Gakusho shoved another document into the 'complete' pile and swung his straight back swivel chair to face the window. It was almost time for his lunch break. He let a minuscule smile form on his face as he reminded himself of the person he'll be spending time with during his break.

He owed his current job to Haruka, and the man didn't even know about it. It was Haruka who helped him out of his depressed state as a teenager, helped him realise that he shouldn't be timid with showing his potential, that teaching was his true passion, not medicine like what his parents pressured him into. According to Haruka, having the aptitude for a certain career path didn't mean he had to take it. If what he was doing didn't feel like work, and he loved it, then that was what he had to do.

It helped that Haruka also thawed past his icy exterior for months before Gakusho felt that he was worth trusting. He was always so focused on his studies and perfecting his skills in as much areas as possible, whether it be martial arts, classics or music. The drive to learn everything there was to learn became difficult to manage at one point, and Haruka witnessed the few instances where he refused to do anything but curl up against a pillow and blankly stare at whatever mundane object happened to be in his line of vision. Haruka, being the saint he was, never lost his patience with him. Gakusho would show up at his house at a ridiculous hour then a bedhead Haruka would take one look at him and wordlessly arrange the living room couch to a makeshift bed. Unfortunately, even Haruka had his limits. If Gakusho remained unresponsive for more than three days, then Haruka would resort to sparring with him until they both dropped to the ground with exhaustion.

Back then, there was nothing like a good spar that brought him out of his zombie-like state.

As the trust between the boys grew, so did Gakusho's popularity. Thanks to Haruka's careful guide, the auburn-haired boy learned how to express content and exude a friendly aura that made the female population less intimidated by him, and the male population to become either jealous of the female attention he was receiving or less violent overall. After witnessing this strange phenomenon, he immediately shared his observations to Haruka, who laughed heartily, saying that that was how people worked.

Despite his brilliance in the art of patience and people skills, Haruka was never good at Japanese. His essays were quite atrocious, even Haruka himself knew that. All it took was a chance meeting in the library for Gakusho to agree to tutor. This, in turn, initiated a friendship he cherished. While he taught Haruka literature and essay writing, Haruka offered him a genuine friendship, one that he did not abuse nor used for nefarious means. From the rough school they attended in their youth, blackmail, distrust and deceit were not uncommon to the hardened students.

Although, what Haruka lacked in essay writing, he more than made up for it in maths. On the many times that they did their homework together, it was Gakusho that often asked for help from the younger boy, who teased him relentlessly for it. Of course, it was in jest yet Haruka knew when he was pushing it and, most importantly, he knew when to lay off.

He was always a considerate boy. Although he was very much in tune with his morals, strangely, he was not as good with affection of any form. Often times he spotted random students attempting to greet him with a fancy handshake and a 'manly' embrace, but nobody could ever make Haruka willingly return the hug.

That is, until Hiromi appeared.

Gakusho kept this opinion to himself, too happy for his best friend's fortune to ruin it with an astute observation. Recalling the recent events with his friend and his ex-wife, perhaps he should have said something about the woman before the man married her.

The auburn-haired principal swiftly diverted his thoughts from his memories back to the enormous pile of paperwork just waiting to be signed. With a long-suffering sigh, he cracked his knuckles and got back to work.


It was humidly wet this morning.

Karma showed up early, claiming he was bored. No doubt escaping from his empty mansion of a house, bereft and void of any living creature but the red-head genius himself. He was wearing casual clothes; a dark grey V-neck and slim black pants. His hair was more tame than usual.

Nagisa tore his eyes from his best friend but continued to listen to Karma's ruthless observations of a rude waitress he encountered a few days ago. He nodded at the right places, added in his own two cents and chuckled whenever he said something witty. It was all very routine, and though the common observer would be put off by Nagisa's seemingly disinterested actions, Nagisa knew that Karma didn't mind. They were close enough to know when the other was troubled and had no desire to talk about it. So it was the duty of the other person to distract the distracted, regardless of the fact that neither of them were partial to drawn out small talk.

This was one of those times where Karma provided the running background commentary not unlike a news reporter while Nagisa listened with half an ear and a wandering mind. He appreciated that.

"I'll see you kids later." His father called out. Nagisa would never dare say this out loud but he had a sneaking suspicion that Karma was more than aware of just how much he adored Haruka. He wasn't overbearing, and he knew when to back off when he was. He did his best to take care of Nagisa, minus his unique way of cooking. More importantly, he saw Nagisa as his own person. He was opposite to Hiromi; he was reasonable, flexible, and easy-going. He seemed so perfect.

But Nagisa cannot help being inquisitive about his father. He – admittedly- knew very little about him. He knew that he worked in a garage, he had a flair with mathematics, he enjoyed tinkering and DIY, and he has an unknown degree of skill in combat. He's a secretive man, rarely shows affection (but lately it has become more frequent in Nagisa's presence) and when he does decide to be affectionate, he's discreet about it, and as he mentioned before, never to the point of overbearing nor clingy.

Then again, there were instances where Nagisa can do nothing but sigh in exasperation.

"Now, you two, don't do anything I wouldn't do!" Haruka advised suggestively, slamming the door closed as soon as Nagisa threw a cushion at him.

Yes, these were one of those frustratingly embarrassing instances.

The blue-haired boy huffed and plopped petulantly onto the couch, arms crossed over his chest. Karma chuckled in amusement at their antics before seating himself beside his fuming friend.

"Brighten up, pup, I thought you liked that kind of attention."

Nagisa responded with a light blush and swung his legs over the arm rest of the couch and non-too-gently rested his head on Karma's unsuspecting lap. Said owner of the lap stared at him blankly for a moment before leaning back against the couch in compliance. In his playful ire he did not miss Nagisa's superior smirk nor the display of immense trust on his side. If he wanted to -not that he ever would- Karma could easily subdue the blunet with a simple choke hold, or else he could flip him over to his belly and straddle him from behind and subdue him then. Nagisa's current position left him in such a vulnerable state that even the prodigious assassin himself would have a hard time escaping any of Karma's attacks.

Despite being a full-time antagoniser, Karma felt a growing fondness rise within his chest. It was no secret that the pair were inseparable - 'attached to the hip' as Terasaka once muttered prior to face-planting in the grass, courtesy of yours truly. This attachment to each other was a well-known fact within their class, so much so that their classmates were aware of how much faith they put in to each other, only for each other. It was inevitable in both of their cases. Karma had no siblings and his parents were rarely at home. Most people were afraid of him. They weren't au fait with his thought process, his brutal honesty and he was seldom normal by their standards. As for Nagisa, he struggled with an obsessive mother for years and was constantly targeted by bigots who saw a frail feminine boy to provoke. They were both lonely and had nobody they could trust.

Their chance meeting over an obscure production was enough to kick start a long and beautiful friendship. Of course, they had to adjust their interactions with each other according to how they perceived the other. Granted, it took them a few months of fumbling around to get to their current stage in their relationship.

Fortunately, they met Kayano, who was sweet and flexible. She came in at a close second in Karma's list of people he trusts, rivalled by Okuda. Well, nowadays, there was no more rivalling for that spot. Unless Kayano revealed whatever deep dark secret she was hiding from the duo, Karma didn't want to risk anything valuable with her. After voicing his observations to Nagisa, he swiftly agreed, having noted Kayano's shroud of secrecy earlier on. Though they were wary of her, they did continue to uphold their connection with her, if only for pretences.

That left Okuda, Isogai, Maehara and Nakamura on his list.

Okuda was a surprise and a late addition, however. By her delicate features and hesitant communication skills, Nagisa and Karma were quick to cross her off their list. They instantly assumed she wouldn't understand nor share their passion.

The two - and the rest for the class - were very much aware of her flair in chemistry that would surpass the border of brilliance, akin to Nagisa's own natural talent for deception. Initially, they dismissed her as someone who wouldn't be able to deal with their blunt and jaded outlook of assassination. It was when she demonstrated an unusual interest in both of their skills in their attempts to assassinate Koro-sensei and Nagisa's dispatch of Takaoka did they reconsider her profile. Karma had already discreetly prodded her on her stance in killing for a living. Her enthusiastic response was - again- shocking. Her ultimate passion still lay in the chemical arts, there was no doubt about that. However her goal is not to end up in research and development of some top pharmaceutical company producing relatively amiable medicine for the good of humanity. Instead, her lofty goals were mainly centred around poisons.

Poisons. It was the last thing Karma would ever connect Okuda with.

If he hadn't witnessed the gradual transition from harmless chemistry girl to a fiercely passionate genius relaying her fascination in toxins and exploring the limits of the human body, Karma would have scoffed at the very notion that Okuda was basically a modern alchemist witch.

Clearly she had no problem with blood, not even violence. Needless to say, Nagisa and Karma liked her, even though they were quite baffled by the unexpected twist in Okuda's hobbies. He remembered returning home that day, itching for a warm bath and a strong glass of red wine. Not that he actually indulged himself with alcohol on a school night. He didn't want Koro-sensei lecturing him about that. He shuddered at the thought, mind flashing back to the first days of attempting to assassinate the yellow octopus only to be punished by neatly manicured nails and well-groomed hair.

Nagisa opened his eyes to look mischievously at him. "Don't tell me that you are suddenly excited by 'this kind of attention'."

"What would you do if I say I was?" Karma fired back smoothly.

"I'd pat you in the cheek in sympathy."

Karma let out a startled yelp as Nagisa began to do just that. The light tapping of his pale elegant hand against Karma's cheek was playful, yet mocking.

"There there." Nagisa cooed. "All better?"

"I don't know, pup. I could use a little more attention. After all, we haven't been in each other's presence as often as I would prefer since you moved in here."

Red strands of hair curtained his face as Karma leaned over him, tickling the younger boy's hand still held firm against Karma's cheek. They stared at each other for a while, silently conveying and assessing the other with minute gestures. Their closeness was warm -tangible- as they remained like this, noses almost touching, both of their eyes half-lidded in comfort.

"Since Haruka-san seems to be doing a good job taking care of you, I can forgive him for stealing you away from me."

He rested his forehead against Nagisa's, shutting his eyes painfully. "I'm relieved that you are safe."

Nagisa closed his eyes too, willing the tears to not form.

"You did what you could. What good would a student have done accusing an older woman of abuse? More so a student of Class-E. Karma-kun, you have done more than enough by staying with me and allowing me to stay at your home whenever she was too much."

They opened their eyes at the same time, azure eyes filled with immense gratitude.


"You should have seen the look on Maehara's face when Isogai dragged him into a waltz!" Nagisa laughed, recalling the way Isogai strutted his stuff as he approached the playboy then pulling him into a twirl.

"I remember," Karma chuckled, hands clasped behind his head. "Personally, I'm more partial to Kanzaki's face when Nakamura urged her into that Titanic scene, you know, the part where Rose has her arms outstretched and Jack has his hands on her hips?"

"Yeah, poor Kanzaki didn't know that Nakamura has a thing for tickling where it hurts."

"I can attest to that."

"Karma-kun! She got you too?!"

This brought another bout of laughter that was not quite loud enough to disturb the slumbering cat they passed by. Despite the solemn mood this morning, Karma had fun with the lively karaoke with their classmates.

It was eight in the evening now. The sky had darkened from its red-orange hue to a midnight blue. The street lamps illuminated the well-worn footpath towards Nagisa's house clearly for the pair. Shops with their shutters closed over their windows extended for a few more blocks. They passed by dark uncertain alleys - in which they had enough sense to steer clear of. Though they were quite capable of defending themselves- Karma especially so- they didn't want to risk any danger that may come to them.

Unfortunately. their established safety precautions were foiled by a group of clearly inebriated young men and scantily clad women. Beside him, Nagisa tensed and carefully attempted to walk around them.

Karma was there in a flash as soon as a man with a mohawk roughly grabbed Nagisa by the shoulder. A resounding smack to the drunkard's face alerted his mates, unwittingly initiating a brawl between ten adults and two junior high students.

As the mohawk man staggered backwards, a gruff man with yellowed teeth threw a wild fist at Karma. The red-head merely swerved away from the offending appendage. He responded with a controlled fist of his own, sending the man skidding back against a wall. At the corner of his eye, Karma saw that Nagisa was calmly holding his own against two men and a relatively agile woman.

Gone was the meek and innocent air that his friend generally exuded. What replaced it was a terrifying cold sense of pleasure; a telling upturn of the corners of his lips and that bloodthirsty glint of his eyes...The fools must be really hammered if they hadn't noticed that underlying threat beneath seemingly harmless features.

With their combined prowess, honed and trained in Koro-sensei's classroom, they managed to whittle the numbers down to three men and a woman. They were more stable than their downed friends but their determined snarls that each of them wore gave away their hostility and compromised state of mind. Three masculine and one feminine battle cry later had them skillfully dispatched. Nagisa looked at their attackers for a moment, something unnervingly unreadable on his deceptively petulant face.

"Let's go, Karma-kun. Tou-san is expecting us home right about now."

Karma quickly assessed their foes once more before resuming a casual walk by Nagisa's side.

"You know, I never would have thought that Sugino had a flair for rock."

They continued recounting their day with their class as if they hadn't just beaten adults twice their height.


Haruka was skimming through his emails by the time Nagisa and Karma returned.

"Hey Tou-san." Nagsia greeted.

"Good evening, son. Karma-kun." Haruka nodded back to them, shutting his computer. "Tell me; why is there blood on Karma-kun's sleeve?"

The red-head inspected the stained sleeve with disdain, no doubt irritated by the dent in his otherwise perfect appearance. Nagisa, sensing Karma's obvious scorn, rolled his eyes and headed to the kitchen.

"It's not his blood." he shrugged.

"Yeah, we got into a fight with some drunks."

Haruka hummed thoughtfully, not at all worried that his son could have been injured. "I assume they're sprawled on the side walk as we speak?"

"But of course, Haruka-san."

They sat across from each other, sharing amused grins. When Nagisa carried in a tray of tea, they nodded in thanks to him.

"Back in the day, I used to spar with Gakusho frequently."

Karma's eyebrows shot up in disbelief. "With Principal Asano?"

Haruka laughed. "The very same."

Karma turned to Nagisa, who was taking a sip of green tea. "Now I see why you adore him so much."

It took all of Nagisa's effort to not visibly choke on his warm beverage.