The Serpent Inside (A Karmagisa Fanfiction)

23: Gem

Iyuka was a gem. A true joy. Something Karma and Nagisa thought too good to be true. She had her chinks, her demons, her nightmares. She had told them how she knew by their eyes that they would be the first to keep her. That these messed up assassins for parents would be the ones to love her. 

Seeing Nagisa scare the ever-loving shit out of the orphanage owner only made her be sure.

There had been three that tried before them, and seven of them who thought about it before hearing what she was like and backing off. But Karma and Nagisa weren't like that, and she hated that she was causing them pain now. She wasn't dumb. She was young, but she had matured quickly and understood how the world worked. She didn't exactly understand anything that happened- no, that was an understatement, she was clueless. Someone was mad at Papa and they came for her and Daddy and ended up taking Seizon too. And she knew she was doing the worst out of all three of them.

Though she knew it wasn't for good reasons. She knew it was because something like this wasn't new to her parents.

And if she had been stronger, maybe she could have stopped it.

Suddenly a cool hand was on her back, and blue eyes smiled at her.

"You okay Iyu?"

Iyuka nodded.

Those blue eyes narrowed, but Papa didn't push it.

"I'm here if you need me. Daddy will come back home in two days, and then he'll be with you too."

Another nod.

"Want to go to the park? Manarou-chan will be there."

A third nod.

They walked out the door.

"Did you lock it?"

"Checked twice. Want to make it a third?"

A fourth.

They checked. It was locked. She nodded.

The park was empty, save for three people. Isogai, Isogai, and Isogai.

More specifically Yuuma, Hiroto, and Manarou.

Yuuma smiled and waved over the father and his daughter.

Iyuka slowly separated from her Papa and went out into the small playground.

Manarou smiled happily and slowly reached out.

"Can I hug you?"

Iyuka nodded. They hugged. She felt safe.

She didn't have a mother. She didn't need one. Manarou would suffice. He could be her Mommy even though he was her age. He seemed to like it too.

"Hey Iyuka-chan, why don't you call me Mana-nii! And I'll call you Iyu-chan!"

Iyuka smiled softly.

"Okay Mana-nii."

They ran off to play.

Nagisa's watchful eyes tracked their every movement.

Yuuma put a hand on his shoulder.

"Everyone is asking you how Iyuka-chan is doing aren't they Nagisa-kun."

"Yes. She's been fine most of the time. She doesn't go far from me though. We also check that the door is locked often."

"You've said. What I'm wondering is if you are okay."

Nagisa spared Yuuma a quick glance.

"What do you mean? This was hardly shocking for me. It was Takaoka. I'm a professional. I see these kinds of things all the time. I'm fine."

"Okay sorry if this sounds rude but you're full of shit Nagisa." Hiroto piped it. "Like, even Karma is shaken up. You've got scales of steel but we all know Karma. Please, just tell us."

Nagisa sighed and gave the pair a warm smile.

"Of course it shook me. It was my fault, well, 3-E me. I'm different now, but nevertheless. I'm doing fine. I'm just not taking jobs right now. I'm going to be protecting my baby girl above all else. I text Karma every night. I'd had four nightmares since it happened. They go away fast. I usually can figure out when I'm in a dream. Takaoka is dead the moment I know what happening, because he suffered plenty in real life. My biology has changed. I don't have a part of my snake side anymore. It's fine though, I would never had needed it."

There was a silence before Yuuma spoke.

"Where are you going from here, then?"

"We're... training her. Once she's more or less okay, I'm going to train her. Karma's fighting is built for someone strong. Mine is built to slip through the cracks. We think Jiujitsu will be good for her. It's a technique Silver-sensei taught me outside of being an assassin. I learned it to protect me in case anyone thought I was a girl and tried... stuff, with me. It'll apply in other scenarios too. Iyuka is a smart girl, she'll be doing fine. If I am correct, I think she'll learn to see wavelengths like I do by the time she turns fifteen. She'll be a force to recon with."

Yuuma nodded.

Nagisa spoke again. "Thank you for helping her. She really cares about Manarou-chan. She hasn't been this relaxed since the incident, save for while she has been asleep. Her wavelength is very steady. His too."

"I'm glad the two of them are getting along. Our little Mana-chan needs some friends. Since he's not Japanese some of the kids have been giving him funny looks but he's such a trooper." Hiroto gave a goofy grin.

The sun slowly set.

And everyone went home.

Karma came back tomorrow.

And Iyuka felt just a little bit better after playing with Manarou.