for Karma and sat down on a nearby bench.

Karma had been quite shaken by that what happened. By the comment of one of the kids this happened regularly. If I looked at it now, Karma had no other friends than me and I hadn't seen anyone in the weeks that we knew each other approaching him just for some chat or something like that. Huh, Karma and I seemed alike... or at least not so social. He was a nice kid if you looked behind his cheeky behavior and the sassy actions, but most people didn't take the effort to. Just like with me. I hadn't been so nice to my classmates but I didn't bully them or taunted them, but in the end I did it deliberately. Karma didn't really know how to deal with other people and was pretty much avoided for it. He had reached out for me, even if it was just a simple action as in asking for an explanation for a math problem. I simply did the same and would continue to do so. I was finally directing my attention otherwise than on my books and taekwondo and honestly it made me feel better.

''-ori-chan, Sayori-chan!'' I snapped out of my stupor and turned my head into Karma's direction.

''Sayori,'' I said.

''What?'' he seemed confused.

''Call me Sayori or just Sayo. I don't like the -chan so much.''

Karma remained silent for a moment.

''Then call me just Karma.''

I nodded.

''What did you want to say, Karma?'', I asked. He had seemed urgent.

''Ah! Yes, your ice cream is melting!'', he exclaimed.

''Ah, shit!''

The first time Karma and I got into a fight was in the third grade. Some kids were talking about us two, because of our good grades and our sudden friendship. They were seriously annoying. I wasn't affected by their talk but Karma was. They were poisoning his mind with me just pitying him and what not. I didn't know about it first because I simply blocked out everything that they were saying and they said those things to him when he was alone. But eventually I noticed his weird behavior. Karma was getting distant and somewhat restless in my presence, as if he had something to say but didn't have the guts to.

I confronted him in lunch break. We usually ate together under the trees of our school.

''Hey Karma, what's up with you lately?'' I simply asked. When I wanted something I asked, because how should someone know that you needed something if you didn't ask?

''Why are you asking?'' he didn't answer my question. He was avoiding something.

''You know, you are behaving very weirdly lately. Are you ill?'' I was going to bother him till he spit it out.

''No, it's nothing.'' he looked away. Damnit, if he wasn't doing it voluntarily I would get it out of him.

''Look Karma. Something is obviously wrong and if you don't spit it out I'm going to force it out of you,'' my patience was thinning.

''Why do you care?! It doesn't have anything to do with you!'' A lie. It clearly had something to do with me. He wasn't comfortable around me and avoided my gaze when I spoke to him.

''Of course I care, whether it has something to do with me or not. You are my friend!'', this was maddening.

''And now you are my friend?! I heard something else.''

''Wait, what? I never said something about that,'' where the hell did he hear that? ''From whom did you hear that?''

''Some kids from the upperclass told me.''

''Who specifically?'', I was going to teach them a lesson. No one messed with me and was getting away.

''Ehmm...'' Karma pondered for a moment. ''I think they were from class 4-C. Sato-senpai and Miyamura-senpai.''

I sighed.

''Karma, have you ever seen me talking to them or any other senpais of this school?''

''No...'' he was getting the hint. Oh my, this was going to be awkward.

''Excuse me, I have some senpais to talk to.'' I walked past Karma to the fourth graders' classes. I was seriously pissed off and was going to have a little chat with those idiots, who thought it would be good to mess with my and Karma's friendship.

''Have you seen Sato-senpai and Miyamura-senpai of 4-C?'', I asked some random fourth grader. He pointed me into the direction of the classroom. I opened the door.

''Excuse me, could I talk to Sato-senpai and Miyamura-senpai?''

Two boys came towards me. One had brown hair and the other with a shade of green.

''What do you want?'', demanded the brunet. They had been both eating.

''Could you please come with me?'' they looked at each other.

''Sure.''

I led them outside where no one could see us.

''So Senpai, I've heard from a friend of mine that you had been talking about me behind my back,'' I began. ''I'm quite sad to hear that you have been lying to my friend. Is that true?''

It was a rhetoric question, but they answered anyway.

''Yes, so what? The little guy believed us. Shouldn't a friend have more faith in you?'', the ass retorted.

''Yes, a friend should have faith in one.'' I replied calmly. I was really annoyed, but I couldn't let my emotions get better of me. It wouldn't do me any good in the future. ''But a friend is also allowed to doubt you. So-''

I grabbed the both of them by the collar.

''I would greatly appreciate if you two idiots would leave us alone.'', I sent them a sugary sweet smile. I didn't really know why but people got always shivers when I smiled like this. ''After all, people who try to manipulate my friends can go to hell.''

With these words I let them go and went back inside. I was sure they wouldn't want to try anything again. After all a lectured child wasn't prone on doing the same mistake again.

I was sitting on Karma's and my usual place for the lunch break and thinking about how I should face him. I had gone without an explanation to get those fourth graders but what now? Karma had been really doubting our friendship and even if I didn't want to admit it, that hurt.

I felt betrayed that he even believed those idiots, but I couldn't fault him. He was young after all and was going to make mistakes all the time. Heck, even I did so many things wrong. It still didn't change my feelings. My thoughts were interrupted by someone. A person was approaching the trees where I sat. It was the same person who had occupied my thoughts just a moment ago.

''Hey Sayo.'' He sat himself beside me.

''Hi Karma.'' We just sat there silently, not really knowing what to say.

''I'm sorry, Sayo,'' he said that simple sentence.

And it meant more to me than everything that I had ever heard in this life. I rested my head on his shoulder.

''You are stupid.''

''I'm sorry for being stupid.''

''You should have just asked me, you know?'', I was getting on a roll. ''I would never do anything just for something troublesome like pity. I'm your friend because I want to. Why would you believe such stupid guys? How should they know what I feel about you? I was so damnit worried because you were behaving so weirdly! Do you want me to get old so badly? I'm going to get gray hair!''

Karma looked down at her guiltily. Sayori had never been so emotional. The Sayori that he knew was calm, a bookworm and always ready to plan the next prank with him. He was sincerely sorry, but he really didn't know how to express it. He hadn't meant to worry her, but the words that those boys had said struck deep. He didn't know why she befriended him, the most troublemaking kid in the class. After the day he had asked after the problem in math, they had just been together. They would go to school together and back and talk to each other. It just klicked.

So instead of saying anything he took her hand and squeezed it. He wasn't good at expressing his feelings, so he would do it through actions. Her eyes were shadowed by her hair, so that he couldn't see her face very well. He felt really bad about the whole thing, but he knew now, she truly cared about him.

''Ne, Sayo?''

''Yes?''

''Let's eat some ice cream later.''

''Yeah.''

''I'm really sorry, you know that?''

''Yeah, I know.''

''I'm really, really sorry.''

''I know that, so stop apologizing.''

''Yeah, sorry.''

''… Let's just eat lunch.''

He could see the smile on her lips again.

And there is chapter 5. Aren't those two adorable? I love writing interactions between them, it's just so cute.

I thank everyone who has read and favourised or followed this story. Your reviews are really welcomed. I'm really proud since this is my first fanfiction. I thank Mey, Nekolover3, VongolaCielo27 and brie72201 for reviewing.

VongolaCielo27 - Now to your question. Yes, Sayori has read Assassination Classroom and will notice that she's in the AC-universe. Mostlikely when she sees Korosensei, but she will only remember bits and pieces. After all it has been about 15 years that she had read it and she doesn't like thinking about her past life.

This chapter was betaed by my dear Shiki. Let's thank her for correcting my oh so horrible mistakes, so that you guys don't want to kill me \(°^^°)/

Wish you a nice day

-Yuki

Edited: 2/14/2016