Akari

It was already one week after Korosensei's revelation. The air has become chilly as winter approaches. After that day, the class sank into a dilemma—the largest challenge we will ever face.

Are we really going to kill Korosensei, after all he did for us?

The question has bothered me ever since. I have no answer to that at all.

On the other hand, Kaede has been hospitalised after that day. She is gradually healing from the tentacles. Her usual jolly self has returned; it isn't acting or feigning. It's the real her. Basically, she is no different than the old Kayano Kaede. The only difference now is that she is more honest of her own feelings.

"What should we call you then, Kae—I mean Akari?" I asked on the first day I visited her with Rio, Megu, and Nagisa. It felt weird to call her with my own name.

She lit up a soft smile. "It's okay. Just call me Kaede. I... kinda' gotten used to it."

"Two Akari's.," Rio snickered.

"Akari, I'm sorry I almost killed you that day. Those tentacles... they... no. It's all me. I didn't manage to control myself," Kaede apologised as tears brimmed in her eyes.

"It's okay." I touched my head. It barely hurt now that I knew the truth. "If you really feel guilty, just make me some nice pudding?"

"Of course! Friends?"

"Friends."

***

Back to the present, I look at the calendar on my desk. It's one week before Christmas.

Christmas.

Oh yeah. It's his birthday.

Speaking of the devil, Karma hasn't spoke to me, or text me, or harass me like he always did. It is as if he has vanished thin air. There is no trace of his presence.

What is he thinking? Is he thinking about Korosensei too?

I pout. "Maybe that idiot should think of me too......"

I should plan a grand surprise party for Karma, but the class' atmosphere is just too upsetting.

Then I'll just celebrate Christmas and his birthday on my own.

***

On December 23rd, I message Karma.

'Hey Karma, are you free on Dec 25th?'

Not long later, he replies. 'Hmm not really. My parents are around. Why?'

...... Did he not realise it's his birthday or anything?

'Oh nothing.' I reply in the end.

***

It is a cold Christmas morning. I'm just lying around in bed, snuggling under the warmth of my blanket. There are two boxes of presents on my desk. One of them is red while the other is green. Quite the festive colour. Both are for Karma. However, I haven't had the strength to call him and give it to him. His lack of passion when he texted me two days ago made me worry.

What was he thinking? I wanted to know.

......Maybe I should ask him.

......Maybe I shouldn't.

...... or maybe he's just spending time with his family. I shouldn't interfere.

I have braced myself for a barrage of harassment messages from Karma requesting for all sorts of absurd wishes since it is his birthday.

But nothing happened.

Damn it, Karma! This is so not you!

I scroll through pages of social media on my phone while anticipating Karma's message. As time ticks by, I'm completely brought down by disappointment. The two presents on my desk yearn for someone to open them.

"Goddamn it Karma!" I shout furiously. "I'm not going to wait for you anymore!" I pull out his contact page on my phone and bravely press the dial button. After a few rings, Karma picks it up.

"Akari?"

"You home?"

"Err yeah."

"I'm coming over."

"Wait what?"

"I'll only be there for a short time. Won't take you for long."

It's as if he has sensed my anger. "Akari...... ermmm... you okay?"

"I'm fine." No I'm not you idiot. I'm just holding back my anger because it's your birthday.

"......"

"I'll see you in 10."

"...... Okay."

***

It's his birthday. It's Christmas. Smile, Akari. Don't frown. I repeat those words in my mind on the way to Karma's house. When he opens the door, my fake wide grin has shrunk into a small smile.

Oh goddamn it I want to punch him for ignoring me.

"Hey," he says.

So after weeks of silence, you say 'hey'?!

"Calm down, Akari. It's his birthday," I mumble to myself.

Karma raises his eyebrow. "You sure you okay, Akari-chan?" he smirks.

Smile, Akari. It's his birthday.

"I'm perfectly fine!"

He blinks.

Read me, idiot. I am NOT OKAY.

Before I burst into flames of anger, I shove the two presents into his hands. "Happy birthday, and Merry Christmas."

"......Oh."

What. The. Damn. Hell.

"It seems you're not free. I should go," I say.

"Wait." Karma grabs my arm. "I err......"

I stare at him. You better explain yourself before I punch you.

"Thanks, Akari."

Oh hell no. That's it?! That's—

Oh shit. Oh no. He's smiling. SHIT THAT SMILE! THAT CUTE GORGEOUS SMILE!

Karma's soft smile has put out all my flames of anger. I couldn't get angry at him anymore. Not after seeing his smile.

URRGHHH WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME?!

"I'll...... come over tonight. If it's okay with you..." Karma asks.

"Err yeah sure." His smile has frozen my ability to reject him.

Suddenly, he pulls me into his arms and hugs me. It feels warm against the cold air. My face is burning red. "K-Karma?"

"Thanks for coming by." His voice is smooth as silk.

Shit. I can no longer be mad at him.

***

At night, Karma arrives with food, as if he knows I need food to console my broken soul.

"Sorry, today I had to spend time with my parents," he says. "I brought you food though."

"Hmm."

He stares at me. "Are you still mad?"

"Why would I be?"

He smirks. "Because...... you miss me and I didn't message you for the weeks so you got mad?"

"I did not. Why would I be concerned of you?" I retort.

He laughs. "Really? Too bad Akari-chan. I really love how tsundere you can be."

"What?" I glare at him.

"If you didn't care for me, why did you buy—I self-correct, make me these presents?" Karma takes out a sky blue-coloured muffler and a pair of matching gloves. "God, it's so cold today." He puts on the gloves and covers his neck with the muffler. "Your love warms me up."

"God, since when have you become so cheesy?" Goosebumps form on my arms.

He lets out a hearty laugh. "You always loved my cheesiness."

I roll my eyes.

Karma sits down beside me on the sofa. "I meant it. Thank you. I really love your presents. A birthday and a Christmas present. Usually I only get one every year 'cos well, my birthday is Christmas. But you didn't have to anyway. Really."

I raise my eyebrow. "Why?"

Karma smirks as he closes the distance between us. I instantly regret asking him the question. "Because, idiot, you are the best present I can ever get."

Out of embarrassment, I try to punch him but he grabs my wrist and puts my hand on his cheek. "You..."

"You missed my teasing, didn't you?" His smirk widens.

"Let go, Karma!" I struggle against his strong grip.

"No. I won't let you go anymore."

My hearts races as blood rushes into my head. "I... I thought we promised to be back together when..."

"When what? I don't want to wait anymore."

"Karma!"

"It's my birthday~ you can't reject the birthday boy's wish~"

"KARMA!"

Karma erupts into peals of laughter. "Oh my god. I missed that blushing face of yours." He holds his stomach as he writhes in pain from laughter.

I cover my face with a pillow. "Shut up, idiot!"

He pulls the pillow away from my face. His hot breath tickles my face. It only makes my face redder. "I miss teasing you, you miss me teasing you... aren't you happy I'm doing it now?" he explains.

This idiot is too smart!

"And besides," he continues with a smirk on his face. "You're not ready to be my girlfriend again. So I'll wait as promised."

Phew, thank god......

"...... or is it you couldn't wait anymore, huh?"

"No!" I retort, pushing him away. His strong body does not waver.

He laughs again. I get more embarrassed than ever.

Karma touches the muffler I made for him and takes a whiff. His evil smirk softens into a sweet smile. "I really love your presents. It's so warm. Thank you."

"You're welco—"

"In return, it's my turn to give you your Christmas present."

I glance at the food he has brought for me.

"No, not that. Could you err... close your eyes for a while?"

Oh my god. Is he going to... kiss me?

I bite my lips. I should reject him. But... but...

...... it's too tempting.

No! Snap out of it! You're not ready to get back with him......

...... or am I?

I did miss him a lot. And he has been by my side ever since.

...

...

Oh god what should I do?

"You can open your eyes now."

"What?" I gasp silently. What happened to the ki—

Karma sits in front of me with a huge golden ribbon on his head.

"Wha—"

He looks down, embarrassed as his cheeks are dyed red like his hair.

"I'm... I'm your..." Karma abruptly curses under his breath. "......I'm your Christmas present."

An awkward silence falls upon us. After a few seconds, I erupt into a huge laughter.

"BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! What the hell, Karma?!" My laugh is hysterical. Karma's face turns redder. "Did you... did you do this because you forgot to buy me a present?" I tease him.

He bites his lips. "......Shit. How did you know?"

My stomach aches from my extreme laughter. "Oh my god, Karma."

"Stop... stop laughing. I completely forgot about it, okay? When you came earlier today, I quickly went out to buy something but I didn't know what to buy. So I just... put this stupid ribbon on my head and..." He clicks his tongue. His eyes avoid mine.

How can you be so cute, Karma?!

I clasp his cheeks in my hands and make him look at me.

"Akari? What are you doing?"

"I like it. Your present. It's cute." I snicker.

Karma seems to have stopped breathing.

And I burst into laughter again.

Karma sighs, as if he has regretted.

"Thank you, Karma," I say.

"You're welcome. So...... can you like err... unwrap your present, me, now? This ribbon is... embarrassing."

"Okay. No. No. Wait. I need to take some photos." I fish out my phone. "Smile, Karma."

He gives an awkward smile. "I am so going to get back at you for this."

"We'll see." I take the ribbon off Karma's head. This gold ribbon is a keeper.

He stares at me.

"What?"

"You're not done unwrapping your present," Karma abruptly says.

I look down at the gold ribbon, confused.

With an evil smirk on his face, Karma begins to remove his shirt.

"WHAT THE HELL, KARMA?!" I throw a pillow in his face.

"Why so serious, Akari-chan? You haven't unwrap me completely."

"YOU IDIOT!"

He laughs as he succeeds in his 'revenge'. "I'm just joking."

I glare at him. "You perv."

His wide smirk slowly vanishes as seriousness takes over his face. "Akari, about the...... giving myself to you part.... I meant it." Karma stares at me intently. "Remember what you said for me to open myself up? I did some thinking and...... I realise I really want to be with you again. And for that to happen, I need to be honest with you about my feelings and my thoughts. To get you back and to be with you for eternity, I will tell you and share with you my everything. This... is what it means by giving myself to you."

He takes a deep breath. "I'm giving my heart, mind and soul to you."

I listen, yet I don't know how to react. I'm completely frozen. My heart thumps wildly against its ribcage. What should I say?

"I can give you my body too if you want."

I gently punch him. "Way to spoil the mood, Karma."

He chuckles. It's music to my ears.

"So, here goes." Karma takes in a deep breath. "I'm sorry for ignoring you lately. I've been doing some deep thinking after Korosensei's revelation."

I listen silently.

He continues. "Everyone in class is in a dilemma on whether should we kill Korosensei or not. I'm too thinking the same thing. It takes me a while but... I've decided."

I anticipate his answer with trepidation.

"I'm going to assassinate Korosensei just as promised."

***

"Aren't you going to say something, Akari?"

After listening to him, I have sunk into deep silence for some time. Ironically, I'm not surprised to hear that.

"Why?" I ask.

"Because assassination is the reason this class is created in the beginning. Assassinating Korosensei is our true goal. And nothing should change that. Korosensei has been teaching us assassination ever since the beginning. If we don't kill him, the entire class would be meaningless. Everything we've done for the whole year would be meaningless."

He continues. "Even if we don't kill him, eventually someone will. And even he survives, the Earth is doomed. Us, Class 3E is the most eligible to kill him. It's the true goal of this class."

When he finishes, I finally speak. "I don't agree with you."

"Akari."

"But I won't try to change your mind. It's your opinion. I don't want to kill Korosensei. It looks like we're completely different opposites."

He scoffs. "So does this mean we're not compatible?"

"......No."

He raises an eyebrow, waiting for me to finish.

"In fact, I'm glad you told me everything. Thank you, Karma."

Bewilderment is apparent on his face. "You're not... mad?'

I shake my head. "Not really. I kinda' expected you to say something like that. That's what you would do. You're never the kind of person to give up on your goal. It's you."

He blinks. Suddenly he chuckles. "Thank you for understanding. I didn't really expect that. I expected some vicious verbal onslaught since you're a specialist in blackmailing and stuff."

"That's just mean. I'm not that horrifying."

He smirks. "Since you understood me so well, does it mean we're meant for each other?"

"Akabane Karma, really?" I roll my eyes.

He leans closer to me. "Answer me first, Okumura Akari." I can hear the seriousness in his tone.

"...M-maybe?" I fiddle with my fingers, averting my gaze from him.

"Since I'm honest with my feelings, will you be honest with yours?"

Shocked, I look up. "W-what feelings?" I say in denial.

"Will you be mine again?" His voice is smooth as silk. His smile, gentle and calming.

"I... I..."

He touches my cheek and hums. "Hmm?"

Should I? Should I say yes?

Hell, why does this sound like some proposal?

"Hmm it does sound like a proposal. But we'll get to that later." Karma snickers as if he has read my mind.

This devil!

I stay speechless, only gazing at his liquid gold eyes. They are the prettiest jewels I have ever seen. I recall all the good times we've been together, all the sweet things he did for me, all the love and care he gave me, the feelings he shared with me honestly.

Why did I reject him in the first place?

I really, really like him. I don't want to keep him waiting.

After steeling myself, I finally answer him.

"Yes."

A soft smile lights up Karma's face. "Finally. I thought I have to wait for another—"

I place my finger on his lips. "Will you shut up and kiss me already?"

Karma chuckles as he presses his lips on mine. I comb through his soft hair while he pulls me close as he tightly grips my waist. Slowly, he pushes me and we collapse onto the sofa. But the kissing barely stops. His tongue licks my lips and I give him entrance. However I regret instantly.

1 hit.

5 hits.

15 hits.

30 hits.

My legs become jelly and blood rushes in my head. My heart thrashes around wildly. My breathing hitches but Karma doesn't stop.

After 40 hits, we finally break apart. My face is red. Red as his hair. Karma chuckles and smirks proudly.

"You have no idea how long I've been wanting to do that."

***

Does this chapter have enough fluff for you guys? XD

BTW, all the latest chapters here will be different than the previous ones: They'll be shorter, clearer, less nagging words just to keep the chapter clear and short. 

Hope you guys like my new style. :)

And don't forget to vote!!! Thanks for reading