Bedtime
Emiko watched as Etsuko was tucked right beside her. Then taped up right beside her. Then cried. Then was untaped. "She doesn't hurt herself when she falls off things, Luna, what's this matter?"
"We don't want her to destroy something. Last thing we need is questions when we leave," Luna answered her.
"She stays still when she's near Aguri," Emiko easily pointed out.
"Uh?" He seemed embarrassed. "Well, Aguri will be busy sometimes, so let's figure out how to get her to stay still without her."
Etsuko rolled next to Emiko and stayed.
"Well, that solved that," he said easily. "It looks like she takes to you like she did to Aguri."
Hmm. Okay. Etsuko was an innocent baby stuck with people Emiko didn't trust (who lets a person name them Luna and not at least counter with something else?). I better be racking up flower moments. She smiled and held Etsuko. She wanted to know the truth about Etsuko anyhow, and this would be a good time to find out.
"Okay, nice and snug, you had your fruit, your bath, you should be good," Luna said. "I am going to head over . . . we've got stuff to talk about and we'll be in bed later. The other bed, the double bed." He seemed proud of that. "We'll just be sleeping. Over there. I'll get the light, night!"
Great. She watched him and Aguri both head off to the bathroom. These guys have a lot of secrets. "That's okay," she whispered to Etsuko. "It's helping me rack up flower moments. That's something Aunt Akari has, it's really fun, but you have to be a good girl to get it."
Etsuko just smiled at her.
"So, let's see how far you really have come." She left Etsuko for her coloring book and crayons. She hopped back in the bed. She turned into an octopus and held the crayon on the back of the page. "Let's start with lines." She bobbed her head and turned it into a light to see. She drew four lines to make a house.
She took Etsuko's hand and drew over the lines with the house. She did that twice, and then let Etsuko do it.
Yep, she mimicked really well. "Can you speak yet? If you are like me, it's going to be really weird. A lot of this stuff you can't do in a human form. It's like, you're stuck in the brain. Especially speaking. You will have a whole vocabulary by the time you are one as an octopus, but as a human, you won't be able to do much but gargle for a long time."
She watched Etsuko gargle.
"Yep, about that. Unfortunately, a lot of times Aunt Akari and clearly these people don't want us changing to this a lot, which means we are sealed up pretty tight in our abilities. Also, food is yummy but we mainly get fruit because we can't change to the human form, we have to stay in a yellow octopus shape. Still, not so bad, and I'd rather have that than have to give up the yummiest foods. But, no one wants us like that. Too dangerous. Everything is always too dangerous in the much better form."
She heard giggling from the bathroom and heard Etsuko mimic it. "Yeah, you'll be talking soon. Let's color together." She took her colors and started to rub them on the paper. She gave Etsuko a marker and put her tentacle right where she wanted her to color, while she colored in a different spot.
Etsuko really laughed. It sounded similar to how Luna laughed that one time she said she wanted to be a monster of the week actress. Emiko had done that laugh before too, but not often. Not a whole lot happened that seemed funny.
They continued to color in the butterflies until she started to hear more rustling than usual in the bathroom. She got down and put the coloring book and crayons back up, bopped her head light off, turned back into a human, and kept Emiko beside her and closed her eyes.
Luna and Aguri both tried to be quiet. She could hear Luna giggling 'nurufufufu, we made out', but Aguri trying to shush him down, yet lightly giggling herself. She heard a loud sigh, a bed squeaking and a 'finally'. She opened her eyes and saw Luna and Aguri settling down for sleep, but Luna was spooning her.
He also wasn't his human shell anymore.
"Oh, I'm sorry, did we wake you up?" Aguri asked her.
"A little." Pretending would be smarter than letting her think she was just up.
"Sorry," Luna apologized. "Trying to be quiet. Are you sleeping well? Etsuko isn't too much?"
"I can always take her if need be," Aguri said but Luna whined slightly. "If needed, it's the right thing to do."
"I got her, she's fun," Emiko said. Luna made delightful sounds again. He really liked that laugh they shared. "Can I sleep in my octopus form?"
"Absolutely!" Luna seemed extra pleased with that. "You bet you can."
Emiko changed forms again.
"Is that your original color or are those just the colors you choose?" he asked. "Is red and pink your favorite colors?"
"Yes, I like these." Otherwise, she would be yellow.
"Oh. I find there's nothing wrong with yellow." He wrapped his tentacles around Aguri tighter. "You like yellow a lot too, don't you?"
"I think yellow is a lovely color, and so is pink," she said.
"Oh, especially pink." He was still excited. "Hope you sleep well then. Good night. I will be sleeping well with my lovely pillows."
Really strange. Emiko just closed her eyes and yawned. It was getting late. Aunt Akari, I hope you can sleep without me. She never really slept alone before without her. She had her own separate bed, but she was always in the same apartment.
She was always either with Aunt Lola or Aunt Akari. Here she was, in a huge double bed, curled up with a baby octopus, and two people. Aunt Akari. Things rarely get to her, but she didn't like this. She was more used to her bed at her Aunt Akari's. It was peaceful. She was also more used to her Aunt Lola's bed where she would take naps at. They were smaller and more comfortable. The hotel beds didn't have the same feel.
When she turned, she jumped slightly. What were Luna and Aguri doing right there next to her bed?! "What?"
"Funny thing about that form," Luna told her. "Even though expressions don't change on the face, it's a lot easier to tell how someone is feeling through it."
Huh?
"Your homesick," Aguri said to her. "That's understandable."
"I'm not homesick, I just miss my bed," Emiko said. "They were more comfortable and smaller."
"Yeah, these are king sized beds," Luna agreed. "Plenty of space. Come on."
Come on? She watched as Luna lifted up Etsuko. "Hey, roller? Are you going to stay still and not roll all over the place tonight?" He put her over into Aguri's arms. "There you go."
They were taking her away? Aguri held Etsuko close as she headed back over to bed. What?
Luna surprised her by going to her side and picking her up. "Come on."
What? "What are you doing?" Earlier Aguri had given her and Etsuko a bath, but not with him. So far, he hadn't gotten closer than hand holding.
"You miss your bed, probably your toys, and maybe even your aunts," he said. "Last thing you should have to do is sleep in a king size bed by yourself."
"I wasn't, I had company." He was carrying her over to the bed. It was nice and warm. It did feel better. Not as lonely. Luna got in on the other side. "Not as much space."
"You're six, there is plenty of space," Luna insisted. "Better?"
Sort of. Sort of not. She looked toward her other side at Etsuko. She was next to Aguri. They are kind and caring. They took me from the big bed to sleep with them without me asking. Aunt Akari never said anything bad about Luna or Aguri. Yep, she knew what to do. "I like the bed." She got snuggly. It was so nice, all wrapped up like a family. "Nurufufufu, I feel warm and comfy, thank you!"
She swore she felt some tenseness in the bed covers, but she didn't care.
"Goodnight," Aguri said softly. She didn't hear anything from Luna. Which she didn't care about. It was bedtime. It was warm. It was comfy.
Aguri lied in bed, not really falling asleep for a time. That day had been crazy. She couldn't deny what happened with Korosenpai just to save bad times later when he left. Her heart wanted him, and he really wanted her. For them, life just went from moment to moment.
At least she answered back. Korosenpai, she had no idea what that had caused him. He wasn't exactly trusting of the little girl. He saw his old self in her, and even cracked some crayons while shopping. There was tenseness, seeing himself back in her.
At least, the human side. He seemed better with her in her octopus form. Yet, even that mic drop of a moment. That exact contented laugh.
She looked over toward him. He was just staring up in the air. She watched as he let some of his particles leave a tentacle he held up.
She had seen that before, when he was starting to freeze. It stopped when Lola threw her into the solution too. He could leave whenever he wanted to. Nothing could stop him. He was only there as long as he wished. Was he thinking about it?
It would be a bad time. Sanctuary exposing themselves and them. Chou Chou with Yanagisawa. No, he wasn't leaving yet until they were more secure. But? That laugh.
She checked on Emiko. Her breathing was steady, she was deep asleep. Comfortable enough with them to rest well.
She watched as he left the bed, grabbed his clothes and a shell pill again. What was he doing? He left to the bathroom. When he came back out, he was back in his human form fixing his shirt. "Where are you going?"
"I have to do something. I won't be far," he promised as he left the room.
His laugh.
His laugh.
He heard a small bit, a little sometimes, from Etsuko. But, what he heard from Emiko.
His laugh. It was also hers.
He went down to the lobby to just sit by himself. This wasn't supposed to happen.
Just like his students weren't supposed to know the truth. When Akari became Kayano and he was being accused of murdering her, he had to explain. That led to part of the class wanting to save him instead of killing him. It made it that much harder for them to end him.
This time, he was in control of his death, but Aguri was in it so thick with Yanagisawa's trick, his own children were in trouble because of the stunt, and now he was outright hiding the truth from one. The one who had the greatest chance of becoming like him. She even had his laugh.
That fact alone made him shudder. Korosensei's real past facts could alone help change her. Emiko was borderline, she could go either way. Nagisa might have even seen it, the way he told him to change his target so boldly in his car.
And Aguri, was being the sweet Aguri he fell in love with. He knew for a fact he was hurting her even harder starting something with her, but she wasn't pulling away.
But it was so nice to have her to actually love! He just couldn't do the right thing either.
Just, lying there in the same bed, with children he and her created, was . . . nice. Still something he could deal with, until Emiko laughed and said she was warm and comfy.
Korosensei was a teacher, but he knew what scared his students, what his students needed, what to do when students messed up, and even what his students parents were doing wrong.
With eyes of a teacher he could see what to do.
With eyes of a parent? I broke her crayons. She even kept a hold of my hand. She called me Luna. I can't predict her.
"Problems, Korosensei?"
Huh? That wasn't Aguri, she had changed her hair. So? "Chou Chou?"
"Sorry to interrupt, I really didn't want to risk this again," she insisted. "Don't take anymore of those pills. There are rare ingredients in them that sort of act like a magnet detector. It's easy to find you. I'm sorry," she insisted again.
Oh. "Does Yanagisawa know I have these?"
"No, but just to be sure, here." She gave him some new pills. "I guarantee these are fine. You can test them yourself if you want," she insisted. "He won't know you are here, and once that one is gone out of your system, you'll be safe again."
Oy. It was already bedtime. To move those kids now wasn't smart. Emiko was just starting to relax. "Are you sure he doesn't know?" He could just stand guard for the night and they'd go somewhere else tomorrow.
"If he did, he would have crashed this place up like Yukimura Akari's apartment," she pointed out.
Excellent point. "Do you need to stay somewhere too?" Chou Chou gave him a sudden look of surprise. "I know Yanagisawa is aggressive."
"I have nowhere I can really go but Sanctuary," she pointed out. "You already have an Aguri, and I can't be in my real form."
Yeah, but he wished he could do something. Chou Chou staying with Yanagisawa wasn't just a bad idea, he sensed something entirely different about her. Staying with him for so long, it could have had longterm psychological effects on her. "Hey, I bet you got really good at spying on others for him, right?" Once again, she looked startled. "He'd have you do something for him, and in a shell, I bet he sent you out on spy missions and stuff." He wouldn't just keep her doing nothing as Lady Aguri, he liked using people as resources. "Why don't you stay with us?"
"What?" She didn't look happy.
"I mean, not with us, but by us? Next hotel room over kind of thing. We can come and visit. We can even say you are Aguri's twin sister." Keeping her close would be a better idea. Change the hair the same way. Plus, she took Aguri's appearance this whole time, she should see her less of a threat. See what she was really like.
"I don't know." She seemed conflicted. "How is your kid you lost seven years ago?"
"Six. Almost seven. I guess that means her birthday is soon." Yep. "I don't know. She's led a sheltered life with really only two people she knew. Still, she's quite outgoing."
"Do you think she'll be an assassin?" Chou Chou didn't mince her words. "Is she taking after you? She wasn't raised normally either."
"She had people who loved her. We didn't tell her we're related, we just told her we are watching out for her because she has the same bad guy after her. I think she'll be okay." If she kept caring for those she loved.
"No a hundred percent positive." Chou Chou roled her eyes. "Sure, just like you promised everyone would one day get home."
Yeah. She had every right to be bitter about that. "I did what I could."
"I didn't make it easy." She gave him that. "But you didn't even try, did you? You put Sanctuary moving first, above your students."
"No." Of course he didn't. "I didn't know the change would be that fast. Once I did, I got everything stopped."
"For everyone else," she said bitterly. "Only way I look normal is to be like this."
Poor Chou Chou. "Chou Chou? Did you ever accept how you really were? Your cephalapod self?"
She visually shirked back. Angry. "Why ask me something so dumb?"
"It's part of you now," he said. "Accepting it is important to make peace with it."
"Whatever." She crossed her arms. "So you want me tagging along behind you? Are you going to leave me hints on where you left to because I got rid of the tracing in the new shells."
What is the smart thing to do? It was hard. She was bitter, but interested. She was troubled. Having people around her who knew the real her would be good. Getting away from Yanagisawa would be terrific. She was alone for so long though, hiding in that shell. How far gone was she from the girl in his class?
The thought that she might even be working with Yanagisawa had occured to him, and it hurt. It was a possibility too. This whole thing could be one big messy scheme. Then again? I gave her the perfect opening to get to know her prey if she was on his side. She resisted. That was a good sign. Although, she was interested in Emiko.
Then again, she was also basically abandoned by him. She might be interested in how Emiko turned out. How she accepted herself. How she lived and survived? "What did you really want to know about Emiko?" Less guessing, more direct.
"Do you love her or hate her?" She wasn't being shy with the subject either. "A random kid turned up in your life, does some part of you hate that? Does some part of you hate Sanctuary now and really want to take it down? There must be some reason you are just relaxing out here in the hotel lobby and not in your room right now."
Perceptive. "Adapting. I'm used to students, not daughters." He didn't really want to go farther than that.
"Do you think she'll hate you? She might harbor resentment inside of her for you two abandoning her," she warned him.
She was like the big sounding board of his worst thoughts. "I don't know, but she's trying to get along. I think in time she'll be okay." As long as she was steered in the right direction. No questions about her abilities, speed, strength, nothing. Whatever her true goal had been, an ally or a betrayer, she didn't seem to want to use Emiko in anything.
Why would she. She knew what being abandoned felt like. "Please be good." He said it without even knowing he said it, like all his other weaknesses. "Don't hurt innocents in the name of revenge."
"That was a mean thing to say." She stood up and left without a single goodbye. "I don't want to bother with you, you know you're all going to die soon anyway."
He couldn't help it. It was a weakness. "If only that wasn't the truth." He sighed and stood back up.
It was hard. He succeeded with his first class of students in 3E. Nagisa, a shining example of a future teacher. All of his students had succeeded in their targets, or shooting for them. Even with his class at Sanctuary, those youngesters were all saved and safe due to math and planning. But?
Not her. He failed her. She wasn't the only one he failed either. Ignoring Aguri's trauma, all but sealed her into trouble. Then there was Emiko. Not even for the slightest second did he think there was another egg.
Failure, failure, failure.
Yanagisawa must have some plans for Chou Chou. Making him face his student, he wanted that before. He didn't want her hurt. Not because of him. Too many were already hurt by him.
When he returned to the bed, both Etsuko and Emiko were out like a light. Aguri was staring at him, probably worrying. "You okay?"
"Totally fine," he promised. He came closer to the bed. "Hey, I still have a spot." If he wanted one. He climbed back into bed. "I guess I'll have to watch my steps around that one."
"She knows how to throw a curveball," Aguri agreed. "Are you sure you are feeling okay?"
Ooh. "I don't know, I've got some tension in my right front tentacle." Their kids were dead asleep. "Do you want to go to the bathroom and check it?"
"Will it make you feel better if I check it, Korosenpai?"
"Yes, it will," he teased.
"By hand or by tentacle?"
"Your absolute choice."
"Both?"
Oh, how he wanted to say 'yes, please!' But after all that thinking. "Do you know when I'm leaving for good, Aguri? Are you sure you should be doing this?"
"Oh. I am sure I shouldn't." Yet, she smiled anyhow. "Bathroom?"
"Yes, please." He popped up. Hey, he asked like a good guy. Aguri was a big girl, she knew her own mind. Still, while one part was eager, another part felt the guilt creeping up. But he batted it back down.
It's not like they were doing much more than making out and tentacle testing. They came out of the bathroom shortly after another session of experimentation and back to the bed.
Both Emiko and Etsuko were still asleep. He could have sworn Etsuko was getting even bigger while Emiko curled up to her. She looked like the preemie outfit actually fit now.
Aguri took out Akari's phone to take a quick picture. Something nice to show her sister how safe and sound she had been.
They both crept back into bed. Safe and sound. A nice life.
A nice illusion. What was that old line? If you love something, set it free. What a lousy line. "I have to get to Sanctuary to turn this around, but when I do, everyone will be at risk. If I take you, you could be pulled into Sanctuary with force again."
"Oh. Yes, I know."
"Nagisa offered us his help if we got into trouble before. I'm going to leave with Nagisa in the morning." She probably knew it was coming too. They couldn't just hide and hope things went away. It'd be nice. "I'll make the first move." But then he'd want another nice day. "Afterwards, you can decide where to run with the girls." And then another nice night, and it would be even harder to smash what was going on. "Nagisa will come back and get you wherever you want to try and go."
No one knew about what he could do, except maybe Aguri. Yanagisawa would be the stricken loser, Sanctuary would be his, and he would have to work double fast on getting them out of there.
As for Chou Chou? "I think Chou Chou's okay, but I can't really tell. She was always good at hiding her feelings. She might want to kill you instead so she can keep being you. I want to believe that she's okay. I even offered to have her follow us closely. I would have just been watching you even closer."
"I understand your thoughts," Aguri said to him. "You want to trust your student, but she has matured over the years. We don't know if she's really on our side, do we?"
No. "So, before anything can happen, I'm going to make the move."
"Nagisa is short term, isn't he? He's just shaking the press slightly," she said softly. "Everything is risky. Everyone I know could be watched."
"There's nothing I can do to improve your chances anymore than you can. Fly fast or fly slow, you have the same chances. Wherever you all go is up to you," he confessed. "I'm sorry, Aguri. I want to do more to protect, but the only thing I can help with is Sanctuary. I am the real Korosensei and I have to at least run the imposter out. But, mankind is brilliant. It was amazing to see the lengths they took to try and kill me." So. They might master it again. Against her. Against his whole new . . . "If I were you, I'd go somewhere you want to go. Somewhere Emiko's always wanted to visit." He'd take a risk. Because the chances.
The chances any of them were really getting out alive, weren't good. "I want to stay until the very end of this with you, but-"
"The world is going to get in deeper trouble with Sanctuary if you don't get it back," she said knowingly. "It's okay. I mean, look at us?" She changed back into her octopus form. "This is who we really are. We're all just running on fumes." She sighed softly. "I want to relax and get some rest with everyone. I'll face the consequences tomorrow."
Yeah. One nice night. After that, no more nice anythings.
Nagisa looked over toward Korosensei. He left Ms. Yukimura, and he left his new family. He even left Emiko without telling her he was family. He left it all behind, to confront Sanctuary. His usual good mood was gone, he hadn't even said anything on the ride over. "You're really doing this? Just giving Ms. Yukimura full reigns with your kids?"
He didn't seem to want to answer.
Nagisa understood it. Korosensei had to do something, a lot of innocent people were going to die. But? "She doesn't know anything about hiding from the enemy or battle strategy."
"Yes she does." He finally answered. "Ever since she brought me to life, I was teaching her all that."
Nagisa still didn't feel convinced. "Where are they gonna go? Everyone they know is going to be watched right now."
"I don't know."
I don't know? That's all he could say? "This is a death sentence."
"It always was, they are made of anti matter in a normal world, no one was going to escape for long."
That sound, in his voice. It was familiar. "That sounds like you, when you were trying to get us to assassinate you to graduate." Yeah. "You've given up."
"When I take back over, I'm going to do the best I can to get Sanctuary out and share my plans on what they can do next. I don't know what's from there, but I won't be part of it," he revealed. "Everyone can only hide for so long. Emiko lived her entire life between nothing but two apartments. She knows the outside world by what she was allowed to see on TV, and Sailor Moon videos apparently. That's the reality of living out here in the real world."
"Then, can't you change the government's mind somehow?" Nagisa asked. "If Yanagisawa got the floor to speak, then get that same power and speak too. Make them understand no one can destroy the Earth."
Nothing. Korosensei didn't even look like he heard him speak.
"You are sending your whole family out there to die," Nagisa muttered bitterly.
"In whatever way they prefer to live before the end," he added softly. "Death is inevitable. Aguri can at least make it enjoyable before the end."
Damn! All that gumption. All that new spirit he had sensed in Korosensei, it was completely drained away again. It really was like the past, like no time passed at all. He was just planning to die, and couldn't even see a way out for his family. Nothing! "Kayano and Lola had raised Emiko safely for six years."
"Yeah, with no one after them. Even then it wasn't easy, Nagisa."
"This is bull, Korosensei!"
"Well, I could just keep hiding with them to maybe survive a little longer. Never be me again, live in shells. Until they run out. Eventually Emiko will mess up because she's six years old. Etsuko just flips a side and changes, not even understanding the concept of how it happens yet. Aguri and I only have so much, we can't get jobs like this, and we can't just let Akari take care of all of us in her new apartment until the end. I don't know if my other student involved in this is on our side to help, or to betray us. Trusting her could be a disaster, or the cure."
"Karma is doing really well."
"The world is watching my students. You were able to shake them off, but they'll get back to you again. You can't shake off the world forever."
"You could have tried for more than a day. You didn't even try for twenty four hours!" Nagisa complained. "You didn't do anything."
"Egg got a real name. I learned about Emiko. I snuggled up with my whole family for a whole night. I made out with Aguri, and we got friendly with our tentacles. Emiko learned the color blue. That's a lot. It's more than I deserved to get."
Nagisa gripped the wheel tighter. He was so ready to keep living, I could see it in him! Ms. Yukimura changed him so much. She's really it. She's the key to making him want to live. If he's losing her, that will is just gone. When Korosensei was ready to make the impossible happen, he could, if he really wanted it.
When Nagisa got closer to Sanctuary, Korosensei stopped him. "This is fine. I'll go the rest of the way. Just get back to Aguri and the others." He closed the door. "Don't wait."
"Be smart," Nagisa warned him right before he took off. What a way to spend a Sunday. Driving people to wherever would be their doom. Good luck, Korosensei.
He turned back around and headed straight back again. Aguri and their little girls were on their own. Hopefully she had some kind of idea where to go. If they can just outlast all this media attention right now and just lay low for a little while, they could eventually come out again. Things would get better. They could hide their appearance. They could make it.
He tried to stay positive as he drove back. He tried not to think about the idea of them all dying as soon as he dropped them off. They'd live for a little while. Buckle down super well and maybe they could get through it.
When he arrived at the hotel door again, he knocked. "Ms. Yukimura?" He watched her answer the door. She had her bags packed behind her while holding a much bigger Egg. Emiko was holding a couple of books with crayons.
Smile. Be kind. "Where would you like to go?"
She just smiled back. "Sanctuary."
What? "Uh? To Sanctuary?" She nodded. "Korosensei said-"
"We should go where we will be happiest," she told him. Then, she said something more akin to Korosensei. "There will never be a world that will accept Emiko or Etsuko if Korosensei fails. Ending however Sanctuary ends might be better for us. Living in private apartments for the rest of our lives is no way to live," she told him. "A person can't hide their real self forever. The world has to accept, or we have to leave."
Wow. He really didn't expect that from her. Then again, she wasn't his teacher for very long before Korosensei took over. I don't know if this is a good or bad thing. "He just said to take you wherever you wanted to go." He grabbed the bags.
Now he really did feel like he was sending these girls and Kayano's sister to their deaths. Grim Reaper Nagisa. "You've thought about this long enough?" he asked one time.
She just smiled. She wasn't going to change her mind. "Oh, wait, not Sanctuary!"
Okay, maybe she was going to change her mind. "You don't want to go?"
"No, I have to ask you for a minute to do some shopping. Etsuko is already growing out of the preemie clothes," she said. "After that you can take us."
"I also get another coloring book," Emiko said to him. "With new crayons."
"Yes," Aguri assured her. "Is that fine, Nagisa?"
Sure. Shopping before dropping them off to their deaths? "We can stop on the way there." Grocery shopping with Grim Reaper Nagisa. Please, let this be a good thing. Korosensei couldn't say anything against it, even he didn't really believe they'd last long. Still. It was like dropping them straight in the jaws of death!
A mother. A baby. A six year old?
Yeah. Teaching was the right profession to choose for him. "I'll help with your bags, Ms. Yukimura."
He'd help her across the river Styx, to join Korosensei.