A/N: Nearly at the end finally!

***

When he graduated  3-E he realised being strong meant learning from failure.

So they agreed to try to save Koro-sensei, and a part of that agreement ended up resulting in the octopus proposing a secret mission to hijack a spacecraft so they could steal from the space station.

Simple strategy. 

It had been pretty straightforward, they broke into the space, hacked in, and then he and Nagisa had gone into the rocket and had a cool mission in space, and honestly, he didn't get what the big deal was.

Bing in space had been amazing.

Karma stared out at the Earth from the window of the rocket as they prepared to go back home. "Pretty cool..." He smiled, feeling light in zero gravity.

"It is amazing." Nagisa smile, staring out of the window.

Karma couldn't stop smiling, taking it all in. "You know, I actually wanted to be an astronaut when I was younger."

"Really?" Nagisa looked surprised.

"Yeah..." His thoughts drifted to the Astroboy comics. "My dad used to read the Astroboy comics to me and my brother when we were little." He pressed his hand to the glass, remembering. "It was nice..."

Nagisa looked at him curiously. "Do you still have all the comics?"

Karma grimaced. "No, he threw nearly all of them away." He leaned back in his seat. "Gakushuu managed to save one before it got tossed."

"That was nice," Nagisa replied quietly.

"...Yeah, I guess." Karma frowned when he thought about it. "He was nice some of the time."

Things blurred as time went by but one thing he could always remember was Gakushuu hovering near throughout everything, even if it was suffocating, his older brother had been by his side and tried to protect him. Even though after a while it had become more controlling.

"You know, when I was younger I wished I had a brother or sister around," Nagisa said quietly.

Karma frowned. "Why?"

Nagisa stared at the planet down below. "Well, I didn't really have that many friends before middle school, and then there was everything with my mom." He shrugged. "I just wanted someone to talk to who would understand, you know, someone I could trust."

He hummed, thinking about the times he and Gakushuu would hide from their dad or when his older brother would hold his hand when he was scared, read him stories, tuck him in at night, and help him with homework.

"I guess that makes sense." Karma frowned. "Pretty sure my brother resents having to look after me all the time, though." He looked at Nagisa. "Do you still wish you had a sibling now?

Nagisa shrugged. "Not really, for one thing, I wouldn't wish mom's meltdowns on anyone." He frowned a little. "And, besides, I have friends now so it's not so bad."

Karma smiled a little. "Good to know." He pinched the boy's cheeks. "And if you think you're missing out on teasing, I can help."

"Hey!" Nagisa complained as he was put in a headlock. "Quit it."

"Me and my brother fight all the time, it's how we bond." He grinned sharply, ruffling Nagisa's hair as the small boy glared.

"Get off!"

***

In the end, the return flight to earth went smoothly.

There was just one hiccup.

No sooner had they landed and looked at the data, they'd been called to the principal's office, some students giving Nagisa and Karma odd looks as they walked down the hall out of uniform in their combat trousers and black tops, looking out of place.

They'd had to relay everything that had happened in order to explain why NASA was making calls to Japan's Ministry of Defence, and why there was stolen spacecraft on the top of the mountain at the Old Campus.

"We're all alive aren't we," Karma said, shrugging as he, Nagisa, Karasuma, and a nervous Koro-sensei stood in the principal's office.

So, now his dad was making it a big deal.

"Do you have any idea of how serious this is?" his father said coldly.

Nagisa bowed apologetically. "We're really sorry!"

Karma shrugged. "We were gonna return the spaceship."

His father's eye twitched. "I just spent the last hour convincing NASA you weren't terrorists."

"The bomb was fake," Karma replied lightly.

Nagisa sighed. "You're really not helping..."

"I apologise!" Koro-sense cried, begging in front of the principal's desk. "Please don't cut my pay again!"

His dad gave the teacher a look that strongly hinted that Koro-sensei's pay would be cut again.

Karasuma sighed deeply, looking tired. "...I'll make sure the damages are paid for...again."

"You see!" Karma grinned. "You get free remodelling from the government and everything," he said brightly. "If you ask me this whole thing is a win-win!"

His dad looked like he might actually kill him. "I'm assigning 3-E trash duty for the next month."

"Oh, come on," Karma said, scowling while Nagisa sighed.

"Karma, you're grounded for two weeks."

"I don't even live with you—"

"Your mother is still in New York so for the next two weeks you do," his dad interrupted sharply, narrowing his gaze. "Thanks to your little stunt she received a call from the CIA."

Oh...

Karma hid a grimace. "Uh, well, she doesn't know anything, right?"

Both his dad and Mr Karasuma shot him withering looks.

"Alright, everyone out." His dad took a deep breath. "Karma, stay."

Karma scowled more while Nagisa looked concerned, but even after a short pause of wariness, the others started to leave.

"I'll wait outside," Nagisa said, smiling reassuringly.

Karma shrugged but did feel a little relieved. "Thanks..."

His dad sighed as the others left. "You may think this is a joke but you could have died." He frowned, standing up. "What would have happened if something went wrong?"

Karma tensed a little when his dad walked over, absently rubbing his cheek when a memory resurface. "But, it didn't."

"It was reckless." His dad looked down at him sternly.

I only went because Nagisa wanted me to...

Besides his dad was a hypocrite considering he nearly got himself blown up!

He stared up at his dad warily. "Yeah, well, it was worth the risk." He frowned. "We were getting information to save the planet."

And, at least now they knew for sure Koro-sensei probably wouldn't explode.

His dad sighed again and shook his head. "I'm not even going to go into the multiple other ways you could have gotten that information that all involve not going into space." He placed his hands on Karma's shoulders, making him tense more. "Right now, I'm just glad you're safe."

Wait, what?

Karma looked confused. "Uh...what?"

To his alarm, his dad placed a hand on his head and pulled him into a hug. Arms wrapped around him tight while Karma's face rested against his dad's chest. "I was worried."

He could barely remember the last time his dad has hugged him, with maybe the closest thing being when he was nine or ten? It was hard to remember since it almost never happened.

"...Why are you hugging me?" Karma asked, his eyes darting around in confusion.

"You've nearly died too many times." His dad sighed, holding him tight so he couldn't escape. "Despite what you may think, losing you would be...devastating."

Karma scoffed but the whole thing left him disorientated, trying to process why his dad was suddenly hugging him.

The hug felt weird, but he didn't hate it, it was just confusing. What was the point of the hug? Why did his dad suddenly want to hold him? It wasn't like Karma was injured. It felt odd like his dad was forcing himself to try to show affection.

Karma's brow furrowed, shifting in the embrace. "...If I promise not to go into space again will you stop hugging me?"

His dad sighed and finally released him from the hug. "You're still grounded," he told him. "Your mother has already agreed."

He rubbed his arm, still feeling uncomfortable, but he tried to shake it off. "Fine, whatever." His thoughts drifted back to his conversation with Nagisa. "But, I still need to grab some stuff from mom's place."

***

"So, what did you do this time?" His brother was leaning against the doorway of the guest room.

Karma looked up from where he was unpacking some clothes. "Since when has dad needed a valid reason for grounding me." He took out his game console and then hid it under the mattress. "If it was up to him he'd put me under house arrest."

Gakushuu rolled his eyes and stepped into the room. "Most likely." He walked to his side. "He has been extra smothering lately."

Karma hummed, shifting when he thought about their dad's odd behaviour, fidgeting with his bag strap. "It's weird. I think he's actually trying to force himself to love me again."

His brother paused, frowning. "What?"

He shrugged, staring at his bag. "You know, like how he used to love me before Ikeda died, but then I turned out to be a disappointment so he stopped," he replied bluntly, swallowing a lump in his throat. "But now he's trying to be a good dad he's really trying to bring himself to like me – it's kinda pathetic."

Gakushuu stared at him. "...You think he doesn't love you?"

Karma nearly rolled his eyes. "It's pretty obvious." His chest felt tight. "He wanted me when I was a baby, but then I grew up and he basically said he didn't want me anymore – anyway, when is dinner going to be ready?"

His brother stared at him for a long moment. "...He told you that?"

"Yeah." Karma shrugged, feeling numb. "But, at least he was honest, I guess."

His brother opened and closed his mouth a few times. "Well, I wanted a little brother, so you are wanted," Gakushuu replied stiffly, not looking at him. "Even if you are annoying."

Karma's eyes widened in surprise briefly, not sure how to respond. "Oh..."

"And after the divorce it was... difficult not having you around." Gakushuu looked very uncomfortable. "I missed you."

He frowned a little, trying to shake off his surprise. "You did?"

"Yes. you idiot." His brother scowled. "Even if you were annoying, I still wanted you around. It was just... hard sometimes with everything." He sighed, looking at Karma's bag. "So, did you actually pack clothes this time?" He quickly changed the subject and looked inside the backpack. "Or are you going to spend the next 14 days wearing the same thing again?"

Karma smiled a little, as his brother's confession of missing him reeled around in his head. "Maybe."

His brother sighed, but then paused when he pulled out the old Astroboy comic book. "...Why do you have this?"

"Just something to read when I'm bored." He went back to unpacking the rest of his clothes. "It was just kicking around at the back of my closet." Then he added. "...You can borrow it if you want."

Gakushuu stared at the comic, brow furrowed. "No...it's fine." He handed the comic book back to him. "I don't really read those things anyway."

Karma's stomach twisted a little, feeling his good mood sour a little. "Right, should have known, you're allergic to anything fun."

His brother scowled. "I am not." He crossed his arms, looking at him briefly. "Besides, I thought we were going to pick up on our last game, I can still beat your high score."

Karma scoffed, smiling a little. "Yeah, in your dreams." His smile was crooked. "But nice optimism considering I'm number one around here now."

Gakushuu raised an eyebrow. "For now." He sat down on the bed. "Though if you actually stay on for high school, I'll have you beaten before first term is finished."

"Not gonna happen," he replied confidently, putting the comic away. "I'm the genius in the family now." His smile grew. "I'm gonna trample the floor with you nerds next year."

His brother looked amused. "We'll see." Then his gaze became curious. "I'll admit, I'm surprised you wanted to stay on after everything that's happened."

Karma shrugged, zipping up his backpack. "Yeah, well, why could get high grades from whatever school I go to, but it wouldn't be the same." He looked at him pointedly. "We're rivals." He smirked. "And defeating you, again and again, is funny every time!"

His brother sighed. "Are you ever going to grow up?"

"Are you ever gonna get that stick out of your ass?" His smile grew, sitting next to Gakushuu. "Besides, the only way I'm gonna keep setting stronger is by learning from defeat." He shrugged, remembering Koro-sensei's lessons. "So I need a rival who will keep trying to beat me no matter what and keep me on my toes." His smile was almost warm when he looked at his brother. "And I know for a fact you'll keep trying to crush me no matter how many times I win!"

His brother looked mildly surprised for a moment before smirking. "Bold of you to assume you'll keep winning."

Karma grinned."Just wait and see. It'll be even more fun now that everyone knows I'm younger than you." He took his game console out. "Just like it's gonna be fun watching you fail to beat my high score again."

Gakushuu swiped the console from him. "Oh, we'll see."

***

"Karma, stop playing with your food." His dad sighed, the three of them at dinner.

Karma ignored him as he tried to make his rice into a volcano, adding some pieces of chicken to the top.

His dad scowl, growing more irritated. "Karma, I said—"

Gakushuu rolled his eyes. "Just leave him alone." He shrugged, sipping his juice. "Who cares?"

Karma raised an eyebrow at the defence and glanced at their dad who's gone silent.

Their dad cleared his throat after a moment. "Yes, well..." He frowned, seemingly reigning his irritation in. "Anyway, have you decided what school you'd like to attend, son?" He smiled at the red-head but it seemed forced.

Karma stared at him blankly for a long while, before shrugging. "Yeah." He ate a spoonful of his meal. "I'm gonna stay on."

"Oh." Their father looked surprised but then smiled. "That's good to hear—"

"Yeah, I figured it'd be funny seeing the looks on those nerds faces when I beat them again," Karma commented, swallowing another bite of food as his small volcano slowly was devoured. "Makes good memories."

Their dad's brow furrowed. "I see..."

Gakushuu sighed. "You're really only staying on out of spite."

Karma grinned. "It's the best motivator."

Their dad chuckled but it sounded forced. "Yes, well, motivation aside. I'm sure you'll do well staying on now that you're back on track."

"Yeah, no thanks to you," Karma replied dryly.

Gakushuu nearly choked on his juice, coughing loudly as their dad glowered.

"Karma." Their dad was annoyed now. "I just want us to have a nice dinner. There's no need for comments like that," he said, causing Karma to narrow his eyes. "I know things in the past have been...not the best, but we're trying to move past that now."

Karma's lips thinned, clenching his fist tight as he shared an irritated look with his brother. "...And, what exactly does moving on look like, dad?" Karma asked coldly, destroying the remnants of his food sculpture. "Does it look like us pretending to be happy and doing everything you say?"

Their dad frowned. "No, of course not—"

"You said things would get better, but what even is better?" Gakushuu asked, grimacing.

"Yeah, are you suddenly going to love us again? Is that it?" Karma's throat felt sore, glaring at his dad. "Better late than never, I guess."

Their dad looked at him in alarm. "What are you talking about?" he looked at them both questionably. "Of course, I..." He struggled to say it. "You're my sons. I love you both." He looked at Karma earnestly. "I did what I did because I love you and I wanted what was best for you, even if it was...misguided."

"...Misguided?" Gakushuu looked pale, staring at their father like he was insane.

Karma's stomach twisted, beginning to feel ill. "You think that's love?"

He may not know much about love, but he knew you weren't supposed to traumatise the people you loved.

Their dad sighed. "I know it's hard to understand, but I do love you." He frowned at Karma. "But I know that may have not always been obvious. Especially when I let my temper get the best of me."

"Like when you hit us because we disappointed you? Oh, no wait." Karma pretended to think. "Do you mean when you beat up the exchange students and left us to do the cleanup?"

Their father's frown grew, glancing at Gakushuu. "I understand I was in the wrong now," he said, shifting in his seat. "I know things will never be...normal, but I just want you to be happy."

Gakushuu stared back at their dad warily. "...And what if we're never happy? Then what?"

"Yeah, are you just going to force us?" Karma jumped in before their dad could speak. "Maybe send us to a weird school to get brainwashed into pretending to be happy?

"Of course not." Their dad sighed, looking tired. "I'm sorry." He apologised, warding them off a bit. "I don't know what 'better' is, but I want things to be different. I'm not trying to fix you or force you to be something you're not, I just want us to be happier."

Karma and his brother stayed silent, staring at their dad. He glanced at Gakushuu but his brother didn't seem to know what to say either. It all felt disorientating, and wrong still because how were they ever supposed to be a happy family? He could just about imagine them all tolerating eachother.

"It's a little too late, don't you think?" Gakushuu said quietly, breaking the silence.

Their dad's shoulders slumped a little as he sighed. "Perhaps or perhaps not." Then he perked up suddenly. "And, I promise, I'll prove things can better. Just wait and see."

Karma shared an uneasy look with his brother. "Uh...right."

He did not have a good feeling about this.

***

The start of February kicked off with their dad removing the locks from the timeout closet while they watched. There had been three heavy-duty locks in total. The sight of it made him feel queasy.

"There." Their dad smiled, showing them the locks. "Isn't that better?"

Karma felt sick still, staring at the small door and remembering the countless times he'd been locked inside. "I guess..." It felt more uncomfortable than relieving. "Is that it then?"

"Can we go now?" Gakushuu asked, looking very tense as he stared at the small closet.

Their dad frowned a little at their blatant lack of enthusiasm like he expected them to leap for joy that the locks had been removed. "Well, yes, but I haven't removed everything yet. Come on."

The next things to go were things that just made his stomach turn, like the ice bucket he'd used when forcing them to dunk their hands in ice, or horrifyingly enough the handcuffs he'd used to lock Karma to a railing when he'd broken the door down of the timeout closet.

"See? All of this is going in the trash," their dad said brightly as they all stood in the kitchen.

The two of them just stared at the objects as a numb feeling started to grow in Karma's chest again. Feeling like the memories he'd rather forget from his childhood were resurfacing, making him feel like he'd vomit.

The stuff was promptly shoved into a trash bin along with the locks like it had always just been that easy. As if their dad could have always made it all stop whenever he wanted, the man just chose not to.

"So it was always that easy, huh?" Karma said quietly, his hands shaking as he clenched them tightly. "You could have changed whenever you wanted?"

Their dad's frown returned. "I'm not sure what—"

"Did you just enjoy doing it, is that why?" Karma's voice cracked, as the memories came back in droves. "Did it make you feel powerful or something?"

"No, of course not," their dad moved towards him. "Everything I did was to make you strong—"

Karma felt something in him snap. "THAT'S BULLSHIT!" He screamed at him, causing his dad to freeze. "You liked seeing us scared!"

"Calm down," Gakushuu held his arm, trying to turn him away. "He's not worth it," he said quietly while their father looked lost.

Karma bit down on his tongue, feeling like wasps were buzzing in his head trying to get out. "You loved controlling us," he said resentfully, wanting to punch the man, but he forced himself to calm down. "Admit it."

"I didn't love it," their dad replied, staring at them both worriedly and then at the objects in the trash. "I was afraid of you both failing, so I did what I thought best." He hesitantly stepped towards them. "I understand now, that I went too far." He sighed, placing a hand on both of their shoulders even though they tensed. "Which is why I won't stop in making it up to you both."

Karma shared a grimace with his brother, feeling like their dad exchanging one obsession for another. Honestly, he would have just preferred it if their dad just left them alone and stopped trying so hard.

Then, to their alarm, their dad pulled them into a tight hug.

Karma cringed, feeling smothered again while Gakushuu looked confused like their dad was having another mental break.

"What are you doing?" his brother questioned, trying to push away.

"I know it will take time for us to move past this," their dad kept talking, holding them tight. "But I love you both more than anything."

Karma cringed, feeling conflicted as the words made a small part of him feel loved, like the small little kid in him was finally receiving the love he'd fought tooth and nail to try to get.

Now, suddenly his dad was handing out love and affection as if it had always been free. That it hadn't needed to be earned.

Karma felt like screaming and wriggled out the embrace, wanting to get as far away as possible. "Will you let go already?" He shoved his dad away and started walking away. "If we wanted a stupid hug we would have asked."

"Karma," his dad called after him but Karma left the kitchen.

***
He was curled up in bed, trying to distract himself with his video game.

There was a knock on the guest room door. "...Can I come in?" It was Gakushuu.

Karma grimaced, not looking up from his game. "Whatever."

The door opened a few seconds later. "Hey," his brother greeted, walking into the room.

He glanced up and raised an eyebrow. "Yeah?"

Gakushuu sighed, closing the door. "Nothing. I was just wondering what you were doing." He walked over and then sat down on the bed. "I understand why you were angry...I was angry too."

Karma frowned, putting away his game. "Then you should have said something too." He sat up. "He's delusional still."

Gakushuu sighed, looking tired. "I know, but he's trying, and that's better than him staying the same."

"If he really cared he'd leave us alone and stop trying to hang out with us," Karma said, squeezing his pillow. "What did he expect us to say when he threw all that stuff away? Thanks for not traumatising us anymore?"

"I don't know." His brother sighed again. "He does tend to be one extreme or the other. It's uncomfortable, especially that hug."

Karma grimaced, leaning against the headboard as he brought his knees up to his chin. "He's lucky I'm even tolerating him after everything he did." His scowl deepened. "The worst thing is at one point I actually thought all that stuff was normal like it was normal for dads to lock their kids in closets and handcuff them to railings if they tried to escape. Who even thinks like that?"

"...I suppose it did feel normal after a while," Gakushuu murmured, not looking focussed. "Some parts still do." He smiled bitterly. "I once made the mistake of telling Ren of how we used to get locked outside, and he... well, his expression said enough." His brow furrowed. "But you can't change the past."

"Yeah, well, he's still a prick." Karma sighed, feeling angry with himself. "...Even if I do kind of want him to be the stupid normal dad he's trying to be. You know like the ones that actually like their kids." He kicked at the sheets. "I still love him because... he's our dad."

"I know..." His brother sighed quietly. "Though I doubt he'll ever be even halfway normal, but at least he's trying, which is something..."

Karma shrugged. "I don't care how hard he's trying, he still pisses me off." He tried to stay calm and remember Koro-sensei's lessons. "It's all bullshit."

Gakushuu hummed in agreement. "Well, considering he's moping in his study, at least we'll have some peace from him for a few hours." He looked at the Astroboy comic on the bedside table and then picked it. "How is this thing even still together?"

He watched him curiously and shrugged. "Hey, I can take care of my stuff."

His brother scoffed and flicked to the beginning page. "Astroboy was exploring the depths of space when—"

"What are you doing?" Karma questioned.

Gakushuu didn't bother looking up. "Reading," he replied like it was obvious. "Now, are you going to let me do it in peace or not?"

He frowned, but then realised what his brother was doing, relaxing a little. "Oh..." He was a little lost for a second but then smiled a little. "Okay, fine."

"...Astroboy was exploring the depths of space when an asteroid storm interrupted his journey," Gakushuu continued reading. "Knocking him off course as the rocks threatened to collide..."

Karma rested his head on the pillow and listened as his brother read the story.

****

"So, you've decided you want to be a bureaucrat?" Koro-sensei said in their career guidance session.

Karma nodded, lounging in the seat. "Yeah, I figured I'd give it a shot." He shrugged. "I'll be able to set up my own shadow government in the meantime."

His teacher chuckled, the low February sun casting long shadows in the teacher's lounge. "A good ambition." He took out some paperwork. "I've also been doing some homework on my end to help support you in your decision."

"Is it tips on how to kill my enemies?" Karma asked.

Koro-sensei laughed. "No, young man, it's not."

He just grinned, kicking his feet against the floor. "Wasted opportunity."

His teacher handed him some papers that looked like an assessment. "You might not remember, but we had a conversation regarding a possible ADHD diagnosis?"

Karma frowned, remembering the conversation on the bridge. "Oh..."

"Since you'll be entering high school it's important you get all the support you can, so it might be worth looking into seeing if you might have ADD or ADHD," Koro-sensei said brightly. "It's something which would be good to discuss with your mother or father."

Karma's mood soured, tensing. "Why? They're not going listen." His stomach twisted. "Dad just thinks people like that are lazy, and mom isn't going to take it seriously."

Koro-sensei hummed. "...But your father had you assessed so you could be sent to that school?"

"Yeah, but they never told me the results or what it was for," Karma replied, starting to grow uneasy. "They didn't even say why they wanted to give me pills..."

He trailed off as he looked at the questions on the assessment and realised that they were similar to the ones asked during his assessment for Mr Daigo's school.

He felt like he swallowed curdled milk when the realisation hit.

His teacher was silent for a while, which made things worse. "I see..." He hummed, sounding concerned. "I think you should talk to your father about this."

"Yeah..." Karma grimaced, feeling his anger start to mount. "I think you're right."

***

He cornered his father later in the evening after the man had gotten home.

"Karma?" His dad had just put his briefcase down in his home office. "Can I help you with some—?"

"Do I have ADHD?" Karma blurted out, adrenaline vibrating through him as his dad just remained silent. "That's why that doctor wanted to give me pills, right?"

His dad stayed quiet, tense. "What's brought all this on?"

He scowled and walked over to the desk. "Just answer the questioned." His glare grew colder. "Do I have it or not?"

Something ticked across his dad's face, pen clenched tight in his hand. "They..." His dad looked away from him, making his chest tighten. "...They said that it may be a possibility."

Karma felt a rise of anger. "So I do have it."

"No, nothing's certain," his dad said quickly, standing up.

"But it's certain enough that they were going to medicate me?" He snapped, everything starting to fit together like missing pieces.

It all made sense now, why his dad treated him like an idiot. Defective. Why he thought Gakushuu was perfect.

"I was trying to protect you," his father insisted, walking over. "Do you have any idea of what something like that could do to your career?" he questioned, silencing him. "Do you want people to think you're disabled?"

He said the word like it was something to be ashamed of.

Karma's gut twisted, stepping back. "Why would it matter if—?"

"That's what people would think," his dad said grimly, grabbing his shoulders. "They'd see you as less."

"Then I'll show them I'm better than them." Karma felt fear start to creep in. "I don't care what they think."

"You're naïve." His dad sighed, shaking his head. "When it comes to being picked for a top position, who do you think they'll choose?" he challenged. "Someone they know is perfect, or someone who is a liability?"

Karma's stomach dropped. "I'm not a liability..."

"But that's how they'll see you, and nothing you accomplish will be held in the same light," his dad said, grimacing. "And why would you want that, hm?" He cupped his cheek gently. "You're doing so well, you don't need something like this sabotaging that."

Karma shoulders tensed more, growing more apprehensive as he weighed up what his dad was saying. Everything felt like it was whirling, and hard to make sense of. "Koro-sensei said it would help..."

His dad sighed. "Koro-sensei is optimistic," he replied. "I'm sure he thinks a diagnosis would help, but he doesn't truly grasp just how damaging it could be."

Karma narrowed his gaze at him. "And you do?"

"Yes." His dad looked convinced. "Because unlike him I speak with them on a daily basis," he said grimly. "One associate admitted point-blank that they fired someone because they had Autism, and do you think anyone cared?"

Karma paled a little, feeling sick. "Yeah, but—"

"And, how many successful government officials and politicians do you know in Japan who are disabled or claim to be dyslexic? Just how far do you think they get?"

Not many... in fact, he could barely think of any prominent ones.

But, Koro-sensei believes I can do it. That made him pause, fuelling a spark.

"Well... then I'll be the first," Karma kept arguing, trying not to falter.

His dad looked exasperated. "Son—"

"If Koro-sensei believes in me then why can't you?" His gaze sharpened.

His dad stopped. "It's not that I don't believe in you—"

"If you believed in me you'd tell me to keep trying no matter what," Karma said firmly, shoving his dad away. "So what if they think I'm less than them? Everyone at school thought I was less than them but that just made getting the top score feel even better!" He gained more confidence. "So who cares what a bunch of old pricks think? They'll be dead soon which will just pave way for me taking over!"

His dad's eyes widened, staring at him in alarm. "But it's not that simple—"

"Say who?" Karma argued. "Because for the record, you're pretty shit when it comes to judgement." He glared at him. "You kept saying I'd fail, and you were wrong, so why should I care!?" His dad had been wrong too many times, just like all the other stuck up idiots and bullies who thought they were better than him. "I'm not stupid and I'm not crazy so stop treating me like I am!"

His dad was still silent, staring at him like he wasn't sure how to respond. "...I know you're not stupid."

Karma scoffed. "Then how about believing in me, for once." His stomach twisted. "I don't have to be like Gakushuu to be successful, if anything I'm better than him because I'm different," he snapped, a lump gathering in his throat. "Just because you're scared doesn't mean I have to be."

His dad could go on about what people would say and how having ADHD would ruin his plans, but who cared? He wasn't going to be afraid just because his dad was.

His dad was silent, a small frown on his face like he didn't quite understand. "Every parent is afraid their child will fail, that's what it is to be a parent," he replied quietly, sighing. "I don't want to talk about this, if you want to get diagnoses you can ask your mother."

"Why can't you just—?"

His dad's gaze sharpened. "I said, we're not talking about this, Karma. Now go." He turned away from him, walking back over to the desk. "And, don't bring this up again."

Karma's insides twisted, as his gaze grew resentful. "You haven't changed at all," he said bitterly, causing a flicker of remorse to flash across his father's face briefly before he left the home office and slammed the door behind him.

***

If his dad didn't want to talk about it then fine.

Karma shoved his hands in his coat pocket, the chill of the February air biting his cheeks as he walked home from school.

His dad was just being a prick like always, only this time he was pretending that things were getting better.

"Asshole," Karma muttered, as his bad mood grew worse, feeling his skin prickle as he grew more agitated.

He bumped into someone, but ignored them and kept walking.

"You bumped into me!"

Karma stopped, looking over his shoulder. "Huh?"

There were two older boys glaring at him, looking like the usual idiots who normally tried to pick fights.

"Ain'tcha got something to say?" The other pointed accusingly at Karma.

Karma smiled. "Yeah. Don't crowd the sidewalk. Well? What are you gonna do if I don't apologize, huh?"

The two boys glared at him. "Listen here, kid," the one with light hair said.

Here we go. This is what he needed, he hadn't had a good fight in weeks. He needed to cut loose.

Karma dropped his school bag to the ground, chuckling. "Bring it on—"

Suddenly, Koro-sensei appeared, kneeling in front of the boys. "I AM SO SO SO SO SORRY!" he shouted. He had on his normal graduation uniform, his stupid brown wig he wore to buy snacks at the convenience store.

Karma, froze, nearly tripping over his teacher, while the two boys' eyes bulged in shock.

"Please forgive him - for my sake!" Koro-sensei continued. "Here, let me clean your shoes!" He licked the top of the spiked haired boy's right foot.

The older boys' shock turned to disgust. "Um... You better teach your students some manners!" he said, quickly pulling his foot away. He and his friend walked off.

Karma frowned, the adrenaline fading as his two potential punching bags walked away. "What did you do that for?"

Koro-sensei stood up and turned to him. "The teachers from the main building are right behind you," he said, pointing at the teachers up ahead who were now looking away from the scene. "You can't go picking fights this late in the school year!"

Oh...

Karma frowned, watching the teachers walk away. "Yeah, well, it would have been fine." He shrugged, picking up his bag. "My dad probably would have kept it quiet."

"Karma..." Koro-sensei sighed, walking alongside him. "That isn't the right mindset to have."

"But, it's true," Karma replied, shrugging again. "He may be an asshole but at least he's useful for something."

Koro-sensei shook his head. "You've matured a lot over the year, but you really must do something about that temper of yours."

"Why should I apologize if I didn't do anything wrong?" Karma smiled back bitingly, pulling an anti-sensei knife out from the inside of his jacket. "A knife can't maintain a sharp edge if you keep using it to cut dull things."

Koro-sensei's head turned purple with an X. "That's a serious beginner's mistake, Karma. A first-class assassin would never hesitate to apologize for bumping into a pedestrian while pursuing his target. Even the slightest conflict can be risky for someone who's got bigger fish to fry."

Karma paused under a tree, frowning. "It's not like I'm fighting as much as before..."

He was trying to keep a better lid on his temper and be less violent, but it was hard.

"I know you're trying." Koro-sensei sighed. "But, you're planning to become a government official. There will be times when you have to let things slide in order to accomplish your ultimate goal." Koro-sensei patted his head. "I'll teach you the perfect technique for that."

***

After school, Karma was walking down the mountain with Nagisa, Sugino, Itona, and Terasaka. He walked ahead of the rest of them.

"You seem kinda down, Karma," Terasaka taunted with a wide smile. "Did the octopus smack you on the nose like a puppy again?"

Karma rolled his eyes and ignored him.

"Jealous, Terasaka?" Itona said, tapping his own nose. "At least Karma has a nose to speak of."

"HUH?!"

Karma turned around and looked straight at Itona. "Itona... The first time we met, you bragged about being stronger than me. Don't you care about that anymore?"

"That wasn't me speaking, it was the tentacles." Itona looked at his hand. "What I really wanted wasn't something I could get through physical prowess. I'll admit it, Karma. You are stronger than me. I'm fine with that."

"Hmm." Karma turned away.

That was mature...

He looked over at Nagisa and remembered their fight, frowning the more he thought about what his dad had said about people seeing him as less, and he imagined that he would be painting a target on his back if he got that ADHD diagnosis.

He remembered his dad and people's reactions to when he'd lose his temper and lash out like they thought he was crazy...

Karma frowned, following his friends as they walked further into the city.

If people kept thinking he was crazy then he'd never get to be where he needed to be, he'd end up just like what his dad kept fearing he'd grow up to be.

"Hey! Let go of me!"

Karma stopped and looked up, feeling his blood boil when he saw a group of thugs surrounding a schoolgirl, who was fighting to get away from them.

He recognised the girl after a few seconds.

"Yada?" Karma saw red when one of the men yanks her arm behind her back.

"Heh. I knew it. This Japanese girl can't speak English, can she?" one of the men said.

"Who cares?" a bald man with a black eyepatch said in english. "We'll communicate through body language!" They laughed.

Karma rushed over, the others following behind.

"Yada!" Nagisa shouted.

"HEY! WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?! GET YOUR HANDS OFF HER!" Terasaka yelled.

The one with the eyepatch looked up at them. "Tch. Can you at least stop talking gibberish?"

"We're telling you to let her go," Karma said in English. He glared at the men, a nerve popping on his forehead. "I'm afraid your dog breath and B.O. will rub off on her. Do I need to call zookeepers to pick all of you up?" Suddenly, Karma's eyes widened.

A dark aura surrounded the group of men. "What did you say?!" they said angrily. They walked closer to Karma, but didn't attack.

Who the hell are these guys?

Karma gritted his teeth, alarm bells ringing as he looked at the men. Something was off about them and it made his skin crawl.

"Hey, ginger shrimp!" a man with short hair said to him. "Just hand over the girl and we won't kill you. We'll give her back after we've had our fun."

"We've been travelling the world and we're lonely," said another man with a baseball cap and large sunglasses. He held Yada under her chin. "I hear Japanese chicks are obedient little submissives."

"Hold on a sec," the one with the eyepatch said. He walked up to Karma. "I'm not letting this brat go."

"YOU SON OF A...!" Terasaka clenched his teeth.

The one with the eyepatch pushed himself into Karma's space, breath stinking up his nostrils like something rotten. "No one talks smack to me. Guess I'm just gonna have to teach this punk some manners." He glared at him, smiling menacingly.

Karma narrowed his eyes, clenching his hands tight as his ears wrung. Every instinct was telling him to last out, but there was an uneasiness that made him stop and think.

If they had a fight he'd lose, that much was obvious. The six of the men were stronger and gave off a vibe like a snake, something amiss. Not to mention they had too tight of a hold on Yada and he couldn't risk her getting injured because he'd lashed out too quickly.

There was a man at back watching silently, making his skin itch like something was crawling up his back.

The whole thing felt like a trap and if Gakushuu could swallow his pride then so could he.

Karma swallowed, and lowered his gaze, shaking a little. "Sorry..." he said quietly in English.

"HUH?!"

Karma closed his eyes and forced himself to bow. "I apologize, so please let us go. This is an important time for us. We're about to graduate."

"I'd like to hear you apologize in Japanese," the man with the eyepatch said condescendingly. "I learned the Japanese words for that when I beat the crap out of a Japanese guy in Roppongi."

Karma ground his teeth, his fist shaking more as he held back punching the man.

Koro-sensei's words echoed in his head. "Karma, don't throw away the blade in which your pride resides. Just place it down by your feet."

Karma bowed deeply to the man with the eyepatch. "I'm sorry. Please forgive me."

He stared at the ground and imagined an imaginary knife, trying to focus and on that and quieten his temper. "Look straight down at your blade. If your good intentions are contained within your blade, then it should shine brightly even when it's on the ground."

"Pfft." The man with the eyepatch began roaring with laughter. "Don't freak out! I was only playing with you all! We're not interested in a little kid like you anyway."

The guy with the baseball cap threw Yada to the ground.

The man with a leopard print jacket passed Karma, placing a hand on his shoulder as he leaned down to taunt him. "Aw, come on. You look like you're gonna cry. What? You are crying?" He laughed.

The powerful man from the back of the group passed Karma, the last to follow the others. "I'm sorry," he said as he passed. "My friends can be kind of rough."

The men walked away.

Karma stood still for a moment, swallowing back bile as he took a deep breath.

"Karma..." Nagisa said.

Karma reached down and picked up the imaginary glowing blade, steadying himself and calming down by taking deep breaths. "You sure are something, Nagisa. You made it look so easy with Takaoka."

Nagisa smiled. "It wasn't. I'm really glad you held back just now."

Karma hummed, thinking back to the many times Koro-sensei had humbled himself and apologised even though the octopus was powerful enough to probably destroy a building if he really tried hard enough. "The octopus told me I'll have to humble myself like this when I go out into the world. But what do I get out of it?"

"More than enough, Karma," Yada gratefully answered, smiling. "We get to go home safe thanks to you."

Karma looked at the ground. "So protecting us is the point, huh...?"

Then, a voice from off to the side said, "Itona."

Itona looked over to see who it was and his eyes widened. Standing there was a man with dark hair and a black coat. He carried a large black bag in one hand and a baseball cap in the other.

"Perfect. I had a hunch I'd find you if I waited on the path to school."

Itona stared at him. "...Dad..."

Terasaka looked back and forth between Itona and his dad, confused. "Huh...?!"

"I don't know where you live now," Itona's dad said, "but I'm glad to see you're safe and sound."

Nagisa nudged Karma's arm, saying, "He said 'safe'."

Karma's cheeks warmed up slightly but he just shrugged. "Yeah, I know."

Itona's dad began to cry. "I've managed to work off my debts at last. I can finally live with you again without being a burden. Your voice has changed. And you're taller, too." He rubbed his son's head as Itona began to tear up. "I'm proud of you. You've grown into a fine young man, Itona."

Itona rested his head against his dad's chest as he also began to cry. "Thank you..."

Karma smiled as he passed them.

Well... I guess this is enough.

***

Karma picked at his hoodie string as he rang his mom, home alone again at his mom's house.

The phone rang a few times, the seconds stretching on.

"Hello?" His mom's voice came from the other end of the line.

"Hey, um..." He sat up straighter on the sofa. "When are you back home?" His gaze shifted to the ADHD assessment paperwork.

"Well, Hi to you too," his mom replied dryly, making him frown. "Why what's wrong, has something happened?"

"No," he replied, tugging at the string. "It's just there's something important I need to talk to you about."

"Then just tell me now over the phone," his mom replied, sighing.

"I can't," Karma said, frowning. "When are you coming home?"

"Karma..." His mom sighed again, sounding exasperated. "Just tell me what—"

Why couldn't she just answer the question!?

"I can't tell you over the phone," he snapped, hitting the side of the sofa repeatedly. "Just tell me when you're coming home. It's important."

"Honey, calm down," his mom's voice took on an edge. "If you're going to yell then I'm hanging up on you."

Karma bit down on his tongue, kicking the side of the sofa in frustration, but he tried to calm down, taking a deep breath as his foot tapped against the floor. "...When are you coming home?"

His mom was silent for a few a while, taking in a deep breath. "My client is causing delays," she said, voice low. "And, I need to close this investment, I'm sorry but—"

"How many days," he interrupted, already having heard the same excuse multiple times.

"...The 9th of March, at the latest."

He felt a rise of frustration again. "You said it would be this weekend!"

"Karma—"

"Why can't you just come back for a few days?" he asked, growing more agitated. "It's important, and I really need to talk to you."

It wasn't like he asked her to come home often, so why couldn't she just do it this one time.

"I can't," she insisted. "I'll home for your graduation," she tried to placate. "We can talk about it then, alright?" He stayed silent, wanting to shout at her but he held it in. "If it's an emergency, can't you ask your father? I know he's a bastard but—"

"No," he replied, grimacing. "It's fine, just forget about it."

"If it's really that important and can't wait, then I'll call your dad and ask him to—"

"No," he interrupted quickly. "Just forget about it." He tugged hard on the hoodie string, ripping it out by accident, which just made him more irritated. "Damn it."

"Hey, calm down," his mom warned, probably thinking he was still talking to her. "If it's not urgent then we can talk about it when I get back. Just be patient, okay?"

Karma stayed silent, closing off.

His mom sighed from the other end of the line. "Your dad emailed me you're your high school entrance exam results, why didn't you tell me you were top score?" Her voice grew warm. "Or that you applied to stay on for high school."

He shrugged even though it was pointless since she wasn't there. "You said you were busy."

"You could have texted me."

And, you could have come home.

He bit down on his tongue to stop himself from saying that. "Besides, you were mad at me so what's the point."

"I'm not mad anymore," his mom replied in exasperation like he should have already realised. "It's been months, I can barely remember what we were arguing about."

"I've stopped picking fights," he said stiffly, fidgeting with the loose string now on his lap. "I'm not beating people up either, I'm not causing trouble..."

That was why his mom had been angry, right? Because he was causing trouble for her...

"...That's good," his mom replied, voice softening. "I'm proud of you." She sounded like she meant it, which made him smile a little. "Has the new housekeeper been around? Are you eating good food?"

Karma shrugged. "Yeah..." He hadn't really noticed a difference between the new housekeeper's food and the old one. "It's okay."

"Well, I get home I have some new spices we can try out," she said warmly. "That sounds fun right?"

He hummed, twisting the string around his fingers. "Yeah, sure..."

"Okay, well, I have to go, it's 10AM here so I have business brunch at the hotel," she told him. "Just be good and I'll be home in a week or so, okay?"

"...Okay, fine." He frowned, feeling like the whole call had been pointless. "Bye then..."

"Take care of yourself and don't get into trouble," his mom said. "Bye, sweetie."

The line went dead.

***

"I can see how it's frustrating," Koro-sensei said during their career meeting, the sun starting to set in the background while Mr Karasuma typed up on his laptop near the back of the room. "It seems your parents still aren't listening."

Karma hummed, leaning on his chair. "Told you so."

Koro-sensei sighed, looking out of the window. "It's a shame... I'm also disappointed your father is still clinging to a lot of his fears, but these things do take time."

Karma shrugged again. "Yeah, well, Gakushuu is less of a jerk so that's something." He smirked a little. "I'm still better at video games than him."

His teacher chuckled. "Well, that's something at least." He sipped his tea. "And do you feel confident about high school?"

He smirked. "Already getting a head start on the syllabus so I can beat Gakushuu before the first term is over."

"Of course." Koro-sensei sounded amused. "I had a feeling you would." He nodded. "You should be proud, you've accomplished a lot and you've made a lot of progress controlling your temper." He patted his head. "Well done."

Karma's smirk softened into a smile, feeling a warm glow in his chest. "Thanks..." Then he flashed his teacher a grin. "Shoving wasabi up jerk's noses is okay if it's defence, though, right?"

"Karma!" Koro-sensei exclaimed.

He laughed, grinning wide as he rocked on his chair. "What? It's a skill."

Koro-sensei shook his head in exasperation. "Let's end on that note, then shall we? I think our time is up." He glanced at the clock. "Which makes this your last career session."

"Really?" Karma looked at the clock in surprise. "Oh..."

Koro-sensei chuckled. "Time moves fast when you're having fun, hm?"

He shrugged, standing up. "Yeah, because you like talking."

"I'm a social octopus!"

Karma smirked in amusement, grabbing his bag. "Yeah, well, see you Monday."

***

"He's asking if you're going to visit this weekend," Gakushuu said on the phone.

Karma rolled his eyes, laying on the bed playing his One Piece game on his console. "I already said no."

His brother sighed. "Well, he won't stop pestering me to nag you."

"Suck for you then."

"Will you just come over so he'll stop irritating me?"

Karma grimaced, ignoring the pit in his stomach. "Nope."

"Karma..."

Karma's grimace grew. "He's a lying asshole." He button-mashed his controller. "If he really wants to change he should be less of a judgmental piece of shit."

"...Fair." His brother sighed. "Fine, but keep avoiding him and he'll probably attempt a kidnapping."

He scoffed, tossing his game onto his pillow as he stood up to stretch. "Who cares if..." He trailed off when he saw a flicker of light coming from the window, a thin line of light like a knife tearing through the sky.

"Karma?"

The light aimed down and hit the mountain up ahead in the distance with an explosion of light, signalling the end.