A/N: *waves frantically* Thank you so much for all your kind reviews! I'm so glad people like this story. I decided to post it on the spur of the moment, and while I have most of the plot fleshed out in my notebook, I am kind of stuck between a rock and a hard place. See, I was thinking about putting smut ( just one chapter or so ) about them doing the do, but I'm kind of unsure if I should do that or not. So if it's not too much trouble, could you guys comment about what I should do? If enough people want a steamy scene, I'll put it in. As usual, reviews, favorites and subscriptions are appreciated. More action in the next chapter, I promise! *blows kisses*

P.S. Cookies to Dragon Silhouette who got the reference in Chapter One! *claps*

"You look like shit."

The apartment smells fabulous when Nagisa wakes up, and Taylor Swift is crooning soulfully through the surround sound speakers about going back to December. She looks across the open floor plan into the kitchen and sees Rio swaying to the music while she flips pancakes off the griddle. Dressed in a pair of holey sweats and a white tank top, the blonde shakes her head at Nagisa with a grin, directing her over to the breakfast table. Kayano is already seated, and she looks up from the morning newspaper with a sympathetic smile. Nagisa examines the food on her plate. Looks like scrambled eggs, a strip of bacon and a half-eaten pancake.

"Bad dreams?" Rio probes, using tongs to flip over the bacon sizzling on the stove.

Nagisa groans, but the sound is muffled by her burying her face into her arms. "Bad mission, more like. The Bitch smothered me in her enormous tattas, and I didn't even get a chance to tell her about that prick!"

Rio dishes up scrambled eggs, a couple of sausage links, and English muffin and bacon. The blond plonks into a chair next to Nagisa, her ears practically flapping in anticipation. "Ohohoho ~ Did our cute little Nagisa meet a guy?"

"He got in the way of my mission," Nagisa grouses, neatly plucking Kayano's mug from her hands. Kayano exclaims indignantly, but Nagisa ignores her and takes a tentative sip. Bleargh. For a girl with a sweet tooth, it is a mystery to her how Kayano can guzzle down mugs filled with the darkest, nastiest coffee that can be consumed and still be considered a liquid. Making a face, Nagisa shoves the mug back to Kayano. "Ruined everything."

Rio munches on a handful of bacon, studying Nagisa with those worldly sapphire eyes, eyes that have seen more than anyone should be subjected to. Her eyes gleam. "Details, Nagisa. I'm dying over here."

Nagisa lifts a hand in surrender, speaking through a mouthful of scrambled egg. Yum. Rio is a cooking goddess, second to only Sumire Hara. "Okay, okay. Yeesh. All I could see was his red hair. He had golden eyes too."

Rio stills. "Are you sure?"

"Ritsu's checking the feed from the lobby's security cameras, and she's monitoring the TV reports, but she's said squat about the prick." Nagisa shrugs slender shoulders. "Maybe I just imagined it all."

"I'll ask her later."

"Mmm. Thanks Rio."

The blonde returns Nagisa's tired smile, and if Nagisa notices her slightly strained smile, the bluenette deigns to say anything. Rio already has a vague inkling of who the young man is, and is unsurprised when Ritsu confirms her suspicions.

Rio takes Nagisa out for lunch at a deli near the Agency, with delicious wraps and a decent selection of Ben & Jerry cups. Kataoka Megu, Kaede Kayano and Hinano Okano tag along too – just eighteen year old girls out for a day of fun. No one would suspect them of being professional assassins, with a total body count reaching the hundreds.

The group sits at a metal table in the back, the remnants of their lunch on a tray between them. The deli isn't as crazed during lunchtime as some of the other restaurants and full-service eateries in the area are, which suits everyone fine; especially since Rio has some key information to reveal.

"So I talked to Ritsu, and get this – Nagisa's dream guy is real," Rio says, licking Chunky Monkey ice cream off the back of her spoon. "He's called Karma."

Nagisa practically wilts – word had spread fast around the Agency about her failed mission – and her forehead meets the table. "Rio, that is so misleading –"

"Wait, wait," Kayano interjects, a puzzled frown creasing her forehead. "Are you trying to say that the reason Nagisa failed was because she did too many bad things?"

"No, no." Rio's startlingly blue eyes bore into Nagisa's own with a seriousness that takes the shorter girl aback. "That's his name. Akabane Karma."

Megu's mouth forms a little 'O' of surprise. "You mean that psychotic devil? The Akabane Karma from Karasuma's group?"

While Hinano sighs dreamily at the thought of her crush ( 'Dark and Dangerous' Mr Karasuma, whom Professor Bitch has the hots for ), Nagisa winces as she swallows a mouthful of Cherry Garcia. She's heard about the Psychotic Prince – in fact, she doubts that anyone at their table hasn't heard of him. But she'd never thought that she'd actually get to meet the guy face-to-face – even if hers had been behind the narrow scope of a rifle.

Incredibly cocky ( not to mention sadistic ), Akabane was a top assassin, who'd killed thousands, ranging from corrupt politicians to human traffickers. Nagisa had heard some pretty nasty rumors about the guy. ( "He once shoved mustard and wasabi up his target's nose!" "I heard that Akabane once taped a live cockroach to another guy's head." ), and incredible tales about his missions, some of which seemed to unbelievable to be true. Completing an assassination on a plane headed to Chennai . . . Jumping off the roof of a three story building ( and surviving ) . . . Rescuing a kidnapped Princess of a small tribe in Kenya . . .

"Oh, Nagisa, you have to be careful!" Kayano berates her friend in a hushed, horror laced voice. "That guy is like – like a wild animal!"

"I'll be careful," Nagisa promises, slurping up the last of her slightly melted ice cream. "Besides, I'm sure that time was just a coincidence. I won't see Akabane anymore, I'm sure."