Chapter Text
“Peekaboo-”
The sound of his voice was sent a shiver down Karma’s spine, more so than the knife pressed firmly enough to his throat to draw a sliver of blood with each labored breath. It was a voice he hadn’t heard in over three years, and one that excited and terrified him all at once...
“Nagisa…” He breathed, the boy’s name was uttered like a prayer as his hand moved up to his old friend’s wrist on instinct, “It’s been awhile…”
He flipped the tables in a flash, pinning the shorter up against the alley wall, His own knife now flush against his adversary’s adams apple. But Nagisa would not be outdone so easily. His arm darted up, wrapping about the other’s neck, the point of his blade was poised at the red haired boy's jugular. Their noses barely brushed, and lips were so close that if one so much as shifted a centimeter, they would touch as well.
“So it has.” The boy replied, a small smile on his lips and bloodlust in his eyes, “You’re still sharp, Karma.” There was something cold in his voice, a hardness that the latter didn’t remember from their middle school days.
The bluenette drank in his old friend's features with pleasure. The liquid gold that was his eyes, the vibrant red hair, once a constant mess, was now styled to suit the sharp features of a man as opposed to the boy he used to be, “And you don’t remind me of a timid puppy so much anymore.” Karma said, drawing his knife gently across the blue haired boy’s throat. A thin line of blood appeared along pale flesh, tempting Karma’s tongue.
He would not be the first to back down. He never was after all, except the one time they were pinned against each other in class.
“And you’re just as cocky as ever.” The bluenette had slivered his way out of his grip and in the flash of an eye, their positions were swapped, Nagisa pressing him into the cool, rough stone.
“It’s a part of my charm.” Karma held his hands up in surrender, a gesture that caused a warm laugh to bubble from Nagisa’s throat as he took a step back, sheathing his blade and scratching the back of his head almost sheepishly, reminiscent of the boy Karma had known years prior.
“You’re a lot of things Karma, but I don’t think that I would consider charming to be one of your many qualities.” The boy rolled his eyes, no longer full of bloodlust. Still, they seemed so much sharper.
“You used to.”
“That was a long time ago.”
“Yeah… It was…”
There was an awkward silence that followed as the Karma stared and Nagisa avoided his eyes, “A lot of things have changed,” He said, finally meeting those golden hues, “I’ve changed…”
“That’s what happens as people get older, isn’t it.” The redhead said nonchalantly, looking up and to the side as he scratched his head, showing his discomfort involuntarily, “Four years is a long time after all.”
"I don't think it's been that long yet."
"Nearly."
In truth, Nagisa hadn’t been planning on running into Karma so soon after his return to Japan, but when he had seen the red hair disappear into the alley, his body reacted involuntarily, stalking his prey with ease. And now here he was, in this awkward situation with his former friend and classmate.
“Right, well… I just saw you and…” Suddenly the boy seemed a bit flustered, flushing and stepping even further back. This was more like the Nagisa that Karma recalled from their middle school days.
“And you decided to stalk me?” Karma’s lips quirked into a grin as he followed the boy’s steps, backing him into a wall with ease, a teasing lilt to his voice, “Still carrying a flame for me after all these years?”
With that, Nagisa’s eyes hardened and his knife was pressed once more to the man’s throat, “Not a chance.” He said, voice steady, “I just wanted to see if you had slacked off at all.”
And just like that, all traces of his old friend were gone from his features. Still, Karma pressed closer, seemingly ignoring the knife as it pierced his flesh. His eyes burned into Nagisa's, searching for the truth behind his act, “And the prognosis?”
“You seem a little rusty.” Nagisa slipped out of his grip again, sheathing his knife as he walked away from the other briskly, resisting the urge to glance back.
A golden eye twitched as his expression twisted and ears tinged, “That’s it. Four years and you attack me and just walk away?” He glared, reaching out to stop the other.
“Did you expect a tearful reunion? A hug?” Nagisa turned and raised a brow, “I didn’t peg you as the sentimental type, Especially after you turned your back on me all those years ago?” he shook the others arm off with a cool demeanor.
That was enough to shut him up, and he froze, hand still outstretched. Because… wasn’t it true?
Karma was the one to push him away after their middle school graduation. He had to push him away after everything that had happened. He needed to distance himself and remember who he was. He was cruel and ruthless. He was a loner. He did not need anyone, least of all Nagisa Shiota. Even if that was when Nagisa needed him the most.
“Don’t look at me like that Karma,” The boy smirked over his shoulder, “I don’t need your pity, and frankly, the expression doesn’t suit you.”
Then he was gone, scaling the wall and disappearing into the night just as quickly as he had appeared. The regret that filled Karma’s chest was instantaneous. Why had he not apologized for pulling away from him and leaving him out in the cold? Why had he not asked what he had been up to, or showed concern for his cruel demeanor? There was no excuse, and now he had no idea when he would see the boy again…
Why did he always have to play it so cool?
It took about a total of thirty seconds to process this before he followed the trail of his old friend, scaling the building a little more clumsily. To be honest, he was slightly out of practice and could probably stand to train more often, but he had been busy with high school and preparation to take over his father's business.
When he got to the roof, the other was long gone, blending into the night with ease as he made his escape. Popping through the window at Karasuno and Irina's home was easy for the lithe boy, and he landed in the kitchen soundlessly. The two were already asleep, and so Nagisa removed his shoes and collapsed onto the couch, throwing an arm over his face.
He needed to keep his emotions in check when it came Karma, but it was harder than he had assumed it would be. Even after four years of distance and all of the blood he had seen, the boy still seemed to have mixed emotions upon returning to his old town. He shuffled about with a sigh, pulling the ponytail out of his hair and letting it loose before getting comfortable and managing to fall into a fitful sleep.
-----
Nagisa roused around dawn, despite the fact that he’d gone to sleep only a few hours prior, and proceeded to freshen up with a shower before heading out onto the roof for a few moments of peace. Looking around at the town in the dawn of the rising sun, he couldn’t help the mix of emotions that bubbled up in his chest. So many memories, both wonderful, and heart wrenching and yet it seemed as though it had been a whole other life. In fact, it had been a whole other life, and it was one that he remembered fondly, but one he had left behind a long time ago.
After hearing movement in the apartment below him, the boy was shaken from his thoughts. A grin broke out on his face as he made his way through the window with ease to find Karasuma with a cup of coffee at the table. He didn’t even look up from the newspaper, but his pistol was trained on the bluenette, “Good morning Nagisa.” He clicked the safety on and set it down, “I thought you weren’t due until tomorrow.”
“The job I was on was less difficult than I thought it would be. Happened to finish early.” He perched in the chair next to his former sensai, a small smile still playing on his lips, “How are you and Irena?”
“Things have be-”
“Nagisa!” The blond woman burst into the room looking as a perfectly put together as usual, “I’m so glad you were able to make it back!” She pulled him into a smothering hug, face first into her breasts as was to be expected.
“Well, I couldn’t very well miss my favorite mentors’ wedding.” The boy said, struggling to breathe until the woman was pulled off of him by her fiancé.
“Look at my ring!” she shoved the diamond in his face, glowing with excitement, "He really knows how to treat a girl!" She gushed, face flush and smile genuine.
“Pretty big rock you’ve got there.” He laughed, examining the stone, “I guess your promotion paid off, huh Karasuma?”
“I think it’s frivolous, but Irena has particular tastes, and it made her happy.”
“Aw, my handsome man.” She said, hanging off of him affectionately despite the annoyance on his face.
"You know I hate when you refer to me as though I'm a purse dog."
Nagisa stifled a laugh, “By the way, I’m sorry for the intrusion, I was just tired last night. I have an apartment to pick the key up for today.” He said.
“An apartment?” They questioned in unison.
“Yeah, I have business to take care of in the area. Besides, I’ve been meaning to set up a home base for awhile. Why not put it here? It is where everything began After all.” He shrugged, noticing the look they shared but pretending it didn't happen.
He stayed for a little bit longer, chatting with them before takinging his leave. The two watched him go before sharing their concerns with one another.
“What kind of job did you say he does these days?” Irena asked, arms crossed.
“He doesn’t give me many details to be honest.” Karasuma said with a shrug, “All I know is that he’s been honing the skills he was taught as an assassin and he’s been putting them to good use. The kid has an arsenal, and in exchange for the occasional job for the military, he’s pretty much above the law.” The man sat back down at the table as Irena brought the coffee pot over along with her own mug.
“There’s something very different about him. It’s almost… sinister…” She said, eyes narrowing in thought, "He always had the aura of an assassin, but he seems… so cold…"
“Hard to believe that he used to want to be a teacher,” The man sighed, leaning back in his chair, “I can’t help but feel like we are to blame for whatever he has become. If he had just been a regular student-”
“Then he wouldn’t have ever had confidence, or self esteem. His mother would have continued to abuse him and control his life. And he might have just flunked out anyways.” The blond interrupted, “All we did was give him the tools to make something of himself. He chose his own path.”
Karasuma sighed, but inclined his head, “You’re right I suppose… But did we encourage him to abandon his own humanity in the process? Did we expect too much? We turned him into a murderer...”
“I don't know love, I just know I could see slivers of the old him, so he's not a lost cause.”
The two sat in silence, contemplating the young man that they both used to know so well as they finished their morning coffee with furrowed brows.