Hey! Took a bit longer this time and unfortunately, my semester is starting again next week so updates won't be as fast anymore :( Still doing my best and prioritizing rewriting these chapters! Hope you understand :')
They failed.
The assassination was a big failure. Koro-sensei became an undestroyable orb and class E was left soaking wet with their hopes crushed.
Karma's classmates look as grim as Karma feels depressed. Unlike them though, he cannot afford to let it show, not with his reputation of being the carefree delinquent. After all, if even he buckles, who will be there to lift the mood? They needed someone - definitely not Koro-sensei - to remind them this was nothing, they could try again. Life went on.
They did their best though. They poured their soul into this assassination, double checked, triple checked everything there was to check. Karma personally supervised every step. And yet it went up in smoke.
In a way, Karma feels like it's his fault.
Maybe it really is. He was supposed to create the groundwork for the whole action. He came up with the ideas too. What if they were too narrow? Where did he go wrong? The calculations? No, those must have been correct. The hideouts as well, the movie they made was flawless. Koro-sensei was properly distracted.
Perhaps technicalities weren't what Karma should have focused on. Possibly, he forgot to count in the apprehension, anticipation and pressure his classmates felt. Maybe therein lay the problem - he should have foreseen that there would be deviations and mistakes - and made a backup plan.
Or maybe, they stood no chance in the first place.
"Karma?"
Suddenly, someone quietly calls him from behind. The whisper pulls Karma back to reality, to the common dining room he currently rests in. Behind him sits Gakushuu, back turned to Karma, sneakily demanding his attention. Somehow, Karma didn't even notice his brother sitting so close to him but then again, he wasn't the most alert since the botched assassination.
"Yeah?" Karma asks under his breath, wary of the people around them. It slightly unsettles him that they're communicating in such an open area even though they're being subtle about it.
"Did something happen?" his voice is gentle. Karma feels shame creep into his face upon realizing that Gakushuu picked up on the disappointment.
Karma bites the inside of his lips, trying to sound nonchalant: "Nah."
He purposefully leaves it at that, hoping that it minimises the chances of being interrogated.
Gakushuu draws in a deep breath, probably readying himself to question it nevertheless. But he gets cut off by Karma abruptly sitting up.
He hears something.
A strange, low hiss.
And he's not the only one. Some of his classmates are up too, alert and searching for the source of that ominous sound. Class A on the other hand only looks at them, puzzled, since their ears aren't trained to pick up on the slightest changes.
Karma has a bad feeling about this.
Finally, he finds two black orbs lying on the floor. However, before he can notify anyone, he realizes what those things are for. In a matter of seconds, a blast of light accompanied by grey smoke stuns everyone present. Karma, upon noticing early enough, manages to hold his breath and shield his eyes. Still, the light is so intense that even after he reopens them, stars plaque his vision. By the time he can see clearly again, numerous thuds of bodies hitting the ground ring through the room.
Karma coughs, the smoke irritating his lungs. Thankfully, he inhaled none of that suspicious substance, which must have also been the reason why he was unaffected, unlike others. The smog clears and reveals that he isn't the only one standing.
Although slightly unsteady and definitely not unscathed, Nagisa-kun kneels on the ground. His eyes jump from one body to another before they land on Karma, disoriented. Next to him sit Kayano and Nakamura, hacking their lungs and hazed. They must have inhaled some of the chemicals.
Not so far behind, Karasuma-sensei and Bitch sensei held on to each other, looking not that much better.
And behind Karma-
"Gakushuu!" he cries out in relief upon finding his brother not only conscious but also unaffected by the light bomb or the gas.
At the same time, Karma curses, aware that whatever is about to unfold, Gakushuu will bear witness to. Worse, he could get involved. Despite being strong and nifty and probably holding a black belt in every martial art there is out there (he doesn't, Karma's just exaggerating), the world of assassins is a whole different story. It's too much even for Gakushuu.
Yes, it's rather obvious that this must be part of some messed-up assassination attempt. As if there'd be a different sensible reason as to why a bunch of junior high schoolers in a remote private island - we're talking hours away from civilisation - would be targetted. Not to mention in such an elaborate way. It wouldn't be the first time anyway.
And if that argument wasn't enough, then maybe the masked man approaching them with yet another of those stun bombs and a knife in his hands was an answer enough.
"Still standing? Such a pain," their attacker hisses, his voice deep. The man wears a military green and black cloak and leather boots, from which hilts from presumably more knives stuck out. Karma can't see much from the distance but he suspects there are more weapons and light bombs under his jacket, from the way the fabric stretches.
Karma measures him warily. The intruder must definitely be a trained fighter, judging from his strong build and steady stance. His blue eyes gleam coldly and radiate killing intent.
Just like he feared. An assassin.
"Gakushuu, run away," Karma whispers, eyes plastered at the assassin. He doesn't want to risk missing any funny moves.
Just to be safe that his brother got the message, he pushes him back without even turning around. The hand is met with resistance as Gakushuu shoots him a look of disbelief:
"What the hell is that guy?! What's going-"
"Who are you? What have you done to the students?!" Karasuma-sensei's furious tone cuts through the air but his voice cracks. He staggers and lands on one knee, coughing. Bitch-sensei catches him by the arms and breaks his fall. She's huffing as well, beads of sweat forming on her forehead as she attempts to stay standing on her own legs.
"No worries, everyone's safe and shit. For now. Give me the monster and I will leave. If not-" the attacker opens his jacket and confirms Karma's suspicions: "everything goes booom".
Karma analyzes the situation. Koro-sensei was currently hidden in Bitch-sensei's handbag, unable to help or protect them. Among those who remained conscious, their two teachers were the only ones capable of overpowering the assassin and yet it seemed that the surprise attack incapacitated them. The same applied to Nakamura and Kayano-chan. Nagisa-kun seemed better off and while Karma acknowledges his friend's talent, it stands no chance against an opponent in close combat. What however bothered Karma the most, was Gakushuu's presence. He didn't know what was going on and that made him an easy target.
Karma comes to the conclusion that he alone stands a chance of fighting the intruder. But would he be able to take him on? Maybe in a fistfight, but this was an assassin. He definitely knew better than to get close to anyone, plus he kept numerous weapons with him. The only weapon Karma had was a fork.
It's too risky of a gamble. The man can easily kill Karma in the blink of an eye and lose his fuse, taking out everyone else too. Not that Karma particularly cares about class A, but no one deserves to become a blood stain on the walls, no matter how annoying. Besides, his classmates and brother would also become potential casualties.
Fighting back is unthinkable then, Karma decides. But so is handing Koro-sensei. He has to think. None of the options are acceptable. He has to create a different one. A third, better way. One which saves both the students and this obnoxious ball he calls teacher. But how? What is he supposed to do? It's not like Karma has time to devise some genius plan before the attacker gets impatient and threatens to blow this whole place up. He would search for the orb among the rubble and pry it from their cold hands.
Suddenly, an idea strikes him. Clear and yet very tricky. Quite a crazy one too but hey, has Karma ever had anything but crazy ideas?
"I have him!" Karma walks towards the man, not before he passes Karasuma-sensei and Bitch-sensei. Eyes locked on the assassin, he snatches Bitch-sensei's bag and fishes Koro-sensei out to prove his statement. He makes sure to hold the ball lowly and block the view of it from Gakushuu with his own body.
"NUYAAA! What happened?!" his teacher startles, gaze darting from the unconscious students to Karma, then to the teachers and before it settles on the creepy man.
"Karma-kun, what are you doi-" Nagisa-kun calls out weakly from behind.
Karma ignores it. This is the only solution after all.
"If you want this, fine. I will give it to you," Karma says with determination and fakes a bit of fear so that he sells the image of a scared little student.
The assassin's mouth twists in satisfaction. "Smart kid. I knew we could sort this out peacefu-"
"But," Karma continues, slowly closing the distance between them. Despite the front he's putting on, his legs feel like leather. At least, now the conversation stays only between them and Gakushuu won't hear the contents of it. "I don't trust you enough to believe you won't hurt anyone in here. After all, taking two classes at one of the most prestigious schools as hostages would give the government no option but to comply with your demands."
Koro-sensei whispers, his face washed with worry: "Karma-kun, stop. Leave me and-"
He won't. He won't deprive his class of the chance to kill their teacher. Not after the failure today.
"I don't care about you runts, give me the octopus," the assassin snars, reaching out his hand.
"Outside. I promise I will hand it to you outside, far enough to ensure you won't harm my friends," Karma says, voice trembling to convince the man he has nothing to fear from Karma. A harmless, terrified student couldn't fight back, after all.
The other teachers seem to realize what he's doing: "Karma-kun, stand down, it's too dangero-"
He sends them a smile of reassurance.
Then, he turns back at the intruder: "I will go alone. That enough or are you scared I'll beat you up?"
The assassin laughs uglily at that and Karma internally sighs in relief. That reaction can only mean two things: That he underestimates Karma and let his guard down.
"Fine! Let's go then, boy," he sings and beckons Karma to lead the way by gesturing his hand. It's a mockery and Karma would have broken the man's nose if other lives weren't on the line.
However, not everything can go according to Karma's plan. Because the biggest idiot just had to interfere: "WAIT!"
Irritated, Karma glances back at the strawberry blonde who was trying to run towards them. Gakushuu promptly stops in his tracks though when a knife flies to the ground, just a few steps away from his feet. A clear warning: stay away.
"Your brave classmate made a deal to save you so be good and listen. The deal says he goes alone. Right, kiddo?" the assassin smiles sweetly at Karma. In Karma's mind, the sleazy bastard is already dead twenty times over.
Still, he entertains the man.
"Yeah. Stay here, idiot. I will take care of this and be back in no time," Karma gives Gakushuu a placating look. He sees the worry in the violet eyes, the kind that knows no boundaries, but still, he turns away. Karma counts on the adults to keep Gakushuu where he is and to minimize the casualties.
They walk out of the restaurant, out of the hotel, the assassin only a hand reach away and keeping an eye on him.
"Karma-kun," the octopus calls many times but not once does Karma answer, instead tugging him in Bitch-sensei's bag. It definitely gives off the impression of Karma betraying his teacher and handing him over, but he mostly doesn't want to talk right now. He feels that if he answered and let Koro-sensei talk, he just might grow more scared than he already is.
Maybe Karma is mad. But at the same time, he counts on the fact that this assassin doesn't want to go through the trouble of killing innocent kids. Still, Karma's heart beats fast. The rhythm becomes erratic once they enter the woods and Karma almost can't hear the sound of his own feet hitting the ground anymore.
They go on for about fifteen minutes without a word. The bastard behind Karma must be feeling incredibly strong and confident with only a (supposedly) fourteen-year-old student left at his mercy. For the longest time, he follows, until-
"We are far enough already. Give him to me." His patience runs dry.
And indeed, they find themselves so far from civilisation that they can hardly see the lights of the hotel. The place - a hill, to be exact, is secluded, silent and dark. Perfect for what Karma is about to do.
"What's wrong? Shit your pants? Once I have that monster, you are free to go to mommy and cry your eyes out," the assassin ridicules him, a hand reached out in the air.
It's this moment that Karma waits for. The man lets down his guard completely, his arrogance getting the best of him, and he doesn't even bother to raise a knife or weapon for defense.
And that's when Karma attacks. He kicks him in the groin and snatches one of the knives. He tries to swing for another hit but the assassin recovers too fast, rolling away and already on guard. Karma curses under his breath. He lost the golden chance to knock the attacker out, so the only thing that remains is to run.
He sprints into the dark and hides among bushes and trees. The wind is strong at this height and drowns out Karma's steps, bettering his chances of escaping.
But only for a while. The assassin charges right after Karma and no matter how scary it is to admit, he's gaining speed too quickly. If Karma doesn't somehow shake him off soon, he just might end up like a gutted fish.
Think, think, think! he repeats to himself, trying to find a way out of this deadly game of tag. The original plan was to outsmart the intruder and take him out. Plan B was getting away from him and keeping him occupied by chasing Karma for another twenty-four hours until Koro-sensei reverted back to his form. But seeing how it was going now, Karma realizes his miscalculation. The man won't even need twenty-four hours to catch up, more like twenty-four seconds.
Screw this.
Suddenly, Karma hears a pained scowl belonging to his pursuer. It sounds like he hit something but once Karma spots a familiar silhouette and said silhouette suddenly gains colour too, Karma realizes that the assassin didn't hit something as much as he got hit by someone. Which was great and all, but another problem arises:
Gakushuu is not supposed to be here.
And then another figure appears.
Nagisa-kun's easy to recognize from his small build. He manages to sneak behind the assassin and lunches to knock him out, yet the man somehow notices and counters it. He roars and swings with his knife, only barely missing Nagisa-kun. The violent attacks however throw him off and Nagisa-kun stumbles and falls on his back, groaning.
Karma turns back and runs towards them in panic. Nagisa-kun is powerless against an opponent this big and currently doesn't even seem capable of standing up and escaping, let alone defending himself. However, before he gets cut in two, Gakushuu jumps in. The strawberry blond holds his own against the man thanks to his expertise in martial arts, but the assassin recognizes that fast. Instead of engaging in close combat, keeps his distance and uses long-distance weapons.
A knife almost hits Gakushuu straight into his leg. The throw is so fast and sudden that he barely dodges. However, exactly in the moment of instability, the assassin charges in and punches the boy half his size in the stomach.
Gakushuu lands not so far from Nagisa-kun and cries out in pain.
"STOP!" Karma yells at the tops of his lungs and surges in front of his friends, holding out that one knife he stole. Not that it was going to help much but with the two boys behind him almost out cold, it was their best chance. Not that Karma had much hope to cling to in the first place.
Karma's head spins from the adrenaline and panic. He slowly backs off until his ears pick up on the shrill sound of wind behind him. It's reminiscent of the place he likes to hang out on in the mountains. Karma takes another step deliberately and notices the hollow sound of the ground.
Like he thought. This was a cliff. It didn't look that high up but still a cliff.
Just perfect.
No, seriously, this is like his last hope.
Sure, it's still a fairly high-altitude situation, but Karma allows himself a second to take in the surroundings. They're in a forest, so there surely must be trees and bushes below. He hears a low hush of a river too. Karma has experience with breaking falls. Might be a 50/50 chance that they break some bones, but survival was guaranteed. Better than if they stayed here and got butchered by a furious killer.
"If you want Koro-sensei," Karma hisses in a threatening tone, "then come and get him."
And with that, he grabs his brother and friend and jumps down the cliff.
He really will have a hard time explaining to Gakushuu that he isn't suicidal. Again.
