(O.D.D.- You guys....you want long chapters and fast updates...but I'm really, really, really, really busy.  I really like writing my stories, but I have to keep my grades up--although if it could get me into Class E, I would fail every class I had, hehehe.  Anyways, I just want you guys to know that I'm trying my best for you guys........ Alright!  Let's get this chapter started, but let me warn you, it's full of SPOILERS! (O_o). And then there's Say Something by A Great Big World added to this chapter, enjoy! (・ω・)ノ)

"Um....those restraints look pretty tight on you."

A man in a lab coat wheeled a table along with his partner, glancing down at the man on it.

The ravenet there.....smiled.

"I'm fine.  Honestly, they aren't necessary at all.  Even without them, I wouldn't hurt you."

The scientist with the glasses blinked in surprise, smiling nervously.

"Oh....uh...well, in that case--"

"Hey, shut it!  This guy probably has the power to brainwash people, you know."

The scientist across the glasses-wearing one narrowed his gaze sternly.

"Until we get him into the experimentation chamber, treat him like he could still kill you!"

The two scientists finally wheeled the ravenet through a small door, setting him in the middle of the room.

During the entire time he was wheeled there, the ravenet was smiling.

This young man......is the God of Death.

Raised in the slums, where trust was rarely found and where corrupt people lived, he learned how to kill; he became a master at it.

He was captured...because he was betrayed...by his own student, a blonde man.

Clunk, clunk.

The restraints on the real God of Death's limbs disappeared, releasing the ravenet once the scientists left.

He sat up and flexed his fingers.

The Shinigami glanced about the room; he heard static and turned his gaze to the source of the noise.

"Good evening, guinea pig."

The ravenet narrowed his gaze slightly at the camera set in the corner of the room, but he kept his smile up.

'Yanagisawa Kotarou...'

Yanagisawa, also known as the past 'Shiro', smirked as he looked at the screens set up in front of him and his colleges; they were in a separate room from the God of Death's.

"You'll be staying here for now to be used for....my experiments.  If you resist, we can electrocute you or fill that room you're in with gasses to knock you unconscious.  Enjoy getting used to your new home, guinea pig."

Yanagisawa turned off the speaker.

The Shinigami sighed and looked about the room.

There were three, plain walls, and a single glass one.

The ravenet then took a seat on the cot that was set up in one corner of the small cell.

He started to ponder ways to escape the building, smiling his fake smile.

<<(With the Scientists)>>

"Yanagisawa-san, who will make the reports on our test subject?"

The said man looked over at his college and smirked.

"Don't worry.  I have the perfect person for the job.  We have many other guinea pigs that we can use and no one will mourn for them."

<<(Back with the God of Death)>>

Creak....

The Shinigami lifted his gaze to see a ravenette woman stepping through the metal door on the other side of the glass wall.

She stopped in front of the barrier and smiled warmly.

"Oh my!  You look much kinder than I expected."

The God of Death brightened his smile.

"Don't I, though?  Hey, I won't do anything, so could you please release me?"

The woman made and 'x' with her index fingers, a soft smile still on her lips.

"Sorry, no can do!  If you killed me, I'd die."

The Shinigami studied her; a thought came to him.

'I could.....use her as a hostage...'

He then looked at her t-shirt underneath her labcoat.

It read, '8th Portion', with a picture of meat.

The Shinigami sweatdropped.

'What's with that shirt!?'

~~

The next day, the Shinigami was brought in for his first test.

Yanagisawa sneered at the restrained ravenet on the table.

"Listen up, guinea pig.  We are going to remodel your entire body.  If you cooperate during the experiment....I'll allow you to read whatever books you want in the cell.  I won't let you go, but you should be glad I saved you from the death penalty."

The God of Death merely smiled as the head scientist continued to speak.

"Heh....for the rest of his life, the infamous 'God of Death'...will live the rest of his days as a human test subject."

A few minutes later, the tests started, and the Shinigami's neck was injected with something.

While the scientist was mocking the God of Death as he went through the painful experiment, the ravenet daydreamed that he could easily pull Yanagisawa down and rip his throat off with his own teeth; he chuckled softly at the thought, confusing the head scientist.

'Good grief!  He's full of so many openings.....but I can't kill him now....it would make it harder to escape...'

//(A Few Hours Later)//

Creak...

Aguri perked up as she saw the God of Death get rolled in by a few scientists on the other side of the glass barrier, looking at the ravenet with slight worry.

"Ah!  Eto, otsukaresama deshita!" (Good work, sir!)

She smiled when she saw that there wasn't anything serious; the other scientist left the cell.

Aguri held up an iPad as she smiled warmly.

"Let me know when you're rested up.  I'll be checking your vitals."

The restraints on the God of Death disappeared and he sat up, rubbing his wrists; he looked over at Aguri and gave an exasperated sigh, speaking sarcastically.

"Your fashion sense is as impeccable as every, Yukimura-san...."

Aguri jumped in surprise and waved around frantically.

"Eh!?  Is this one bad too?  I thought it would take your mind off of solitary confinement!"

The Shinigami sighed once more, but less exasperatedly.

"To be honest, it annoys me."

Aguri gave a miserable sigh, pouting.

"Well...it's my favorite brand, but I'm somehow unpopular with my students."

The God of Death perked up at that.

"'Students'?" '.....A novice teacher by day...and an assistant who works for Yanagisawa for free by night......'

The Shinigami frowned.

"Hey," Aguri perked up. "Why would you be taking such challenging work?" 'I know you're engaged to Yanagisawa...but do do you actually have to work here?'

Aguri typed something on the iPad before looking up at the ravenet, looking a bit nervous.

"A-Ah...well....."

Slam!

Yanagisawa came storming in.

"Aguri!  How long has it been since I told you to do that check up?"

Aguri blinked in surprise, looking over at the head scientist.

"Oh, sorry Kotarou-sa--!"

Yanagisawa grabbed her iPad and smacked it harshly onto her head before grabbing her hair roughly; the God of Death watched with slight surprise as the scientist sneered.

"Your father is one of our subcontractors.  I'm only marrying you out of pity.  You're in my debt, so I expect you to dedicate your heart and soul to me."

Aguri kept a pained smile up; there was not a single trace of hatred to the man on her face.

Yanagisawa released her and looked over at the God of Death, slamming his fist of the glass wall; the ravenet hitman didn't so much as blink.

"Heh!  See you tomorrow, guinea pig!"

The head scientist went out of the room.

~~

On the next day, the second experiment came and passed; he was sent back to his cell once he was done.

Aguri approached the barrier and widened her eyes in surprise when she looked at her device.

"Yikes!  I have so much stuff to look at!"

She skimmed through the orders she was given with panicked eyes.

"Waaaah~I better hurry or I'll get hit again! He always aims for the head."

The Shinigami, once released from the table looked at her with confusion.

'There are other places that'll hurt more than your head, so.....' "Is that a problem?"

Aguri nodded.

"Well, yeah!"

She smiled brightly.

"Teaching is my real job, so it'll be bad if I got dumber!"

The God of Death blinked in surprise.

Slam!

"Aguri!  How many times do I have to tell you to not keep me waiting!?"

The woman jumped and looked over at Yanagisawa with surprise.

"Eeek!  I'm sorry, sir!"

Yanagisawa approached her swiftly.

"You're only good for menial labor and paperwork!  Can't you even keep watch or one guinea pig!?"

He snatched the iPad out of her grasp and sneered as he brought it down.....but that's when the God of Death decided to step in.

The ravenet smiled and he flicked his arm at the glass barrier.

A sound vibration hit Yanagisawa's head, and he became paralyzed, falling to the ground, unconscious.

Aguri looked at her abuser and then the God of Death with surprise.

"E-Eh?  Shinigami-san, did you just--?"

The ravenet shook his head.

"Don't worry.  I only knocked him unconscious." 'Sadly....'

The Shinigami smiled at Aguri.

"But now...you can teach tomorrow, can't you?"

Aguri blinked in surprise; he reached a hand up at her, palm up.

"Isn't it great......that we can both do our real jobs?"

~~

"Making test questions?"

The God of Death watched with some amusement as Aguri looked over her papers with a slight frown; she sent a smile at the ravenet when she heard his voice.

"Ah, yes.  But we're not allowed to have computers in this room, so I have to write them by hand."

The Shinigami looked at her with slight awe.

'Working as a teacher from six in the morning till seven at night, and then a human surveillance camera from eight at night till two in the morning....she's surprisingly energetic....'

The ravenet got up from his seat and walked over to the glass wall, using his sharp vision to see what she was writing down.

He shook his head and called out to her.

"That's not going to work."

Aguri tilted her head in confusion as she turned to look at him.

"Eh?"

The Shinigami fogged the glass up with his breath and quickly wrote something down.

He tapped the long equation once he was done.

"Quadratic equations aren't really challenging unless you throw a twist in them, like this.  Especially when you're dealing with middle school students."

Aguri sweatdropped.

"Argh, I can't believe a teacher's getting educated by an assassin...."

She quickly got out of her seat and wrote down the equation before it could disappear.

And it went on like that for days.

The Shinigami would be experimented on and then checked by Aguri.

He would then help her with school questions to make.

~~
//(3:00 AM)//

Aguri left to head to school.

It was in this tiny time period that the God of Death could sit in silence and peace before experiments.

He shut his eyes...and listened to the silence.

....

.......

Creak.....

The Shinigami snapped his eyes open and looked at the door beyond the glass barrier.

......It was closed.

Nothing out of the ordinary.....

The God of Death still kept his guard up and straightened his back.

He scanned the room and noted that the security cameras were.....off.

There were no red lights to indicate that they were working.

The Shinigami looked back at the room.

His eyes then caught a slight shimmer in the room.

Suddenly, the shimmer became a soft glow of white that filled the room briefly.

The God of Death blinked the lights out of his eyes.

He then widened his gaze when he saw someone in the room beyond the glass.

A gray-green lizard tiredly made its way up an arm.

A black trench coat swished along the ground.

Tired, onyx eyes blinked as they gazed at the God of Death.

"Chaos."

The Shinigami got off his seat and walked up to the barrier.

"....Reborn?  My friend?"

The said ravenet gave a lopsided smile.

"Heh, the one and only."

(O.D.D.- This is the Assassination Classroom world's Reborn, not KHR's. (O_o)  And this Reborn doesn't have a fedora. (T ^ T))

The God of Death frowned, studying the other.

"You....you look..."

"Like sh**?  Yeah, I do."

There were dark circles under the hitman's eyes as they shifted around the area.

The God of Death and the World's Greatest Hitman have worked together from time to time.

They exchanged information, tricks, strengths and weaknesses.

Reborn was pretty much the God of Death's first friend...

The Shinigami clenched and unclenched his hand.

"....So you haven't found a cure yet?"

Reborn sagged slightly.

"Heh.....I wouldn't be looking like this if I had."

The hitman reached up for the collar of his coat and moved it to the side.

A yellow pacifier connected to a chain came out into the open, swinging slowly.

The Arcobaleno Curse.

The seven most strongest people could maintain their adult forms....but the pacifiers were sucking their life away.

The God of Death grimaced.

"....How are your friends?"

Reborn hid the pacifier again.

"Better than I am; I'm making sure of that."

The Shinigami smiled fondly.

"Always looking out for your family..."

Reborn shrugged.

"Got nothing better to do these days......and I think my days are getting short."

The hitman looked at the God of Death.

"....Your...student........I think I'm his next target."

The Shinigami widened his eyes, thoughts flashing back to the young blonde he was betrayed by.

Reborn shook his head.

"But that's not what I'm here f--cough!"

The ravenet held a hand up to his mouth, stifling his hacking.

The God of Death looked at blood that dribbled past his friend's fingers with worry

Reborn tsked and ignored it, looking back over at the Shinigami.

"As I was saying, I'm here for something else.  First, I can't free you."

The God of Death shook his head.

"I wouldn't have wanted you to.  You look like a dead man walking already.  Don't exert yourself."

Reborn gave a dry laugh.

"Heh, thanks.  Anyways, Luce had a vision recently."

(O.D.D.- Yep, Luce is still alive in this world. (<_<))

The Shinigami straightened his back; visions from the Sky Arcobaleno are always important.

"What is it?"

Reborn nonchalantly wiped his bloody hand onto his coat, grimacing.

"Well......do you believe in parallel worlds?  I know you've read books on them, but what do you think?"

The God of Death sat down on his table and crossed his legs, Indian style.

"...It's plausible.....so yes, I do believe in them.  What of it, though?"

Reborn sighed.

"When....I die....a different me will come to this world."

The Shinigami twitched slightly at 'die' before perking up at 'a different me'.

"'A.....different you'?"

Reborn stuffed his clean hand into his coat pocket.

"....The Vongola.....you know that it's currently corrupt."

The God of Death nodded; Reborn continued.

"Well....it seems fate has decided to give this world a chance.  Luce said that people of a parallel world will come to this world and bring peace...."

The hitman chuckled.

"Too bad I won't be able to see Iemitsu's face when he get's his a** handed to him."

Reborn sighed.

"Anyways, I also came here to tell you, that a young brunet will help you in the future, along with parallel me and a bunch of other kiddies."

The ravenet coughed again, but no blood came out this time.

"I....need you to act like it's the first time meeting 'me'.  I'll be using the last of my Sun flames on your student so he'll forget about me once he kills me--he'll act as if he never saw me before."

Reborn sighed, looking up at the Shinigami.

"And also........nah, 'goodbye''s too saucy...."

He chuckled softly.

"Heh.....'see you later', I guess..."

Leon glowed briefly and transformed into a blanket and camouflaged Reborn.

The World's Greatest Hitman disappeared.

~~
//(1 Year Later)//

Creak....

The God of Death lifted his head and saw his human surveilla--well......she was more of a companion now....

Aguri smiled as she approached him, a small box in her hands; the ravenet inclined his head slightly, noting that there was a ribbon on it.

He voiced out his question.

"A present?"

Aguri lifted the lid and showed it to the God of Death.

His face twisted into a grimace.

"Uh...thanks...."

Aguri sweatdropped.

"Okay, I get it.  You don't like it." 'You've been wearing your emotions on your face lately....'

The God of Death pointed at the object.

"Um....but why now of all times?"

Aguri looked at her feet, a warm blush onto her cheeks.

She then looked up at him.

"Because today.....is about a year from the first day we met."

The Shinigami blinked his eyes in realization as she continued to speak.

"I don't when you were actually born.....but......would you like to make your birthday today?"

The hitman widened his eyes with surprise.

Aguri smiled brightly.

"You've told me so much about yourself, and you've given me a ton of help on my tests.  So...as thanks for that, I'd like to give you a birthday."

The Shinigami softened his gaze, and a warmth filled his chest for the first time in a long while.

...

He smiled.

A real smile.

"Why...thank you very much."

Aguri brightened up.

"Thank goodness."

...But her smile fell.

She tapped the present onto the glass, a reminder of what was between them.

"...But I probably can't deliver this to you.  Rules and all....."

She hugged the present to her chest.

"I...I just want to give you something directly.  But there are many things that don't go the way I want them to."

Her eyes became downcast.

"You see...last year....I couldn't light a single spark in any of my students' eyes--this year too.......if...if I could refine my skills as a teacher more, maybe I could help them regain their self-esteem."

She gripped the present tightly.

"But...Yanagisawa-san has been pushing me to quit teaching and work here full time.  This is probably the last year I'll be a teacher."

She placed a hand on the cool glass, a defiant look in her eyes as she looked into the Shinigami's own.

"But Class E is full of good students!"

She smiled fondly.

"Isogai and Kataoka are really dependable....Okuda and Sugaya have really outstanding talents.........everyone...all of the students, at their core, they're really serious and genuine!"

She pressed her forehead against the glass.

"I just.....I just want to help them somehow.  Because it's my last year, and also......because I love my job."

The God of Death watched her silently.

She trembled briefly before relaxing.

"...Shinigami-san.....I want to be with you--to actually be able to touch you.......you've supported me so much.  I....I want to deliver my thanks to you...and have you give me the strength to give this last year everything I've got."

Thwip.

Aguri perked up.

Something shimmering went past her cheek; she lifted her head to see....small, thin tentacles going through the small holes in the glass, where they could hear each other's voices.

The God of Death pressed his fingers to the glass, giving a warm, genuine smile to her.

The tentacles couldn't be seen by the camera as they formed a hand-like shape; it cupped her cheek as the Shinigami leaned his forehead against the glass at the same time Aguri did.

"Don't worry....I know you can do it." 'And.....thank you for everything...'

Aguri smiled and leaned into the gentle touch.

"...Thanks."

.....But the world was very cruel.

~~

"I....Impossible....."

The scientists watched with shock as they looked at the moon--a permanent, crescent shape.

All of this was done by a single rat.

The scientists wanted to test a theory on what would happen if the antimatter's generation cycle went beyond its limits.

The result.....the rat exploded.....destroying 70% of the moon.

One of the scientists quickly ran results on what would happen to the Shinigami.

"O-On M-March 13th....of next year, the very same thing will happen to him!"

He turned to look at the head scientist.

"S-Sir!  What should we do!?  At this rate....the Earth will be destroyed!"

Yanagisawa tsked, whacking the man on the head.

"We dispose him, of course!  We need to stop his heart before the cell division continues!"

Unknown to the group, Aguri heard everything; she used her hand to stifle her horrified gasp as she briskly walked away, panic flooding her mind.

~~

"...So please!  Don't abandon hope!  I'll find a way save you!  I'll do anything."

Aguri's panicked voice filled room as she looked at the God of Death with concern.

But her words fell on deaf ears.

Blood rushed through his veins.

He felt energy pulse throughout his entire being.

"....Aguri....leave."

His clothes started to rip and tentacles started to poke out through the holes.  His fingers lengthened and whipped around.

"I'm breaking out now.  Dying without testing this power would be a waste.  By my calculations, I should have enough power to destroy this cell."

"Stop!  We...We can figure something out!  I--!"

The God of Death shook his head, pressing one of his tentacles against the glass, cracking it slightly.

"You?  Stop me?  You wouldn't even suffice as a hostage."

His words were deep and cutting.

"...Leave, Aguri.  Don't let your death be in vain."

The ravenette flinched and casted her gaze to the ground; she slowly walked away, exiting through the door.

~~

The God of Death stormed the building, killing pretty much everyone.

He avoided most traps, but a tentacle-mine--a special device that contained one of the tentacles that the Shinigami himself was using--managed to pierce his side.

He quickly regenerated anyways and threw a cabinet at Yanagisawa, who had set off the little trap.

Yanagisawa's left eye was no more.

The God of Death quickly went on a killing, destroying the soldiers in his path.

....He had yet to notice the frail body on the side.

Aguri, who was recently beaten up for her defiance against Yanagisawa, struggled to her feet.

'....I see you....please.....don't go down this path.  Please.....don't go...'

She slowly approached him from behind...and gave him a gentle hug--

Slash!

A tentacle-mine pierced through her midsection from the side, and the God of Death turned around in time to see it.

...Aguri saw his existence.....yet her existence was the one thing he failed to see.

...Time slowed down for the ravenet as he quickly crouched down beside her body and gently cradled her head in one of his tentacles, moving another to lifted her up by her shoulders.

Aguri laughed shakily.

"A-Ah...I was careless....I...I never imagined...th..that there would be...traps....b-but....I figured...that sh...shouting wouldn't...do..any good..."

The God of Death thought back to what had happened.

She was right.

Anymore, and he would've became a mass of violent emotions, destroying everything in his path.

But....

...She had brought him back with her touch.

The God of Death gritted his teeth, remorse filling him.

'D*** it all!  Why couldn't I see it before!?  I could've saved her, yet I--!'

He bowed his head.

"...It...It might as well have been me that killed you..."

Aguri slowly smiled.

"No...you know that's not....true.  I moved...because I...I wanted to."

Her eyes....they were filled...with love.

"And al-also.....as long....as it's for....your sake...I-I'm perfectly fine...with...getting killed.  That's......how precious you are to me...."

Aguri shut her eyes smiling softly.

"Y...You'll meet someone....you care for...like that..."

The Shinigami stared at her face, brushing a few bangs out of her face with his tentacles.

"I....I wouldn't regret getting myself killed for your sake....but...I don't think there's anyone like that for me out there......"

Aguri coughed harshly, causing the God of Death to jolt.

Her voice became a soft whisper.

"If....you have one...more y-year......could you...give me...your time.....and....teach those students....who are lost in the dark ....like you."

She smiled.

"P-Perhaps....you'll find your answer...within them.....look them...in the eye.....and...I'm sure...you'll find it."

The Shinigami blinked, but a fond smile made its way to his lips.

"If...you say so..."

Agur's smile brightened; she weakly touched the tentacle that was holding her.

"What...lovely tentacles..."

She shakily lifted a hand to brush her finger on his cheek and chin.

"With....these hand.....I know...you'll be...a beautiful teacher....."

Her arm dropped....and her last breath left her.

The God of Death lowered her to the ground; he saw something in her lab coat and pulled it out.

He softened his gaze at the oversized tie in his tentacle.

"....So lame..."

It was the birthday present she showed to him.

But....it was a flaw of Aguri that added to her charm....

He slipped the tie on, left a note to whoever may find Aguri, and touched the ravenette's wound briefly before zooming off into the sky.

He secluded himself on a mountain, digging deep into the ground.

W h a t   d o   y o u   w a n t   t o   b e ?

The God of Death told the tentacles.....

'I want to be weak.'

Full of weaknesses.

Easy to get along with to the point that someone would want to reflexively kill him.

Hand that could even the weakest of things....guide them...and protect them.

That sort of being....

That sort of teacher...

He would make mistakes from time to time....

He will be strict from time to time...

However....everything will be done his best.

...Just like how she did her best.

And so....that night...

A yellow octopus with a black robe popped out of the earth.

He looked down at his tie and quickly knitted a crescent moon into it.

He looked up at the moon and chuckled softly.

"Nurufufufu....."

And....the mach 20 novice teacher......stood up.