A/N: As an FYI, there is some gore in this chapter. On AO3, I do have this tagged as having depictions of violence, and in future chapters, that's going to become more relevant.

Chapter Eight – Planning Part 2

CONFIDENTIAL: Minister for Defense Attacked by Terrorist Suspect

Karma's eyes read the internal memo for the 20th time that afternoon.

TO: MINISTRY OF DEFENSE: DEFENSE POLICY DEPARTMENT

FROM: DEFENSE INTELLIGENCE HEADQUARTERS

FOR INTERNAL EYES ONLY

At 15:07, while suspect Shiota Nagisa was enroute to an interrogation, he crossed paths with Minister for Defense Karasuma Tadaomi. Despite standard precautions being taken, Shiota took down an officer and stole his gun. He fired three times, injuring another officer in the process. The Minister was unhurt, and effectively took down the suspect, who has been placed in isolation.

This information is to be embargoed until further notice.

Karma gulped as he read the memo for the 21st time that afternoon.

Nagisa had attacked Karasuma, their former teacher and his former assassination mentor. Karma was in a daze. He had only one question on his mind. Why? Why had Nagisa attacked Karasuma? What did he have to gain? He wasn't doing himself any favors.

A single, terrifying thought jolted him.

What if he was trying to finish the job?

At the moment, the MEXT Minister, the Minister for Finance, and the Minister for Economy, Trade, and Industry were confirmed dead. The Minister for Health was missing and presumed dead and the Minister for Justice was still missing. Had Nagisa been determined to take down another Minister before he was sent away forever?

From day one, Karma had believed with his everything that Nagisa was innocent. He believed that Nagisa had been framed, that he would never make the decision to take down a government. But as he read the memo for the 22nd time, he felt tendrils of doubt cloud his confidence. Terasaka's words rang through his head.

"And what are you assholes going to do when it turns out Nagisa is guilty?"

Karma had dismissed his words, thinking that it was impossible. There was no way Nagisa was guilty. Now he wasn't so sure. The Nagisa he thought he knew wouldn't do something like this. The Nagisa that had spent the last eight years making a living off of killing people might. The Nagisa that was somewhere in this same goddamn building might be willing to kill government officials. And he hated that. He hated that he might actually be wrong.

He tore his eyes away from the computer screen, instead focusing on his phone. What would his newly formed team think when they saw this information? They were already hanging together by a thread, this information might be enough to destroy their fragile resolve. He gritted his teeth together. Should he tell them? He unlocked his phone, opening up the messaging app.

Nagisa had to have attacked him for a reason. There was still no explanation for his strange arrest, nor was there an explanation for his motive. Karma tapped his finger impatiently against the desk. He wanted answers and he wanted them now. Though, even if he could sneak passed high security by himself (first of all, he would've already done it), he doubted Nagisa was in a chatty mood. Getting tased and forcibly placed into isolation tended to kill any motivation to do anything. Besides, who knew what eyes would be on them?

His fingers hovered over the screen to select the Terasaka conversation thread. He realized that as soon as he told his friend, he would tell the rest of the group. They really would fall apart. Without them, it would be impossible for Karma to ever see Nagisa again.

He needed to see him again. He needed to talk to him, tell him everything he had kept to himself in high school. He needed to ask him: why? Why did he leave? Why did he think that his friends wouldn't understand? Why did he wait so long to return?

He needed to have more faith. Nagisa had to have attacked Karasuma with good reason. He couldn't just be "finishing the job", otherwise the other alive and accounted for Ministers would be dead too. There had to be something more, there just had to be. With only a moment's hesitation, he exited out of the app. He just hoped he wasn't making a mistake.

"HE DID WHAT?!" Irina squawked, spitting out her coffee all over the table. Karasuma covered his face with his newspaper to protect himself from the spray.

"He attacked me," he repeated simply. He took a nearby rag and started wiping down the counter. Irina was still staring at him with her arms crossed and fury in her eyes. Karasuma sighed and his wiping slowed.

"Why the hell did he attack you?!" she growled. Before he could answer, she smashed her fist against the table. "Damn, how could he have changed so much? I had so much faith in him…"

"He attacked me to convey a message," Karasuma said. She looked up, confusion evident on her face. Karasuma held back a small smile. She was always so easy to read. He loved that about her.

"A message?"

"He said to me, just before he was tased, 'I want my arrest to mean something.'" It took a moment for Irina to comprehend what he meant.

"Then that means….!"

"He's innocent. He was framed."

"By who? For what reason?" she asked, alarmed.

"I don't know," he said, putting his own cup of coffee on the table, "He didn't get that far. Anything I think is just speculation. We know little of what he has been up too, Irina. Maybe he was betrayed by a partner. Maybe it was an enemy he made along the way." He shrugged. "For all we know, it was a Japanese national who just picked him randomly for the job." The room was filled with quiet contemplation. Karasuma could tell that his wife was trying to wrap her head around everything.

"It's dumb," she said, "But I still feel affectionate towards him. He was our student for three years, I still feel responsible for him."

"In some ways, I kind of view him as our son," Karasuma admitted quietly. Irina placed her hands on his.

"I know what you mean," she said softly.

"Nagisa," Karasuma said. The poor boy was on the ground, his eyes dead, staring at his hands. The rest of their class was in similar states of despair. Hayami was crying into Chiba's shoulder. Many of the girls were openly sobbing and the boys were letting their frustration, sadness, and anger out on the forest nearby.

Their sensei was dead.

Nagisa had killed him.

Karasuma gritted his teeth. He hadn't mentally prepared them for this, he hadn't thought he needed to. There was some part of his heart that refused to acknowledge the possibility that a student would lay the final blow. Let alone in such a public and personal way. But Nagisa had killed for the first time. There was no way around it. His hands were covered in a combination of yellow mucus and human blood. He placed his hand on Nagisa's shoulder, but the boy didn't react.

"Nagisa," he said firmly. The boy slowly turned towards him, his eyes unseeing.

"I did it," he said quietly. Karasuma felt his heart break. No child deserved to have such an expression on their face. Irina was at his side, kneeling down next to him. She pulled him into a strong hug. This finally broke him. Tears flowed freely down his face as he wrapped his arms around his teacher. Karasuma patted his back.

"I did it," he repeated, choking sobs down in between each word.

Karasuma closed his eyes. They may have saved the world, but they had lost a dear friend and mentor. He could only hope that they kept their sanity.

"I didn't think he'd take up the training I offered him after junior high," Karasuma admitted. Irina chuckled.

"Neither did I. But he had so much raw potential and he recognized that himself," Irina said, sitting back, "It would've been a shame to see it wither." Raw potential was an understatement. Karasuma had never seen anyone take so naturally to a skill.

Karasuma stood outside the building that Nagisa had entered just ten minutes earlier. He closed his eyes and leaned against the cold brick wall. He and Irina had been shaping the boy into an assassin over the course of the last year and a half. They had been carefully building upon the basics he had learned in his last year of middle school, working on shaping his muscles and his mind.

Now was his first big test.

Karasuma had received word that his superiors were going to be putting a hit out on a Yakuza group that had been building power in the outskirts of Tokyo. Although it wasn't going to be an 'easy' job by any means, it would be a good test. He honestly had enough faith in his student that he would make it out without a scratch.

He looked up as the door creaked open. His hand hovered over his gun, ready to shoot the Yakuza member. His hand twitched as a familiar blue haired boy exited. Karasuma was confused. Had Nagisa given up? There was no way he could have killed six people in just ten minutes.

"Nagisa," Karasuma started, ready to admonish him for abandoning his task. His words were caught in his throat as he realized several things at once. His knife was blanketed in red and droplets of blood were in his hair, and on his clothes. There's no way, he thought.

"Karasuma-sensei," Nagisa said, his voice quiet and far away. He cracked open the door just a little more. Karasuma's heart stopped when he caught a glimpse of the scene behind the boy. Blood was pooling and dripping down the stairs. The body of a heavily tattooed man laid contorted on the ground, his fingers rigid and unmoving. His throat was open, exposing the bone and muscle underneath the skin. Nagisa's innocent face looked unnatural surrounded by the horrors behind him.

"Karasuma-sensei," he repeated, his voice cracking and tears pooling in his eyes. Karasuma looked away, he had to. He held his hand out for the boy who had killed six people in ten minutes. Nagisa's shaking hand took his own. The blood was still warm and a sob escaped Nagisa's lips. Karasuma felt an odd sense of satisfaction at the noise. He hoped to God he never saw the day his protégé actually enjoyed the act.

"What can we do?" Irina asked, "If he's been framed, then the real culprit is still out there. Nagisa deserves to get out."

"As of right now, nothing." She let out a growl of frustration. She knew he was right. They had no idea what kind of life Nagisa had lived when he left Japan. Their interference would only cause trouble for them. Irina heard Aleksandr's pounding feet coming down the stairs. She smiled gently.

They also had one other life to think about.

Shiota Nagisa felt small under the piercing gazes of his judges. They sat in an even row, towering over him in the courtroom. It was surreal to him. From behind the cell doors, he could pretend like none of this had ever happened, like he had been captured by an enemy organization in the underground. But he hadn't. He was in the public eye now and he had to deal with public institutions. A severe looking man stood up.

"Shiota Nagisa, you are being charged with four counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder." He looked up, his harsh eyes meeting Nagisa's. "Given the significance of the dead, the premeditation, and its effects on Japan. We will also be charging you with high treason and conspiracy against the government." Nagisa's heart sunk. Treason… "How do you plead?"

Nagisa tilted his head forward, the microphone capturing the rustle of his clothes and the throaty sound of his voice. "Not guilty," he declared. The man shifted back, shuffling the papers in front of him.

"Very well. You have the right to legal counsel. Will you be hiring your own attorney or will you be seeking a public defender?"

"I will take a public defender." He didn't intend to stay long enough to be actually tried.

"Given the circumstances and the severity of the crime, we will be not be setting bail," he said. He didn't particularly care, he would be surprised if they had set bail. "You are dismissed." Immediately his guards flanked him, their bodies rigid and ready to defend. They handcuffed him and led him through the door to his transport.

Nagisa had no disillusions about the lifespan of an assassin. Few made it to the age of 40, fewer made it to that age with their sanity intact. He had imagined many times how his assassin career would end. He personally hoped that he would go out in a blaze of glory, taking down a criminal mastermind and saving hundreds of lives in the process. Maybe he would get out alive, albeit with a crippling injury, and retire to a tropical island somewhere. Maybe he wouldn't.

In no scenario, did he imagine his career would end with camera flashes and the jeering of a crowd. His senses sharpened as he took in as much information as he possibly could. All the major national tv networks and the international tv networks were present. Tokyo TV, Fuji TV, Nippon Television, NKH, CNN, BBC, Al-Jazeera… There wouldn't be a single person in the world that didn't know his face. He held his head high.

This media frenzy wasn't disadvantageous, he realized. It was chaotic, crowded, loud, and full of security holes. Given the nature of his trial, he was sure that once it was actually underway, it would take from several days to several weeks. He looked up. Even with all the cameras trained on him, handcuffs on, he could see an escape route.

"Why are we doing this, Karasuma-sensei?" Nagisa asked as he allowed his teacher to place handcuffs on him.

"An assassin should never place themselves in a situation where they are captured or at a disadvantage. In an ideal situation, an assassin will make the kill and immediately leave," Irina explained. She raised a finger. "But, this isn't always possible. You can't always predict what's going to happen. Your target wants to live just as much as you want them dead. There may come a time where you will be tied up, handcuffed, or even drugged, and your life is on the line." Nagisa nodded. "That's why it's imperative you learn how to move in all these situations."

Karasuma stood back. Nagisa tested the strength of the cuffs. He stood up, almost immediately losing balance.

"Now," Karasuma said, "Escape."

He smirked and a camera snapped. Nagisa was ushered into a high security van

He had a way out.

Karma looked over the strange gaggle of people in front of him. There were both expected and unexpected faces in the crowd. He knew that Isogai and Maehara still had good relations with Kataoka and Okano, so it was no surprise that they were there. They had dragged along Nakamura, who sat with her arms crossed and looking doubtful. Yada sat nervously, clearly unsure about whether she wanted to do this or not. Sugaya was next to her, looking apathetic about the whole thing. "Is this everyone?"

Terasaka had convinced Itona to join their ragtag group, though that wasn't unexpected either. Okajima, on the other hand, was a surprise. Karma was somewhat amazed not to see Kanzaki or Kurahashi there. He last remembered Kanzaki and Nagisa being on good terms, and Kurahashi had always been enthusiastic about helping in general.

"Yeah," Isogai said, "We called everyone we knew."

"Which was basically everyone, by the way," Maehara added, "A lot of people couldn't come for one reason or another. Mimura wanted in, but his work schedule is so hectic he couldn't even guarantee being here tonight."

"Kurahashi was interested as well, but her work at the zoo keeps her too busy."

"Takebayashi, Muramatsu, and Hazama told us that we were being dumb and told us to move on," Maehara continued.

"Traitors," Terasaka muttered under his breath.

"We couldn't even get in contact with Kimura or Fuwa," Kayano said. She crossed her arms. "It is kind of short notice."

"I see," Karma said. He looked over the crowd. He could work with this group, their plans needed some adjustment, but he could work with them. Nakamura raised her hand.

"I took a look at the evidence, and I agree it's all weird. But how do you expect us to break into the Ministry of Defense?" Karma regarded her with a calmly. He glanced at Terasaka, who gestured for him to begin. Isogai, Kayano, and Maehara took a seat.

"The short of it is that yes, we do have a plan."

"And the long of it?" Nakamura prompted.

"It's complicated," Terasaka interjected bluntly. Karma glared at him. "There's a lot of risks to the plan." There was rustling in the group. Karma was well aware that many were already there reluctantly, this might just be enough for them to jump ship.

"You didn't have to lead with that," Karma hissed in Terasaka's ear.

"They need to know what they're getting into," Terasaka responded firmly. Karma's teeth gritted together and his mind flashed to the memo. No, that wasn't relevant right now. He glanced back at the audience, who was looking more than a little unimpressed.

"Can we just hear the plan?" Sugaya asked dryly, "We already know that it's going to be risky, we would just like to see how risky ourselves." Karma reached down and pulled out a folder from his briefcase. It was a rough sketch of their plan. It hadn't been finalized yet, but now that they knew exactly who was going to participate in the mission, it solidified certain parts.

"Since Terasaka and I work for the Ministry, we would be able to get two guests in without any fuss. Once in, I know a fire entrance in the back that has the alarms disconnected, the rest of you can enter through there."

"Wouldn't that easily incriminate you and your guests?" Nakamura asked, "If a top criminal goes missing and someone is smart enough to look into who brought guests in that day, you guys will be at the top of the list."

"In one day, approximately one hundred and fifty employees bring in a guest of some sort," Terasaka said, "I'm part of a project that analyzes the people entering and exiting the Minister at any given hour." He gave them a serious look. "I can eliminate our data almost as soon as we enter."

"But we've still got witnesses," Nakamura pushed.

"Witnesses who see tons of people on a day to day basis. As long as we don't stick out, we can get in and out without a fuss," Karma responded, "Myself, Terasaka, and the other two would be a part of Team A. They would be responsible for paving the way for Teams B and C." Karma carefully regarded the group, they were still all intently listening. "Team B would be entering through the back, posing as security guards. Team C will be entering through the front."

"The front?" Kayano repeated, "How do you expect us to do that?"

"Yesterday was Nagisa's first court appearance," Karma explained, "He pleaded not guilty to the charges brought against him and he called for a public defender. Team C is going to be posing as that public defender and their assistant."

"Are we forging those credentials?" Itona asked.

"That's the plan," Terasaka confirmed. They let the group digest the plan. It had a lot of elements and he was sure even they could see some of the holes. If they slipped, it would be all over.

"There's just one more thing," Karma started. There was one more element to this plan that they needed to know. "Since Nagisa has made his first court appearance and is going to full trial, the Ministry of Justice will be taking over his case soon. It would have been done already, if the Ministry wasn't in chaos right now due to the assassination of their Minister. In the next few days, he is going to be moved from the Ministry of Defense to a full-scale jail." Here was the kicker. "We need to act before that happens."

"Wait, are you saying we need to do this in the next few days?!" Isogai cried, "That's too fast. We have no time for prep!"

"If we move fast, we can manage it," Karma said, "I'm confident in us."

"I'm sorry, I wouldn't be able to do that," Sugaya said, "I have shows in the evening starting tomorrow through the next week. I wouldn't be able to help." Shit, and he could've been helpful for infiltration.

"Would you be able to quickly throw together disguises for us?" Terasaka asked. Sugaya hummed, thinking his words over.

"Yeah, I might be able to do that." Karma let out a breath of relief. Even losing one person diminished their odds of success.

"Okajima, how are your video and photo manipulation skills?" Karma asked. Okajima grinned.

"They don't call me the celebrity public number one enemy for nothing!" he declared.

"Then Team A with be myself, Terasaka, Itona, and Okajima," he said. Terasaka and Itona had always been on the first team. Itona's skills with engineering and technology would be advantageous to actually get inside the Ministry. Okajima could then help keep the cameras pointed in just the right directions. "Kayano, Nakamura, how are your acting skills?"

"Top notch as always!" Kayano said brightly.

"I could pass," Nakamura said.

"You'll be on Team C," he declared, "Of any of us, you two would pass the best. We'll work on creating false credentials for you. You're going to need to make it seem like you belong there. Maehara, Okano, Isogai, and Kataoka, you four will serve as support for Team C. Nagisa is not to be moved without a minimum of four guards at all times. You must be those guards. Terasaka and I will figure out how to get a couple of uniforms out of the Defense Force's hands."

They all looked at each other.

"And you're sure about this?" Kataoka asked.

"Look, Terasaka's right, it's not going to be easy and there's plenty of room for fuck-ups. But we can do this. We've done the impossible before and we can do it again. I know I can't stand by and watch as my best friend is wrongfully prosecuted!" Karma was starting to get sick of hammering this point into the heads of his friends. Couldn't they see that Nagisa needed their help?

"Alright, then let's do this," Sugaya said, "I wasn't super close to him myself, but I respected him." He sat forward on his seat, looking over the folder that Karma had pulled out earlier. "Lead the way, Karma-kun." Rio sat forward similarly.

"Well, I might as well do something exciting before I become a boring old lawyer."

"Nagisa was always so kind to us, so it's about time we returned the favor!" Kayano said enthusiastically. Itona sat silent on his chair, looking over every detail. Karma opened up his personal folder.

"Well then, let's begin."