Crescent

by koizumichii

Summary: In which the true reason behind the crescent moon unravels…

Disclaimer: All rights reserved for the cover and Ansatsu Kyoushitsu. I only own the plot

A/N: Written as participation for Karmagisa Week in tumblr.

Day 3: Truth

Nagisa didn't get much sleep last night. He wasn't suffering from insomnia or anything; it was just one of those times when he felt like sleeping late; one of those times when the bluenette was staring up at the ceiling, mind black, and body full-awake. He was well aware of the nocturnal insects chirping outside his window, well-aware of the loud, slow, ticking of the clock and the breaths he exhaled, as well as the soft beats of his heart. It was a night when sleep refused to come easily.

It went without saying that right now he was dazing off in the middle of an afternoon.

"Nagisa-san…!"

Someone nudged him quietly. He stirred and was soon aware of the sudden silence in Class-E. He blinked drowsily at first before bolting up from the desk, which was his drooling pillow just a few seconds ago.

"Nagisa-san." Koro-sensei called in that displeased tone of his.

Nagisa raised his head in question, taking a look at their homeroom teacher and was presented with a pale red color of Koro-sensei's usually yellowed skin. He swallowed a lump in his throat; the sleep he so desired now forgotten.

"Detention after class,"

Yes, his thoughts exactly.

…

Nagisa sighed. Detention with Koro-sensei was unusually fun—they went on a sweets tour in France, stopping at shops here and there—but he, with not enough sleep, felt even more tired than normal. He just wanted bed more than anything at the moment. Both his body and eyelids felt heavy. He could collapse anytime—

"There you go. Aren't you a little tired today, Nagisa-kun?"

It was a rhetorical question. The bluenette didn't' intend to answer; a soft mmm escaped his lips. The person was warm, holding him close like this. "K…arma…kun?" He called out to make sure.

"Who else?"

Nagisa could feel the smirk in Karma's tone. He was about to say something so he could stand properly but his friend had already cupped him in his arms. The warmth increased, resulting to the bluenette feeling drowsier.

Sleep was very tempting.

"Hey," Karma said. "You can sleep for a while."

Nagisa's consciousness was flickering on and off by the moment. It gave him hallucinations that Karma seemed like a very gentle person. But before he could dwell on it, sleep took over.

…

Karma chuckled to himself, amused how the bluenette completely dozed off in less than a second. He started walking—the bluenette peacefully breathing within his arms—and settled under a shade of a big tree. The leaves perfectly blocked the bright moonlight and only permitted tiny thin slivers that made the grass looked more ethereal.

He let go of Nagisa, resting him tenderly on the ground and using the tree trunk as a leaning support. The redhead sat down on a large root and waited for the bluenette to wake.

…

Nagisa woke from the chill. The breeze was a bit cold tonight, rather than being usually cool. He let his turquoise eyes wander. Who was it again who carried him here? He only vaguely remembered being tired, losing his balance, and finally allowing himself to slumber.

Someone yawning reached his ears.

"You sure slept a lot," the same someone commented.

Nagisa blinked. "Karma-kun...? How come you're here?"

The redhead smiled a bit. "Figured Koro-sensei would take you 'round the world, so I stayed back for some time. I didn't anticipate you'd be back late though." He stretched an arm. "It's half past midnight, if you're wondering."

Nagisa's jaw slacked. "Midnight?! And you're still here? Didn't you get cold at all?"

Karma smiled again, a small rare sincere smile that could be compared to the mellow moonlight tonight. "I can't leave you here."

"You could at least wake me up." Nagisa said, flabbergasted that the boy in front of him was still outside. He'd be scolded by his parents, no doubt.

Karma was tilting his head up, gazing at the sky blanketed with darkness and diamonds. "Say, Nagisa-kun." He started suddenly.

The bluenette's worries halted, but a statement tumbled out of his tongue. "Aren't you cold?" Which after he said that, a warm blush dusted his cheeks.

"I'm fine." The redhead assured, then. "Look up."

Nagisa did.

"What do you think of the moon? As it is now?"

"It's wonderful. It always is. But somehow, seeing the moon in a fixed shape doesn't sit that well to me…" The bluenette noticed his friend frowning.

"You don't like the moon at present?"

Nagisa shook his head. "That's not it. It's just…It's kind of difficult imagining the moon being a crescent forever." He smiled at Karma, but it faltered when the redhead said,

"You wished it, right? A crescent moon would fit the night sky more than the others. It wasn't as bright as a gibbous and full moon and wasn't as dim as the waning and new moon."

Realization fogged Nagisa's mind. "I remember but it was during fifth grade…" He was already friends with Karma at that time?

…

"Hey, you're the neighbor! I'm Nagisa, what's your name?"

"Karma"

Red hair. Golden eyes. Always frowning.

"We can be playmates!"

"I don't need playmates. They're troublesome."

"C'mon, Akabane-kun, let's play!"

"I don't play."

"What are you saying? You were dribbling a ball earlier. That's playing."

Karma flushed pink. "I told you, I have no need for playmates."

"Akabane-kun!"

"It's Karma."

"Huh?"

"You can call me by my first name, idiot."

"Hey! Let's star gaze tonight!" Nagisa pulled his new friend along. "The moon's perfect, isn't it Karma? You can see stars even with the light. But during full moon, stars seemed to fade." He frowned. "And during the new moon, everywhere is too dark." He closed his eyes, starting to wish for something. "If only it would always be a crescent. I wish it can always be."

The bluenette turned to Karma and laughed. "Hey, you're too serious."

"You like the moon that way?" The redhead clarified.

Nagisa nodded. "But that's impossible. The moon would always be round and changing forms."

"If I can make it into a permanent crescent, you won't leave?"

Nagisa chuckled. "Don't be silly, Karma-kun. That'd impossible."

The next week, the Shiota family moved to another town.

…

"Y…You're the reason…?" The bluenette choked on the words.

The redhead stepped closer. "I couldn't make it happen so soon. You left before that…but now…you won't leave me anymore, right Nagisa?" He tucked a loose strand of hair behind Nagisa's ear, before enveloping him into a hug. "You will always be by my side now."

"Koro-sensei," Nagisa quipped, refusing to accept what Karma was saing. "He was the one who blew up the moon."

"I made a deal with him. He could blow up the earth if he reduced the moon to a perfect crescent first. I even suggested that he can teach assassination to us. If we kill him, the Earth's saved. If we don't," Karma hugged the bluenette tighter. "We could live in another plantet."

Nagisa fisted Karma's shirt.

"Nagisa?"

"Let go of me."

The redhead loosened his arms reluctantly, but remained a hold to the bluenette's right wrist. "Why?" He asked in puzzlement, head tilting to the side. "Are you mad at me?"

Nagisa forcefully pulled his hand back. "Wake up from you delusions, Karma-kun. How could you possibly offer the Earth as if it's your property? You didn't even consider the many lives that will suffer if we didn't kill Koro-sensei by March!"

Karma looked at his palm, feeling Nagisa's warmth decreasing in a second. "Like I said," He looked at the boy straight in the eyes, golden eyes shining. "We can live in a different planet. We can even live a better life there. Just the two of us. We won't be apart."

He pushed Nagisa backward, the bluenette gritting his teeth from the sudden pain when his back made contact with the trunk. Karma's golden eyes glinted even more. "You'll always be by my side, Nagisa-kun. I won't let you leave me again."

The End…?

A/N: Sorry, it was supposed to be light-hearted and fluffy… *nervous laugh* Dark!Karma probably just wanted some limelight. Forgive me if the two were a bit out of character in the end; and for the mistakes, I'll edit tomorrow. *laughs nervously again* Well then, a good evening? *leaves in a hurry*