Thank you for the reviews! Just to clarify, this is Nagisa x Karma, but romance wont be the main focus of the story (At least, not all the time)
Anyway, I hope you enjoy!
Nagisa's drifted into wakefulness, his brain feeling numb, and his thoughts hazy. For a few moments he felt blissfully comfortable, happy to be lying in this warm nothingness.
Then he remembered what happened last night, and he jolted awake suddenly, blue eyes wide open and alert. That familiar panic stirred through him.
Danger! I'm in danger.
His eyes took in the small pokey room and the sofa he was lying on, the small clock on the wall read 13:00. His shoulder-blade was stinging something fierce.
He attempted to stand up, but his limbs wouldn't follow his command, and he found himself falling of the sofa, flat on his face in the dirty carpet. Of course. He'd been tied up.
"Hey. Why are you making so much commotion so early?" The red haired man from last night, Karma, said, walking into the room from the kitchen looking exhausted.
Nagisa glared at him from the floor with deadly blue eyes.
"It's not early. Its afternoon." The assassin said, although given his current predicament that was the least of his troubles. "What happened to dumping me somewhere after you knocked me out?"
"I overslept and forgot to take out the trash," Karma said, with a taunting grin. Of course. That wasn't the reason;
When the red haired man had glanced out his window early that morning, he saw a black car parked outside. Shit. He was being tailed by the police again- That bastard officer Karasuma just didn't give up!
Of course, Karma couldn't go dragging around unconscious hit men when the police were tailing him (especially when his car was parked in a lot across the street).
So, for the moment, he was stuck, in this frustrating, precarious situation.
"How long do you think you can keep me here before I kill you?" The blue haired boy said, his tone threatening. Karma rolled his eyes.
"Keep that up and you wont get any breakfast." The red haired man said, disappearing back into the kitchen. But he knew there was truth in Nagisa's words; His life was at risk here. Karma didn't place much value in himself, but he didn't want to leave his poor mother all alone because he'd gotten himself into another dumb predicament.
Karma returned a few seconds later, a bowl of cereal in hand.
"Sorry I haven't got anything nicer. Wasn't expecting guests." The red head joked mischievously. Nagisa was still sat seething on the floor, hardly able to move because of the rope. He wasn't actively trying to escape at the moment; he was waiting, biding his time.
"Just how lonely are you that you have to kidnap people for them to be your guests?" Nagisa huffed. He didn't look like a hitman to Karma, not when he was defensive and vulnerable like this, pouting like a child.
"Don't forget. You broke into my house." Was the red haired man's reply as he sat opposite the assassin looking into his captivating blue eyes. He got a spoonful of cereal and shoved it towards the boy's mouth. "Say aaaaaahhhh!"
Nagisa jerked his head away, his cheeks reddening with embarrassment. "What are you doing!?" He cried, properly breaking through his ice cold visage for the first time. Karma grinned. So he did have a human side.
"Your arms a little tied up at the moment so you can hardly feed yourself. I don't want you to starve to death in my flat." Karma shrugged, as if tying up deadly killers and spoon-feeding them was no big deal.
"So untie me." The blue haired boy growled.
"Scary. You keep trying to act like a big bad scary hitman, but your still just a kid. I mean really? What are you? Like fifteen?"
"I'm eighteen." Nagisa said, something about his tone of voice made Karma think he was used to being mistaken as younger. "And I've been killing people for more than half my life, some low-life bottom-feeder like yourself is nothing to me."
The captor was actually shocked at his words; He'd been killing since he was a kid? Exactly what kind of messed up life had this kid had?
I can't be going soft on this hitman... No matter how cute he is.
Karma forced himself to smile.
"Well your currently at this low-life's mercy. So maybe you should have a little more humility, kay?" Karma grinned, reaching forward and petting Nagisa's chin-length blue hair. The assassin blushed once again, jerking his head away from the man's touch. He clearly hated being patronised.
Karma was about to tease him further, when suddenly, he heard a sharp knock on the door.
Panic seized him- shit! Could that be the police? What now?
He grabbed Nagisa by the shoulders, and shoved him rather harshly under the coffee table, as if he were a piece of furniture.
"Hey!" The blue haired boy protested. Karma shushed him as he threw the blanket over the table, affectively concealing him, and rushed to the door.
There was no point not answering. That would only make them more suspicious.
Composing himself and wearing his usual lazy smirk, he opened the door. But instead of officer Karasuma, on the other side stood his brother Gakushu Asano.
"Eh. It's just you. I thought it might actually somebody important." Karma said, eyeing the blond with lazy disdain. His brother grinned back at him.
"Spare me your rhetoric, Akabane, we both know the only important people that ever come to your door are the police to arrest you." He said, his words laced with spite and his violet eyes malicious.
"Why are you here? Did you decide you were lonely so you had to waste your big brothers time?"
"Isn't wasting time your speciality? I'm here for the bail money you owe me." Asano said, rolling his eyes, as if merely speaking to Karma was beneath him. "When you called me up begging for me to help you, you did promise I could collect it any time, right?"
Of course. Dammit!
Why did his brother have to come now of all times? It wasn't as if he was short on money, the guy had literally started a successful business recently, he was constantly winning cash prizes in sporting competitions, he was paid to play various instruments at events, he frequently played the stock market and gained money there (Karma was fairly certain he was a robot, or an alien, at least).
Like his brother, Asano was exceptionally talented and smart, but he didn't use his talents for illegal activity.
"Wait here while I get it. You know just showing up at my door without giving any notice is rude, right?" Karma said, walking into the flat. Of course, the blond ignored his instructions and followed him inside.
Making a fuss about it would probably only make Asano suspicious.
The red haired man forced himself to appear calm, and pray Gakushuu wouldn't see Nagisa. He had no idea how he'd explain having a teenage boy tied up under the coffee table in his living room.
"Why does it smell of blood in here?" His brother asked, as he followed Karma to his room.
Shit. What the hell kind of person notices that!?
"Blood? Well, there's a butchers not far from here. Maybe its that." He replied, with a non-committal shrug. His tiny box room was cluttered, filled with clothes and various knick-knacks. All Karma's stuff was practically over-flowing.
He knelt down in front of the safe, punching in the code as fast as he could- He just wanted Asano out of here!
"I didn't see a butchers on the way up here." The blond mused, looking around Karma's room in disdain.
Why the hell was he pushing this!?
"So. How's Dad?" The red haired man said, quickly changing the conversation as he counted out the money. The question took Asano by surprise.
"Same as ever, I suppose." The blond said, his violet eyes flicking to the side deceptively.
"So, you mean he's still expecting you to be the best at anything and everything?" Karma said, with a taunting smirk as he pulled out the cash. "You're twenty now. You're an adult. Isn't that too old to be still letting him run your life?"
"Don't make baseless assumptions! The only one who runs my life is me!" Asano yelled, defensively. Ah. Good. I've made him mad Karma thought. The guy probably wasn't used to being on the receiving end of a lecture. "You don't even know how old I am! I'm twenty one! What could you know about my life if you don't even know that much?"
Karma rolled his eyes, and handed his brother a wad of bills, the smile never leaving his face. "Well. Either way, your still too old to be throwing a tantrum. Here- take your money and go."
Paying the bail money had left the red haired man with nearly nothing. Luckily he'd paid the rent last week, but he wasn't exactly sure how he'd afford to eat this month.
"Good! I'm going! This places reeks of poverty, if I stay any longer I'm afraid I might catch it." Asano hissed, storming to the door. He reminded Karma of when they were little kids, and Gakushuu used to stomp around the house yelling at him every time they had an argument (except back then they'd always make up five minutes later).
"Close the door on your way out." Karma called after him, unconcerned. He thought back to the hit-man- the less time he was on his own, the better. Asano stopped in his tracks, and turned around to face Karma- he pulled a small package out of his jacket.
"Before I forget. Give this to mother next time you see her." The blond said quickly, thrusting it in his brother's hands before turning to leave again.
Now it was Karma's turn to be angry. He grabbed Asano by the shoulders, turning him around, forcing the blond to face him.
"And why can't you give this to her yourself?" The red haired man hissed, his voice low and dangerous. Asano averted his eyes to the side.
"I'm far too busy to be- "
"Don't give me that shit. She's your mother and you haven't seen her in months. You haven't once visited her in the hospital." Karma growled. This was the real reason there was such tension between them- Karma could get over Asano's haughty attitude and superiority complex, but he couldn't forgive the way his brother disregarded their mother.
Growing up, the Chairman had always kept Gakushuu from seeing her, but now he was an adult he had no excuse.
Even though she had done everything she could to try and see him, their mother had always blamed herself for not being in Gakushuu's life. The fact her youngest son seemed to avoid visiting her only made her guilt worse.
"I'll see if I can make time. Just make sure she gets that." Asano said, his expression unreadable. He walked towards the door even quicker than before.
'I should of remembered before- The best way to make that guy leave quickly is to talk about mother.'
Karma heard the door slam, he glanced down at the package in his hands- it was money again, no doubt, his brother's only method of communication with his estranged parent.
Suddenly, Karma remembered about his captive, still lying tied up under the coffee table. Shit.
He raced to the living room, and pulled the blanket up of the coffee table.
"Sorry for leaving you, my little captive!" He said- only there was nobody there. Instead of a tiny hitman, there was only a pile of disused ropes.
Karma felt a jolt of panic, but before he could properly process what had happened, he felt rope wrap around his neck.
"Leaving me alone there was a bad idea. I told you that you'd regret this." The hitman's cold harsh voice hissed in his ear. Karma chocked- he was going to die! And in such a stupid way, too! He couldn't... He couldn't leave his mother all alone like this, he was all she had left!
"I'm willing to make a deal with you." Nagisa said, loosening the rope so Karma could breath- but only just. "You clearly just want to get rid of me, right? If you were going to sell me out you would of already done it. In my current state I can't... use a car. If you drive me away from here, I'll spare you. Deal?"
"Deal." Karma said quickly- he didn't need to think twice about that! his vision was spotting from lack of oxygen.
Nagisa let go of him, and raised a knife taken from the kitchen, a innocent smile on his face. "Great. Let's go."
"You're being stalked." Nagisa said calmly, as the two of them walked towards the car park. Karasuma's sleek black vehicle was still stopped outside Karma's flat.
The red haired man made a point of waving at the officer.
"Yeah. I'm just that popular." The older man replied, keeping a wary gaze on Nagisa. How the hell had he managed to break free from his bindings!? Karma hadn't realised his former captive was Houdini!
"It shouldn't be a problem. It's not like we're going to be doing anything illegal. You're just giving a friend a lift, right?" Nagisa said, that deceptively innocent smile plastered on his face again.
"I didn't realise threatening people with knives had been legalised." Karma said sardonically, as he unlocked his beat up old car and held the door open for Nagisa (who was currently hiding the blade behind his jacket).
"- After you."
The blue haired assassin stepped in, "Thanks." He said politely. "Are you sure this car wont break down?"
"Brum's more durable than she looks." The red haired man said, sitting in the drivers seat, starting it up.
"You named your car Brum?" Nagisa cried, incredulous. There was a hint of genuine amusement on his face as his lips tugged up slightly into a smile. It made Karma's heart skip a beat for a moment. He had to remind himself this assassin was currently threatening his life.
"It's cool." The red haired man insisted, as he started up the engine and pulled out onto the road quickly, before Karasuma could get the chance to start tailing him.
"You have a weird name yourself so I guess I shouldn't expect any different." The blunette teased.
"I happen to like my name." Karma said- it was the truth. His mother had picked it out for him. The red head had always liked having a name with a special meaning behind it. "Besides- I don't even know your name. It's probably even stranger."
"..Nagisa. It's Nagisa." The blue haired boy said, after a slight pause. Karma glanced over at him, surprised he'd shared that information.
"Nagisa, huh? Kind of a girly name, it suits you." Karma chuckled, he glanced to the side to see the assassin fuming slightly, his cheeks tinged red.
Nagisa looked far more relaxed now he was no longer a prisoner. Karma realised they were talking easily as if they were friends.
Was this gentle, friendly side of Nagisa the real thing, and his threatening demeanour from earlier just a front? Or was Nagisa acting now, concealing his ruthlessness in order to get Karma's guard down?
The red haired man didn't know. All he could do for now was follow Nagisa's direction of 'Just take the main road out of the city' and pray it wasn't a trap.
"So, before. That was your brother, right?" The hit man said suddenly, as they drove through the city, past shops and houses.
"... It was." Karma said shortly, not elaborating- He and Asano didn't get on, but he didn't want to give any of his brother's details away to a dangerous person like this. As much as disliked his brother, he didn't want him to get hurt.
"What's it like? having a brother, I mean." Nagisa said. He sounded truly interested, his body inclined towards Karma, his eyes wide and interested.
"A pain in the ass." Karma grunted, honestly.
"You shouldn't say that, you know. You only get one family. If you don't appreciate it, you'll regret it when they're gone." Nagisa said, solemnly.
He seemed to be speaking from experience.
Seriously! What was up with this duality?
The hit man was threatening him with a knife while lecturing him on the importance of family!
"Thanks for the insight, Dr Phil." Karma replied sarcastically, as he turned onto a country road- Nagisa had just instructed him to drive 'a few miles out the city in any direction'. Kind of vague, but he was winging it.
Suddenly, out of nowhere, there was a loud BANG as the tired popped underneath the car.
"What the- " Karma started to say, but Nagisa grabbed him and pulled him to the floor of the car.
"Duck!"
There was a sudden onslaught of bullets. The window shattered and shards of glass rained down on the two males as bullets whizzed over their head.
Then, after a moment, there was silence.
Karma and Nagisa pulled themselves up of the floor, and risked a glance outside the car;
There, in front of them stood a boy of about Nagisa's age, with wild spiky platinum hair, and intense amber eyes. A massive gun was slung over his shoulder, dwarfing his small frame.
His low-cut neckline revealed a black crescent moon tattoo identical to Nagisa's.
"Itona!? What are you doing?" The blue haired assassin asked, body tensed and ready for a fight.
"I'm here to kill you, brother." The platinum haired boy said, his voice sounding vacant somehow. He pulled out another gun from his pocket. "You didn't properly dispose of a witness during your latest mission. One of the guards survived the bullet wound. He knows your face. Your existence will now jeopardize our organisation so master has decided you must be disposed of."
Itona makes an appearance! Now we have two deadly assassins in this story!
He might be a former drug dealer/crime lord, but Karma is a huge mama's boy in this fic. Idk, I think its kind of cute, haha (that might just be me).
So far, we already know a lot about Karma's background (His criminal history, his family), but Nagisa's more of a mystery, so there'll be more about him in the next chapter.
Please review!