Chapter Three

Looking around me at the other students made me realise something... I was totally obsessed with Nagisa. Was it bad that with everyone else I lost interest so quickly, that I struggled to remember their names, that I would sometimes walk around in the evenings hoping I would accidentally bump into him? It wasn't like I was falling behind in class, nor was I losing out on my fair share of opportunities to kill Sensei, so aside from my infatuation being slightly concerning, this was otherwise not proving to be at all a problem. In act, so far it seemed only rewarding.

I smirk as I see him, walking all the way around the class without once releasing him from my gaze, just so I could go unnoticed when I crept up behind him, flicking some of the cyan hair from above his eyes. "What's so special about the outside that they don't have in here?" I questioned, leaning over his shoulders and looking out the window from as close to his perspective as I could be without coming of as a total creep.

The boy flinched as planned, but that was all. He didn't even make one of his cute little yelps. Blue eyes turned to me, patiently awaiting my reason for approaching him but I saw the slight irritation of being interrupted. "Good morning Karma." He mutters.

I scowl, tutting my head and looking down as if he had shamed me,"Where are your manners Nagisa, I asked you a question?"

He looked back at me slightly alarmed, but then brushed it off when he saw my grin. "Is it a crime to daydream?"

My ears had been perked, so I let my hands curve around the star shaped 'bunchies' at the sides of his head as if I could peer into his brain. "Daydreaming? Does Nagisa happen to have a crush?"

He cringed as my voice increased in volume so a few around us could here, several of them snickering. Somehow, Nakamura Rio appeared beside me, aiding my in my teasing by poking at his shoulder knowingly,"So she does huh? Who would the lucky guy be?"

The blunette sighed, turning back to her and explaining for apparently the thousandth time that he was a boy.

"Oh that's right, it's easy to forget. So who's the lucky guy?"

"I-I'm not like that! Really there is no crush..." He looked at me, pleading for me to help him, I only laughed and ignored him, placing my hand over his shoulder.

"I know what could help you with your love troubles Nagisa, I mean your hair's already pinched up all adorably like that, I couldn't hurt to slip yourself into a nice dress now and then~"

The blonde beside me nodded profusely,"I agree, no guy in his right mind would turn our Nagisa down that way."

Our? This made me a bit angry even though he wasn't necessarily mine, but she had complemented him...

Nagisa sighed, turning back to face the outside, silently drowning us out in annoyance. He was met with a curious Kayano who was pink in the cheeks, gently asking why I had said such a thing. She didn't have a crush on him, did she? My eyes rolled, walking back to my seat.

"Honestly, I have no idea why he says these things." He responded drably.

We had a history project we were to complete in pairs, Koro-Sensei was currently going down the register finding out who was in who's group.

I knew for a fact my desired partner intended to be with his green haired friend, but I also knew she had a female friend wanting to be partners with her. I respected her for turning her down because she thought Nagisa would be alone. Of course Nagisa wouldn't be alone with me in the class. I guess I'd have a little competition for him. At times like this, I was glad I had Akabane in my name.

First on the register, I was asked who it was I'd planned to be partners with, and I turned to Nagisa smiling as I called out his name. The rest of the class didn't react, but I saw him visibly tense up, causing a frown to slip onto my face, hoping that was for surprise not for him being uncomfortable.

Kayano twisted and met my eyes nervously, silently questioning me for my intentions, she placed her hands on Nagisa's shoulder and mouth him something I couldn't hear.

"Are you okay with that Nagisa?" The octopus asked just to clarify, likely aware that unlike others, we hadn't communicated our plan.

"Y-Yeah."

When all the partners had been finally been listed, Nagisa came to the back to sit beside me, looking awkwardly, he dragged his eyes to my face. "Just so you know I'm not the best at history, but I'll try my hardest."

"That's fine of course Nagisa~ In fact, I already have an idea on how to make our presentation more interesting than the others."

He looked down at me, head tilting curiously,"What's that?"

I didn't need to answer, my evil grin gave it away.

"Karma I don't think this is a suitable idea at all." He complained, his face grim as he tried to walk in the long skirts he had borrowed from his mother. In my idea, we of course represented some of the outfits from the our topic while presenting. While I wasn't too enthralled at being dressed as a Samurai, the idea of Nagisa dressed as a traditional temple server more than motivated me to dig up my old costume.

"Nonsense, you look really great Nagisa, even the other boys will have their eyes glued to you."

At that moment, a pink blush dotted over his face, matching his pale blue shirt and long pink skirt way too perfectly.

His blue-diamond eyes looked up in response to the flash of my camera, allowing me to snap a quickie of his shocked face as well.

"K-Karma! Don't take a photo!" He demanded, bringing his loose sleeve up to hide the majority of his face. This only made my smile even wider.

"Why not?"

"Because it's just embarrassing, why would you need that anyway, it's not blackmail is it?" He cringed.

I grinned at him, sliding my phone back into my pocket,"Of course not, I'm keeping it in a special folder, though if you share your number with me I can send it to you as well."

Honestly, I had meant that casually. But realisation struck as soon as the words left my mouth. I'd just asked him for his number. The heat of nerves spreading up to neck made me want to hide my face, but I couldn't be so obvious. Hoping I hadn't freaked him out, I turned his way to see as he shook his head, determining that I was innocent, but holding his phone to mine until a chink was heard, muttering a quick "I'll text you when I get the chance, but I really don't need to ever see that picture."

He sighed in defeat, holding his hands up at both of his sides, allowing a chain of movements to follow as his over sized sleeves stretched, swayed airily where his limbs no longer filled them, and the rest of his clothing tightened around his slim torso.

"Is it difficult to walk in?"

He bit his lip, taking a walk back and forwards around the small part of our building we were in. "I-I'll get used to it before everyone has to see me."

I couldn't help but feel like he was trying to convince himself that rather than me.

Like a brick had hit me on the head, my once genius idea didn't feel so tempting all of a sudden. I looked down to see his eyes had gone clear, almost like water. A pang of guilt knifed me in the stomach as he looked down emptily. Seeing him unhappy like this probably hurt me more than him.

"Nagisa," He stopped prancing and looked at me, blinking several times.

"I still think you look great, but if you're really not comfortable with this just say it and it won't be a problem." I added gently.

Once again, I sense the lack of trust in him, I knew that the gaze searching mine was nervously trying to find a hidden agenda. "Is that really fine?"

Pain hit me once more. Why was that a question? Why would he put pleasing me over pleasing himself like that?

"Of course it is, besides, I've got that picture now so I'm more than satisfied."

What I really wanted to say was,"I'd much rather you wouldn't show yourself to the class this way. I think this appearance will be wasted on those who can't truly appreciate it." Of course, some things were best left unsaid.

"Then, I-I'd rather not dress up in front of the whole class. How am I going to convince them I really am I boy when I look like this? My own mother struggles to remember sometimes," He scoffed, "You should have seen how happy I was showing an interest in her clothing." He laughed lightly, the melodic sound easily dissolving my pain into admiration.

"Oh?"

"Ah.." He bit his lip as he explained,"She has a bit of a thing for putting me in dresses you see."

I couldn't deny that if I was the parent of this beautiful creature, I'd want to dress him up as well. But there was something about the way he said it that rang alarm bells. It wasn't out of the ordinary for someone to feel embarrassment at that, but I had a sense that this was more than common embarrassment. It felt like he was truly ashamed... but why he would feel that way was beyond me.

"Is that why you wear your hair long?"

I could tell I'd instantly struck a nerve. He turned around after making a small humming sound, if he was trying to distract me, he was sure doing a good job when he begun fiddling with the knots at the back of the sash he wore, his nimble fingers trying to no avail as he picked at them.

"Let me help you with that." I chucked, easily having him freed within seconds. My fingers slid under the part that curved around his waist to loosen it before he could escape me, feeling slightly immoral by the joy I took of gently brushing the circumference of his body.

I know I was very soft with my touches. I had barely caressed him through his shirt, yet he jumped away from me like I had just pressed a hot iron into him.

Before I could make a single physical reaction, I was paralysed by the sudden gasp that escaped him.

Small shoulders hunched, and his arms curved around himself protectively. In an instant, the distance between us was far too great for me to reach out and console him, because right now, there was nothing I wanted more than to bring him to my arms and vent the many, many questions that threatened to erupt from me.

There was no way he could act like that didn't happen.

"Nagisa-"

"Training bruises." He said simply, eyes averted. Like he had a secret. "Sorry I startled you."

He added that way too quickly.

"Who the hell have you been training with?" The venom in my voice surprised me. I realised that I wanted to find out who had been rough with him and wring their throat.

"It's no one's fault really, I've been doing the same things as you in lessons." He explained.

"Yeah, but I'm not the one getting hurt. Did you say bruises? You mean you have more than one?" I stepped forward, meaning to comfort him, but he took several steps back. His eyes looked frantic in a way I never wanted him to look at anyone, let alone myself.

"That's not what I meant, I meant as in generally. It'll be healed in two or three days anyway." He sulked as though he was ashamed.

"Who's your sparing partner?" I repeated. My eyes were narrowed, he looked fraught, waving his long sleeves. I hated to be so abrasive, but as if it were fate for me to see this, when he moved, his oversized shirt slipped the slightest off of his shoulders, giving my the view of a purple bruise about the size of a fist.

It happened again.

That thing that happened when I was with Nagisa. That thing where I seemed to lose so much control of myself. He gasped as I closed the gap between us, trapping him where he was. I yanked his sleeve down as far as I could. The large shirt fell victim of gravity, landing as a heap at his hips. Now that his pale chest was bare, I could see at least three bruises over his pale, pink, slim body.

His arms moved to cover himself, looking up at me in fear, "K-Karma!"

There was one on his shoulder, as I had seen, one larger than the others stretching from his ribs to his waist - as I had expected after that first flinch - and another on his left pectoral.

"Who did this to you?"

He trembled, stalling and stuttering, giving me no choice but to slam my hand against the wall beside his head, causing him to blink and flinch back, as though I would actually dare to hit him.

"K-ka... get-t off..!"

I hated that weakness in his eyes, it made me feel sick with guilt, but not as guilty as I would feel if I didn't put an end to whoever was making these marks on him.

I repeated my question, only to be cut of by his sharp slap against my arm, which fell to my side in shock.

"I-told you Karma, it's nothing. So I bruise easily and I take my training seriously? That's all there is here and that's what I told you, so instead of acting like an a-asshole, jumping to conclusions and threatening me just get off of me and drop it." He snapped, shoving right passed me with his hands protectively, over his vulnerable self until he was in his makeshift changing room.

"I'm just trying to look out for you Nagisa!" I called carefully from outside the door. I wasn't not letting him leave me on a bad note like that.

The blunette muttered something incoherent from the other side of the door, but I knew by the tone that whatever it was equated to a 'piss off' so I just remained quiet until he came out and flinched when he saw I was still there.

I was politely told to leave, and by politely, I mean the way someone with hidden blood lust threatening to get out of control would. I decided to obey him, realising that I would be feeling terrible tonight.

"Nagisa, I'm sorry about yesterday" I sighed the next day in class. We had gotten sufficient marks in our assessment, but since then the boy had been avoiding me. Even now, he didn't even look at me, he didn't care to respond, only leaning down to write something in his notebook out of my vision.

"Can't you forgive me?" I leaned down over his shoulders, not meaning to be intrusive when my breath accidentally ghosted against his ear. His body broke out into deliciously affected shivers, and his small frame shook as he turned to face me angrily.

"Sit down Karma." He grumbled.

To me, this sounded more like an invitation than a discouragement. The fact that he spoke meant he was at least considering forgiving me, so I decided it was safe to stick around.

"What's this?" I did as he said, but not at my seat as hinted, rather, on his desk where I could see clearly that what was on his lap was not just an ordinary school book. My hand swiped down easily, catching him off guard and prying the small sketchbook from his lap.

"Karma!" He exclaimed, standing up and leaning over my to try and reach it, but it was in my hand stretched far back from his reach.

"Ah ah ah, first you forgive me." I teased.

He only glared, looking at me like he was contemplating kicking my in the face or stamping on my toes. "Very well then," I stood up, sliding back so there was now the desk between us as I flipped open his notebook at a random page.

My hand stopped when I saw a page full of intricate doodles that looked quite professional,"You're very good Nagisa." I hummed adoringly, flicking the pages to see more drawings of knives, hands, assassination related diagrams of Koro-sensei and several other drawings.

"Give it back Karma!" He called out, slashing at me with his palm. I laughed, taking this as a shy joke, stepping to the side, as I turned the page. My grinning eyes met his playfully, holding it as I looked down, turning the page to meet a face I knew I'd recognised somewhere.

The drawing was good alright. Too good.

"Nagisa this is-"

Suddenly, the book was snatched from my hands. I looked up to see he had slammed in down shut on the table. But even though it had been snatched, the afterimage of the detailed sketch still lingered in my mind. The portrait drawing of Gakushu Asano.

"Why can't you just leave me alone!?" His voice alerted my attention, blurring the blind hatred to meet his gaze in confusion as his voice grew in volume. "I never asked for your distorted version of concern and I certainly don't want it! This is none of your business so why can't you just ignore me like the rest of the class damn it!?"

My mouth opened to speak, to release the fumble of words describing what made him so special and worthy of my attention. But he was out the door before I knew it, sketch book in tow.

I turned to Koro-Sensei, gauging his reaction in shock, only know realising that his voice had been loud enough to attract the attention of the class. All eyes were either on me or the door, "I should go afte-"

"Leave him." Koro-Sensei spoke disapprovingly. "He'll come around. Karma, you sit down for now, but come and see me after class."

To put it briefly, the gigantic yellow octopus apparently thought it was best if I did as Nagisa wanted and left him his space. I explained to him that the odds of that happening where lower than the odds of us killing him. At this, he'd sighed and told me at the very least to stop teasing him, and that he was a very delicate boy.

That was what pissed me off though. The Nagisa I had known wouldn't have fit that description to someone who truly knew him. Yes, he could be quiet and he was often picked on, but he had never taken it to heart like he had just now, he had always been either unfazed by it, or relaxed enough to smile back. In the end of our little argument, the result was me storming out just as Nagisa had, declaring that if he was gonna act like such a baby and be hurt by my teasing, that was all the more evidence that he needed my protection.