I do not, in any way, profit from this story and all creative rights to the characters belong to their original creator(s).

"Just look at you; undeniably flawless. Don't you agree?"

Yukie stared at her reflection in a full body mirror, pivoting her slim hips from side to side – the wispy fabric of the skirt glided with her movement and brushed against her knees. Without question, she was gorgeous, but this kind of thing was not her style.

"I like it," she replied politely. Honestly she did. The short flutters sleeves on the blouse made her appear rather girly, but the ensemble was cute and rather fashionable. She certainly didn't have anything this nice in her closet at home. With one final pivot, Yukie glanced over and smiled at the pretty woman beside her. "Thank you for allowing me to model it for you, Miss Shiota. I think you'll look very casual in this."

Hiromi laughed softly. "It's not for me, but I certainly am grateful for the compliment. Actually … I wanted you to have it. Nagisa can't wear it, and since I so wanted a daughter, I kept it."

"I couldn't possibly," Yukie argued. "It's very pretty and must have cost a lot. Accepting it would make me feel bad." She bit her tongue between her teeth once she saw the woman frown. This wasn't the first time she'd seen Hiromi turn dark – it mostly occurred whenever Nagisa chose to defy her. Zany, black swirls consumed her eyes, and Yukie knew she had to defuse the situation before it became much worse for her.

Faking a smile, the buoyant teenager pivoted her hips once again. "Oh but I really do like it. If you're sure I can have it, I'll gladly accept."

Again Hiromi laughed. She lifted her arms and wrapped them around Yukie's shoulders. "Consider it yours. It's the least I can do for someone like you; someone from A class who is nice enough to acknowledge Nagisa. I only hope your determination will rub off him."

"We're neighbors, so I really don't mind at all. Besides, Nagisa is a good friend. He helps me with homework whenever I need it."

"So modest," Hiromi chirped. She gently hugged the honest girl, then released her, taking a few steps back to look her over once again. "I shouldn't interrupt you two then. Go back to studying and help my Nagisa do better. I'll be in the kitchen if you need me."

Yukie bobbed her head in agreement and followed Hiromi from her room, moving hastily down the hall towards Nagisa's room. She was there earlier, before the eager woman pulled her away, but to be polite, she knocked on the door anyway. With his consent, she moved inside and shut the door behind her.

"That was a long bathroom break," Nagisa joked. He eyed the new outfit and frowned. "Hey, I'm really sorry about my mom. She's really persistent sometimes."

"It's no problem. If not me then you."

Nagisa shuttered at this. "There's no way I'd pull that outfit off. The neckline is too low and I don't have the chest to fill it out. But I'm surprised … you look mature with it on."

Yukie puffed out her cheeks and placed her hands on her hips. "I always look mature. You're so mean, Nagisa."

He paled, "I didn't mean it like that. It's just … no one has ever seen you in a dress before. Honestly, it's kind of weird."

She agreed; it was weird. Most of the time Yukie wore shorts, even to school – they of course were dress code appropriate. She was a tomboy, so anything other than her usual made her feel uncomfortable. Dresses and skirts never bothered her, but raised by two fathers, she never experienced what it was like to be a girl; she learned to pitch a ball before she learned to put on eyeliner. Huffing a sigh, Yukie leaned against the door. "I'm not mad, you know? Even I don't recognize myself like this."

"It doesn't suit you," Nagisa stated. "I think you look nice, but you being you is much better." She made him feel less nervous when she dressed boyish. Seeing her in a dress or a skirt only brought him unease; it made him realize that he was close friends with a cute girl. His face warmed up, but he ignored it and cleared his throat.

"Are you planning on staying late?"

Yukie again bobbed her head. "Math is my worst subject. I honestly don't think I'll understand the lesson in just a few hours. Why do you ask?"

"Just thought you'd feel more comfortable in shorts," he answered.

"Is this an offer? Because I'd love to borrow some clothes." Yukie clapped her hands in front of herself and begged him, puckering her lips.

The gracious teen agreed and let her have free reign of his closet. She often did this whenever she came over – borrowed his clothes – because she said that Nagisa had the snuggest outfits. He kept his back turned as she searched the hangers. Yukie didn't have much shame when it came to changing in front of people, but Nagisa never dared to look. Still, it was hard to ignore the fact she was naked behind him, and he was in fact a male. To keep his mind busy, he thought back to why Yukie had come to visit him; he'd asked her for help on his homework. It seemed much easier to have someone tutor him in science, then try to understand it himself.

"Hey … Yukie." He waited for the lively girl to respond to his call before continuing. "Thanks for this. You didn't have to tutor me, you know?"

She puckered her brow as she slipped on a T-shirt with a shoreline and palm trees on it. Did she hear him right? "What was that?" Yukie gathered her previous outfit and stepped out, sitting in a clear spot on the floor beside the blue haired teen.

Nagisa gave her a nervous look. "I said you didn't have to help me out, but thank you for accepting."

"As if I wouldn't," she said. Her blue eyes narrowed. "We're friends, Nagisa. You know that, right?"

"I do."

Sometimes he wished he'd never met her though. She risked her reputation at school by socializing with him. Nagisa didn't want her to be ostracized by her friends, but Yukie seemed not to mind. She once claimed that she enjoyed his company, so Nagisa chose not to push his worries on her, not today anyway. He forced a soft smile and picked up his worksheet, handing it off to her.

"I need help with this; science is my worst subject."

Yukie took a glance at the paper. It focused mainly on questions relative to general science, but some A-level questions were written on it too. She found it strange that unlike her worksheets, his were hand written. It wasn't something she was use to seeing a teacher do.

"This Korosensei must be one heck of a teacher. He added the major branches of science to your worksheet and even suggested what reading material you should review. It's amazing that he took the time to do this for you."

"He does this for everyone," Nagisa replied. It was interesting to see just how excited Yukie had become with this. If only she knew the truth about his homeroom teacher. He was sure that she'd be stunned. "He's a really good teacher."

She pouted. "I wish my homeroom teacher was this nice. Guess I should let my grades drop, so that I can join you in E Class."

"I wouldn't suggest that, but you'd like him." This brought another memory to mind; one that Nagisa wasn't sure Yukie would want to hear, but needed to. He cleared his throat and just blurted it out. "Karma is back, you know? He got dropped to E Class with me."

Yukie frowned, staring down at the worksheet between her fingers. She tried to seem impassive, but part of her was happy that his suspension was over. They parted on bad terms. It left her feeling guilty.

Faking a smile, Yukie pulled herself onto her feet and stretched. "You know what this study group needs? Snacks and cold drinks. Do you have any in the kitchen?"

"Sorry, no. Mom doesn't usually buy junk food," Nagisa answered. He knew what she was doing, but also knew that she probably didn't want to talk about Karma. "But there's a store right down the road. We can go there and buy some."

"I'll go," Yukie offered. "I could use the exorcise." Honestly, she was afraid that Nagisa would bring up Karma again, and she really wasn't in the mood to dig up bones.

Hesitantly, the blue haired teen agreed and helped split the cost with her – his mom let him keep the extra yen from his last run to the market. He watched her stuff the money into her shorts and leave. Nagisa truly felt bad for making her uneasy.

Successfully making it out of the apartment undetected, Yukie rushed down the first set of steps, counting fifteen as she did. The second flight led to the ground floor and onto the sidewalk. It had a smooth, metal railing that Nagisa and she often slid down whenever they were running late for school. She took it without a second thought, loving the adrenaline rush it gave her.

The landing she stuck with ease, falling into a quick walk as she moved out onto the street. Her mind was racing with so many thoughts – mainly about what kind of snacks she was going buy – that she almost failed to catch the sudden flash of a camera as it went off near her face.

Yukie shut her eyes out of habit, then squeezed them tight. When the bright spots were clear from her vision, she glanced over to the person who took her picture and gasped in surprise.

"Karma, what are you doing here?"

The bright haired teen smiled. "What's with that look? Thought you'd be happy to see me." His menacing gold eyes widened in liveliness. "I see; you are. I'm flattered."

Before she was able to reply, he interrupted her again. "Hold on a second" – he paused to snap another picture of her – "That's a good one."

Yukie felt her heart thump in her chest as Karma stepped around her, taking more pictures. Her cheeks warmed up, hearing him whistle. She was honestly unsure of what to say, much less of what to do. He was embarrassing her.

He moved back in front of her and stared at the screen, puckering his brow. "You know … that shirt looks strangely familiar. I feel like I've see it before." Widening his eyes again, he smiled – Yukie was rather cute when she blushed.

"I borrowed it from Nagisa," the timid girl spoke. For some reason she felt like she shouldn't have told him this; his smile only seemed to broaden. "Why are you h-here? You don't even live down this street."

"Can't I take a stroll whenever I want to? I happened to just be passing by when I noticed you coming down the stairs, so I waited. What makes you think I want something?"

Yukie frowned; she really didn't want to go down this road with him. It wasn't going to end in her favor. "Just leave me alone, Karma. I told you before that I was sorry." She bit her tongue between her teeth as he moved closer and wrapped an arm over her shoulders.

"Oh, I'm not mad about that anymore … but you should be more careful the next time you go out. If someone from your precious A-class were to catch you socializing with an E-class student, they might cast you out."

Liar.

He meant to pay her back for what she did.

Karma turned his phone and lined them up for a picture, tugging her closer so that he could lean his cheek against her head.

"Now say, Karma is a bitch."