12

"Okay class! The instructions for the literature competition! In 2 weeks... I expect excellence! Full class attendance! Everyone!" He handed out a yellow paper, loaded with words to each, and in a single-file line they all grabbed one, storming out the door, out of the E Class Building, and began walking down the mountain, some excitably running because it was Friday, the weekend now, and they had made plans.

Kaede was probably the most excited as she skipped out of the room like she was jumping rope.

Then finally, it was the last student. Last as always. Koro Sensei handed him the paper, but it didn't seem that he cared much.

He never cared much, at least, that's what it came off as, but that was not the case, because he got fantastic scores and grades.

However, today something was incorrect about him. The Sensei knew, something was off.

"Karma-kun." He stopped him with a tentacle, one of his smaller ones, before the teen could walk through the threshold.

"What?" He looked up at the smiley face, his newly manicured long bangs swishing across his brow.

The Sensei noted that his voice was so dry. Irritable too.

"I have a question. Nrughujujh." Koro Sensei chuckled, not a joyous one, but a more withholding one, a different tentacle was held up like a pointer finger.

Karma was certain what this was about.

"Hn." That arid throat barely cracked. He slid the paper into his black lined notebook. He couldn't scram because the professor was in his way, and he knew when the sensei wanted answers he usually got them.

"You weren't paying attention earlier? I wouldn't of had to mess with your hair." It came out in a teasing manner. "Even though... your ends were split." he laughed again. "Every time you don't give the work undivided attention... I will style your hair like a different popular anime... how about that? Now I wouldn't want you to not have any hair left Karma-kun." He teased. "You wouldn't want to be bald now would you? You have the best hair! I'm jealous!" A tentacle went up to rub his shiny ball-head.

Karma's hazel eyes filtered to the wall. "It's fine."

"..." Koro Sensei realized that wasn't really an accurate, direct response to what he said, and he actually... still wasn't paying attention.

Karma narrowed his lids, looking spacey. Thoughts elsewhere.

The professor poked his cheek with a quick yellow poke. "Hello? Earth to Karma-kun! You awake?"

"Uhf... stop. I hate that." He barely fought back, only smacking it away slightly.

"You're not as aggressive about my 'punishments' as you normally are."

Hppf. Karma spurted air out of his nose. Huffy. His eyes did that gesture where they happened to nonchalantly 'roll' to the left, to look in a certain direction.

It was out the window.

In a second, Koro Sensei appeared behind him, looking in the same area.

Karma didn't see him. Impossible at that speed.

The sensei watched him watching, seeing exactly where his attention was going... on something... someone.

His right ear fizzled with a chill. From behind, whispers. Low toned: "I see what you're looking at Karma."

Startled, he froze. Eyes popped.

So. Sensei.

"All I had to do was watch." His voice, it wasn't coming off as being within a tonal realm of mischievousness, nothing grotesque, or slick. It was more as-a-matter-of-fact. The sensei had already realized the 'someone'.

"Not sure what your talking about." He said quietly, plainly. A lame play to get the professor off of his back, his eyes, like buttercups, flowing back and forth across the path, watching her. She sat down her backpack, readjusting something within it.

The professor wasn't convinced. Actions and words are two different things.

"You do." He confirmed.

He said nothing, closing his eyes. He couldn't escape, this was the only person (if you'd call the sensei a person), that he couldn't evade, at Mach Speed it was impossible. This made his skin boil.

"What I don't know... is the intent."

Karma peeked again, trying to hide the fact that he had his eyes open. Childish of him really.

Koro Sensei knew.

She had grabbed a comb out. He watched her fervently brush her locks, pushing them behind an ear as she flopped the pack back up on a shoulder, and restarted walking away.

To who knows where.

"I know about the bullying."

That sent his cheeks hot.

He should of known... that he knew.

Sensei knows everything.

Karma was feeling insecure about this conversation.

A hundred things raced. What is it exactly that Koro Sensei wanted to hear? Should this continue?

Should I say?

Could he trust the sensei? Could he? The words that would spill out, come out, would they give off meaning? Meaning at all? Too little of?

He knows, maybe something. Not everything...

Not anything?

It was the bane of someone with an overactive mind.

"I can see your brain working Karma-kun." He poked the back of his head, in a soft way, to get his point across, then flashed to the side of him again, where he had been before, the tentacle blocking the doorway gone. "You can leave now."

The professor wouldn't permit anymore of Karma's actions like that towards her. However, at the same time, Koro Sensei knew Karma too well at this point. Nothing would stop Karma from doing 'Karma', and being Karma. But he still wanted to make sure that Karma 'knew' that he 'knew'.

Karma looked at the ball of yellow, into it's eyes. He seemed hazy to the professor. Instead skedaddling, Karma's mouth dropped, and a few words spilled.

A babble.

"I'm confused."

"I know." The response came quick. It earnestly surprised him, Karma's openness.

Karma looked at him starry eyed. Nail on head. Lately he'd been having such trouble. His voice box having a mind of it's own. Getting away from him... somehow?

"Isn't conflict what you like?"

"Yes." It spilled again, his voice trance-like. And what was being uttered from it... it was nothing but pure truths.

"So?"

"Not now."

"Hm?" Koro Sensei, was now the one not understanding. That he didn't get. "I don't follow."

Karma tilted his head, trying to shake himself from this state, as if... to just let the teacher know that he was okay.

It was an honest attempt at help, that Karma did know, and that he did respect him for.

"Karma? What's confusing?" He said down the hall as he watched the red-head whisk out, those small black eyes boring holes into the back of his head where he had previously poked him.

Karma should of expected that the sensei knew something was going on.

He was too smart. Intelligent.

But he wasn't ready to say anything.

There isn't anything to say.

Nothing Sensei.

Nothing.

Monday

Terasaka had finally got the bandages off of his nose that past Friday. He was ready to have them off as they had started to itch.

That's why he had bustled out the door so quick, grabbing the yellow paper and running off with his squad.

Everyone was outside, they were all standing around, awaiting Koro Sensei. They were all directed to the shade tree under which Zumi had been sitting under avoiding P.E.

Koro Sensei was running a bit late today, and everyone knew why. He was packing things up inside, obviously to have some sort of grand educational experience on the grass. Most everybody assumed it was to talk to them about the competition before the end of the day.

"Hey, uh, it's hot out, can I sit here?" Terasaka mumbled.

Zumi thought that it was fine out, a good temperature... so that was an odd statement.

She wanted to be left alone, she was more interested in seeing who liked to hangout with who.

She was sitting on a big, thick, old low branch on the tree by herself, and on the other low branch on the other side, the wavy red headed girl, Kaede, and another girl with dark hair and the same color eyes as Isogai chatted.

They were giggling up a storm, and it was making Zumi feel grossed out. It was honestly... too much.

That was one group that liked to hang out together she realized.

Another group, was a girl who was really quiet with dark pig-tailed braids and the guy with glasses (which Zumi already realized was amazing at science), were hanging out on the left side of the shade tree, closer to the edge of where the branches cut out less light. They were half in and half out of the shade.

Normally the girl was so shy she wouldn't talk to anyone, but with this guy she could clearly see that they must have enough in common that she was absolutely rambunctious, and speaking loudly enough that Zumi could actually hear her pronouncing words, even though they were far enough away that she couldn't make the words out.

Terasaka's clan sat together, until he came over here. That was normal.

Salmon with Nagisa. Also normal.

Sugino and Isogai sat together, and were kind of talking... kind of not really. Not enough in common probably. Isogai had shot a few glances at her. Isogai and her exchanges a few glances at least everyday, and if they worked together then they'd chat... sort of.

She was making mental notes so she could write about this experience in her journal later. She had made a habit of trying to draw everyone she could in there, notating everything she did, step by step, day by day.

But now, Terasaka had walked over and bugged her. She wasn't too happy.

Zumi shrugged at him. Neither saying yes or no with her actions... but more of a 'whatever'.

Karma sat up in the grass, staring hard at the school building.

How long is that octopus gunna take?

Nagisa laid down on the grass, folding his hands over his chest, staring up at the clouds. His eyes were on Karma though. "Karma."

"Hm?" He responded from his throat. He was trying hard not to look over there. He figured if maybe he looked at the school building, up the stairs, then maybe he could just catch a glance peripherally, and Terasaka's group wouldn't notice. Not that it mattered physically, he could take any of them on, any day, any time. He was more concerned about Terasaka seeing him watching.

His previous feeling on not standing in another guy's way to ask a girl out still stood.

But so did his damn interests. His fun.

As soon as Terasaka stood to make a motion over there, Karma felt his whole body go white hot.

In expectancy.

He kept telling himself in his head that it was because he knew, and that was the only reason.

But that wasn't the entire truth.

He hoped.

Hoped that Terasaka would fail.

Miserably.

So he could be selfish.

"So, okay." Terasaka laughed under his breath. He scratched the back of his head in a goofy way that made Zumi crunch her nose.

It was...

She couldn't quite place it. The way he did it was so immature. Child-like. Innocent. But yet, something loomed about it in her head.

He had gained her full attention as he hopped up on the low branch and sat close enough to her but not that close.

Karma fizzled.

He seen. In the corner of his eye. The proximity of them.

Damn it.

Nagisa seen Karma grind his teeth in his mouth, suddenly his face looked tense and false. "Uh. Karma?"

Karma knew. He knew that Nagisa noticed. "What." It came out as more of a statement than as a question as he just stared at the school building, his eyes protruding into the windows watching Koro Sensei grabbing stuff, some of it at mach speed, some of it not, grinding his back molars.

He was hoping the teach would hurry his ass up. Maybe that'd break up things.

"Are you?" Nagisa never thought he'd ask this question to his taller friend, but... they'd known each other long enough that Nagisa understood his expressions to a certain extent. "Are you okay?" It came out quietly, as not to draw attention, so much like an assassin.

Terasaka just kept trying to stir up conversation with her.

This girl. That he liked.

"So do you like to go anywhere?"

Zumi wasn't even facing him, but that question made her head snap in his direction.

What exactly was he getting at? She didn't have time for this crap.

So far his speaking was nothing but random spurts of questions which didn't matter to her.

But that one struck a chord somewhere inside.

Is he?

Karma through a clinched expression grumbled an 'I'm fine.' It wasn't an entire lie. He was physically fine, but his mind wasn't... exactly.

"Nah." Nagisa simply said, then turned his head ever so slightly to look up to the sky again. "You want something."

Karma's face jolted to his. Their eyes met in this acknowledgement.

Karma's yellow eyes looking heated, slightly flushed and Nagisa's looking blue and calm... and knowing.

"I don't."

"No." Zumi was course.

"Uh. haha!" Terasaka laughed awkwardly, balancing on the tree limb, and he scooted a bit closer.

Zumi leered away from him, her upper body leaning the opposite direction, body language obviously opposite of Terasaka's. Her body tilted backwards from him, eyes vigilant.

He looked damn excited for some weird reason.

"You do."

"No."

"Karma, do you even know what you're doing?"

"Do you?!" Karma snapped.

Nagisa narrowed his eyes at him. That was such a defensive statement! He knew something was going on up there in Karma's brain, and it involved that girl. He wasn't sure what it was, he wasn't sure what was going on.

That prompted him to sit up, and glance over to where she was then look away.

Oh.

"Zumi." Terasaka used her name.

Her mouth quivered like how someone's does right before they throw up.

She admitted Terasaka wasn't bad looking. But she wasn't interested.

"No." She whispered.

Terasaka's face froze.

Did she already know?

"She seems put off." Nagisa laid back down, he had heard it from his spot, confident that that would satisfy his friend.

But it didn't.

Karma sat there tense still. It wasn't over until it was over.

Evading the situation in front of him, by still just staring at the building, Koro Sensei finally looking like he was about done.

Put off.

De-ja vu.

"I didn't even get a chance to..."

"I said no." Zumi crossed her arms.

"I want to explain."

Zumi gawked.

Explanation? What explanation?

"You see. I uh." He looked at her now, he felt turned down, but something about him still remained firm. "I know you."

"What?" Zumi's mouth fell open.

WHAT?!

Karma heard that!

And he heard it strong.

His eyes looked brisk again, like they were staring into a field of stars. His lids moved in and out, his irises instantly wide, beyond interested. If anybody was paying attention to him they easily would be so confused on why he was staring so harshly into the school, looking agitated.

Nagisa had heard it too, and of course, naturally he was on Karma's side, so he didn't move, not to draw any attention to himself.

The red-head's mind exploded. Something inside his throat lightly growled.

What the hell was that idiot talking about?! He knew her?

Nagisa started to realize that Karma was getting more worked up about Terasaka sitting over there than he thought.

The teen next to him was more than irritated.

Nagisa could see his fumes. Invisible fumes.

Does Karma?

"The black jacket that you started wearing." Terasaka pointed to it. It rested down on top of her backpack on the ground by the base of the tree.

"What about it?" It was her cousin's. It was her's now.

"It's a motorcycle jacket."

"Yeh. So?"

"Calm." Nagisa tried an attempt at being soothing. His voice came across smooth and easy. He would of tried to put a hand on Karma's shoulder, or something, but then other's around would know what was going on.

Others for some reason weren't paying attention to 'Saka and her talking, Nagisa noted... except them.

Everyone was in their respective cliques and chatting.

And because of it he reversed his previous thought and went to rest his palm on Karma's middle back.

"Do you ride them?"

"No." Her answer came off in a puff.

"You used to." Terasaka smiled out. He looked earnest.

She lowered her gaze, and her arms unlaced a bit. She still had her arms crossed, but they were looser.

Did he? Somehow?

She instantly was on edge.

What does he know?

"Talking, that's all it is." Nagisa whispered out. "L.."

"No. It's not." He cut him off, tensing at his friendly reassurance, the palm on his back.

Nagisa looked up into his reddish eyes, looking a bit blood shot, overly bothered.

"Then?"

"He's asking her out." Those words came out so feral.

"What?" Nagisa's eyes opened really wide. Wider than they ever had. In absolute, utter surprise.

Zumi said nothing. Waiting for him to spill it. It was obvious he was going to.

"Jackson. Ever heard that name before?"

Instantly, somewhere inside something rung like a bell. Jackson.

How is it that... that sounds...

"We used to call him Jack. Remember?"

Zumi's mouth fell.

She remembered now.

"You're bothered that she's getting asked out." Nagisa's words bubbled out. He had figured it out, and just exhausting those words out of his mouth felt so clear and in-the-right. That was it. Karma was pissed off.

Karma ignored Nagisa.

All he could think was... Jackson?

His inner mechanism's were turning, emotions changing once again.

It was information... and Terasaka was providing.

"Jack and Zizz used to have a bike gang together."

Zumi nodded slightly.

He knows about... ?

"Zizz. We used to call him Zizz because it was impossible to pronounce his actual name."

Zumi smirked.

Karma boiled.

A smirk.

What the hell.

Shit.

His mind raced, his game. Here new information was being choked up, and it was teasing him horribly. He was hanging on by every word that that idiot plopped out, about his... toy?

She wasn't an object, that he knew, but he was 'toying'. Playing.

He liked to play.

And when the play just starts to get fun again, it runs on the edge of being cut off.

If Terasaka gets through to her...

It could be over.

For him.

No more.

"Zuzijishima Hijikoi Kadisudiwa." She stated.

"Uh, yeh." 'Saka stated. "Zizz."

"Who's that?" Nagisa whispered to Karma.

Karma didn't move. Soaking in data like a sponge. Enraged.

"How do you know them?" Zumi crossed her arms back tighter again. She wanted to know and she wanted to know now. She stared Terasaka down like she would steam roll over him if he didn't belch it up.

He didn't seem unnerved by it though. He just sat there and kind of swung his legs a bit.

It kind of reminded her of her mom.

'Saka's eyes moved around, he was going back in his memory, recalling.

"I was a friend of Jack's. I think I was 9 at the time. Jack was my older brother's friend, well... so, I guess, Jack and my brother, Niduru, were friends, and I was just the annoying little brother that tagged along."

He chuckled at himself. It was a good memory for him, even though the sound of it came off kind of sad.

"Jack and Zizz hung out at that motorcycle garage down by Ivy Lot."

This was getting unbearable to a certain red-head on the ground, who so happen to have a fresh new hairstyle.

He could feel the breeze now.

It wasn't enough to cool his hot head.

Unbearable in more ways than one.

To add to the nightmare... she was actually speaking with him.

With 'Saka.

Karma wanted her to spill to him.

And only him.

This was his, he had been first to mark the end-zone.

He had been first damn it.

Zumi nodded.

He continued.

"At Thrasher's."

"Thrasher's Moto and Drag." She added, ever watching.

'Saka nodded this time. "Zizz had a 750 Yamaha Phantom Sport, it was this 'self-made' rat bike that he made out of parts."

She lightly smiled. That was true.

Her smile confirmed Terasaka's thoughts. He knew with even more certainty now. He grew to get more excited, his words expressed it.

"Well sometimes, but not all the time, Zizz would bring a younger girl with him, his little cousin. She probably came... maybe 4 times a month. It wasn't a lot. Like, once a week. I never knew her name, all I knew was that Zizz would tease her and call her Zee. Then... they both just stopped coming around."

Zumi could feel herself sort of lightening up.

Because.

She knew.

She knew now.

"Terry?" She stated smiling widely now.

"Yeh." Terasaka nodded his head. "That was the nickname that Jackson gave me. Still uses it sometimes..."

Smiles.

Chuckles.

Terasaka grinning like... like a...

Nagisa whispering 'be calm'.

He couldn't take it.

Karma was feeling too selfish. Too...

Koro Sensei began walking outside.

He was being a tad lazy, abnormal seeing as he was the fastest living thing on the planet of Earth, but he had just ate a tremendous amount of sugared cupcakes while inside packing items for his lecture.

And the sugar rush was hitting him, of course the six cans of whipped cream he drank straight from the can, that also didn't help.

He waved sillily at Karma.

"I'm so popular today!"

"Oh my god!" Zumi instantly shouted. "You look so different!"

And that caused some of the people on the ground to turn and stare.

Terasaka laughed loudly enveloping her in a friendly hug.

Koro Sensei froze.

He could in fact hear their chat clear as day, even from far away, his hearing as a super being was 45 times better than a regular humans.

"How unexpected!" His gaze averted then... to a certain someone.

The professor wanted... but more so... felt...

He felt something inside clinch.

Karma-kun.

"I haven't seen you in years!" Zumi exclaimed.

It was back when things were younger... simpler.

He was laughing really hard, trying to get out words. "I... after you knocked my nose in... I kept thinking you looked familiar. Then when you came back up here one day... wearing Zizz's jacket. I knew that was you! It had to be Zee! And I used to have such a crush on you!"

They let the hug go.

She was much brighter now. Like a heavy stone had been lifted off of her head. But only for a brief minute.

Karma mind consumed him.

SO THAT'S WHY.

He felt himself falling back before he had a chance to catch himself.

"Oh..." Sensei watched Karma at the scene of Zumi-kun and Terasaka-kun laughing merrily together on the branch of the tree.

Karma literally... just fell backwards.

He plopped back from sitting.

Arms out.

Falling onto his back on the ground.

Like a burned out bulb.

Nagisa staring down at him looking worried.

Sensei watched from far away, from the steps he was travelling down in front of the school.

"How..." Koro Sensei didn't want to say 'awful' because it was always fantastic when old friends re-united.

Then he realized it...

"How confusing."

He remembered Karma's words.

Sensei then felt a twist of emotions inside, ones of both happiness and sadness.

He was pulled to two ends of the spectrum at once.

The words came so quick they made all the happiness leave her in one go.

"So how is Zizz these days?"

How could a professor feel like this?

He wasn't sure how to react.

Karma confided in him that he was 'confused', that he liked conflict, but for some reason... he didn't like conflict in accordance with the girl.

Not now.

With Zumi-kun.

Karma had said.

Koro Sensei now knew why... because of Terasaka.

Oh Karma.

Koro Sensei approached.

Karma was good. To a point.

His inner vices held him to some standards of morality, if not many.

But Koro Sensei couldn't help but feel instantly upset as well.

The way Karma looked.

It was... miserable.

"Zizz is dead."

Koro Sensei stopped.

How awful.

Karma. Her cousin...

Instantly he wanted to figure out a way to fix it. Naturally as a teacher... that was his goal. To fix issues, re-define problems, figure out solutions.

But... then...

What was the issue? Truly?

It's more than one.

Issues.

Within more than one person.

Koro Sensei knew.

He wasn't quite there yet.

He still needed time.

To wrap his head around it all. Around them.

Time to go exploring...

Inside their heads.

To see the whys, the hows, and the whats.

So he could find the solutions.

And he's find them.

Oh he'd find them.

Or I'm not... a Koro Sensei.