A/N: Because karukae is actually insanely hot? Inspired by a pixiv artist's work. Anyway, there's pretty dark stuff in here (eg. asphyxiation) ((actually only that tbh)) and maybe heavy T-rated stuff.

I want to write for Karma/Kaede/Nagisa someday...like that would be hot.

Akari gets into the habit of asphyxiation.

Whenever she starts feeling sick, whenever she starts to waver and her mask cracks into halves and fours and eights until she can't hold it up anymore, she smiles and excuses herself to the bathroom. Then the tentacles snake out and she grapples for a stronghold as they crush her throat.

It brings black sparks and red gauze into her vision and when she's ready for another scene in her play the tentacles obediently release her and disappear underneath her green hair. Then she straightens her collar and adjusts her tie, and the curtains rise once more, ready for the main actress to take the stage.

But not today. She lets Nagisa goes first, even though he offers her his umbrella. The rain pounds on the old classroom without stopping, and Nagisa leaves, though not before giving a backward glance. She smiles and waves him goodbye. He waves uncertainly back.

Her umbrella is inside her bag but she turns into the classroom and when she opens the door, the smell of chalk and old wood fills her senses. She's always wanted to do it in the classroom, the room where Korosensei teaches and destroys everything she thought she knew, because she needs to rebuild her determination. It's only been a few weeks but he's slowly, slowly eroding her confidence and her determination. Is he really who she thinks he is? The one who murdered the older sister and left behind the shell of a little sister?

Usually her tentacles pierce out of her skin and she orders them back, but now she lets them out and they wave about in the air.

"He killed my sister," she gasps out as one wraps itself around her neck, almost endearingly. The wet slimy feeling fills her with so much disgust, because they are the same as his, but then she reminds herself that these are hers, her weapon.

"He killed her. He killed her. He killed her," she chants as the other joins in the slow dance and when they connect everything seems to fall into place. It feels right. Determination wells up in her chest even as the tears drip onto the wooden floor and she blacks out for a second.

When she descends back to reality once more she finds someone leaning against the doorframe.

Even as she clutches at her raw throat, her tentacles shoot out and grab her witness by the throat and drag him in front of her. She rubs away her tears and looks at Karma. His strawberry milk has fallen to the ground and the sticky pink liquid is making a puddle on the floor, in the shape of Korosensei's head.

Akari stomps on the carton viciously and watches it crush under her foot. The milk spurts out under the force and Korosensei's head explodes as well.

The light pressure on her tentacles brings her back to Karma. The little green knife is in his hands but he's not taking any action. In fact, he's smiling down at her, though with Akabane Karma his smiles are smirks and his smirks are smiles. Akari's gaze travels down his body and she throws him away.

"Are you getting turned on by this," her voice is rough and full of gravel, not the falsetto she projects as Kayano Kaede, but also unlike her usual voice. She coughs and finds her voice back as Karma gets back on his feet easily, as if he didn't just get strangled and thrown. He rearranges the chairs and tables and brushes dirt off his jacket.

"And what if I am," he pauses and smirks, his golden eyes not very much unlike Akari's turned up in a contemptuous way. "Yukimura?"

Her name makes Akari's tentacles stop. She hasn't heard her real name spoken aloud in ages and it's this familiar yet unfamiliar way of his voice that makes her tentacles shrink back into her neck. Karma smiles triumphantly.

She doesn't like that.

"So? What's your deal?" She snaps because she's not Kayano, the sweet innocent little girl who likes pudding and hates breasts. She's Yukimura Akari, and now that someone has found out about her identity there's really no point in pretending anymore. Because that's what she had done for the past weeks. Pretending to fit in. Pretending to be a good little girl. Pretending not to notice how Karma's gaze followed her wherever she went.

"Are you wondering how I found out about your little secret?" He ignores her question but his eyes are smoldering gold and Akari can't look away. "I noticed from the day I came back that you were different. Like a wolf that pretends to be a sheep."

Karma's head tilts and she follows how his hair swings. "Like me. I thought that I'd seen you somewhere before. And my instincts were right! Yukimura Akari, the child genius actress." He laughs and takes out another carton of strawberry milk from the inside of his jacket. "From there on it was simple matter to find out how you were related to Yukimura-sensei and guess your intentions. I should probably tell Korosensei, but you're trying to kill him, and we are too. As long as the ends are achieved it doesn't matter how the means are."

His eyes are on her slim neck and she fidgets, uncomfortable under his gaze. He flicks his eyes back onto hers and smiles.

"I have only one condition." He walks closer and the floorboards creak ominously. Akari holds his gaze and doesn't flinch when he brings his hands around her neck and whispers in her ear. Somewhere between them the empty carton of milk drops with a clatter.

"Choke me."

Her tentacles snake out once more and wrap around his neck.

They stare at each other, breathing heavy and the air around them even heavier. As if on cue their throats tighten and Akari can see how Karma's dull eyes start to shine. She's sure hers are too.

The relationship between them is like a dance on the edge of a sharp knife. Her tentacles squeeze. His hands narrow. She leans back. He leans forward. They don't interact in public, even while they are on the school trip. She brings over Okuda Manami, a quiet girl who sits in front of Karma and seems to be interested in him, and he teases Nagisa for his height.

But even when they are on the school trip both of them still need their daily fix. So the night after she gets kidnapped along with Kanzaki they meet in the bathroom as always, and her tentacles are around his neck but his fingers are around her shoulders. So she doesn't start squeezing and the tentacles drape around Karma's throat like a scarf. Her neck is burning and her tentacles are screaming at her to start strangling him already!

"Didn't you have your fix already?" He gestures to the red prints on her neck (he's angry, she notices) and Akari self-consciously reaches up and touches them. Her throat hurts but not in a good way. The high school delinquent had no idea the correct way to choke someone, unlike Karma. Then again he's had lots of practice, both with his own neck and hers.

She shakes her head. "It's different."

Karma slides his right hand along her shoulder and strokes her neck carefully. Goosebumps rise and Akari finds herself shivering even though it is insanely warm inside the cubicle. Her hair is wet from her recent bath and the temperature difference between the cold water and Karma's fingers bring a thrill down her back and comfort along her neck.

He lets his hand drop from her neck and Akari sighs longingly before she can catch herself.

Karma only smirks and she stares and their dance begins with a one two three.

When she reveals her pudding explosion plan he looks at her with a note of pride in his eyes and actually asks her curiously about the details. She strokes the back of her neck and smiles. The tentacles bud there in anticipation, and one of the reasons she doesn't interact much with Karma. Lately whenever he comes close her tentacles slide out of her skin and wave out, already coiled in the shape of strangulation. Lately whenever she walks close to Karma she notices that he clenches his hands into fists and his mouth is tilted into the shape of a smirk.

The day before her actual assassination plan she releases her tentacles out in the open as usual. They don't do it in the classroom or the bathroom anymore. 3-E is located on a little hill and trees behind the wooden shack provide the best cover for their little kinks. Karma meets her beneath their usual oak tree and she gestures for him to follow her.

She leads him to the golden field where she is setting the stage up for the final scene. She points out the wide open space and he suggests the use of fire.

"If you use fire, like this, he won't be able to escape." Karma plucks a strand of grass from his feet and draws a circle in the air. Akari nods and her tentacles vibrate in the air, thinking. She doesn't mention where she would be able to get fire from and he doesn't either.

She turns to him but Karma is still staring out at the golden field, gold the color of his eyes. He has a smile on his face and is no doubt thinking about her display. Her tentacles coil around his neck and he starts back to reality. He twists his upper body to face her and smiles.

Akari can feel the tears slipping down her cheeks but she doesn't try to rub them away. They both know that she would offer her life to get her revenge and she would, but Karma hasn't tried to dissuade her and she doesn't try to let him. So instead, they communicate using what they do best.

His hands close around her neck and her tentacles around his. And then with a three two one their dance begins for the final time.

And then, and then Karma leans down and kisses her on her lips. Akari doesn't push him away and when he leans back up, she can see the pain in his eyes even as he tries to breathe. His hands relax but Akari's tentacles around his neck contract and pull him closer to her. Her hands find his face and Akari pulls him down.

Her lips meet his and she bites down on his bottom lips. The hiss that escapes thrills both her and him, and the lack of air brings the fizz in their bodies to a maximum. When Akari finally lets go Karma's neck is red and his lips are red too. They're both breathing heavily trying to regain their oxygen and Karma pulls her into him.

His heart is thudding in his chest and Akari snakes her arms around his slim waist. Karma is surprisingly lean for someone so strong but she can also feel the muscles that clench under her. His hands are on her hair and a single tear slides down his chin onto his neck. Akari watches the bead slide with a strange fascination.

"Please don't do this." His low voice is controlled but Akari can still hear the desperate plea layered within. It's the first and last time he tries to stop her, and she would have stopped, but the sight of the golden field before her (gold like his eyes; does he notice?) and the vision of Korosensei in the flaming fields fills her with determination.

She hugs him even tighter and Karma seems to understand. He starts to stroke her head.

Akari confirms her answer by bursting through the roof of the storage shed. Korosensei collapses somewhere below her. Her tentacles hang out in the open and Karma is one of the first to rush out of the door. He looks up at her with pride and pain in his face. Everyone else is shock still and her tentacles want to coil around his neck. She presses her urges down and smiles down at Korosensei and Karma.

She is still confused about her teacher but she'll keep going on. That's what she had told Karma, after all, during her pudding explosion plan. She addresses Korosensei but her eyes flick back to Karma when she loosens her tie. Her neck is probably red from their trysts and her tentacles and she doesn't miss how he stares at her neck.

She bounces off and waits. Night falls and the gasoline in the field reeks as she laughs at the class and thanks them for playing the characters in her play. But the main characters are Yukimura Akari and their teacher, after all, so why does she feel so confused as she dances through the air and Korosensei hisses in pain?

Through the flames she catches Karma's red-gold eyes reflecting off the flames dancing in a circle and her tentacles contract painfully. She has to focus because the creature in front of her is the one who killed (killed?) her sister. There are only two main characters in her play, after all, and the roles are taken. There's no need for a substitute, so why does she feel so confused? Her head swims and her neck craves for the warmth of hands. Karma's hands.

Then Nagisa's lips are on hers and she jolts back to reality.

Karma's watching, her tentacles inform her and since when did Akabane Karma take over the lead role? She trembles and blacks out.

After she's saved by Korosensei Okuda lets her rest on her lap. She's grateful, she really is, but what she wants more than anything is Karma's comfort. He stands behind Okuda and her and she can feel his gaze on her the entire time Yanagisawa is talking. He wants her too.

Karma comes to visit her in the hospital after Nagisa and the others leave.

Akari offers him an apple but he waves it off and instead settles on a chair beside her bed. They're silent for a while before Karma decides to take the apple. He cuts it into rabbit apple pieces and she takes one, sitting up on her bed. Karma fluffs the pillows and she leans back into the soft comfort.

"I suppose you won't need to be choked anymore," he humors her darkly and she laughs anyway. Akari bites down on the apple slice and points out that he would.

Karma nods, his golden eyes narrowed as if considering whether she would judge him for that. She finishes off the apple slice and licks her fingers clean. Karma traces every movement intently and she smiles.

Then she wraps her hands around his neck and asks with her eyes.

"You're hospitalized," he points out even as he tilts his neck back to allow her a better vantage point.

"I'm hospitalized," she echoes even as she squeezes, hard.

It's the first time she's using her own hands and evidently she's done a good job because by the time she relaxes and lets go of his neck, Karma is panting heavily and his face is red. He trembles by her bed and she doesn't need to look to know that he's wet.

He shakily gets to his feet and plants his hands on either side of her waist. His eyes are a burning gold under the hospital lights and she shivers in anticipation.

"I can barely hold my arms up," he swears while wearing a smirk. Akari has no idea how he does that, but she likes it anyway.

"Then don't?" Her statement comes out as a question and he concedes, smirking all the time.

Akari sinks back deeper into the pillows and Karma follows, his mouth nipping at her collarbone.

"I'm so glad you're safe." He whispers into her neck and she agrees. There are two main characters in her play after all, and it wouldn't be a play anymore if one died, would it?