Chapter Text
“Morning Nagisa!” Isogai calls from the front of E classes line where he is taking attendance with the enthusiasm of Koro sensei just without the tentacle wiggling.
“Good morning Isogai sorry I’m late I spent ages trying to wake karma up.”
“Don’t worry about it, he still down for the count?”
“Yep I don’t think hes coming in at all or at least till third of four period.”
“Oh well, I’m sure he won’t miss much.”
“Maybe, but what’s this assembly about do you know?”
“No idea, normally Asano junior briefs us before these big school wide assemblies but no one has even seen him today.”
“That’s odd… oh well I’m sure its nothing serious I’ll just send karma the notes afterwards.”
As Nagisa walks towards the back of their line he catches a glimpse at the faces of the five virtuosos (minus their leader Asano) they all look incredibly concerned and worried whispering to each other and all frantically sending messages on their phones.
Its odd, he thinks, normally they know exactly where Asano is, karma had told him about this one time in first year when he was still in A class how he had asked where Asano is and Sakibara had given the exact co ordinates, karma called it a creepy hive minded dictatorship, Nagisa had called it caring for their friend. SO to see them so freaked out most likely about Asano’s wearabouts is creepy.
To be fair there is a slightly creepy undertone throughout the entire assembly hall he notes, people are talking happily in the lower classes but all of a and b class look worried, stress lines carved across all of their faces. But nothing else seems too out of the ordinary so the blue haired boy shrugs his shoulders and takes his place in line, they probably have a big test coming up soon, or maybe they just had a bad one it could explain Asano’s absence.
He starts chatting to Sugino about a baseball game he had watched the previous day, however the moment Sugino really starts to get into his dramatic re - enactment the Principal steps out of the back stage curtains and walks onto the podium, no flashcards in hand which is super odd.
“Greetings everyone thank you all teachers for passing the notice of this sudden assembly onto your classes, it is a great joy that all of us our here.” His gaze sweeps over the entire school going line by line down the classes then stopping pointedly disappointed at e classes line, “Well all but one of us, but we can find Akabane later.”
Nagisa kind of blanks out the words and introduction are as bland as always and have the same message in them, don’t want to be in e class bla blab la bla its boring. His mind drifts off to their next planned assassination plan, his fingers curl around his sheared knife as he tries to come up with contingency plans. He doesn’t really pay any attention, that is until…
Screaming.
Lots and lots of screaming.
Screaming behind him, in front of him next to him.
In the few seconds it takes for his mind to catch up Nagisa is already being dragged away by the armpits Sugino’s breath and voice heavy on his back.
“Nagisa move your feet!” He screeches.
He can’t his feet can’t move at all, as sugino keeps dragging him towards the exit his eyes lock onto the horrific scenes before him, people are being eaten, destroyed, killed. Their arms are being torn off, their heads squashed like paper mache. The principal, his body which had moments ago been normal is now stretched, his arms pulled so far out of his sockets he looks more octopus than Korosensei does, his mouth is wide, his eyes black, his chest torn open, oh god a kid –Nagisa recognises he used to sit behind her, she had always worn nice perfume- is being bitten in half by his chest cavity.
Then, he is outside. The horrific sites stop, the screaming doesn’t. But his feet work now. He stands up out of sugino’s grasp and starts running alongside him. Alongside everyone in E class. Well not everyone, or not all of everyone. Murumatsu, nagisa realises with a grotesque shock- is sobbing as he runs, hugging Yoshida’s severed head in his arms, his face eternally screaming now.
Karasuma is bringing up e classes rear holding Kurahashi’s hand dragging her along –if the context or situation where any different perhaps she would be loving this but now covered in blood and bone fragments she doesn’t even seen capable of comprehending who is holding her.
Their usual ten minute walk, six minute run turns into a two minute sprint as all of the E class students and a few other kids from the younger and better classes to get into the e class building. Miss Jelavich stays with the kids in the main classroom pulling all of her hidden guns and knives out from their spots and handing them to the most competent kids while Karasuma barricades the entire building every entrance, exit, window, door. Obviously the best barricaded room is the main classroom where the children are sat sobbing.
The room is silent, except from the crying of innocence lost, no one knows what to say, no one knows what could possibly be said. Something so improbable no something so absolutely impossible, horrifying and grotesque mind melting and stomach churning should never had happened to them. Fuck it was supposed to be a normal day.
Why?
Why had this happened?
What happened to the principal?
Was he always like this?
Is this new?
Where is the young Asano?
Is Asano – kun dead?
Are we even safe here?
What’s happening?
What’s happening?
What’s happening?
What’s happening?
What’s happening?
What’s happening?
What’s happening?
What’s happening?
What’s happening?
What’s happening?
What’s happening?
What’s happening?
What’s happening?
What’s happening?
What’s happening?
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What’s happening?
What’s happening?
What’s happening?
What’s happening?
What’s happening?
What’s happening?
What’s happening?
What’s happening?
What’s happening?
What’s happening?
What’s happening?
What’s happening?
What’s happening?
What’s happening?
What’s happening?
What’s happening?
What’s happening?
What’s happening?
What’s happening?
What’s happening?
What’s happening?
What’s happening?
What’s happening?
What’s happening?
What’s happening?
What’s happening?
What’s happening?
What’s happening?
“Sir…” Rio chokes out passed her shaking body.
Karasuma’s head immediately swings over to her taking his eyes off of the severed head in Murumatsu’s red tinted arms. “Yes rio?” He answers his voice deceptively calm for how terrified he feels.
“If… I… Karma… If he comes to school late hes gonna… hes gonna be killed by the principal. No messages are going through. He. He’s gonna die!”
He stands, Karasuma, one hand on his holster the other on his head, Karma, shes right. He will die. He may be strong but… those teeth… Karasuma will not allow another child to die under his care. Karma is not dying. He just… he cant, he wont allow it.
“I will go get him. Irina stay here with the kids. Please I know I don’t need to ask but I need your reassurance please protect them irina.”
“Stupid Karasuma, of course I will. Here” She hands over a make up mirror to the bewildered looking man, “It’s a bomb. Take the lid off and throw it, it will explode five seconds after taking it off.”
“Thank you. I will come back with him, and any other students I can find. Then we will figure out what the hell is going on.”
…
Karma is having quite a nice day, his toast didn’t burn, his food delivery arrived on time, he woke up actually feeling refreshed instead of feeling like shit, he even got all of his homework done. Truly this is such a wonderful day.
Or it would be if the sinking feeling in his gut left him alone.
Seriously karma has no earthly idea why he feels so scared, nothing has happened which could even start to make him question his or his friends safety. He is receiving messages from Nagisa and Rio asking if he is really skipping assembly –he isn’t answering though he has to manage their expectations of him- and everything seems fine over at school.
Due to this sinking gut feeling Karma decides he is going to have a lazy morning, he dresses up in his pyjamas and lays on his sofa watching some stupid anime that Okuda had asked him to watch, truthfully it is pretty good, and scientifically accurate which is a plus he could say he is revising when Korosensei inevitably comes over to beg him to come to school. Grovel on his hands and knees, cry and beg karma to come.
Ha!
*ding dong*
Huh speaking of korosensie, its odd though the yellow teacher almost never rings karma’s doorbell preferring his window instead.
*knock!
Knock!
Knock!*
…And he certainly is never this desperate to get into karma’s house bot even waiting a few seconds between each knock. “I’M COMING!” Karma yells grumbling as he shuffles his way back onto his feet, trying his absolute best to ignore the rapidly expanding dark pit in his stomach.
Swining open the door karma is immediately grabbed on hi scollar by his teacher, but not the one he was expecting. “Karasuma – sensei what are you?”
“No time karma grab a backpack please put food and medical supplies in it we are getting back to e class. Tell me where do you keep your backpacks?”
“Huh wha?”
“KARMA now!”
Shit, shit ok.
Pointing to his bag room –because yes karma’s parents are rich and never home so he has to take advantage of that fact- karma rushes to his kitchen, he went grocery shopping yesterday or more actually Korosensei went grocery shopping for him so his cupboards are pretty stocked. Furthermore, he has loads of med kits most with some component used, normally the bandages, but he has enough to go round.
In less than five minutes Karasuma and karma have packed three full backpacks of supplies, food, medical equipment, bottles of clean water, weapons because god knows karma has a lot of them, plus karma snuck in a beloved video game from Nagisa, a picture of the class and a packet of spice from his parents, he still isn’t sure why but he has a strange feeling he is never coming home again.
They set off, out of his house and into the streets which seem too deserted for a week day, Karasuma is dragging karma along stil not talking, in fact whenever karma tries to say anything Karasuma shushes him! Karma is so angry he should give him a piece of his mind… except he doesn’t because karma is a kid and he is terrified of what is happening.
There are fires burning in the distance, the faint sounds of screaming, the louder sounds of blood and viscera dripping from somewhere. Karma holds a little tighter onto his teacher’s hand prompting Karasuma to give him a little smile back. It is by no means reassuring.
By the time they get to Kunikogowka Karma is certain that the world has ended sooner than their March deadline, the school is an apocalypse zone, from between the trees of their e class walk the teenager can just about make out the assembly hall, it is no longer a white building instead it is covered, head to fucking toe in dead children, their eyes hollowed out and their skin melting off. Karma manages to hold his puke in. He doesn’t know what is happening.
Suddenly Mr Asano appears from behind a bush just below them on the walk, he looks dishevelled, Karma wonders if he got in a fight with whatever killed those kids it wouldn’t surprise him Mr Asano is surprisingly protective over his school and those in it. He twists his head around to wave at the man maybe call him over. But-
“MOVE!” Karasuma shrieks pushing karma in front of him as they sprint as fast as they can up the normally serene mountain path.
Footsteps pound behind them and when karma turns his head that isn’t a human anymore, mr asano’s limbs are too long, too broken. More people start chasing them or well more ex people start chasing them their limbs as long and elongated as Mr Asano’s. Karma recognises some of them, old classmates, old bullies, people who karma used to beat up for being a bully. Now broken, destroyed, their bodies so gross.
“OPEN THE DOOR!” Karasuma screams, karma is confused for a second before realising that they are coming up on the e class building, Kayano is stood behind the door to the teacher’s office, she is hurrdily taking down a sort of barricade, karma isn’t sure exactly what it is.
By the time karma’s foot is over the threshold to the building, Kayano has disassembled most of the barricade however her hand has become stuck outside her jumper snagged on a sharp point of the handle.
Pushing Karma through first, Karasuma reaches back to grab Kayano and drag her in, he manages to do so just as mr asano’s grotesque stretched face pushes against the window. All three work together to very very quickly rebuild the barricade, karma may not exactly know what is going on but he is very very efficient at building a barrier.
When the desks are back up against the door, and all of the infected students and teachers have disappeared everyone collapses down onto the teacher’s desk chairs. Karma looks like he is properly freaking out, Karasuma knows that he has not yet explained what is going on to him but karma is more freaked out than he thought the delinquent boy would be –he knows it’s because karma is a child and any child would be as upset and confused and scared as he is right now in this horrific situation.
“Sir?” Karma asks his voice quiet enough to be considered a whisper.
His eyes lock with karma’s “Yes karma – kun?”
“What, what is that? That thing?” He looks scared, of course he does but Karasuma has never seen his student so scared eyes wide pupils dilated.
“It… we don’t know all I know at the moment is that it is a disease and it is contagious.”
Breathing out and letting herself giggle slightly Kayano reaches over to pat karma’s arm or maybe hug him? He isn’t sure and never will be because just as she touches his arm she pulls away yelling in pain.
“AHHH!” She screams clutching her hand tight to her now pounding chest.
“Kayano what’s wrong?” Karasuma is immediately on his feet rushing over to her.
“I- something was on karma’s shirt.” She manages to choke out through her now wavering teary voice, “It… it’s a tooth.”
Both Karasuma and Kayano freeze, karma does not confused and in shock, completely unsure what to do. Karasuma’s slightly shaking hands roam over kayano’s hand, the tooth pierced her skin. The tooth infected her. She is infected. Kayano is infected. His student is infected. His student is going to die.
…
…
…
“I- maybe it didn’t infect me fully.” She smiles at karma thought it is very obvious that her words do not match her beliefs.
“Is what they have an infection? Is that why mr asano- why everyone looks like that?” Karma’s hands start to roam over his clothes but is quickly grabbed by Karasuma.
“Stop that, there could be more teeth on you.” He chastises while keeping a firm hold of karma’s wrists even when he has stopped wiggling to get free. He can’t let another stupid get infected. Not because of his own stupidity.
“I- I think I am going to go to the science room, Miss said something about making it a quarantine room so… maybe you could at least learn something important from me if… if I am infected.”
Her heart pounds with fear and maybe a bit of the infection already reaching the deeper crevices of her body as Kayano slowly walks to science room, there is not much barricading to this room so it s relatively easy to get in. Then she smiles wide and caring at karma before laying down on her side and facing away from the window.
“Kayano…” Tears are dripping from karma’s wide naive eyes. And Karasuma? Karasuma can’t do anything to fix it.