Chapter Three - Reconciliation

Nagisa rapidly typed into his disposable laptop. He was currently awaiting a guest, but until she arrived, work came first. Taking Takashi-san's work phone at the bar the other day was working out for him. It didn't connect directly to Asano's schedule (he would've been more than surprised if it did), but it gave him a launching point. He was in the system. The Code was splayed out in front of him, and it was up to him to find its weak point.

He really hated hacking.

"Nagisa-chan?" A feminine voice called out. He looked up from his work and smiled. The years had changed her. Her hair was graying, she was slouching more, and the wrinkles on her face stood out more than ever. He stared into her matching blue-eyes. She looked him up and down, taking in every inch of his appearance. He couldn't really blame her, the last time she had seen him, he had been much different.

"A job offer? You were going to Hosei! We put the deposit down and everything."

"I'm sorry, mom, but I can't turn this down."

"Let me see that!" she screamed. Nagisa winced and handed her the crumpled letter. It had been carefully written by Lovro as a cover. The addresses, the phone number, the website, it was all real. "Tadao's International Development Firm? What the hell is that?!"

"It's a business that helps Japanese firms expand internationally," he recited. His heart was sinking. He knew that she wouldn't be happy about this, but she seemed furious. "I'm leaving tonight."

"How dare you?! After all I've done for you! You just run off ungrateful!" Nagisa felt anger curling in his stomach.

"What? What have you done for me?!" he exclaimed. She gaped, surprised by his outburst. Nagisa was sick of it. He was sick of never being taken seriously, hating himself for being who he was, "You single-handedly ruined my life!" He tore down his pigtails, allowing his hair to fall to its sides. "Is this what you wanted?!"

"Who the hell do you think you are to speak to me like this?!"

"I am your son! I'm sorry that what I want to do doesn't fit into your master plan for my life, but this is what I want to do." His nails dug into the palm of his hand. He took a shaky breath. He needed to calm himself. "I am taking this job and there's nothing you can do to stop me."

"Hi, mother," he greeted. He pushed the laptop and phone into the bag he had resting at his feet. "Hope it wasn't too hard to find this place."

"No, no, I've been here before," she assured, "Are you sure you don't want to visit our home?" Nagisa smiled.

"I don't know if we can really call it our home anymore. I haven't been home in almost nine years."

"Well, the home is always open to you, Nagisa-chan," she corrected, "Are you sure you don't want to stay with me?"

"It would be rude to say no to my work when they're going to such lengths to accommodate me," Nagisa explained. He drummed his fingers against the table. "I wouldn't mind dropping by though, maybe after I finish my work here?"

"Will you really be leaving so soon?" she whined, "You haven't been back in eight years and you're going to leave so quickly?" He laughed quietly.

"It's just the nature of my job."

"Can't you request to stay in Japan?"

"I probably could, but I'm not sure I want to."

"Do you not like it here?"

"It's not that I don't like it here, it's that I enjoy traveling more," Nagisa explained, taking another sip from his coffee. He needed to deflect the conversation. "Do you want anything to eat? I hear their sandwiches are very good."

"You don't have to, Nagisa-chan."

"It's no problem, mother. How about the Italian sub with tea?"

"You shouldn't. A mother should take care of her child."

"Well, now that I've made in the world, it's my time to take care of you," he insisted, "I've grown, mother, you don't need to take care of me anymore." She frowned, silent as she gathered her thoughts. Nagisa finished his coffee, quietly hoping that his mother could finally learn to let go. That was why he was here, after all.

"You kept your hair long," she said softly.

"What do you need, Irina-sensei?" Nagisa asked curiously. She had pulled him to the side from his usual physical training. Karasuma-sensei was standing to the side, looking away.

"Do you mind putting your hair down for me?" she asked. Nagisa's head tilted. He pulled the hair ties out, letting his hair fall down. He combed through it quickly to get rid of tangles. She stood back and examined him. "Sit down, Nagisa." He complied. She took a seat next to him.

"What is this all about, Irina-sensei?" he asked. His hands twitched to bring his hair up again.

"Nagisa, as an assassin, you will soon learn that you must sneak into buildings, parties, and gatherings that you would never be invited to. Much of what you've learned from me is how to act in cocktail parties, in high dinner settings, and high society. However, these skills alone are not enough to ensure that you get in the places you need to be." She met his eyes. "Nagisa, you have an advantage that most assassins do not, and will not, ever have." Nagisa had a sinking feeling that he knew exactly what she meant.

"Your androgyny means that places you couldn't get into as a man, you can get into as a woman." He felt anger bubble up inside him. Irina knew that he didn't like the fact he could pass as a woman. "I know this is a sensitive subject for you, but assassination is a hard business, and you're going to need to toughen up if you want to make it."

"Irina-sensei, I appreciate the suggestion, but I can't. No, I won't."

"Nagisa, I know you don't like it, but I can guarantee there is going to be a time in your career that you are going to be stuck as a man. But as a woman, you'll find your way in." She lit a cigarette. "From today onwards, I will be teaching you seduction techniques. You can ignore them, or you can take them to heart. But I can guarantee that one day, they will be of use to you."

"I cut my hair short after I left," he admitted, "But I let it grow out after that." He had totally refused to let it grow out to the lengths it had been in middle school and high school, but he had kept it loosely layered and below his chin. At the moment, he had pulled half of it back, so he could keep it out of his face as he stared at his damn computer screen for hours. When he needed it, he just stuck a flower in it and no one ever questioned him. He had only used it to pass as a woman a handful of times, but he would never forget its use in Dubai….

"I'm glad," she said sincerely, "I'm glad you're happy."

"I'm also glad to see that you're doing alright, mother. I know I'm not the best at calling, and I'm sure you spend a lot of time worrying about where I am or what I'm doing, but I just want to let you know that I do care and that I'm doing just fine." He could see her tearing up. She reached out and rested her hand on Nagisa's.

"I've been a terrible mother, Nagisa." He didn't protest that point. "I-I never got to apologize about our last encounter before you left. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." Tears began to fall down her face. She squeezed his hand. "I've been waiting to tell you that for so long. I'm so glad that you've found happiness."

"It means a lot to hear you say that," he said earnestly. She wiped away some of the tears.

"I would love to hear about some of your adventures abroad, if you'd be willing to tell." Nagisa gave her a soft smile.

"Sure, what do you want to hear about first?"

—

Japan was making him sentimental, Nagisa decided. Thinking of the past was never an asset. It left assassins slow, distracted, and vulnerable. Since leaving the country oh so many years ago, he rarely thought back to his former life. Constantly throwing around what if scenarios in his head was neither healthy nor productive.

Yet, for some reason, he was now standing outside the gates of Kunugigaoka High School.

He didn't need to be here. He really didn't, he should be in his hotel room or in a café, cracking the damned code. But here he was, staring at the school yard that he had spent the better part of three years in.

Everyone was nervous. That much was obvious. About half of Class E had stuck together, deciding to continue onto Kunuguigaoka High School. Karasuma had pulled some strings with the government and Board Chairman Asano, allowing Class E to move onto high school, despite the no-graduation clause. Their grades had placed them in Class 1-A, along with the five virtuosos (who were now regarding them with a lot of contempt).

They carefully regarded the empty desk at the front of the room. After Koro-sensei, who else could compare?

Nagisa still had night terrors. He could distinctly remember the feeling of his knife piercing his teacher's heart. The way that the monster melted away, revealing the human underneath it all. His last words would haunt him for the rest of his life, he was sure.

He felt a hand on his arm. It was Isogai.

"You were shaking," he said softly. He wasn't the only one that had nightmares about Koro-sensei's death. All of the class missed him in some capacity, and those that had been at the center of the impact had the same lingering trauma. Isogai included. "Are you going to be alright?"

"I think so," Nagisa said, "I just get flashes sometimes, y'know?" Isogai smiled sympathetically.

"I understand." The unspoken message was clear. I do too. "If you ever need someone to talk to, I'm always open, okay?" Nagisa nodded. The door opened, and a short woman with long brown hair walked in, carrying a number of folders. She was their new teacher. A far cry from the almost ten foot tall octopus monster.

"Good morning, class. It's the start of a new school year and I hope to get to know you well throughout the year," she said. Nagisa's hand itched. It was so bizarre to be in a classroom without a gun or a knife within reaching distance.

But this was their life now. It wasn't always going to be about saving the world or reaching for the knife. Their futures were ahead of them, it was up to them what they wanted to do with them. He fingered a card that he had been stuck in his pocket for months now. Maybe it was time to take control his own future. Maybe it was time he gave Karasuma-sensei a call.

Nagisa continued to walk around the school. He watched as some students struggled to complete the run around the track. He smiled fondly. During their first PE class in high school, they didn't hold back and left the rest of their class in the dust. Although a couple of students had dropped their workout regime, many had still kept it up. He had been included in that.

He tore himself away from the high school, instead letting his feet lead the way to where the most formative years of his life took place: Kunugigaoka Junior High. The school had changed a lot after Koro-sensei left. The old school grounds had been utterly destroyed in Koro-sensei's attack. The newest generation of Class E students got to remain on the main campus (although in the oldest and nastiest classrooms). Karasuma had argued that they dismantle the Class E program all together, but it never went through. It left a new generation of students to face the scorn and shame of being the lowest class.

Nagisa turned away from the main school, his footsteps falling on the both familiar and yet unfamiliar path that he used to walk every day for a year. The path was overrun with weeds and foliage. He expertly timed his steps, but still stumbled as an occasional root caught his foot.

This walk felt a lot longer 10 years ago, he marveled. The path became rougher and harder to follow as he went deeper and deeper into the forest. He could see something blocking his path in the distance. Is that…is that police tape? It was, it was browned and brittle with years of dirt and dust. They left it as is? His heart beat rapidly as he realized what he was seeing. The crater had eroded through the years, but it was left exactly as it was. The tower from which they had staged their attack stood abandoned, its crumbling structure ready to fall.

Hayami-san and Chiba-san had missed. Hayami's bullet had taken out one of his tentacles, and Chiba's had simply hit a feeler. Far from their intended mark of his heart. At Mach 20, he took out the support structures of their tower. The two screamed and the class gasped as the tower began to tilt. Karasuma-sensei was in action before any of them could shout, saving the two students. Koro-sensei towered above them, his black contorted face looking down on them.

"The school year is over and our contract has expired. I am no longer your sensei. I am your target."

Nagisa moved forward without thinking. He slide down the concave surface, loose dirt falling down beside him. His mind was filled with memories. This was where he and his classmates gained the confidence in themselves to walk with their heads held high. Where they had found hidden talents lurking just underneath the surface.

He had hit his target. Nagisa's knife was lodged deeply into the heart, right in the center of his moon tie. Koro-sensei stopped wriggling. Nagisa's hand loosened, he could hardly believe what had happened. Behind him, Karma, Kayano, and the rest of his class were breathing deeply, their breaths like sirens in the sudden quiet. Koro-sensei's black face slowly morphed. Soon it was back to yellow.

Then it began to melt away.

This was the place where he had killed Koro-sensei. Where he had really began his career as an assassin. His eyes fell on a patch of dead ground. Weeds and roots had overrun every other inch of this crater, but not this patch. He leaned down, touching the dead ground.

"I hope you're proud of me, sensei."

"You'll make a great assassin one day, Nagisa."

—

He was so damn close it was infuriating! He had gotten into the Ministry of Education's system, through some miracle. He was a step away from getting into Asano Gakushuu's personal system, but every time it felt within his grasp, it slipped right out. He was tempted to order another coffee, but it was only two pm and he already had three. Maybe just something sweet then? He definitely deserved a reward for all of his work for the last five days.

Nagisa sighed and tried another approach. It was all he could really do. Not that he really thought Asano would have such an obvious hole in his own personal system.

Click. Click. Type. Type. Groan. Type. Backspace. Backspace. Type. Type. Enter.

Nagisa leaned back as the computer processed his request.

He was in.

For a long minute, he just stared at the computer screen.

Holy shit.

Holy shit.

It took all of Nagisa's self-control not to jump up and celebrate. He was in! After a long three days of nothing but fighting with this god damn computer, he was in! With wonder, he clicked around the system, accessing Asano's email, apps, and files. It was real, he was actually in the system! He exited the screen, opening Asano's schedule. Incredible. He hated this part of the job, but it was a damn good feeling when he finally succeeded.

He was in so much awe and amazement that he didn't even twitch when a small child accidentally ran into him.

"Ah! I'm sorry, mister!" the child cried, bowing. Nagisa tore his eyes away from the miracle on his computer screen. The child looked to be about four, with dark eyes and hair. Although face didn't look 100% Japanese, maybe a bit of Slavic blood in him?

"It's fine," he said, elation still evident in his voice. He tilted his head. The more he looked at this child, the more he looked strangely familiar.

"Aleksandr!" Aleksandr? What an odd name in Japan... He must have some Slavic blood in him then. "Aleksandr!" The voice called out again. A very familiar voice, as a matter of fact. Nagisa's eyes widened. No way! His mind reeled. Nagisa slowly looked up from the child, only to see a face he hadn't seen in years.

"Irina-sensei!" He blurted out. Her eyes shot from her son (oh my god, she had a son!), to Nagisa. Her eyes widened, and she almost dropped the cake and coffee in her hands. She looked different. Happier, for a start. Her long hair had been cut into a wavy bob, and she wore jeans (she was wearing jeans!) and a sweater. Cashmere, from the looks of it (some things never change). A woman and a young girl stood next to her.

"Nagisa?!" She exclaimed. Her son (!) wandered back towards her.

"Ehh? You know him, Irina-san?" The woman asked.

"He was one of my first students. He's been working abroad," she explained curtly, "How long has it been, Nagisa?"

"A little under ten years, Irina-sensei," he said.

"Did your work bring you here?" Are you on a job right now?

"Yes, I'm not going to be here for too long. I'll probably be leaving again in two weeks," he said, standing up and turning towards the woman. "My name is Shiota Nagisa. It's nice to meet you."

"Ah, it's nice to meet you too. I'm Ichisada Akemi."

"Hey Irina-san. Why don't I take Aleksandr for the day so you two can catch up?"

"Sure, Akemi-san, I would appreciate it." She kneeled down. "Hey Aleksandr, be sure to place nice with Emiko-chan."

"Yeesss, Mom." She smiled and wiped some dirt off of his face. He squirmed around and hide behind the other mother.

"I'll pick him up in a few hours," she promised. Akemi smiled.

"I'll see you then." She led the children to the other end of the café, while Irina took the seat across from him. He closed his laptop and set it to the side.

"He's cute," Nagisa commented, still kind of reeling over the fact that Irina was a mother. "How old is he?"

"He's turning six in a few months." She sipped her coffee, "So you're here for a job?"

"Yes, like I said, I expect to be out in two weeks. Maybe three at most."

"Not long-term?"

"Not this time."

"Color me impressed, Nagisa. I'm betting you've made a name for yourself." He smiled.

"Yes, I have. So what about you? Are you still consulting for the government?"

"No, I left not long after you did," she explained, "I'm actually teaching English at a high school." Nagisa stifled a snicker. Irina scowled. "What was that, brat? I'll have you know I'm actually well-loved and respected!" Nagisa didn't bother holding back his laughter this time. "Disrespectful brat."

"No, no, I'm sorry," he said, "You were a great teacher to me, so I'm sure you're a great teacher to them."

"Damn right I am." She took a bite of her cake. "So, where were you last?"

"Vancouver," he said, "I was working with the CEO of a children's non-profit."

"I see," she said thoughtfully, "Have you been here long?"

"Not really. About four days now." She leaned forward.

"Have you had the chance to see anyone else?" He hesitated for a moment.

"My mother," he said quietly. Her eyes softened.

"How did that go?"

"A lot better than expected. I think she's finally accepted that she doesn't have to have her hand in my life all the time. It was a surprisingly pleasant conversation."

"I'm glad for you. What does she thinks you've been doing abroad?" Nagisa flipped open his business card holder and handed on to Irina.

"I work at an international business development consulting firm. We're based in Japan, but have operations all over the world." She scanned it and nodded with approval.

"Very solid. I'm guessing the number on here goes straight to voice mail?"

"Yes. I am a very busy, very respectable businessman." They both shared a laugh. She sipped her coffee. Nagisa sensed a lull in the conversation. "How's Karasuma-sensei doing?"

"He's doing very well for himself," she said, "He's been promoted to Minister for Defense. He's been working very hard. Poor Aleksandr doesn't get to see him that often. Tadaomi tries his best to get home every night, and that's all I can ask for." She leaned on her arm. "Have you seen anyone else?" She asked seriously.

"No," Nagisa admitted. He should've known this question would come up. He knew what she was hinting at.

She gave him a serious look. "Nagisa, everyone was devastated after you left. Everyone came to me and Tadaomi to ask where you had gone. I thought Karma was going to kill us himself if we didn't tell him anything. Seeing you might not fix everything, but it'll give them some peace of mind. I know they still worry about you." Nagisa sat back.

"I made my choice a long time ago," he started, "Believe me, I have some regrets about how I left, but I can't just go up there and see everyone again. They've moved on. I've moved one. It'll only bring back bad memories for everyone."

"I think you're underestimating how much your friends still love you. I know they'd be glad to see you. They would be happy to see that you're okay." Nagisa gave her a bitter smile.

"I'm sure they've forgotten about me," he said quietly.

"I'm more than sure they haven't," she said firmly. She placed her hand on his and gave him a reassuring squeeze. "Just…just consider it, okay?" He smiled.

"I'll consider it, at least."

"Good, now tell me about where you've been for the last eight years." Nagisa laughed.

"Where do I even begin?"