A/N: Sorry for the crazy-long wait for this chapter.. I can't believe this ended up so long! this could of been like three smaller chapters..
Thank you so much for all the support! I feel as though this chapter has been pretty boring, but I hope it doesn't disappoint!.
The Chairman laced his hands under his chin, his cold violet eyes peering down at the students below from behind the window in his office at the academy.
They looked like tiny insects, milling about in their dark uniforms.
Well. Things certainly had changed in this past month; It started with the arrival of the red devil, a mysterious pest of a vampire who instead of just attacking people, was apparently trying to uncover the academy's secrets. Of course, that couldn't be allowed.
The Chairman wouldn't let any Vampire escape him- especially not a natural born. They were the worst of all. And judging by the Vampire's red hair, he was part of that family- the one the Chairman had vowed to eradicate. Now, some sort of demonic super-being had arrived, claiming it had been the one behind the destruction of several nearby villages. The whole world was next unless they followed it's demands. For whatever reason, he wanted to teach E class, and had brought a whole host of Government officials with him.
They were the Chairman's scapegoat class, the ones that had to be sacrificed for the greater of the school- for all of humanity. That octopus might think he can keep them safe just because he is there teacher now, but the Chairman would prove him wrong. It didn't matter who or what was involved, the E class had to be sacrificed.
And perhaps it was time he got his son involved too, make him get over that ridicules aversion he had for killing humans.
White. Pure bright, blinding light and an impossibly loud roar of an explosion.
Then darkness.
Nagisa awoke to ringing in his ears, and the concerned faces of his classmates hovering above him- he waited for the pain to kick in, but it never did. He sat up, pulling a strange thin see-through cover off himself.
'I'm... Okay? After that explosion. He couldn't see or feel any burns, how could he be fine after that?
"What the hell is this membrane?" Terasaka declared, with a confused scowl glaring at the thin film-like cover as if it had personally offended him. The yellow monster- their teacher, was gone.
"Did we get him?" A few murmurs ran through the class. They all looked as shocked and confused as Nagisa felt.
"What is the meaning of this?" A voice growled. It sounded so dark, so full of fury it took the class a moment to realise it was their teacher speaking, who moments ago sounded so peppy and so cheerful. Slowly, Nagisa looked up. He felt a sick fear knot in his stomach similar to when he faced the demon dogs- clinging to the ceiling like a demented spider, face pitch black and exuding pure rage was their teacher.
"Terasaka- was this your doing?"
Terasaka looked as if he was about to wet himself, the class' eyes collectively widened in horror. A few people even jumped up out of their chairs, as if that was any defence against a Mach 20 monster. Without waiting for a reply, the monster jetted off at an impossible speed, and returned just as quick at he had left, a dark blur bursting into the classroom. Nestled in his appendages were pieces of wood. It took Nagisa a moment to recognise them as the house name plates of class members;
Terasaka,
Murmatsu,
Yoshida,
Isogai,
Shiota,
All of them piled up on each other, like tiny grave stones.
"My agreement with the Government was not to harm the members of this class. But that doesn't include family, friends- the whole world besides you." The monster snarled, his eyes practically red and glowing. He must be pissed they tried to kill him! Suddenly, the enormity if the task placed on them hit Nagisa. The rest of the class seemed to feel the same way.
"B-but we were only trying to defend ourselves! We don't want you to blow us up! Of course we're gonna try take you out!" Terasaka yelled, trying and failing not to sound terrified (Nagisa didn't blame him). It was like a switch was flicked- faster than the eye could see, their teacher's face transformed from the pitch-black mask of fury, to his usual wide grin.
With that goofy expression in place, it was hard to believe the teacher had expressed such anger in the first place.
"That is correct. You trying to kill me is only natural. But none of you seemed to care about Nagisa's well-being. Not even Nagisa himself." The teacher said. He placed one of his long yellow appendages on Nagisa's head. "Although I have to say, Nagisa, your skill in carrying out that assassination was excellent. I think we may of found a natural."
Nagisa blushed slightly, a warm feeling filling him. Acceptance and Approval weren't things he were used to.
"I've thought of a name for you!" The small green haired girl, Kayano, cried out. "Koro-Sensei; As in Korosenine- 'Un-Killable!"
The creature, now dubbed Korosensei, nodded in approval. "Excellent! I'm so happy my pupil named me!" He said. "I can see I have some fine pupils here; Pupils strong enough to come in the top fifty in the hunter tournament!"
The class suddenly looked shocked.
"But that's in a few weeks!"
"Hardly any E class students ever come in the top fifty- let alone all of us, that's crazy!"
"Fear not, class." Korosensei said. "With my training, and the Government's protection, there's nothing to stop each and every one of you from achieving excellence!"
Nagisa left school feeling somehow lighter that day, as if a weight had been lifted off of him as he walked down the forrest road down the mountain. But then something still wasn't right. Where was Karma? He couldn't of been killed or caught by the hunters- word would be out about it in an instant! So what then... Had he gotten bored and just left? No, he wouldn't, right, right?
Then suddenly, as if Nagisa's thoughts alone had summoned him, Karma appeared from the darkness of the forrest, looking paler than usual, and haggard. Nagisa gaped at him in shock, but before the hunter got the chance go say a word, the red haired Vampire wordlessly pulled him into a tight hug.
Nagisa tensed for a moment against Karma, before relaxing as a wave of relief washed over him. He breathed in the scent of spices that had now become familiar to him. He felt himself flush, a warm feeling enveloped him.
"Where have you been?" He asked softly into Karma's chest. "You look starving."
Karma let out a dark chuckle. "That dark haired Government human- Karasuma." He said. "He seems to think that I'm a danger to you, so him and his team have been trying to keep you 'safe' from me by keeping me away. I only just managed to slip away."
That made sense- but Nagisa couldn't blame Karasuma, as frustrating at this situation was, he knew how he and Karma looked from the outside to others. People saw him as a victim and Karma as a monster.
Still. He wished they'd believe him.
Nagisa stepped away slightly, and looked up into Karma's mercury eyes, recognising the hunger in them- the bloodlust edging into his expression.
"Drink my blood." The hunter said, a small smile on his face. He was so glad Karma was back. The Vampire's face split into a wide grin.
"I don't think I'll ever get tired of you offering yourself to me." Karma snickered. Nagisa felt himself blush.
"Shut up." He muttered, embarrassed. Karma just grabbed his waist, and pulled him back against one of the trees. He leaned close, and Nagisa could feel the Vampire's breath against his neck, making him shiver.
Why do I have to feel this way? It isn't normal!
Once again, he was sure Karma was doing this purposefully slow just to tease him. Before biting him, the Vampire pressed his lips against Nagisa's neck, kissing it softly. The hunter was unable to suppress the whimper that escaped his mouth. Okay, now Karma was definitely teasing him!
"J-just get on with it!" He cried, the strange tingly feeling almost overwhelming.
He felt The vibration on his skin as Karma laughed against him, before he plunged his fangs in. There was the familiar sharp sting, then the unnatural wave of pleasure. Nagisa instinctively gripped Karma's shirt while the Vampire tightened his hold on the hunter's waist.
"What now?" Nagisa asked, adjusting his collar after Karma finished drinking from him and had healed the wound. Part of him wanted to ask about this kiss earlier, but he was too embarrassed to even bring it up. "Because our new teacher, Korosensei, is here there's Government officials everywhere, so the Chairman wont be able to use the E class for experiments so easily. Still. I want to expose the academy's secrets to the world."
"Huh? Korosensei? So you named that yellow Octopus thing?" Karma said, laughing slightly before fixing Nagisa a serious look. "But I feel the same. I'm not letting that monster get away with what he's done."
The Vampire and the Hunter walked down the mountain together side-by-side discussing ways they could bring the Chairman down and expose the academy's secrets, but they kept coming to dead-ends. They knew they had to be more careful, after the way they had fallen into Asano's trap last time.
"I don't know why, but I feel as though Korosensei will believe me." Nagisa said, remembering the way the super-being had looked him in the eyes after his assassination attempt. "About the academy and about you."
"You seriously trust that octopus?" Karma asked raising an eyebrow.
"Well, I already trust a Vampire, so I can't get much worse." Nagisa teased. Karma laughed, then stopped suddenly, his eyes training in on Nagisa's arm. He noticed the finger-print shaped bruises dotting the smaller boy's wrist, the ones his mother had gave him.
"How did you get those?" Karma asked, his tone dark, that protective streak flaring up. It took Nagisa a moment to realise what he meant.
"Th- these?" The blue haired boy spluttered, tugging his shirt down to cover his wrist and averted his gaze. "N-nowhere! I walked into a door."
He wasn't exactly sure why he was lying- partially because he was afraid of the truth himself, partially because he was ashamed that he was at the mercy of his own mother. Karma grabbed him and tilted his chin, forcing their eyes to meet so Nagisa couldn't look away.
"Why are you lying?" Karma asked, his voice cold and deadly. "Tell me who hurt you."
Nagisa squirmed, feeling trapped- Karma's glare was so penetrating, he felt exposed in front of him.
"My mother did it." Nagisa said finally, glancing the other way. "She wasn't...too happy... about me disappearing."
The Vampire was suddenly silent; Even he was thrown by that situation. If it were another elite or a bully hurting Nagisa, he'd have no problem teaching them a lesson, but his mother was a different matter. Karma knew, that even if Nagisa's mother was awful to him, he still wouldn't want to see her hurt. The Vampire let go of Nagisa's chin.
"I don't mind.. Really." Nagisa said, looking to the side, that look of defeat Karma hated so much back in his eyes. "I just have to do what she wants me to and I'm fine."
"Nagisa." Karma said, his tone even but his eyes full of fire. "That's no way to live. Come with me again- you can still go to school."
"Karma, I can't.. She's still my family. I saw how bad me leaving messed her up last time. I don't want to do that to her again."
"Why not?" The Vampire asked. "Who cares how she feels, she's hurting you."
"Don't you have a family?" Nagisa asked, then suddenly realised that he had no idea about Karma's family.. He had mentioned having parents in passing, but he'd also implied that he'd been travelling by himself for years when he was only 17 now.
Karma looked surprised for a moment, before his face morphed into a frown and he answered.
"I used to have a family." He said bitterly. "The Akabane family was a great nobel vampire clan. We stretched back generations. I had aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents, great-grandparents.."
He trailed off, looking somewhere in the distance.
"What happened..?" Nagisa asked softly.
"A hunter killed them all when I was seven years old." Karma said, fire in his mercury eyes. "The killer even slaughtered the defenceless children, my cousins. He ransacked the place and stole our family heirlooms and Lapis-Lazuli of my family's dead fingers. Only me and my parents survived because we weren't at the house that day.."
Karma looked away, clearly remembering this was something painful for him.
"After that, my Parents decided the outside world 'wasn't safe' for me, so they kept me locked up in one of their mansion with the butler while they went off traveling." He said, then grinned. "But I guess I got bored, because I escaped to go travelling too."
"I'm sorry you had to go through that." Nagisa said- he had no idea that Karma had such a bloody past, and had basically been abandoned by his parents.
"It was a long time ago now- ten years." Karma said, although it was clear from his expression he still wasn't over it. "But if I ever found out the hunter behind my family's massacre.. There'll be hell to pay."
His voice had a sinister edge that sent a shiver down Nagisa's spine.
"I need to go home." He said in a small voice. Karma glared.
He wrapped his arms around the hunter's waist possessively.
"Back to that woman who hurt you?" The Vampire hissed into his ear. "Stay."
"Back to my mother." Nagisa confirmed. He gave a smile devoid of happiness. "I have to now- things have changed and I can't just run away anymore."
He wished he could stay in Karma's arms forever, but he couldn't. He broke free from Karma's grasp, and the vampire let him.
"Don't go, Nagisa. Let me protect you." Karma said. Nagisa felt a stab of both longing and guilt. He wanted to go back with Karma to his hideout and be with him. But he couldn't.
"Sorry, Karma." Nagisa said, starting to leave, before suddenly, turning back and kissing Karma on the lips quickly.
He wasn't sure why he did it- he just hated seeing Karma look so conflicted, so he tried to cheer him up on instinct.
Nagisa blushed bright red when he realised what he had done.
"S-So I'll see you tomorrow." He spluttered before suddenly rushing off, embarrassed.
Karma watched him go, his own cheeks tinged pink. He smirked slightly, touching his lips. 'He's seriously too cute. But I really wont let him go home if he shows up with any more bruises..'
Life moved quick after that; Nagisa's mother was as high-strung as ever, but she hadn't been violent again (for now) and she stayed calm usually, as long as the blue haired boy followed her every command. Being around her made him feel so weak and helpless, but he hardly had time to reflect on that any more;
The Super-being, Koro-Sensei, was serious about getting the E class to pass their exams. He had been training them non-stop on both academics and hunting techniques.
He wasn't like the teachers back at the academy though; He actually took the time to explain things so everyone understood, rather than just focusing on the best members of the class. Nagisa still didn't get it though; If he wanted to destroy everything, why was Korosensei spending his time teaching them?
Out of school, Nagisa and Karma were both trying to find ways to expose the academy, but it wasn't easy; Every plan they had together seemed to run into a dead-end.
"They've tightened security on the forbidden parts of the Academy, plus with that dumb exam thing you have the place is always crawling with students at all hours. I can't sneak in." Karma told him one day, a week or so after Nagisa had rejoined the school as they sat under a tree together. They hadn't kissed again, but Karma was as touchy-feely as always. Nagisa hadn't worked up the courage to ask exactly what their relationship was yet. 'Friends' would be the easy answer, but did friends kiss, share blood, have this deep connection after such a short time?
"They'll slip up, they have to-" Nagisa insisted, although he felt as though he was convincing himself more than Karma. "I get the feeling the only one who really knows the academy's secrets is the Chairman- One person can't keep a secret that big forever."
"You know." Karma said, leaning his head on Nagisa's shoulder and picking a twig off the ground and snapping it. "We would have more time to work out a solution together if you stopped playing along with that demon's game of 'playing teacher'."
Nagisa sighed- this was one thing they just couldn't agree on.
"It isn't that simple." Nagisa said. "Killing Korosensei is just as important as exposing the academy."
"Korosensei? You named it?" The vampire scoffed, rolling his violet eyes. "We could work out a way to kill him together, without you having to sit in his damn classroom everyday. I can't protect you there, and I don't trust those Government officials or that so-called teacher."
Nagisa gave him a weary smile. "You really don't take well to authority figures, do you, Karma?" He observed.
"I guess you could say that." The Vampire muttered, half-pouting. He looked like a petulant child, Nagisa couldn't help but think that despite being an incredibly powerful and feared vampire, he was pretty cute.
"Well, Mr Karasuma and Korosensei aren't going to hurt me. I really believe that." Nagisa said. He sat up straight, looking Karma dead in the eyes, determination in his gaze. Blue met mercury and both felt the familiar fizzle of electricity pass between them. "Karma, I wish I could leave this all behind again and live with you again in the hideout, but I can't run away from this any more."
Karma opened his mouth, and Nagisa thought he was going to argue his point some more, but instead he pulled the blue haired boy into a tight embrace.
"Hey!"
"Heh. You are so adorable when you get all intense and determined. I guess we'll have to do things your way." The Vampire chuckled, ruffling the hunter's hair. Nagisa felt his face flush.
"Take me seriously, damnit!"
Suddenly, the scene was interrupted by the metallic clang of a sword being drawn, and heavy foots steps signalling an attack.
Nagisa's eyes widened. His first thought was 'Asano' but the movements of the figures approaching from the shadows were a little too slow and a little too clumsy to be him. Karma reacted instantaneously- he stood up quickly, pushing Nagisa behind himself protectively just as the attackers burst through the trees.
There, brandishing their hunter's weapons was Rio Nakamura, Terasaka, Isogai, Maehara and Kataoka. They were arguably the five strongest hunters in E class. A little behind them stood tiny Kayano, almost dwarfed by her sword.
Nagisa looked at them confused- what were they doing?
"Unhand Nagisa, Vampire, we wont accept you using him for his blood anymore." Kataoka exclaimed with a firm and authoritative voice.
"We wont allow anyone from our class to be hurt, so just leave him alone before we have to resort to violence." Isogai pleaded, always the peace-maker. Ah- so this was what this was about; The rest of the class thought Karma was a danger to Nagisa and was using him. They still thought it was impossible for a Vampire to be anything but a evil monster who preyed on humans. The academy's teachings had been well drilled into them, and Nagisa himself had been like that not too long ago.
Karma's eyes narrowed an the insinuation, his grip on Nagisa's hand tightened. He was used to being seen as a monster by now, but it still irked him, especially when he was trying to help these kids.
"So, the brave little hunters have come to save the damsel in distress from the big bad blood-sucker." The Vampire cooed with a mocking tone, a twisted humorless grin marring his face.
"That's the gist of it." Rio Nakamura said, hand on her sword, her long blond hair blowing in the wind, unlike the rest of the hunters, she had a confident smirk on her lips.
She was easily one of the best hunters in E class. She had been a prodigy hunter as a child, but after some jealous classmates had decided she must be a 'Vampire' because she was better than them, she was subjected to bullying and the 'execution game'. Gradually, she started under-performing so she wouldn't stand out. But now, under Korosensei's tutelage she'd flourished.
"You've got it all wrong!" Nagisa cried, although he already knew they'd likely dismiss him as brainwashed. "Karma isn't trying to hurt me, he's trying to help me. He's trying to help all of us, like I said. He isn't our enemy."
"We know you might have the pipsqueak wrapped around your fingers, but we wont be so easy, Blood-sucker!" Terasaka grunted. Since the grenade incident he'd been strangely amiable towards Nagisa in his own gruff way, perhaps it was because he felt guilty.
"Give up now!" Kayano shouted, looking fiercely determined. But her tiny figure and poor grip on the sword made her look anything but threatening. As annoyed as he was, even Karma's gaze softened for a moment when he saw her.
"Eh? Are you all really too dense to work out that I'm not the one trying to hurt you?" Karma taunted. Of course he was trying to rile them up in retaliation, Nagisa though exasperated.
"Listen, Vampire, I don't care how adorable Nagisa is, you can't just take him like that!" Rio said. Nagisa blushed slightly, embarrassed (Karma was definitely going to tease him for that later, he could sense it).
Suddenly, Karma moved forwards. Before any of the hunters could react he was already stood behind Rio, his fingers pointed to
her neck. Her blue eyes widened with fear, everyone froze, even Nagisa felt a shiver run down his back.
"You know, I could defeat you all in an instant if I wanted to." Karma said, pressing his finger a little harder into Rio's neck, a seemingly-sweet smile on his face. Nobody dared move. "But since you all care about Nagisa so much, I'll let you off for now- later."
And then, moving so fast he almost blurred, the Vampire disappeared into the darkness of the forrest.
Everyone felt a rush of relief and let out a sigh. Even Nagisa was worried for a moment there, he knew how quickly Karma's temper flared up when people treated him like a monster, he felt for sure that his classmates would end up with Wasabi shoved up their noses.
They may be misguided, but they were good people.
"Nagisa, you need to be more careful." Kataoka scolded.
"Karma isn't a threat." Nagisa said, but it was clear that nobody really believed that. But how could he change their minds?
"I'm so impressed with how much all of you have improved!" Korosensei beamed at them, his permanent grin in place and his beady black eyes shining with pride.
The tests were in two weeks, and the class had improved more than they ever thought possible; Korosensei had taken the time to refine everyone's weaknesses, and discover their strengths. Unlike their previous teachers, he didn't dismiss them when they didn't meet standards straight away. The class smiled at each other, a sense of determination and pride was in the air. Despite their dark dingy classroom, the atmosphere seemed lighter somehow.
"Pretty soon we'll be strong enough to take on you!" Maehara said, the class hollered in agreement, even Nagisa joined in.
"Hmmm, we'll see about that." Korosensei said, the green-stripes appearing on his face indicating that he was feeling superior. "Anyway, I'll see you tomorrow class! Be careful on your way home!"
The E class filed out the door, talking with each other confidently.
"You know, I think for the first time ever, every E class student will pass the exam." Okajima said, a wide smile on his face.
"Yeah man! Nothing can stop us now!" Sugino agreed.
Nagisa was walking home with a two of classmates; Suigino, and Kayano. The trek down the mountain had been treacherous at first, with it's steep landscape, and numerous tree roots concealed under the shadows of the leaves, but by now they had gotten used to three of them where chatting away about their plans for the next day's lesson, when suddenly, Nagisa heard the rumble of footsteps approaching them.
He could sense somebody with a strong killing-intent getting closer and closer.
"Quick!" He cried, indicating for his friends to follow him and escape. By the sound of the footsteps, there were several attackers, but the forrest was too dense to see them. Who could it be? They sounded too loud to be anyone with any skill. Turned Vampires perhaps? Nagisa prayed not.
His heart thundered in his chest as he ran, Kayano and Suigino looked equally terrified as they ran alongside him, trying their best to be quiet, which was an impossible task when every branch snapped loudly under their feet.
The three of them raced through the forrest, still being followed by the mysterious attacker. The forrest was an endless maze of roots and branches.
Bam!
Nagisa whipped around just in time to see Kayano trip over a tree branch, and plummet to the floor, her golden eyes filled with terror as she smacked the ground painfully.
"Kayano!" Nagisa cried, running back to her, Suigino did the same.
"Just run!" She told them, a bruise already forming on her forehead, tears springing to her eyes from the pain.
"Don't be stupid." Nagisa said, crouching down to help her up. But it was too late, their attackers had reached them;
Out from the branches stepped a gang of surly looking men, each with an expression meaner than the next. There was about five of them in total, and it was clear from the bats and crowbars clutched in their calloused hands that they weren't just there to chat.
"Well well, looks like we have some poor defenceless E class losers." One of them smirked. Like most of the others, his head was shaved and although he was muscular he had a pot-belly. He was wearing dirty clothes covered in stains.
"What do you want?" Nagisa asked, glaring at the gang as he supported Kayano in standing up. Why would a gang of adult delinquents be targeting E class?
"That Chairman guy paid us handsomely just to mess you losers up ACK-!" A scrawny one started saying, but one of the other gang members punched him in the stomach to shut him up.
"You aren't supposed to tell 'em that!" He hissed. He turned to adress the three young hunters"We're just doing for- you know, the fun of it!"
Nagisa gritted his teeth as he realised what was going on; The Chairman couldn't harm the E class directly because of the Government, so he'd hired a gang of thugs to do his dirty work and make it look like a random accident. How despicable! Why did he need E class to fail so badly?
"Leave us alone and nobody will get hurt!" Suigino commanded, drawing his sword. But it was clear who would win if they went to battle; There where five thugs and three E class students, plus Kayano was already injured.
"I'm sorry." Kayano whispered to Nagisa, realising this, as she continued to lean on him.
"It's fine." The blue haired boy whispered back, as he pulled out his own knife.
"Aw, how adorable- they think they stand a chance against us." The pot-bellied leader scorned, the rest of the gang snickered. "Let's show 'em what real strength looks like."
The thugs approached them, metal bars clutched in hands. Nagisa gulped, and forced himself to swallow down his growing fear, to ignore it and focus on a way of getting out of this situation. He pushed Kayano behind him protectively, and held out his knife. Suddenly, Suigino ran out in front of the both of them towards the attackers, brandishing his sword.
"I wont let you bastards harm my friends!" He shouted, hitting the first guy with the hilt of his sword painfully in the stomach. But Suigino's upper-hand didn't last long; The sickening crack of the bat making impact with Suigino's head echoed around the forrest. The navy haired boy stumbled to the floor, blood dripping down his forhead.
"Suigino!" Nagisa cried, running forward with his knife. He winced when he heard a second crack as one of the thugs whacked Suigino's shin, breaking the bone.
A dark bloodlust radiated off Nagisa. His fear dissipated and was replaced with rage- How dare they hurt Suigino like that! The gang members stopped beating Suigino and turned to look at the small hunter approaching them. Even they felt a chill from his almost palpable killing intent.
"W-what is a pipsqueak like you tryna scare us?" One of them sneered, although there was an edge of fear to his voice.
Nagisa didn't reply, instead he lurched forwards, using his small build to his advantage and attacked one of the members furthers away from him- they weren't expecting that. He drove his knife deep into the attackers thigh. He let out a strangled cry of pain, then fell to the floor as blood gushed out of the wound on his leg.
"Y-You little freak!" The leader hissed, in shock that his comrade had fallen so quickly. He and the others rounded on Nagisa.
Nagisa knew he had no hope of beating them, but still, he bared his 'd drag them down to hell with him if he had as they approached him, weapons clutched in their meaty hands, a brilliant flash of red filled Nagisa's vision;
Karma. Karma was here.
The attackers were wiped out in mere seconds. Before they even knew what had happened to them, they were already unconscious on the floor.
Karma knocked the last one out with a swift whack the head, and finally stopped still. His hair was wind-swepped, and when he looked at Nagisa's his eyes were still glowing with a now-fading bloodlust.
Nagisa's shoulder's relaxed, he let out a sigh of relief Their eyes met, and the Vampire smiled.
"Karma.." He said, for a moment feeling safe and calm. Then he returned to reality.
"W-wait! Why did that Vampire help us?" Kayano asked. She was clearly in shock. Her knife was still held tight in her hands, her legs were shaking.
"Karma isn't as scary as he seems. He really does want to help us." Nagisa said. Karma looked to the side.
"If by wants to help 'us' you mean 'Nagisa'." He said. Nagisa chose to ignore that- despite the way he acted, the blue haired boy was sure that Karma would help anyone who was really in danger.
A pained groan from the floor brought their attention back to Sugino. Immediately, Nagisa and Kayano crouched down next to him to inspect the damage.
"A-are you okay?" Nagisa asked tentatively. It felt like such a stupid question- Sugino's hair was matted with blood, and his leg was clearly broken, it bent off to the side at an awkward angle.
"I'll be fine." Sugino panted, but he was clearly anything but. Kayano ripped off some of her skirt to staunch the bleeding on his head.
"Karma- you carry him back down to the hospital- " Nagisa started to say, trying to piece the situation back together, when suddenly he was interrupted by an ear-piercing scream from somewhere in the forrest.
"There's another attack- " Karma said- he could clearly hear more with his enhanced hearing. His expression suddenly darkened. "I'll check it out-"
And with that, he disappeared deeper into the forrest.
"I'm sorry." Korosensei said, bowing his globular yellow head low. "I underestimated how far the Chairman would go to deter you from victory, and I overestimated the power of the protection that the Government granted you with."
It was the next day, after the attacks had taken place. It had turned out that Chairman Asano had hired various thugs to accost E class and injure them just before the exam to make sure they failed. Of course, because it was all under-the-table, they couldn't actually prove he was the one behind it, and it wasn't just a random attack, much to Karasuma's frustration.
Five separate gangs of motley thugs had attacked the class when they had split up to walk home- Several students had come to class sporting fresh bruises today, Terasaka had a ugly gash stitched up on his arm, but by far the worst injured was Sugino. He sat in his chair, his leg in a cast, a pained expression on his face (really, it was a surprising he even turned up to class considering his condition!).
Things would of been a lot worse if Karma hadn't stepped in- after hearing the commotion, he managed to incapacitate the gangs before they caused too much trouble. Non of them where a match for him in the slightest (It made Nagisa realise just how skilled Karasuma and Asano must be to keep up with Karma despite not being Vampires themselves).
Karma was currently stood next to Nagisa. Saving basically the entire class had finally made people realise he really wasn't a threat. The vampire had insisted on joining the class because after yesterday's attacks 'it wasn't safe'. Nobody protested.
"Because of my incompetence, my beloved students have come under harm. All I can do is ask for your forgiveness." Korosensei said. His voice was serious, with non of it's usual vigour. He sounded truly sincere, no hint of his usual jokes or theatrics. His face was the same as always, and his black beady eyes where near impossible to read, but Nagisa could tell the guilt he was expressing was genuine.
A silence filled the room. The whole atmosphere was pretty dire- The attacks made the class realise the Chairman really was trying to hurt them. Their confidence from the day before had dissipated and was replaced by fear and dispere.
Isogai was the first one to break the silence, the leader as always. He stood up, facing Korosensei.
"Non of us blame you for this. But we accept your apology. And I think we have an apology to make ourselves." The Brunet said with vindication. He then turned to face Karma and Nagisa, his gold eyes intense. "Nagisa... Karma. We're sorry for not believing you. Karma we're sorry for treating you like a monster. We know now that the Chairman really does want to harm us, and you're trying to protect us. We'll help you uncover the secrets of the academy any way we can! We can work together to stop him!"
Isogai offered his hand towards Karma.
"So please, forgive us."
The Vampire looked down at Isogai's hand, an unreadable expression on his face. Nagisa was afraid the red head's arrogant streak would cause him to dismiss the class rep, but instead Karma took Isogai's hand and shook it.
"Don't worry about it." The Vampire said with a casual shrug. "It's not as if you had any reason to trust my word. And I guess I don't mind working with you guys. Even if you are hunters."
Nagisa couldn't help the slight smile that grew on his face. This situation was awful, but at least his class and Karma where working together.
"EXCELLENT!" Korosensei declared excitedly, his serious demeanour from moments earlier shattering. "Karma is now our newest member of E class! Congratulations!"
Everyone's eyes widened in shock.
"I said I would work with everyone! Not that I'd join the class! A Vampire can't become a hunter!" Karma exclaimed, putting his hands on his hips. Nagisa giggled slightly- when the Vampire got flustered he really did seem like a normal teenager, not an all-powerful supernatural creature.
"Ahh, but you'd make a wonderful addition to my class!" Korosensei snickered, clearly intent on having Karma join. "Learning hunter skills would give you an edge over your fellow vampires."
" Sorry to break it to you, but I don't have time to waste sitting here and- and- learning the history of numbers or whatever it is people do at school." Karma insisted, crossing his arms. A few members of the class where starting to look amused, while most still seemed confused.
"I can tell you are very intelligent, but still, uneducated. And not used to interacting with people regularly." Korosensei said, nodding his round head as he spoke. "You'd have a lot to learn in E class. I'd surely make you into a fine Vampire."
"I don't need some weird creatures help to become a 'fine vampire'." Karma said, rolling his eyes. Nagisa couldn't help the half-smile on his face. The vampire really did have an authority problem.
"Hm~ Well then.. How about a challenge?" Korosensei said. Neither Nagisa nor the rest of the class knew what he had in mind, but something about the gleam in his beady black eyes made Nagisa think it would be something crazy!
This chapter was sooo long to do, because I wanted to fir in so much exposition to set up for next chapter- Show how evil the Chairman is, have Karma join E class and be accepted ect.
Next chapter- The hunter examinations. But of course, the Chairman will have a few nasty tricks up his sleeve to harm E class (Specifically Karma and Nagisa) There will be some big revelations in the next chapter about a certain person's identity, and the academy's secrets.
Please review to tell me what you think, or if you have any ideas what the twists may be! (or if there is anything you think I should add to the story)
(it's been so long I can't remember which reviews I replied to, so I'm replying to them here now..!
gabby1541- Thanks for the review, sorry it took my a year to put out two chapters!
SSJ Mirah Gohan- Sorry Karma didn't kill Nagisa's mother in this!
Catturner7007- TY for the encouragement!
Kanon58- There will be more Asano and Nagisa moments next chapter, but I can't garunte that they will be friendship.
jilnachtaugen- Sorry my update wasn't soon, but I did bring Karma back, so I granted one of your wishes!
Loctus sword- Thank you for your long reviews as always! I always look forward to them!
Guest- Sorry for not updating 'soon' D:
Larix959- Writers block is indeed scary.. And Nagisa survived this chapter as well.. for now..
StainedSculpture- I'm not sure if I've captured the gothic feel, but there is action in this chapter
XxStylishAnimeLoverxX- Thank you for the reivew! Sorry if this chapter feels rushed also!
KuroCeil- Thank you for the review, sorry for the typos!
Shadow of the Moon555- Thank you for the review, it only took about six months for you to find out what happened to Karma!
BabyNightmareLady- Thank you!
Guest and Poisonyx- Well, Karma's joined E class, so that's happened now :)
InstaLuna- Thank youuu
FattyKitty- Thanks for the review, I'm glad you like the story!
Pandhobbit- Im glad you think my story is well-written, that makes me happy :D
Mad Demonheart- Karma's back now! So no worries!
Yamu-Chan- I agree, I do need to update more often...
All the other Guests; Thank you for all the reviews!