As soon he entered the apartment the feeling that something was off crept up his spine. He didn't look it, but Shiota Nagisa had some of the keenest danger instincts on the planet, so even with absolutely no evidence whatsoever he immediately prepped himself for confrontation. Whatever happened to be in here had already heard him come in through the door so there was no point in being stealthy, in fact he was sure it would only complicate his situation by conversely making him even more noticeable. So it was with the practiced ease of hundreds of similar entrances that he simply stated out loud, "Tadaima" while slipping off his shoes. Moving towards his room took him through the lounge he shared with Karma and Rio and it was there that the first piece of evidence was laid out. No one but the former child-assassins that lived in this 3-bedroom place would have noticed it, but to Nagisa it shone like a neon sign. The curtain near the veranda had the bottom corner turned inward, a clear indication to him that someone had entered from the outside, and considering the other 2 inhabitants were currently using their summer break to visit their family (not something he was all too comfortable doing even 5 years down the line) while he'd only just gotten back from a 24-hour superhero movie marathon there was no way it was a coincidence. I'm certain I locked that door as well, that makes this the point of ingress. He continued to his room, not bothering to change his routine, it wouldn't serve him well to blindly attack whatever was in here with him. He was not particularly strong or fast, and even now at nearly 20 years old he barely made it past most of his male friend's shoulders, there was no way he'd win an all-out physical confrontation unless his opponent happened to be a middle-schooler. A chuckle came at that particular thought and he shook his head to clear the image of a 14-year old version of himself crouched somewhere in the apartment clutching one of those anti-sensei knives, twin tails and all, waiting for the opportune moment to pounce.

The dye trap he'd set on his bedroom door was still functional which told him that his room at least was clear. He'd set it only the other day as soon as the Rio had left (Karma had gone ahead a few days earlier) and he sighed in relief - hopefully he would manage to get at least one of them with it before they noticed. Call him a stiff or a party-pooper, Nagisa simply didn't find it as amusing as they did when he woke up or came back from school to find his underwear replaced with matching lingerie sets, or his manga library suddenly rearranged into some irritating sequence like by date of release or serial code number. Sometimes he wondered where those pranksters found the time between their heavy political studies and part-time work, especially considering his course load was half as full and he still found he had few days off for leisure. Well if his room was sanctuary for the moment then it was perfect for prep. He stripped out of his jacket and threw his socks in the laundry hamper. Sitting his bag down on the chair for now he set about making some noise while sharpening a pencil and fetching a used sandwich bag from the bin next to his desk. Shoving his foot against the bed frame to make the springs squeak he calmed his breathing and moved, a bubble of plastic ready to pop in his right hand and the pencil palmed in his left for a potentially devastating surprise combo. His silent pace took him first to the bathroom, clear, then the toilet, clear. He didn't want to rule out the possibility that the intruder was in the other bedrooms but it was easier to table them for now while he checked out the kitchen. Fifteen quiet steps before simply walking through the open entrance. A lightening quick scan of both sides of the entryway revealed no hostiles and so he threw off the nanba-aruki to hopefully disorient the potential assailant and it was a mere three steps before he saw her leaning against his kitchen counter. Golden eyes caught hold of his azure set and the smile, while it was less dazzling than her silver screen grin, was cheeky, amused and incredibly nostalgic.

"Yo, Nagisa," she said, throwing him a little wave. Her black wavy hair fluttered a bit at the movement and he nearly found himself entranced.

"Kayano…" he half stumbled to the table and put his weapons down in a slight daze before remembering himself. "Ah, sorry. I meant Akari. Ah, no, wait, how are you? Wait! Why'd you break into my apartment?" He was a little confused. Yukimura Akari, formerly known as Kayano Kaede, current alias Mase Haruna was standing in his kitchen. An internationally acclaimed actress had broken into his home and was now just standing there, smiling at him like nothing had happened. Sure they were friends, and even still occasionally mailed each other, but all the more reason why it made no sense to break in. He was about to force all his questions out when she giggled. Ah. His hesitation and suspicion melted away and he found himself joining her in the laugh.

"Heh, sorry Nagisa," she lifted herself up onto the bench so that they were now at eye-level. "I had to give my manager the slip so showing up in a sports car at a run-down university dorm would hardly be the best way to stay off the radar. I'm just glad the agency doesn't know about any of you guys."

"Mm," he guessed he could accept that for now but it didn't stop him raising his brows at her, eliciting another cheeky grin. He picked up the pencil and used it to pop the plastic bag before blunting the tip and setting them aside. A show that he was tabling all hostility for now. He made his way to the fridge and grabbed a can of cider, hesitating for a moment and looking at his former classmate and assassination comrade before chucking her one of Karma's 'special' puddings. Revenge for replacing all my power metal CD's with k-pop idol nonsense, you crimson prat. "So… why are you giving your manager the slip?"

Akari tore the lid of the sealed cup and licked it in what she probably thought was a teasingly seductive manner and winked at him. "Geez, you can't just expect a maiden to spill her secrets so easily." She looked about for a second and he pointed to the draw next to her legs before cracking open the soft drink. "Domo," her hand crept into the draw and after a bit of rattling came up with a small spoon, which quickly shovelled a generous portion of the creamy dessert into her mouth. "Mmmm-mhmm-mm-mmmmm!" The expression plastered across her face was one of such unbridled immature joy that he couldn't help the smile that stretched beneath his slightly hot cheeks. Truth was, even though he'd kept in contact with a fair number of his old E-Class comrades, he even lived with two of the most troublesome. She had been the one he missed the most, they hadn't seen each other in the flesh for over 3 years now - right before she'd decided to return to acting they'd gone on what he realised later had been a date and had a lot of fun. He missed the easy way she managed to tease and play with him without resorting to the more sadistic characteristics of his other two best friends. He sat down on the nearest chair and sipped away. While he was enjoying her presence it did raise a bunch of questions he'd rather get sorted right away.

"There are three more of those in the fridge if you cut to the chase." Akari pouted at him, while her eyes practically sparkled, don't need assassin skills to tell what she's thinking right now.

"Boo, what happened to 'Fun Nagisa'?"

"He's too tired to cope with an extended 'cheeky girl' play right now. Sorry." He punctuated that with a genuine yawn, followed by turning his serious eyes on her. "What's wrong?"

"Hah," she sighed in reply. Her carefree look melting into a more downcast expression. "Not even here five minutes and you already see right through me, huh? And to think they actually give me awards for being one of the best actors out there. Can't be that good if you figured me out that quickly." They sat in silence for a moment; Nagisa sipping at his bubbly beverage while Akari simply played with her pudding. She took another bite and moaned again, her bad mood evidently not enough to quell her love for sweets. "I got a death threat the other week." She said it so casually for a moment it didn't quite register, when it did make it through his sleep-deprived brain he ended up nearly sputtering half the can across the kitchen floor.

"What?!"

"And then another one every three days since," she shovelled another heaping spoonful in. "They were all pretty much the same - 'I've been watching you. You shine so bright I can't stand it. If you leave again. Film again. I'll find you, shave you and skin you. Lots of love. Your biggest Fan.'"

"Ew," he blurted out without thinking.

"Right! It's super creepy, and kinda pathetic." The expression on her face was one of apathetic dismissal, but he got the feeling there was something else behind it. "All my people are in like a huge tizzy about it, 'Akari-chan you can't go out by yourself,' 'Yukimura-sama, please allow us to drive you,' 'Yuki, honey, darling, you must be like soooo freaked out right now.'" Nagisa felt another grin come unbidden; she'd punctuated each quote with a different accent and expression. "After what I've been through this is like petting zoo crap." That's a good point.

"So," he took another sip before setting his face in what he hoped was a stern expression. "While your manager, security guards and whoever else are running around fretting, you've gone AWOL and broken into an apartment normally full of ex-assassins. 'Good plan' is that what you're hoping I'd say?"

She narrowed her eyes at him and for a second he wondered if destroying his offensive capabilities had been wise. "I like this strict Nagisa look," she purred. Huh? "Where was that when we were at school?" What? She slid off the bench and moved towards him in one slinky movement, so quickly he didn't even have time to focus on anything but the way his cheeks were burning, the catch in his throat and the way his lips suddenly felt conspicuously dry. "Marry me."

"Sure."

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Wait…

"What?!" His brain suddenly caught up to his mouth. Huh, marry her? What? Why? How? What is she talking about? He stumbled backwards, knocking over the chair in the process and falling, hard, on his back. Idiot! 'Always be aware of your surroundings, Assassins aren't warriors, if you trip just once in the midst of the enemy it could spell your doom.' Sorry Lovro-shisho. He laid back and groaned, reflecting on what happened and how to calmly approach the situation at least that had been his plan until he heard the giggling. Lifting his head to see her slouched against the table, one arm wrapped around her ribs while the other stifled her laughter. Oh, great. Another prankster.

"Sorry, Nagisa." Sure. "The look on your face when you fell just now," she mimed the shocked flailing he'd just exhibited and burst into another fit of giggles.

Cheeks still burning, from embarrassment now rather than… whatever that had been, he picked himself up and grumbled. "Glad you found it so entertaining." As he picked up the chair he noticed the giggling had stopped and turned to see her suddenly downcast, "Uh-"

"Sorry," Akari seemed a little upset. Why? "I wasn't trying to make fun of you. Um, is 'Sure' your real answer or…"

"Huh?" Real answer? Answer to what? 'Marry me'?

"See," she took a deep breath. "I wasn't joking around or lying. Although I suppose I wasn't telling the truth exactly either. Argh!" She scratched at her scalp, sending her black waves cascading down her front. "This is kinda weird huh? A girl you haven't seen for years just shows up, complains about death threats and then asks you to marry her."

"So you weren't being completely honest again?" He watched her shoulders stiffen for a second at that, before dropping with a gigantic sigh for someone as small as she was.

"Yeah, sorry." He sat down on the righted chair and indicated she take the seat next to him. A grateful smile sent a little flutter through his chest. Cut it out. Something is up, no time to be all sweaty and nervous.

"What's going on?"

Wringing her hands a bit she looked at him, the look in her eyes something he'd never really seen before. He tried to get a read on her wavelength but just like all those years ago, it was next to impossible with her. "There's a reason that everybody got extra freaked about these death threats." These? I'll save that for later. "Because they weren't just sent to my place in Shiba. They showed up everywhere at the same time. The Apartment in Munich, the condo in LA, the Agency's offices in London and Tokyo and even at my sister's old house." Ah.

"So that was what felt off," he said, half to himself. Almost no one knew who Akari's sister had been, in fact only the government, the former Students and Faculty of E-Class, Principal Asano, a minor collection of imprisoned or dead scientists and assassins and… Korosensei. That means "This is bad then? Seriously bad, how could you just skip around the place like nothings up?" He felt really angry for some reason. Why? Because she's my friend and I don't want her to be hurt?

"Nagisa," her voice matched his anger with insult. "I'm not some helpless little lamb. It's nice to know you'd get angry about my safety but the threat specifically said 'Film again'. I'm not on location for another week, so it's fine. Besides, do you honestly think there's a guy or gal out there that could catch anyone of us unawares?" No. Even now as adults, just his roommates alone were still at a level where they could seriously compete on a professional level with any killer out there. But that's not the point. It's like she's not taking this ser- "That's why I'm here. Because I've got to go to Marrakesh next week for principal shooting and whoever did this obviously doesn't find borders any trouble."

"So why ask me to marry you?" That bit was still puzzling him a little. Why would she come to tell me all this and ask something so… absurd.

"They don't want me to go unless I take a dozen trained security professionals, and well, there's no way in hell I'm giving up on this movie." The determination in her voice allowed him to sync briefly and see that beneath the exterior were a dozen swirling emotions; fury, fear, sadness and a few he couldn't quite work out, having never seen her like this before. But most of all was an iron rod of perseverance. Ah, how did I forget that? She spent most of a year with two anti-matter tentacles drilling their way into her cerebellum, there's no way she'd cave to something like this. "But I said-"

"Sorry." He said; interrupting what she probably intended as a rant against her agency. She stopped and stared for a moment before smiling, ever so softly.

"Thank you," was her reply. "Anyway, getting to the point. I don't trust any of these so-called 'professionals'. Even if Ken-chan swears by them, I can't be happy without my own pick. Except the producers are all 'hya na na, we won't allow anybody we and your agency hasn't checked out around you, na blah blah, in the case of something terrible happening it would be a tragedy if we couldn't protect you, blah blah bleugh'." She stuck her tongue out on the last bit and made a face of utter contempt he'd only ever seen her point at busty women before. "They just want to protect their own arse should something happen to me and the press gets a hold of it."

"But they won't veto a fiancée." Nagisa finished, finally getting a grip on what she was here for. "An ex-assassin with special-forces anti-personnel training, a full complement of miscellaneous talents and improvisation abilities courtesy of Bitch-sensei and Lovro-shisho and innocuous enough that no one will ever expect me to be anything but some Japanese pretty boy you picked up." Her face twisted a little at the last bit. Seems I'm still missing something.

"Pretty much," her voice was quiet. "Although, I couldn't have asked any of the others that question. So there's that too."

"Wha-" he was about to ask what question when her voice rang through his head again. 'Marry me'. The tone she'd used and the way she'd looked when those words had slipped past her lips had escaped him thanks to the fall, blushing, nervous and quiet. Ah. He felt his cheeks begin to burn while she conspicuously looked everywhere but his face. Well… how am I supposed to respond to that now?! He sighed. "Yes."

Her astonished blink quickly turned into a small grin. "Yes?"

"Yes. I'll be your fake fiancée."

"Whoo! Now I have no worries," and the look she gave made him very aware that that sentence at least was completely true.

Now how do I explain this to the others?

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Ah, who cares? I'll figure it out as it goes.