Sanctuary. As they rode, Aguri filled in more details. It sounded like they had been brainwashed. The tentacles grasped in a different way for others. Koro held his tentacle tentatively, pondering. I know that Yanagisawa changed things so that no one had to die to save the Earth. That'd be wasteful once it was discovered. Did the replacement change the way the brain thought instead? "I am a cult leader, without having ever seen my cult. Fascinating."

"I guess that is a way to say it," Aguri agreed. She had been watching the windows. "I have no idea what to do or where to go next, Koro."

To find out what they were doing with Aguri. She didn't even show a sign of being changed by tentacles, but she'd been treated. Unlike her sister, he doubted she was hiding them from him for any reason. Still? "Can I see just a small swipe of your tentacles, Aguri?"

"I don't have control of anything." Aguri stopped looking outside. "I used to be different. Everything about me felt like it changed. My hair, my fingers, everything inside of me was movable. Then, it just stopped some time after I went to Sanctuary."

Why? "Does your wish still work? What you wanted from the tentacles?" Koro asked her.

"I didn't know what the tentacles would do to me, so I just ever wanted one thing. To protect those around me. I didn't want to hurt anybody with them."

Is that why she lost the abilities the tentacles gave her? I could perform surgery and see what is making her tick differently. It wouldn't be the first time he'd done it.

"Do you want to be Korosensei or Korosenpai?"

Senpai anyday! "Oohooh, the things I could teach you!" He looked toward her, his tentacles were vibrating. Then, he remembered why she had used those words before. "It's tough to protect those around you and become an assassin."

"Yeah. I'm one messed up woman right now," she lightly laughed. "I guess I got pretty sick."

No. "Why do you want to take out Sanctuary so much?"

"They know what they are doing." She shook her head. "It's dangerous. Imagine taking the mind of every brilliant scientist known to man, and giving them the desire to change others into them. There are a lot of them, and they are making bigger plans to turn even more."

More experimentation. "How close are they like me?"

"Octopi. Brilliant. Abilities differ between each one, as well as weaknesses. They become unstoppable when they unite. Their numbers. I don't know, but I wouldn't be surprised if they had a thousand," she warned him. "They don't just pick people off the streets either. They hunt and search for the best ones. Brilliant and unique."

She spoke about it all at length, and Koro was absorbing every fact he heard. These weren't just nobodies, it was like fighting a thousand weaker hims, that knew how to fight as a team. They also kept their most transformed hidden, sending out the newer loyalists for missions to prove their worth.

All in all, he picked up something large. While she tried to stop him in the past and still cared about him, she couldn't forgive them. Aguri was the most forgiving person he'd ever met. Simple. Naïve. Sweet.

If she reached that kind of point? "You saw something you can't handle. Something to do with kids?" Bingo. She almost instantly teared up, made a sound of anguish, squeezed her eyes and fingers shut, bending her head down.

"Your gift is less protect everyone around you, and more protect everyone around you from Sanctuary." He took his tentacles and wrapped two around her side.

Yeah. Sanctuary needed to be stopped. Nothing good could come from a thousand hims who thought they were a different species and he was somehow their god. There's no way Aguri is dirtying her hands with this. But, to take down a thousand, he might need some help.

His students would willingly be right there, but he couldn't interfere with them. They thinking he was dead was best for everyone. "Korosenpai. Ooh, that name tickles me in all the right places, it's hard to resist." He would have to teach some of the basics, so that Aguri would be able to help.

"How about both?" she offered. "I know you are beyond brilliant. If you can fake some papers, I'll show you where I wanted to apply. They wanted more than one, and the towns fairly small and out of the way."

"Korosensei!" He yelled delightfully. His name. Teaching. They would have to do something anyhow to get by, he couldn't just bring Aguri over to the sides he looked at everyday in his country. "I'm tempted to take that. Korosensei during the day, and your Korosenpai at night."

"More like evening, Korosenpai," she said so casually.

"Now, now, don't correct your senpai, I may have to-" Stooop!

"Will you really show me how to take out Sanctuary?" Aguri interrupted in the nick of time.

"First, we'll concentrate on landing some secure jobs," Koro told her. "Afterwards, we'll figure it out whether we have to take their lives, or just take down Sanctuary itself."

Aguri nodded in agreement. "I guess that's for the best. Enjoying teaching again would be a good step for us."

"Yes!" He was so excited about it. "Molding young minds is something I've absolutely delighted in." Ooh, what would the name of the school be? Where would it be at? How would she be getting in? Oh yeah, Principal. But?

No, he was losing track of what was important. "New identity." He would have to look human full time. If he got caught as 'Korosensei' again, he would be killed and he couldn't protect Aguri.

As much as he wanted his old teaching name, he would have to part with it. He had to be extremely cautious because . . .

Everything in him could feel something wrong in her. Even her skin feels different. If I performed surgery, what would I find? He was curious, but also uneducated in this particular situation. Without knowing what the tentacles were doing to her, or what they controlled, or how much of her humanity had been changed, it was a risky action.

He missed the chance to perform surgery to save Aguri once. He didn't want to jump the gun and make surgery be the reason he couldn't save her again. It was a miracle she was alive, and he wouldn't spit in the face of that miracle.

The bus wouldn't be driving all night either. It was a quick one they grabbed just to get away from that area. "We are going to have to get a hotel room."

Aguri glanced at him. "I need to be careful with the small money I have, so we'll have to share a room."

Don't do it, don't say anything, just- "Oohoo, what will happen I dare say?"

"I don't know." Aguri looked back out the windows. "I don't seem to know anything these days. I feel less like a teacher and more like a clueless student ever since I was given tentacles." She groaned.

Side pain. Back pain. Arm pain. Koro could see that too. She wasn't speaking up about it, but there was a reason she was feeling bad. "Would you like a massage, I won't charge?" He waved his skin colored tentacles.

"It's all opposite." Aguri leaned backward more on the seat. "They made me feel so loose at first, and now my body feels so tight. So much tighter than even before the treatments, like I'm flexible stone."

Yeah, it was best not to operate. I should have flat out threatened those brother pair with their lives to tell me what they know. He wanted to get her out of there, he wanted them to stop following, and he wanted her to see he wouldn't hurt anyone that had basically helped to save her.

Like it or not, Hyouga was the one who pulled Aguri out of Sanctuary and helped to take care of her. Depending on that secret though. Maybe whatever they did to her, he wants her for it. Extortion later?

Yeah, he was just too light on them. Next time I see them, I'll make sure they tell me. I swear, if this secret is somehow going to end Aguri. If she was destined to die for some grand plan that this Sanctuary was putting into action, The God of Death would make them pay.

—

Hotel

Aguri shared a bed with Koro just fine. As she expected, he made a few lewd comments he tried to hide, but otherwise he never did anything.

He never would, not to her.

She stared at the bathroom mirror. It was 2 in the morning and she was trying to sleep. Not an easy thing to do, and Koro seemed to have the same kind of problem. At least they relaxed.

She held her arm up to the mirror and rubbed across it. Her texture was so unlike skin. There was no way Koro hadn't noticed it. It's getting worse. It wasn't moist or flexible. She couldn't pinch it softly and it would bounce right back. It felt like a lizard's back. She pulled over her purse and placed some moisturizer on it, trying to retain some kind of moisture.

When she had first changed, moisture had been a terrible idea. Water was such a weakness, but now, it did nothing but help her. Yet, her skin was like book leather. It still retained it's original color, it was just the texture when she felt it.

Aguri ran the water in the sink and placed her arm down, trying to loosen it up in any way she could. Hyouga probably always knew what caused this.

No, it was pointless wondering anymore. He was the one who refused to share the secrets that he knew.

She left the bathroom and saw Koro still lying on the bed, awake.

"Nagisa was on the worse path. He could have ended up like me," Koro said to her as she came back over. "I wish I could at least see him again. I wish I could see all my students. I don't even have pictures of them." He sighed. "Too risky though."

She lied back down. "I have pictures of Akari." She opened her purse and pulled one of her pictures from her wallet. "Here." As his tentacles slithered for it, she noticed they touched her arm for no reason either. At least, it's what he would pretend.

"Oh ho, Kayano!" He excitedly drummed his octopus tentacles up and down like legs eagerly on the bed. "I get to keep a picture of one of my students!" He hugged it. "Out of the thousands of pictures I had, I at least get to have one." He looked back at it again. "You were at a restaurant eating together, huh? Looks fun. You two cared for each other a great deal."

"Yes. I'll always have pictures." Aguri looked at the others she had in her wallet, but closed her purse back up. "As long as I have the memories though, I'll be okay."

"Yep. Those were some great memories." He had already stashed the picture somewhere. "I won't see any of them again. No more Mach for me. If anyone finds me, I'm dead, and if I'm not here, you're as good as dead."

About as subtle as ever. "I don't know what is happening or what they want."

"Your arm feels like a rock made of leather. As long as I'm here, you're going to live." His face was so pink.

Considering the hour, it must be sleepiness. "The guys had a stupid theory. Maybe it wasn't so stupid."

"Particles were excited. I figured it out. As long as my anti-matter exists in some form, I can't die. That seems okay until I'm ready to end it then."

Hm. She hated hearing it like that. She thought he was gone, and here he was, perfectly fine and talking again. "I hope that won't be for a little while."

"The particles got excited twice." That's all he said. "We should get some sleep. No one's coming, or they would have came."

"Yeah, sleep." His pink had increased. She really should tell him though, before bed. "Do you think Sanctuary is responsible for what's happening to me? I've gone through more than this change." Just tell him, just come out and tell him what you think. "The reason I didn't understand you couldn't change into a human, was because I once looked exactly like you. Only, more of a hotter pink color." He was right there, faster than she could comprehend, staring at her with his wide smile. "Only, I didn't smile like that."

"You changed that much, and now you are this inflexible sexy rock?" He was really touching around her arms and shoulders and legs and even taking off her shoes and feeling her feet.

She couldn't blame him. Being like him meant full transformation of all human cells.

"Like me me?" He wiggled all of his tentacles.

She nodded. He looked upset of course.

"If I could just . . ." He wanted to study her. Probably steal medical supplies but he had to lay low. "You're a shell."

"That isn't the nicest way to say it."

"No, you are a literal shell! You are protected inside." Koro moved even closer. "Do you have a weapon?"

She gave him the weapon. He struck her without a word. She watched as the dagger just bent. "You can only be polite for so long." It was so him. He probably had the ability to study her at a microscopic level earlier, but had been decent until she admitted she had been like him.

He wasn't surprised at all about the bent dagger, just handed it back. "I need to find my way in." He observed her ears closely. He looked up her nose. "Open your mouth wide."

She opened her mouth for a bit. He was turning pink again as he neared it. Boy, he was awfully close.

She watched as a tentacle tried to snake it's way into her mouth. "Are you trying to get inside of me, Koro?" She heard him make a cute little laughter tone. She had missed that tone.

"Just stay still. Your mouth does open. I have to find a way to look in." He moved a tentacle into her mouth and down her throat. "No coughing at all. Not normal for normal people, so that's normal for us." He moved down further.

It felt strange, flexible, like there was a part again that still had the flexible tentacle traits in her. He pulled his tentacle out of her mouth. "That was a first for me."

"You are soft and gushy antimatter on the inside," Koro admitted. "Outside, you are a tough shell made to look human." A tentacle tickled his head. "I don't think even an x-ray will give a clear picture of what's going on. Your outside is like a-" He snapped his tentacles. "It's like my ultimate defense when I'm just in an indestructable ball. Except, your whole body is the ball itself."

Tough enough to withstand anything. Whatever Hyouga did hide, it was probably for good reason. "I just want to teach again for a little while." Whether it was long or short.

This couldn't be more unfair to Koro. He just discovered that he never killed her, but in the end? She was created right after him. Most likely, the shell was a measure to make sure she didn't blow up the Earth.

Which would keep everyone safe from her. Just what she wanted.

Neither of them addressed her imminent death. Koro had been fascinated to find out more, probably to see if anything could have been different than the obvious.

"We'll make it the best weeks, months, or year ever for you then!" He was crying the strange liquid that she once had as he grabbed her and hugged her. "Lots of pictures! I'm not losing these pictures."

He dug into her purse and pulled out her camera. As quick as he could without setting off any kind of alarms, he stole a picture with her. Then, he stole a picture giving her bunny ears from behind. "We weren't made for this world long anyhow," he said as he calmed down a little. "I won't be lasting much longer than you, Aguri, so we'll enjoy the time we have left."

What did he mean? "You came back together," she said to him. "There's nothing to stop you now."

"I'm here because you excited the particles," he told her. "When you go, I'm sure they won't stay excited."

Even if they did, all he had to do was expose himself as alive, and it could easily end. "I'd rather you go on. Keep reaching young minds and making new friends, but if that's what you want." She couldn't change his mind. Her end meant his end. "Being us, it isn't easy, but if you find something to live for, then please keep going."

"I won't." He said it so casual, yet it was a solid won't, like there wasn't even a single chance of a yes. "More pictures!"

Aguri smiled and goofed around making silly faces in the photos. She would enjoy her new environment, her new students, and her new career. She would enjoy spending the last of her days too, with the man who loved to take pictures.

—

No doubt about it. While Koro took pictures, he was trying to think about options. There was that formula that could loosen her up, and it might save her. The tentacles were still granting her wish though. Maybe it would work, and maybe it wouldn't.

He wouldn't bother any of his students again though. He wouldn't expect a miracle. Every day he could be there with Aguri would be a treasure. He didn't regret his particles getting excited and bringing him back to save her.

Not at all. He would get to spend his last days near the only woman he ever really cared for. Living as antimatter wasn't easy, but if he could somehow save Aguri, then he'd do it. Hell, I'd live for eternity if we could stay together. "Bigger smile, Aguri!"

—

At a new hotel

"Where are the files on Aguri?" Hyouga asked his brother. They had left in a hurry after Koro and Aguri left, but he had asked his brother to handle the important things while he got the clothes and some of the food. "Hey?"

His brother shrugged. "Probably left them. Nobody is going to bother with them, Sanctuary will clear the place out."

Ugh! "Wreckless! What if Aguri or Koro decided to go back?"

"Come on. They probably just think she's going to die." His brother just patted him on the back. "Who knows? Maybe it'll be a good thing."

"That . . ." That wasn't even funny.

"Just? You know, she gets to be with her friend unless he goes psycho, and she's going to spend awhile starting a new career and life. We should just be happy about that and stay the hell away from Sanctuary from now on. She's not our concern anymore. She picked her choice."

"Yeah, but she doesn't know. When she doesn't know, and no one around her knows the truth, she could mess up." It was a possibility.

"Nothing we can do. You didn't want to tell anyone, so we didn't tell anyone," his brother said again. "Can't change things. She's on her own to figure it out."

His brother was right. Hyouga pulled out some of his clothes. "At least she knows to stay away from Sanctuary." She could live the kind of life she wanted, as long as she stayed away from there.

Then again? "She doesn't know. She could hurt herself if she does something wrong." Or Korosensei. That guy was smart, the chances of risk just skyrocketed. "Sanctuary could keep her safe."

"Then, what, are you going to nark on her?" his brother asked.

Hyouga picked up a present. It was hiding way in the back of his drawers when they were in the hotel. It was a present he wanted to give her when she knew the truth.

It would have been nice. Now? With Korosensei alive. If the Reaper does choose to leave her again, it's my chance to get her back.

"What the heck is that present?" his brother asked.

Hyouga just stuck it into the drawer of the new hotel they were staying at now. "Nothing." At what cost though?

His happiness, or her life.

—

The principal Sai stared at his two newest teachers. He was going to go over some of the basic rules in the school, but he found himself staring at the man. He must have had some kind of condition, his head was quite huge, he stood very tall, and he was clearly wearing a wig. Their school was tolerant of all sorts of conditions though, and he wouldn't pry unless that teacher shared something.

Or, the other new teacher beside him. Apparently they knew each other and were trying to get a job in the same area. They had the same last name too. Higurashi. "Siblings or married?"

"Sib-"

"I'm married to my little cream puff!" Mister Higurashi pulled his wife over into a hug. She seemed a little stunned.

"Koro, that wasn't-"

"She's a little shy," her husband said to him. "Public display of affections are off limits to be respectful to the school. Doesn't mean I won't be watching other students and teachers with her though."

"Koro Higurashi," the principal Sai announced his name. "Just keep the displays of affection down and this shouldn't be a problem. If it gets to be a problem, we will have to let go of one of you."

It would probably end up being his wife if anything went wrong. Koro Higurashi's history and references were outstanding. His wife Aguri Higurashi only had one, but it was a decent reference.

While he explained the rules and how everything went, they both listened well, each exhibiting great signs of being good teachers. There wasn't any slip-ups in their excellent behavior at all until it came to attendance policy. They both seemed to crack their polite demeanor a little, like they were unsure if they could keep up with their attendance. "Is anything wrong?"

"No," Mrs. Higurashi answered. "Attendance is fine."

"My wife Aguri might have some troubles later on," Mister Higurashi revealed.

Oh. "In a few months?"

"It's not that big of a deal, Sir. I will be fine," she said confidently. "My . . . husband is just worried."

Oh. A few months. "I understand." Starting a new life in a new place, they weren't going to reveal what would happen in a few months. He could already guess, considering her age and her husband's anxiety, she was probably pregnant and would admit it after their jobs were more secure.

He may have to take her out and have a substitute in her place in the future. He would bear that in mind.

—

"Koro!"

Oop, he knew he'd be hearing that. He held his tentacles up toward Aguri. "Oh come on, what brother and sister live together? It looked more suspicious. You just don't want to give me an inch of string to work with. Afraid I'll take the whole ball of yarn, Aguri?"

"I think only the pussycat should be playing with the strings. Kitties like string more than octopuses," she teased.

"Well are you an octopus too or have you got kitty claws, Aguri?"

"I'm more of an octopussy," she winked. "Best of both worlds."

Oh he was complete pink and he knew it. She did that to him a lot. Fortunately, she wasn't keeping some kind of book like Nagisa had done. Even for being an antimatter octopus herself, she got mixed up in the color meanings.

Which made sense, her color changes were probably different. To her, pink was her normal color.

He waited a bit before he answered back seriously, feeling himself calm back down to a yellow. "I mess up all the time. Brother is probably not what I should go by, considering your-"

"-Pretty, thank you. You're right, I trust you," she agreed. "If you mess up, having you be a husband is probably a better idea."

Good. Aguri had learned how hard it was to keep his true self back sometimes, so she was getting good at interrupting his words before he said something he regretted.

That interrupting helped curb the infinite annoyingness that so many of his students hated so much. It made staying beside her easier. Something he would be doing for the rest of her days.

No matter how brief they were left.

If only he knew how many there were left.