Disclaimer: I do not own Assassination Classroom or any of it's characters.

Chapter Two: Reasons

Bright blue eyes glinted with cold light. The ever-present smile twisted into one of mockery and distain.

Seeing such familiar eyes become filled with such unfamiliar emotions, Akari felt her heart clench and fold in on itself.

"Nagisa-kun…"

A flash of silver shot towards Akari's face. Without thinking, the seemingly fragile woman moved, shifting to the left and grabbing the projectile before it could fly past her. The entire process was over in less than a second.

There, fisted in Akari's tiny hand, was a penknife. A real, sharp, stainless steel penknife.

Akari's face darkened.

"Ha!" Nagisa laughed once, short and derisive. "I see that you have kept your skills sharp."

Akari didn't answer. She pursed her lips.

"Karma told you that I am still in contact with Lorvo-san? Don't pretend that I'm an ignorant fool. You found this out from Lorvo-san himself didn't you? What right do you have to question me about my choice of career when you yourself have chosen the same road that I have?" Nagisa paused. "Hondo Sasuke, the director of several movies questioning too deeply into the destruction of the moon, disappeared mysteriously when he was having dinner at Hotel Rosa, a filming site of your Assassin's Tears. Peter Forestor, the owner of a company that secretly performed genetic modifications on kidnapped tramps, suddenly committed suicide after he set his eyes on the possibilities of antimatter… Need I continue?"

Suddenly, Nagisa's face softened. His smile returned to its gentle and comforting tilt. "Of course even if you hadn't taken those targets for yourself, I would have. I must say though, you did an excellent job with each and every one of them."

Akari couldn't hold it in any more. "Nagisa-kun! I—… What I did was—… But you!" Sucking in a deep breath to calm herself, Akari tried again. "I have my own reasons for doing what I did and I don't regret any of it. You, on the other hand, should be living a normal life. Didn't you decide to use your talent to help people?"

"I did." Nagisa replied neutrally. "I am.

"What..?"

"Shiota-kun, are you still in there?" A slightly severe male voice called from the other side of the door.

"Yes." Nagisa raised his voice slightly. "Please enter."

Akari composed herself. Immediately, she was cheerful and bubbly Mase Haruna, not Yukimura Akari who was desperately wishing to strangle the man before her for answers.

Nagami Akira, Japanese and homeroom teacher for Class 4-C, walked in to see the young bishonen teacher showing a petite woman around the classroom. "Aah, there you are, Shiota-kun. This is…?" He looked politely at the familiar-looking woman. Did he see her before somewhere?

"I'm Kayano Kaede, Nagisa-kun's junior high classmate. Pleased to meet you sir!" The woman answered enthusiastically, practically radiating cheer.

"Pleased to meet you too, Kayano-san. I'm Nagami Akira, Shiota-kun's colleague." The man turned to the apprentice teacher. "Shiota-kun, some parents have been wanting to talk to you about their children's academic progress. I was wondering if it is ok with you if I arrange a parent's meeting for tomorrow afternoon. Kujou-kun, Yamamoto-kun, and Shirazaki-kun's parents will be attending."

"No problem, sir." Nagisa smiled. "Will the meeting take place here in the classroom or will it be in the teacher's office?"

"In the classroom, the children will be attending as well." Nagami nodded. " That's about it then. Remember to lock up when you leave, Shiota-kun, and have a nice day."

"Have a nice day, sir."

The moment she was sure Nagami was out of eyesight, Akari dropped her façade. "What did you mean when you said 'I am'?" she struggled to keep her voice down low.

Nagisa ignored her question. Instead, he gathered up his belongings, shut the windows and walked out of the classroom. "Do you still like pudding? I know a good sweets shop a street over."

Groaning, Akari followed Nagisa out and locked the room behind her.

Squeezing into the crowded sweets shop, Nagisa ordered two chocolate puddings. Then, he and Akari walked strolled to a nearby park that was usually empty.

"Karma works part-time for Lorvo-san as a battle tactician, did you know?" Nagisa asked quietly as they ate their puddings. "Chiba-kun spends his holidays with Red-eye and sometimes Hayami-san tags along. Isogai-kun takes on high-paying jobs to earn extra money. Kanzaki-san also takes on jobs and Sugino-kun goes with her whenever she does. Itona-kun and Terasaka-kun are definitely still working with Lorvo-san. Sugaya-kun helps all of us with disguises whenever we need them. Fuwa-san, Toka-san, and Rio-san started a detective agency a while back, the real deal, not like the amateur one Fuwa-san did in high school. Heck, even Okuda-san uses her chemicals now and again."

Akari focused on her pudding. She didn't realize that so many of them still…

"Even those who don't take on jobs still haven't completely lost contact with the world of hitmen. Assassination is such a big part of our lives now that we can't turn away from it."

It was true. That final year of junior high changed them all from their very cores. It was impossible to deny this.

"Even so, how do you explain your 'night job'? I know from Lorvo-san that you sometimes hit targets outside of the ones that he gives you." Akari trembled. "What are you doing, Nagisa?"

Nagisa forcefully tossed the empty plastic pudding bowl into a wastebasket by the road. The last time Akari called his name without an honorific….

"I have my reasons." He threw back the same answer that she gave him.

"Why?! The Nagisa that I knew never wanted to harm anybody! He wanted to use his talents to help people! He wanted to become a normal teacher!" Akari spun on her heels to face the young man. "I saw your students. They love you! What more could you want? Why can't you just let go?" Her words ended with a sob, echoing in the empty park.

Nagisa grabbed her shoulders and shook them. "You think I want to be a killer? You, of all people, should understand that I never wanted to—!" Then he sagged, anger deflating. "I can't stop… I can't…"

"Then tell me!" tears streamed from Akari's eyes. Real tears.

Nagisa opened his mouth, hesitated, and then closed it. "No."

Akari stared into those blue, blue eyes. They were closed off, dull and unreadable. The last time she saw Nagisa's eyes like that… She felt as though the person standing before her was a stranger in a close friend's body. The feeling threw her off balance.

A faint rustling caught both their attentions. Like a pair of foxes on a scent they stilled.

After a short wait, a gang of delinquents walked into sight. "Well, well, well. Look what we have here." The leader smirked. "Trouble in paradise?"

"Hey, hey. Gives us some pocket money will ya. A few million or so will do." A guy with a yellow Mohawk called out.

"*Hic* Yeah. Give us some dough. If you don't…" Another man walked up, leering at Akari.

Taking in the baggy clothes, tattoos of dragons and Chinese characters, and self-inflicted scars, Akari felt like snorting. Those men were obviously wasted from over-indulgence in sex and alcohol, she doubted they could even walk straight, much less win one over her. They probably didn't even know how to throw a punch correctly.

Nagisa walked forwards, tilting his body so that Akari was hidden from view. "I suggest that you walk away, gentlemen. Then we'll pretend that we never saw you."

"Pretend that you never saw us?" The leader guffawed. "No way mate. Leave your wallet and the girl an' we'll let you leave in peace." He eyed Nagisa's slender figure and short ponytail. "You are a guy right? If you aren't you can stay, too. I promise we'll let you experience heaven."

Nagisa sighed. "Well, can't say that I didn't give you a chance." His eyes turned frosty while his smile remained gentle. "I guess we can't go our separate ways after all."

The leader frowned. "Hey whaddaya mean ya— "

"!"

Not even waiting for him to finish his sentence, Nagisa disappeared from sight. Rolling her eyes, Akari flipped to the delinquent who was still chugging beer and thrust her palm against the man's jaw. Then, as the man fell over, she kicked his temple, knocking him out cold. Several muted thumps behind the leader signaled the fall of his other cronies.

"What's going on?!" The leader made to catch Akari, but before he could move, a cold feeling slithered up his spine. A sharp pain flared in the back of his neck and the delinquent knew no more.

Ten seconds later all twelve wannabe gangsters were on the ground. Akari brushed imaginary dust off her dress, one hand still holding onto her unfinished pudding. "You should have left them to me you know, I could have handled them easily."

"I couldn't have let you have all the fun now could I?" Nagisa pulled out his cell phone. "Hello, Kimura-kun? …. Yes… Twelve this time… Aomori Park… Shall I wait for you? … Ok, bye."

"Kimura-kun's coming?" Akari asked curiously.

"Yes." Nagisa smiled. "Somehow a lot of people have gotten it into their heads that I'm an easy target to pick on. This isn't the first time I've had to call Kimura-kun."

Akari stared at Nagisa levelly in the eyes. "We keep getting interrupted whenever I ask you about what you're doing. I don't know how you managed to achieve so many coincidences, but I've learned my lesson."

Nagisa raised an eyebrow.

"Next time, I'll find out the truth by myself." Akari announced. Then, turning around decisively, she walked away. "You're a difficult opponent." She said. "I have to make thorough preparations before I begin digging."

Looking at Akari's leaving silhouette, Nagisa felt his smile dissolve and fall. Distantly, he wondered if he had made the right decision not to tell her anything. He didn't regret not saying anything— he, alone, was enough to carry that burden— but Akari was a dangerous person to have as an enemy.

Mohawk guy moaned at Nagisa's feet. "Now I know why you want to break up with a beauty like her. So violent…"

Nagisa kicked him.

A/N: I was really surprised when I saw how many people read my story, and even more surprised when I saw how many readers like it. So I decided to add another chapter as thanks for all your support.

Thanks to shinydragonmist, I12Bfree, Rhaelle for reviewing.

Thanks to FeatherStar18208, TykkiMikk, bukalay, shinydragonmist for adding ReaNo to your Favourite Lists.

Thanks to AkiraSuzumine, Dr-J33, FeatherStar18208, RaitRiri, TykkiMikk, bukalay, shinydragonmist for following ReaNo.

Ok, there are some anouncements that I would like to make. First, I realize that in Chap 1, Nagisa did answer both Takenaka's questions. I'm too lazy to go back to change it so I'll try to incorporate the 'question' into the story later on in a way that makes sense. Second, there might be more updates in February because I'm having my winter hols now, but after that… Third, I know Kayano died in 173, but she's alive for my story. I'm the author and I have poetic license. Fourth, criticisms are welcome because English is my second language and I know I make lots of mistakes. Fifth, this story goes wherever my plotbunnies lead me so even I don't know what's going to happen. Some parts in my story might not make sense to you (or me) now, but they will make sense as the story moves on (hopefully).

Happy Chinese New Year everyone!