Akari

Currently, Hinata, Rinka and Rio are in my apartment hanging out. The four of us is a weird unprecedented combo. In class, Hinata doesn't interact with girls too much. Rio sticks to me more than anyone else. Rinka, well, Rinka is usually the silent one. The rare phenomenon of them showing up at the same place is because I invited them. Hinata wanted to make fruit cupcakes for you-know-who and I am not an excellent baker. Karma would never fit in with girls' hang out so I invited the other two. At first, they were awkwardly silent and I had to be the icebreaker. But as the baking progresses, with a little mishap here and there, some flour tossed around, splotches of cream over our faces, we became much friendlier and closer with each other.

Girls can easily befriend each other because, well, we're girls.

"Do you want more cream or fruits as garnish, Hinatan?" Rinka asks. Yes, she nicknames Hinata as 'Hinatan'.

Rio drops a piece of peach into Hinata's mouth. It slides down her throat quickly. "Fruit." Rinka nods and her hands mechanically return to her garnishing job. Rio feeds me fruit next then the tsundere sniper.

"By the way," I ask as I guard the mixer. "Where's Megu?"

Rio greedily stuffs her mouth with more of the sweet peach slices but Hinata slaps her hand to stop her. "She's in Kyoto."

"I want to go travel too..." I groan.

"You're rich. You can go wherever you want," Rio replies as she cuts another peach.

"Noooo. I'm not going with my uncle." The last time we went to travel was to Osaka, where Uncle busied himself with finding blind dates for me. I can never show my face in Osaka again.

"Then what about..." she and Hinata exchange looks. Rinka blushes slightly. The three has learnt the way of telepathy among themselves. "...Karma?"

"What about him?" I say nonchalantly, trying to act as if Karma means nothing to me because I know where this is going.

Hinata giggles and Rio snickers evilly. "I have intel about you and Karma have advanced to the level where you're actually living with him at his house. And his parents approved of you." Rinka immediately blushes. "Megu isn't going to be pleased."

I fish out my phone and chide the virtual girl. "Ritsu!"

Ritsu averts her eyes. "Sorry, Akari-chan..." I sigh.

"Nothing happened between us," I declare. "NOTHING." But they stare at me, eyebrows cocked with disbelief.

The doorbell rings. I peek through the hole and see the familiar burning red hair. The girls huddle around me when I click my tongue. I open the door, not amused that Karma shows up coincidentally, but somehow glad to see him after a while. I admit, I miss him.

"Yo, Akari-what are you guys doing here?" Karma peers at the three girls. They grin mischievously-except Rinka who has glitter in her eyes-and giggle.

Rio, being the leader of the busybody trinity, smirks. "What are you doing here?"

An intense stare down ensues. The two, notorious for their partnership in mischief, glares at each other, neither giving in. "Oh, Rio. I recall not having to tell you anything," Karma spits.

Rio laughs. "In case you haven't notice, Aka-chan belongs to me. You want her, you have to go through me first."

"Is that so? I believe she enjoys my company instead of yours since I'm like her boyfriend."

"Don't be so full of yourself. You're not canon. But I'm her canon best friend."

I sigh with exasperation. Hinata nudges me and whispers. "Are... are they fighting over you?"

"Love triangle..." Rinka widens her eyes with intrigue.

When the arguing two are almost at each other necks, I pull Rio's hair to get her away from strangling Karma. She shrieks in pain then caresses her golden crown. "What do you want, Karma?" I ask.

"Duh, you." Karma replies nonchalantly. This earns tiny fan-girl shrieks from the other two girls.

"I'm kinda in the middle of something."

Karma pokes his head into the apartment. "Nope. Don't care. You're coming with me."

"Possessive jerk," that is Rio. She glares at Karma. "You don't get to steal my time from Aka-cha-"

"I'll show you photos of any intimacy between us that might happen later," Karma suggests flatly.

"Deal," is Rio's quick response.

I slap my forehead. "RIO YOU PERVERT!" She spits her tongue. "NOTHING INTIMATE WILL HAPPEN, KARMA!" He snickers.

"Well then, I'll steal my princess now." Karma abruptly grabs my hand and drags me along. The three girls wave goodbye by the door; the blonde snickering evilly, Hinata nodding in agreement, Rinka blushing red.

I want to yank my hand free but it's nice to have his hand grabbing mine. It feels warm. We wait for the elevator. "Where are we going?" I ask.

"I need money. So we're going to fish delinquents," Karma replies. He wears a black shirt with floral pants, which is not intimidating to fish anything.

"Where's your parents?"

"They went off. India this time."

My gaze lingers on him. His parents left him alone once again and it pierces my heart. The thought of Karma being alone at home is horrifying in a way because people at his age need parents to stick around for guidance. But Karma doesn't need guidance. He's a prankish teenager outside but a matured adult at heart. By now, I realize his maturity, his insight, his intelligence, are nurtured from the long absence of his parents. He even has perfect cooking skills because food isn't prepared on the table when he comes home. They aren't there to protect or guide him. He has his own self to count on. He has to be independent. That makes me sad. He doesn't express much but I bet he misses them.

"Don't you miss them?" I tiptoe over the ticking bomb.

He shrugs. "Sometimes. I gotten used to it."

"So you have to take care of yourself? Cooking, chores, laundry?"

"Yeah... at least I don't want the house to be messy when they come home."

It's saddening that it hurts.

"Don't you... feel lonely?"

"Nah. I have video games. Plus loneliness is my companion at school anyway. So there's no need making a fuss about it."

Because of his insight, Karma sees things differently-in a more mature way. He got kicked into 3E because he helped his senior. He sees people equally despite the biased education system. He kicks bullies' ass. His violence earned him a notorious fame which makes people isolate him. He is a lone wolf. He doesn't bother befriend anyone who doesn't understand, except Nagisa. And he doesn't care if he has no friends. He enjoys being alone.

But no one can stand solitude forever. Not even Karma.

I'm glad that he dropped into 3E. Finally he has found friends.

The arrival of the elevator doesn't disrupt my train of thoughts. Karma steps into the elevator and I follow absentmindedly.

He nudges me. "Akari? You're being awfully sile-"

I cut him off as I embrace him, squeezing him tight. I don't know why but I feel the need of hugging him right now. My emotions take over as they overflow, trying to reach him, to tell him......

"I'm here for you. So you don't have to be lonely anymore."

Karma's heart races and stimulates mine to follow its pace. Then, they calm down to a harmonic resonance.

"I know..." Karma mutters and hugs me back.

*****

Casually I stroll towards a pack of high school students smoking in an alley. There are 6 of them, faces pierced to increase their intimidation factor. Purposely I kick a nearby can to create some ruckus. The moment they turn their focus on me, I see lust glinting in their eyes.

"Yo, missy, lost aren't you?" says a blond, walking towards me. He towers over me with his height and his breath reeks. I yawn.

And kick the man in his shin.

He shrieks in pain, the highest pitch he has ever made. I spit my tongue at them and run off, of course, with them chasing me. The plan is to lure them to a corner where Karma will be waiting. When they think I am doomed, Karma will cut off their escape route and both of us will kick their asses coming from two sides.

I reach the end of an alley, stopping before the brick wall. The ruffians catch up to me, panting and breathing heavily. Running for that long has damaged their physical strength so it'll be easier to bring them down.

"You little brat!" shouts the blond I previously kicked. He reaches out to grab my shirt. That instant, I remember how Karma plays the defensive against Grip. Their heated battle is so quick and fast that when it replays in my mind it is like a video set on fast forward.

This ruffian doesn't even have 10% of that speed.

I deflect his outstretched hand and twist it 360 degrees. Veins on his arm threaten to pop. He shrieks in pain, kneeling to the ground and I mercilessly kick him in the chin. A sound of bone cracking and he falls.

His friend, a raven-haired with a larger build doesn't look pleased. There is astonishment in his eyes, but is quickly replaced by sheer rage. He rampages toward me, beefy hands try to grab me. I dodge like I am dancing to an inaudible tune. Even more pissed, he gives up on grabbing me and throws a punch. But that punch is stopped midair when a shout comes from behind.

Karma is already on the move, stepping hard on a man's chest as he lies on the ground.

"Yo, guys," says Karma as he sternly gazes.

The raven-haired bull huffs. "Another one?!"

One of the ruffians launches himself on Karma, gaining speed to plow him down. But Karma shifts upon the slightest contact, causing the man to fall due to momentum. Then Karma grabs him by the collar and flings him at his friends easily because he is a scrawny bamboo pole. His friends, obviously aren't saviours, dodge as soon as they see him coming. The flying trapeze comes in my direction and I punch him in the face. In slow motion I imagine his face would be quite hilarious.

Three down, three to go.

The raven-haired, largest of them all, lets out a battle cry as he charges at me instead because between me and Karma, I seem to be the easiest. But Karma grabs on to his collar and tugs back hard, decreasing his momentum. Even so, the man's momentum has skyrocketed to the point where Karma's feet shift along with it. The man hesitates against the sudden force pulling on his neck but it doesn't stop him.

At that flick of hesitation, the slightest chance, a scant moment, I headbutt the man-or bull-at his torso with all my might. I hear him cough. His feet lose contact from the ground with that thrust and he falls, me toppling together. But someone pulls me up before I fall. I realize that warmth anywhere as it touches my skin. Karma keeps his hand on my arm as he kicks the bull that springs back into action. At the same time, I let my unlatched left arm fly into the jaw of another ruffian sneaking up to Karma.

Quickly I stand back to back with the ginger; he faces the outraged bull while I crack my knuckles at the other two.

This sounds like an action-packed movie, where the main heroine and the hero face against their enemies, back-to-back, dauntless because they have each other. I imagine the two kiss passionately after their victory, and wonder if the same will happen to us. We fight side by side like we are dancing to a tune only we know, connected to each other by hearts.

FOCUS AKARI, FOCUS!

The bull charges. Karma pushes me out of the way and we split up. The bull ends up almost plowing down his friends but quickly returns his focus on us. I imagine his eyes bloodshot like a real bull. He charges forward once more, his focus on Karma. At split second I stretch my leg into his path and he trips, face down onto the ground. Hastily I jump onto his back with all my force and he chokes. The bull, conscious that he is able to topple me over easily with his weight, begins to rise. But Karma throws a huge bag of unidentified object onto his back right next to me and the man chokes once more, this time sounds like air has been forced out of his lungs. It seems to be some garbage lying around with extremely heavy contents.

Two more.

Being valiant is a trait I would not expected from them, as they launch themselves at Karma and me respectively. This time, they managed to grab some weapons when we didn't notice. The one heading for me has a brick. A very fragile brick. It breaks when my punch comes into contact-while I still remain standing on the fallen bull-and the wielder looks appalled. I spin my body and give him a powerful kick in his face. He stumbles into his partner, who ends up getting hit after Karma snatched his iron pipe. Both heads collide, Karma and I give them a final blow in their faces and they topple like trees against a hurricane.

The bull beneath me rumbles. He tries to stand and I admire his persistence, but it stands trivial against Karma's wasabi attack at his nostrils. Then the devil stuffs ghost peppers into his mouth and the man struggles with fire in his mouth. Seeing them unable to retaliate, Karma reaches out for the man's pocket and retrieves a wallet, thick with bills.

"Karma," I start. He turns to me while counting the money. "Don't tell me you're doing this for money..."

He nods to my surprise. "Yeah. I need them lately."

"You know there's a possibility they might call the police?"

He shrugs. I sigh.

At the corner of my sight I notice a tiny figure lingering by the entrance of the alley. I squint and the figure comes running towards us. It is a kid, barely old enough to be strolling around in such places alone. From his outfit, a nearby middle school uniform and his statute I guess he is just 13 or so. He has a scrawny body with a pale face. His eyes, glint with joy as he peers at Karma, who looms over him easily.

"Oh there you are," says Karma as he lifts a thick pile of bills from the wallet and thrusts it into the boy's hand. "Here's your money back."

"Thank you!" shouts the boy gleefully, his smile wide across his face.

I watch the scene unfold as I realize Karma didn't do it for the money. Maybe he really did but his main agenda is kindness. He picked on the gang of high school students not just for some fun but also to help out the boy.

He is such a kind and sweet devil.

"If these bullies try to bully you again, don't hesitate to call me." Karma's angelic smile contradicts his devilish trait.

The boy nods. He bows. "Thank you, nii-san!" He turns to me. "Thank you, nee-san!" Then he leaves.

Karma smirks at me, a sign that my doubts are wrong. I sigh. "Fine. I'm sorry for doubting you."

"I was so hurt when you doubted me. I want something to heal my broken heart~"

I glare. "Go prank someone with wasabi."

He chuckles. He takes out the rest of the bills from the wallet and throws it back to the bullies. I stare at his indiscreet movement to hide the money. "What are you going to do with it?"

He spits his tongue. "None of your business."

Suspicious.

*****

When I reach home, the girls have gone home. My kitchen is clean as new. The scent of fresh cupcakes lingers in the air.

Then I spot something on my kitchen counter.

12 beautifully fruits-decorated cupcakes shape a heart on the counter. I pick up the red note in the centre, lying ever so conspicuously. It read: This is specially made for Akari and Karma. Enjoy your night here! (P.S: we left early to give you guys some time to do your own INTIMATE stuff).

Unconsciously I crumple the piece of paper.

"NAKAMURA RIO!"

*****

After a few hours of watching TV while ignoring that heart-shaped cupcake arrangement-and silently thank them for the cupcakes except for that unnecessary note-I glance at the clock hanging on the wall. 2 more minutes till midnight.

I yawn. I'm so exhausted. Time for a good night's sleep and without any disturbance from anyo-

The doorbell rings.

GODDAMN IT WHO THE HELL IS IT RIGHT NOW?!

I open the door and glare at the ginger, who is the only possibility knocking at my door, in an attempt to disturb my peace.

"Hello, Akari-chan," Karma says with a smirk. He hefts his bag over his shoulders. A telltale sign which means he is about to do something that I really dislike. "I miss you."

"You are not sleeping over," I point out his hidden motive-which definitely includes sleeping on my bed with me while making my face red with utter embarrassment.

"But I'm so lonely right now."

"Go find Nagisa."

"But you said you'll be with me when I'm lonely."

"Not under these circumstances damn it!"

He laughs as he glances at his watch. "Oops. Time's up."

"What time-"

He cuts me off by shoving the door open. I nearly tumble but he grabs me and lifts me into his embrace. As usual, he pins me to the wall so that he can do anything he wants as I retaliate futilely. I glare. Get off.

Karma chuckles as he moves his face closer. One more inch he'll be touching my lips with his. Somehow that ignites a fire of excitement within me, burning passionately as heat courses through my veins. Gently the back of his hand touches my cheek; its warmth ever so pleasant, making my heart race.

"Happy birthday, Akari."

Stunned, I stare blankly. "Eh?"

He blinks. "It's your birthday. Today. Now. Midnight. 12:01 am. August 28th."

Oh.

I have not noticed because sleep is more essential to me than my birthday.

Karma's laugh at my dullness heats up my face. He rests his forehead on mine. "Happy birthday you idiot."

I nod unconsciously as I am mesmerized by his eyes.

He moves away so quickly I wish he didn't. I want to stay as close to him as I can and drown in his eyes. I want to feel his heat as it soothes my nerves. I want his lips to excite me as they linger above my skin.

"So... since it's your birthday, I'll be at your service for 24 hours. You can ask me to do whatever you want even if it's something extremely intimat-"He glances at the kitchen counter where the cupcake heart still standing. "You made it for me?"

"No!"

He smirks. "Back to the point. You can ask me to do whatever you want even if it's something extremely intimate."

"Ain't gonna happen."

"We'll see. Anyway, I'll be 24 hours available. Special offer. Limited to me and me only. Also, to make me perform better you have to confess and give me a huge kiss. But that depends on you~"

So in the end there's a possibility that you won't comply with some of my orders and to make you completely obedient I have to confess and kiss you? That's the Karma I know. What a good hidden agenda trap.

"So..." Karma bows down and holds my hand endearingly. "What does my special lady wants for her first order?"

"I want to sleep." I blurt.

He snickers. "Ok then, I'll accompany you to sle-"

"Don't. Think. About. It. You. Perv."

*****

"Are you sure about this?"

Noises from outside wake me up. Last night was a tough night because Karma was so persistent in sleeping with me. It took me an hour to make that idiot comply-even though it is my birthday.

Honestly I did not expect anyone to know of my birthday. Rio and Megu remember but they might be taking me to some nearby café and present me a cake or something. I didn't expect Karma would find out.

"There is no way... I'm not putting pudding into the cake, Kayano-chan." Karma's voice draws me to the kitchen. I rub my eyes and watch him fumbling in my kitchen. The place is a mess with spilled flour but not as worse as yesterday's cupcake disaster.

"Karma?" I mutter. He glances over his shoulder. Splotches of flour glue to his cheeks.

"Morning," he replies and grabs the phone on the table and sticks it to his ear with his shoulder. "If you want pudding, you can bring it later. I'm not putting pudding into the cake." He puts down the phone and picks up another phone which is actually mine and talks to it. "Hara, I don't have to bake it right? Hmm... Ok. If you're handling food then I'll excuse myself from cooking. Good. I'll just deal with the cake."

Hara and Kaede?

"What are you doing?" I ask and yawn.

"Baking a cake." A short reply and he returns to his work.

"How long have you been doing this?"

"Hmm... an hour? I don't know."

I glance at the clock. The minute hand points to 7. "You woke up at 6?"

"I guess."

"Why?"

He turns to me with a bewildered look. "Because it's your birthday?"

Warm fuzzy feeling spreads throughout my chest. "We can just buy a cake. You don't have to make a hassle about it."

Karma stops everything he is doing and approaches me. Then deftly he flicks me forehead and pinches my cheek. I shriek in pain. "Because it's your birthday, idiot," he repeats.

I pout. His actions slowly touch me. "W-what about Kaede-chan and Hara-san?"

"They said they'd help out because it's your birthday. Well... I kinda' asked them to because I'm not really good at baking cheesecakes. Thankfully the one I'm making is a no-bake Oreo cheese-" He stops in mid-sentence when he notices the gleaming joy in my eyes.

Oreo oreo oreo oreo oreo oreo....

Smiling he pats my head. "I see that you like it." I nod my head repeatedly to strongly agree with him. He chuckles.

I fiddle my fingers. "But you don't have to be so early to make it."

"I have plans for the whole day. I won't have time making the cake later."

What plans?

"But aren't you tired? Last night I bet you weren't asleep till 2am because I heard the TV turned on."

He blinks. "Oh. Then I suppose I need some energy booster now." He leans on the kitchen counter across me and in the blink of the eye pecks my lips. "That's better. Now I feel energized."

My face reacts before my brain's apprehension. It blooms into red. Utter red. I cover my mouth, realizing twice in a row I am caught off guard. Butterflies flutter in the pit of my stomach. My heart is about to explode.

"It would be even better if you give me a kiss," he sneers.

KARMA!

"What? You like it too..." he comments.

Yes, I like it. But I want to get back at you for what you did to my poor little heart. A light bulb pops up as a brilliant idea sprouts in my mind. I reach my closet to bring out two objects: one blue and one frilly pink.

This is so gonna be fun. Cue evil laughter.

Karma appalls the moment I bring out a pink frilly apron with a big red heart. Korosensei gave it to me, saying that it would come in handy-and also he wanted to see proof of our 'love'.

"Akari-chan, this will come in handy! It will be an aphrodisiac when you wear it for Karma-kun! Such a cute apron will turn him on! Please show Sensei some of the pictures of your intimacy!" Said the lewd, gossipy octopus.

"No," Karma replies the instant he sees the apron. "I am not wearing it."

"But it's my birthday," I plea, showing the most innocent face I have to him. I tug his sleeve. "Show me how cute you'd look in this." Nagisa told me Karma wore this once due to Korosensei's intense grooming. I want to see him in this from then. Karma in an apron is absolutely manly, but in a pink frilly apron would make him look completely adorable. The contradiction of both images would be fun to witness.

He grits his teeth. "Fine." He takes it from me and unwillingly wears it. Now he looks like a cute princess, blushing as red as his crown.

I stifle laughter. Next I bring out the blue costume. His face twists into horror as if the world has come to an end. "Wear this at home too. Until the end of the day."

It is not as horrifying as it looks. The blue costume is actually the Happy cosplay suit I wore. Karma would fit in perfectly. I can imagine how cute he would be, even cuter than the apron. I might not be able to resist confessing because I want to make him mine, considering how cute Karma is in a cute suit, contradicting his fiery personality. Who wouldn't want to possess something as cute as him?

A huge meteoric impact on his sanity and pride. Karma looks giddy. "...fine."

"And you have to say, 'Aye Sir!' like Happy!"

His jaw drops.

"You'll have to put it on when you're done baking. I'll be waiting." Cue evil laughter. This is my revenge.

*****

Karma emerges from the bathroom, clad in blue. He puts the hoodie down, trying to cover his face from the humiliation. Red blossoms on his face.

My heart skips a beat.

Karma is sooooo cute!

"A-aye sir..." he mumbles.

I cough.

He clicks his tongue. "Aaaaaaye sir!"

"Better." I poke his cheek. "Aren't you a cutey." Quickly I snap some photos to keep the image permanent. "Now's let go for breakfast!"

Shocked, he glares. "I am not going out in this suit."

I giggle. The devil incarnate who fears nothing, is afraid of showing up in public embarrassed. "Of course not. I am not showing anyone else how cute you are." I lock my eyebrows together. "Hey, you said you have plans for later?"

He raises his eyebrow. "Yeah. You."

I blink.

"How many times do I have to remind you?" He says as he peels off the blue clothes as if it is something unpleasant to his skin. "It's your birthday. I'm reserved for you for 24 hours. You're my plans for the day."

"Oh," my monosyllabic reply due to the inability to speak because every word he said makes my heart flutter. How can a devil like him say such sweet words like they are something normal to him? To me, they aren't normal. They are drugs I became addicted to. Giddiness washes me whenever I hear them.

He folds the suit and puts it aside. "So what you want for breakfast?"

I am suddenly hungry for something sweet because the sweetness of the 'drug' he gives me makes me yearns for more. But of course, there's no way I can express openly that I want something as sweet as him-it would not be an indirect confession by then.

The symbolic food of sweetness.

"Ice cream!"

*****

Mouthwatering, colourful ice cream presents itself in such a delectable image that I wish I own an unlimited supply of it. I press my face to the glass, as if I can communicate to the ice cream, to tell it how beautiful it is.

Karma doesn't hesitate over his choice. "Chocolate, one scoop."

Oh my gosh I so love chocolate!

He glances at me, probably sensing the message in my mind telepathically. Sighing, he turns to the waiter. "Make it two scoops."

I point to a mixture of raspberry and vanilla with chunks of cheesecakes and chocolate. "This one too!" Then I point to the green one. "Matcha flavor too!"

The waiter serves us the ice cream in a huge bowl with chocolate rice sprinkles, wafers and fruits. The food looks so perfect and symmetrically-shaped, like a gift from heaven. There's no way I can take a bite and let the marvelously architecture crumbl-

Karma takes a scoop from the chocolate ice cream. The fruits garnish immediately topples. "Yummy."

I internally shriek in pain. "Ka-Ka-Ka..."

He ignores the pain I am suffering and shoves a spoonful to my gaping mouth. The rich, milky flavour of the chocolate ice cream explodes and satiates my taste buds. The soft texture, the plentiful taste... paradise. Ice cream as breakfast? The best choice I ever made.

"Oh." Karma abruptly sneers as he stares at the spoon. "We shared an indirect kiss."

I choke.

*****

'Dear Akari-chan, happy birthday! As your present, you can shop at the boutique you like! For free! All expenses tab it under my name. Your limit: 20000 yen. Have fun!'

That is the message my uncle gave me. He is on an overseas business trip. His dojo is set on hold momentarily.

Shopping is the second best thing for a girl after good food. You have earned more of my affection, Uncle. I love you so much.

'P.S: bring home that special friend of yours next time. I would love to know him. Karma-kun, right?'

I have never told you what his name is, you stalker uncle.

I pick the clothes I have yearned for. Whenever I pass the boutique I can only do window-shopping because my allowance isn't enough. Finally! A shopping spree!

Karma sits by the couch outside of the fitting room, reading a magazine about cooking. I come out from the fitting room with my first outfit: a grey jumpsuit. He looks up from the magazine and nods. Not the reaction I am hoping for but he's a boy so his fashion senses are unreliable. I think this suits me so I'm taking it.

2nd outfit: denim shorts with checkered button-up blouse in different shades of red.

3rd outfit: patterned jeans with a sleeveless red polka-dot blouse.

4th outfit: ankle-length brown slacks with green sleeveless blouse.

5th outfit: bright yellow flowery-hemmed dress.

6th outfit: long thin white dress with an inner white shorter skirt.

The last outfit is the one I've been dying to try on. It is a red sleeveless knee-length dress tugged closely to my body. When I twirl, its hem will show different shades of red under the light, like a sunset playing on my dress. On my back beneath my shoulder blades, the dress opens to rectangular gap without exposing too much skin. It looks beautiful and it's my favourite colour.

Because red is his colour.

Karma's gaze lingers on me for a longer time than the previous. A pale shade of pink dyes his cheeks. The dress is a perfect match with his flaming red crown. If we walk down the streets people would admire how well we fit with each other, like we are carved from the same mold. Red is our colour, the symbol of affection between us. Red is the colour that connects our hearts, like the passionate flames that burns within our souls.

"You... you look nice," Karma stammers.

"Thanks."

I believe that if we aren't in public right now, he'll pin me to the wall-again-and touches me with the close proximity, stares endearingly into my eyes, trying hard not to confess and refrain from kissing me.

"Hey, lady," Karma suddenly calls out to the worker nearby. He sounds serious. "Do you perhaps... have any cat maid outfits here?"

"KARMA!"

*****

"LUNCH TIME!" I shout as I pump my fists in the air.

Karma walks next to me, carrying my shopping bags. "Your stomach knows no limit, huh? But don't worry, I'll still love you if you're fat."

I ignore him as I contemplate on the food I should eat next. "Hmm... let's eat chocolate fondue!"

"Desserts for main course?"

"It's my birthday, duh."

When the waitress serves us our portion of the chocolate fondue, I am in heaven. Its thick, rich aroma wafts in the air, beckoning people to pour the entire bowl of hot chocolate into their mouths. I stir the fondue and watch the thick gooey chocolate on the spoon slowly returns to its main body. The candle beneath the bowl of chocolate keeps it warm. I wish I could just pour the chocolate into my mouth in one go.

Karma dips the marshmallow into the chocolate and feeds it to my mouth. "Say 'ahhh'..."

I would not comply since we are in public. But the chocolate is dripping from the marshmallow and it would be bad to let such wondrous gift wasted-even if it's just a few drops. Hastily I eat the marshmallow.

"Oh. You got a stain here." Karma points to my mouth. I try to wipe it off but I don't know where it is.

Smirking, he stands and leans over the table, grabbing my chin near his mouth, and licks the edge of my mouth. His tongue tickles upon contact. My face blows up upon contact.

"There. Clean," he jeers victoriously.

How annoying his teases are. How much I want to strangle him for making my heart flutter. How much I want to punch him for making me harder to resist him.

I gape at his bold yet absurd action. We are at public for god's sake!

"What? No one's noticing," Karma replies innocently while spitting his tongue.

I slap my forehead as tiny giggles and gasps rise from the onlookers near us.

*****

After a movie-where Karma fell asleep on my shoulder-we stroll to a nearby park. The setting sun has painted the blue skies crimson, a beautiful shade of red, not as brilliant as Karma's red, but just as mesmerizing. People buzz around the park with their families and friends, relaxing from the hustle and bustle of the city. Children chase each other, screaming in joy. The occasional breezes cool me down.

I lean against the rail of the bridge which arcs over a tiny stream. Karma is next to me, trying to bat away the drowsiness in his eyes.

The white cottony clouds turn into orange marshmallows swirling in the pool of crimson sky. The sun, aren't piercing as it was in the afternoon, sheds its warm glow over the green grass, robbing it of its lush greenness. At the far end of the sky, the night slowly creeps in, a sharp contrast of purplish black against reddish orange.

I never knew the sunset would be so pretty when I watch it with him.

Slowly he rests the weight of his body on me. I want to push him off but it feels nice to be lean on by him. It means he trusts me a lot to depend on me.

"Happy birthday, idiot."

"You said that a lot of times today."

"Just a reminder," he starts. "I'd still stick so close to you even if it's not your birthday."

"I cannot imagine a day you won't, considering how clingy you are."

He laughs. "Am I clingy enough to motivate your confession?"

"Not going to happen." I return to stare at the sunset. Half of the sun has disappeared into the skyline. It indicates that the day is gone and it's time for people to rest well for the next day. Sometimes, people would watch the sunset and reflect on what they did for the day. For me, today is such a meaningful day with Karma. I wish to have more days like this in the future.

"Pretty..." I absentmindedly mutter.

His gaze lingers on me as he replies softly. "Yeah."

*****

It takes me awhile to realize, the subject of his word, the one he said 'pretty', is me.

*****

By the time we get home, the night has blanketed most of the sky and my stomach simultaneously rumbles.

"Karma I 'm hungry make me food I want food I can die from famishment now," I blurt without bother to catch my breath.

He sneers. "Fine." He steps in without turning on the lights.

I squint in the dark. The curtains by the balcony sliding door have been drawn and I recall I did not do it. I catch something lurking in the dark, shifting around constantly.

Intruder?!

I reach for Karma. "Kar-"

And I step onto something soft and squishy. It shrieks. I scream.

Horrified by the unidentified living object, I kick it with all my might. It shrieks in pain, this time a louder and deeper tone.

"Maehara, shut up!" someone whispers.

Maehara Hiroto?!

I reach my hand down quickly and touch something fibrous like hair and yank it hard. With the jerk, the object stands while slapping at my hand to release its hair.

"OUCH OUCH! Karma help me!" it shouts. I squint and make out a face, similar to Maehara's flawless one.

"Pfft!" A voice near my feet tries to stifle laughter. I reach my hand down and grab its hair. It also shrieks in pain. I make out its face as Sugino's.

Another voice from behind me and a tap on my shoulder. Sharp reflexes stretch my leg outward and kick whoever or whatever it is. It coughs but doesn't shriek like the previous. "Akari, calm down, it's us." A silky voice that resembles Isogai's.

What the hell is going on?!

The light turns on. It isn't just these three who invaded my house. Practically almost everyone ese is right here. In my apartment. Squeezing each other on the floor.

"Akari, happy birthday!" they shout. 'They' includes Rio, Megu, Rinka, Nagisa, Kaede, Manami, Hinata, Kanzaki, Fuwa, Hara and the previous three. My TV screen lights up with Ritsu's face.

I am speechless.

"You really have to control yourself," mutters Maehara as he cradles his hair.

"Told you not to hide there," Hinata chides.

Isogai chuckles. "He learnt his lesson. Poor Maehara's foot."

"Yeah, poor my foot," Maehara pouts.

"We kinda thought of scaring her the moment she steps in," Sugino adds. "It backfired." He laughs it off.

"And we'll be visiting you in the hospital after that," comments Fuwa.

Rio drapes her arm over my shoulders. "Happy birthday, Aka-chan!"

Megu embraces me. "I didn't actually go to Kyoto. Yesterday I was secretly planning this but you can't find out so I lied."

"Karma-kun's job is to distract you for the whole day. Sort of," Nagisa adds.

"Provided he doesn't get his hands all over you," Megu states flatly.

"I bet he already did..." Rio snickers. Megu clenches her fists and mutters something murderous under her breath.

Hara steps forward. "I prepared bento for everyone as dinner. You can eat first since you're hungry, Akari."

"Pudding for dessert!" Kaede shouts joyfully.

"I brought some snacks," says Kanzaki.

"And cupcakes," Hinata chimes in.

Maehara pleadingly looks at her. "I thought they are for me..."

"W-why would I make for you anyway!"

"Eh?!"

Rinka tugs my shirt and presents me a tiny box. "Macaroons. I made it. Enjoy. Happy birthday, Akarin."

Seeing all of them together make my eyes well up with tears. "T-t-thank..."

"Akari?" says Isogai. They stop their chatter and turn to me.

I sniff. "THANK YOU SO MUCH!"

First silence, then laughter erupted.

"No problem!" Sugino gives me a thumbs-up. Rio grins while Megu pats my head.

"Guys, cake time." Karma's voice silences them. He brings out the cake he made earlier. It is garnished with Oreos on top and chunks of Oreo in its cheesy content.

But our focus is on the blue suit he is wearing.

The boys tried to stifle laughter because if they don't Karma will surely slaughter them. The girls awe. "CUUUUUUUTE!"

Glitter in her eyes, Fuwa jumps around with joy. "You are soooo cute Karma-no worries, Akari, he's still yours-and I can't believe you actually fit it!" She pulls down the hoodie on his head, revealing the cat ears.

Karma blushes as he lowers his head to hide the embarrassment.

"You just rendered the devil non-hostile. There's no way we'll be afraid of him anymore, considering how cute he is." Maehara flashes a thumbs-up at me. "Good job."

If Karma isn't embarrassed, he'd probably shove tons of wasabi down Maehara's windpipe by now.

The moment they sing the birthday song, I am trying hard to push back the tears brimming in my eyes. Karma stands before me, with the cake in his hand, the incandescence from the candles casts a warm glow on his face. He smiles, the blush still apparent, but nonetheless looking charming as usual. The genuine, sincere smile of his makes me more infatuated.

Limerence means the state of being infatuated or obsessed with another person, typically experienced involuntarily and characterized by a strong desire for reciprocation of one's feelings but not primarily for a sexual relationship. Translation: I am so in love with him I just want express it to him.

It is such a beautiful word to describe the state of infatuation I am with him and him me.

I smile. His eyes widen as they stare at me, the blushing on his face deteriorates. I blow the candles after making a wish.

"CAKE TIME!" shouts Kaede. She takes the cake from Karma and immediately cuts it into slices adeptly.

"Thanks guys..." I mutter as I wipe the tears from my eyes. They grin and chuckle.

"You're welcome, Aka-chan!" Rio says as she hugs me.

"Akarin don't cry..." Rinka sniffs, as if she is about to cry too.

Hinata immediately stomps Maehara's feet and he shrieks in pain. "What the he-" Then she plants a plate of whipped cream into his face mercilessly-I have no idea where she got it-as if she wants to pay him back for making those cupcakes. His face, now bearded like a Santa Claus, makes laughter echo in the tiny place.

"You're the joker of the day. So I have to do this to stop Akari from crying," is Hinata's emotionless statement.

Poor Maehara.

Furious, the playboy suddenly grabs the girl by her shoulders and presses his face to hers. Whipped cream covers most of her face, especially her mouth. A gap appears on Maehara's mouth, as if he has transferred the whipped cream from his mouth to hers by kissing. Even though covered in white, the evident blushing on Hinata's face burns.

"You're the joker too!" He laughs, barely holding himself straight.

Hinata paralyzes. It takes her awhile to gather herself and she breaks into an outburst. "MAEHARA YOU IDIOT!" Then she stomps so hard on his feet he tumbles to the ground after losing his balance. Manami helps her to clean the cream on her face. She puffs her cheeks as she glares at the playboy for the previous intimacy, though I bet she is probably overjoyed on the inside. We erupt into peals of laughter, the pain in our stomach churning.

After the cake, Isogai, being the male class rep, presents me a hard cover book wrapped in iridescence paper. It is a book filled with memos they want to tell me and also photos. He says the girls have been working on it for some time.

Karma, with his cat tail dangling lifelessly, shows up with something blue in his hands. My eyes gleam with indescribable joy.

It is a stuffed Happy doll.

Fuwa shrieks in joy in the background.

So cuuuuuuuute. Even cuter when Karma holds it with him.

Rio nudges me. "Shouldn't you be giving him a kiss for compensation?" I hear Kanzaki and Manami gasp while Sugino chuckles. "Nagisa, prepare the camera!"

"We'd do that in private, anyway," Karma chimes in, smirking.

"WE ARE NOT DOING ANYTHING!" I retort. "Don't even think about it, Nagisa!" I point at the blue-haired boy, whose hand freezes in mid-air.

After some delicious dinner made by Hara, we huddle around the couch and watch movies Manami brought while snacking with Kanzaki's snacks. We plan to watch 2 movies in a row. Rio sits on the couch while I lean against her legs on the floor. Karma sits beside me, being clingy as usual. Rinka sticks close to me, using me as cover whenever something scary might pop up-yes, Manami brought scary movies like Conjuring and Insidious Chapter 2. For such a shy girl, she has such contradictory interests. Fuwa hooks her arm over Rio's, constantly covering her eyes with a pillow.

Megu sits on the couch behind Karma, her legs ready to spring into his head if she sees him trying anything on me. Hinata sits next to Maehara, sometimes letting the playboy cowardice hide behind her. She doesn't even try to hide the blush on her face anymore. Kaede would occasionally shriek and latches onto Nagisa. Kanzaki, sitting between Manami and Sugino, isn't bother by the spooked images on the screen. Instead she watches with pure intrigue just like Manami-who has watched for a few times-and Sugino, poor Sugino, can only sigh in defeat, hoping that Kanzaki would be a little afraid and needs him for protection.

Just by the end of the show, a weird sound fills the air.

And then a huge yellow round object glues itself onto the sliding glass of the balcony, with its spooky grin flashing.

Spooked, we scream. It screams back as well, scared by our screams.

"NUYAAAAAAAA!"

"KOROSENSEI!" shouts Megu. "What the heck?!"

Realizing it is not some yellow ghost trying to kill us, we sigh in relief.

"Sensei... sensei came to wish Akari-chan! Don't scare sensei like that!" The octopus leads himself inside. He hands me a present and wishes me.

"Your face is the only thing scary here!" the others shout in unison. And the emotional octopus cuddles by a corner moping, a gloomy aura envelops him. I can hear him mutter incoherently 'they say sensei is scary'.

Korosensei has given me a photo of our class framed in a handmade glass frame. At the edges carved Korosensei's name. I smile and thank him, lighting him up to his jolly self.

"Korosensei, we're watching a movie, wanna join?" Rio implores while sneering with Fuwa.

Ignorant due to being in a state of bliss that his students ask him to join them, Korosensei's grin widens. "Of course! What you're watching?"

Manami innocently replies. "Insidious Chapter 2. It's gonna be so awesome!"

"NUYA! S-sensei... sensei requests a jolly movie like umm... Frozen?"

We shake our heads, disapproving. He appalls.

"Umm... sensei... sensei..."

Karma jeers as his mischievous trait kicks in. "Korosensei's a coward, huh?"

No matter how painful our snickering and Karma's teasing pierce his pride, Korosensei prefers to not watch a movie that might scare him to death. "Sensei has something to do! See you guys later!" Then with his cowardice he flies off.

We laugh. Then we continue our second movie. By the end, some of them have dozed off. It would be too late to go home right now thus they'll be sleeping here for the night. Rio and Megu share my bed. The girls share the couch as they lean on each other. The boys sleep on the carpet. Maehara is the last to sleep after he decided to have cake as supper. Karma and I cover them with blankets I rummaged from the closets.

"Hey."

I turn to the ginger, who isn't tired from the commotion. "Hmm?"

"Let's go somewhere."

I glance at the clock. "It's 11.50pm."

He smiles. "10 minutes is more than sufficient to go there." He grabs my hand as I wonder where he could bring me.

*****

The strong wind kisses my face. It blows away the summer heat, cooling me down. The view on the 40th floor is similar to the one we saw a few months ago. The moon seems reachable as it hangs above us. The stars twinkle beautifully in the purplish-black night sky.

Karma glances at his watch. "2 more minutes."

I nod. "Thanks for everything. Today."

The corner of his mouth crooked, a weird combination of a smile and a smirk. "Aye sir! You're welcome." He pauses. "What's your wish?"

I blink. "Umm... well..."

I wish to stay with everyone forever. Especially you.

I smile. "Provided Earth is still intact though," I mumble. He raises his eyebrow quizzically. I touch my finger to my lips. "Secret."

He sighs. "Anyway..." he tucks a strand of hair behind my ear. I stare at him as my heart beats fast, as if I'm can predict what is about to happen. "Happy birthday idiot."

"You kinda' repeated that for many times tod-"

Ever so gently, his lips touch mine.

It isn't a peck because it lasts for more than a second. I don't know how long exactly but it is such a long moment-the moment of contact between our lips.

When he breaks away, I fume in red. My body paralyzes, the nerves in me crippling into nothingness. I feel nothing except the pressure of his lips on mine. Panic churns in my stomach as I realize rationally he just kissed me. Kissed me.

I can feel a fainting spell coming up.

"I'm making an exception for you. Since it's your birthday. The next one will probably be after your confession?" He teases, but I can tell he is as nervous as me. His face a brilliant shade of red. It must be something spontaneous. He probably couldn't resist kissing me.

Silence as we stare at each other, drowning at each other's mesmerizing eyes; his golden, mine cerulean. He rests his forehead on mine since words stuck at my throat. "I..." he mutters. "I might not be able to resist anymore. So... hurry up with your confession, ok?"

Still speechless.

Of his action. His words. His desperation.

Divert his attention. Distract myself from actually doing it. Quick.

"Umm... Err... Hmm..." No words come out. A disgrace for being a poisonous debate, I am defeated at his hands. All I can think of is the kiss. The holy freaking kiss is messing my mind now, retarding my mentality.

"Hmm?" he hums.

"You... you... we... we better get back because you're still wearing the Happy costume."

Way to spoil the mood, Akari.

Not expecting that, he gawks in surprise as I shyly avert eye contact. A blush dyes his face as it dawns on him that he cannot be caught dead in such preposterous costume, which will mar his nefarious fame.

"O-okay..." he mumbles. Then he chuckles. Firmly he repeats. "Okay." He pauses a while. "I'll still be waiting."

Yeah I know. I haven't got the courage to do it. And I still didn't want to be the first to give in.

But now, I might reconsider otherwise.

*****

Before we leave the floor I swear I heard a distant telltale shriek. 110% possibility is Korosensei stalking us again. And boy, he sure got his hands on some juicy gossip now.

*****

NEW CHAPTER MY LOVELIES.

So... because Yuusei Matsui left out stories happening to our beloved 3E during summer, I decided to fill it in with my own original chapters. 1: because vacations are so awesome there has to be tales to talk about. 2: because if I keep up to the manga storyline I might reach the end too quickly before the regular updates. Yes, the manga updates are painstakingly long. (God, why can't they just post several chapters at once? I am dying to see what happens next.)

A few new animes perks up my interest lately, the best being KEKKAI SENSEN. OMG you guys seriously have to watch this. The director is brilliant in making this anime work and you'd be laughing your ass off. (Yes, I did.) Just go watch it. You'll understand how beautifully the graphics and the plot are presented in such a way that reminds me of Kill la Kill and Durarara!.

As usual thanks for loving the story. Thanks for the comments. And also the motivation you guys gave me from the past reviews about my writing style. (*cries) (I didn't know it will bring some of you guys to tears) (So freaking happy now)

I LOVE YOU GUYS SO MUCH!