A cup of tea on a saucer was set in front of a tall man with bright red hair. He stared conspicuously down at the steaming drink, examining for any signs of poison or something else potentially dangerous. When he found nothing, he decided on drinking it. He immediately crinkled his nose. Disgusting. Why did he even order it?

He set the up back down and glanced at his watch. Late. Where was he? They were supposed to meet at four o' clock sharp, and his watch had ticked past that seventeen minutes prior.

Akabane Karma hated when people were late. Only he could do that!

He heard the ring of the bell on the door. He craned his neck to see his reason for being there arrive.

"Nagisa-kun! Glad to see you could make it!" Karma shouted at the short, blue-haired man that was approaching him.

"I was dealing with something. And I thought we dropped the honorifics a long time ago?" Karma gestured at the chair, not replying to his previous remark.

"Have a seat." Nagisa sat down, and, frighteningly fast, a waiter came to take his order. Nagisa passed on a drink.

"Why'd you ask to meet? I was supposed to do some official government stuff today." Karma asked.

"I called to ask for some advice." Karma raised an eyebrow.

"I have a student in my class, Yoshimasa Akihito, who shows some… violent… tendencies. I was hoping you'd know a good way to get him to calm down without using physical means." Karma got the hint at Nagisa's talent for assassination.

"And you think I'd know all about violence?" He feigned offense. "I can't believe you'd frame a government worker of such a thing!" Nagisa blushed, and Karma, deep in his thoughts, saw that as cute.

"That's- but- I-!" His protests were cut short by Karma bursting out laughing.

"Sure, I'll help you, Nagisa. So what does this Akihito do, anyways?" Nagisa shook off his blush and regained his composure.

"He threatens my other students and has even gone so far as to beat them up. It is unhealthy for both them and him. I'm wondering if something is going on at home, and… well…" He trailed off, averting his eyes from his redheaded friend.

"You'd like my help in straightening him out? Or to spy on him. ~I'll do either~" He chirped. Nagisa was a little creeped out by his friend's antics, but he had grown used to it for the most part.

"Both would help, actually." He looked sheepish. He didn't want Karma to feel pressured to help him or anything!

'Well then, partner," he stood up and extended his hand to Nagisa, "let's get to the bottom of this."

…

The next day when Nagisa walked into his classroom, Paradise High 3-5, he felt better about the whole class situation. Now he had Karma's help, and Karma always knew what to do.

His class, class 3-5, was the worst in the entire school. Kids got sent there because they were the bottom of the barrel. Just like him in middle school. But Nagisa truly believed that a good example could turn someone's life around. It did for him.

It was in these moments, when he thought about Koro-sensei, that he truly felt that being a teacher was the right thing for him to do. He could have been a great assassin, but with Koro-sensei as a role model, how could he not become a teacher?

This was his second class at Paradise High. After the first class, which was undeniably a success despite the students' initial lack of faith and interest, he had been offered a "better position" which had better pay. He had turned down the offer, knowing full well that the kids coming to his current class would need much more help. And that is what he wanted to give.

His students had not yet arrived, as he preferred to get there early to set up his lesson plan. He was not able to move at mach-20 as his teacher had.

It took another ten minutes or so for his students to show up. He scanned them as they filed into the room, looking for any signs of an issue that might be occurring. He saw nothing out of the ordinary.

Then Akihito slouched in, looking all the part of a rebel, with his bag slung over one shoulder and his messy hair. He even sported a black eye. Nagisa chose to not comment on this as he entered. He'd leave that to Karma today.

"Good morning, class." He waited for their proper response then continued. "Today we will have a visitor. He will be arriving shortly, so until then, fill out this worksheet." That was all he had planned.

As the class groaned and eventually complied with the busywork, Nagisa counted off the minutes until Karma arrived. Why was he so anxious? He saw him yesterday.

Now that he was thinking about it, Nagisa remembered feeling nervous yesterday, too. It had been a while since they had met up. Karma was just always so busy with his work and Nagisa with his as well that they just never had the time to spend time with one another. He had barely stayed in contact with any of his friends from junior high. He would love to see them again, but he knew they were all caught up in their own lives.

There was a knock at the door and then Karma walked in. His hair was slicked back, as Nagisa supposed it usually was now. It hadn't been yesterday, though. He was dressed in a professional looking suit, and Nagisa couldn't help but admire the way his friend looked dressed up like that.

He cleared his head.

"Class, meet Akabane-san. He's here to discuss your futures with you. He's from the Ministry." The class looked taken aback.

"Wow Shiota-sensei, I had no idea you were connected to such important people!" A girl named Ohno Mei exclaimed.

"Actually, we were friends in junior high, and I owed him a favor." Karma maintained an easy-going face, but Nagisa sensed the solemnity in his words. Koro-sensei. Was that why Karma was helping him?

"You'll each get a few minutes to talk with him about your goals and see what advice he had to give." This was the best idea they could come up with. It seemed the best way to question Akihito without it seeming suspicious.

But since they decided to do it alphabetically, Akihito was basically last.

Karma waited through all of the kids until it got to Akihito. It was stupid to alphabetically, but if they made Akihito go first, it wouldn't make sense.

He heard and gave advice on plans to be doctors, artists, singers, lawyers, businesspeople. His first piece of advice was "get your life together." If they were in this class, it meant they were pretty low on the totem pole already.

He found himself content with helping these kids. They reminded him of his classmates in junior high. One girl wanted to be an actress. It was funny, she was rather flat-chested much like another successful actress he knew. One boy wanted to play baseball. One was into tech. Another, chemistry. He saw his friends in these young faces, and it really made him realize something. Nagisa was doing such a great job with his students. They all looked forward to his teaching, they all claimed that much. Karma knew it wasn't really his place, but he was proud of Nagisa for the job well done.

And then, finally, the name Yoshimasa Akihito was reached. The kid sat slumped in the chair opposite to himself. Karma stared intently at the boy. His tough-guy appearance was really over the top.

"You part of a gang, kid?" He didn't answer, just looked away.

"Alright, what are your plans?" Again, no response. Karma was trying to stay civilized, but this kid's noncompliance was starting to bother him.

"So you won't talk. Whatever." Karma shrugged. "Let me talk, then. Get your shit together." At this, Akihito looked at him with wide eyes. In a second his expression had returned to normal, but Karma felt that it had made an imprint on him.

"When I was around your age, I also got into fights a lot. I even got suspended for it. Then I ended up in the same place you are in. The very bottom: E Class. 'E' for 'End.'" The kid snorted.

"Well, as I see it, you've landed yourself a government job. I guess my future ain't looking so grim." He smirked. Karma returned it.

"Not exactly. You see, I had a great role model, one who taught me better than any stuffed shirt could. We called him Koro-sensei." Akihito looked incredulous.

"That's a stupid name." Karma nodded.

"Yeah, but it fit. 'Unkillable.' He gave us a challenge: kill him before graduation. Sound familiar?" Akihito looked surprised.

"Shiota-sensei gave us the same deal. Though, not so many really try so hard. We like-" He stopped himself, but Karma could finish the sentence on his own.

"Nagisa-san had the same teacher as I did. He was inspired by him. And so was I."

"So you're saying all I need is a good role model."

"Yes. Someone to help you get your life together. You seem smart, Yoshimasa-kun. Make use of your life and stop wasting it." And with that left in the air, Karma stood up and exited the small room he had been given to use for the interview.

…

Later that afternoon, Karma and Nagisa were chatting in Nagisa's classroom.

"Thanks for the help, Karma." He meant it from the bottom of his heart.

"No problem, Nagisa-sensei." Nagisa rolled his eyes at the honorific.

"Come on, I've got papers to grade and you've probably got work to do." Nagisa said, signaling their departure.

"Yeah. Probably." He sounded slightly dejected. "It was good to see you. Really." Karma smiled at him, a true smile.

"Yeah. It was good to see you to." The moments ended when Nagisa fidgeted. They exited the classroom.

However, they did not leave the building. In the hallway, one of Nagisa's students was sitting on the floor with her face in her hands.

"Help me, Shiota-sensei."

Hey guys, thanks for reading this! I'd really appreciate a review or something, but you don't have to. Did you like it? Oh, and sorry (not sorry) for the cliffhanger. Bye! ~Your satanic butterfly.