tentaculled: ([shinigami] tentacriticize)
KOROSENSEI | 殺せんせー ([personal profile] tentaculled) wrote in [community profile] tunasub2016-04-29 11:34 pm
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closed - part deux

[ It's less painful than he was expecting - that's his first thought. Hundreds - no, thousands of times, he's watched the life leave people's bodies, watched the light leave their eyes, and so he thought he had a good idea of what to expect. There was no fear or resignation as he laid there, surrounded by his students, the weight of Nagisa's body pushing down on his chest. Just the feeling of being tired, and an unusual sense of peace. They'd all come so far; they'd more than exceeded his expectations. He was proud. Terribly proud.

It happens so quickly that he hardly feels the knife piercing through. Yes, it's certainly less painful than he was expecting - physically. But there's a bittersweet ache in his heart that's not coming from any blade. The students are crying. This is goodbye.

And so it was.

Nothingness. Then, the feeling of drifting ashore, or perhaps being pulled, or being dizzy - it's difficult to describe, in no small part because he does not expect there to be anything to describe. There's grass pushing at his back again, orange light filtering through his eyelids. He feels small and light and numb. Ah, surely, this is a hallucination in his last moments, or perhaps he'll wake up and see fires burning and punishment waiting for him, as he no doubt deserves. But when he forces his eyes open with difficulty, all that's waiting for him is a familiar dusky sky, and a familiar mountainous horizon, and a familiar early-morning dewy haze. It's Kunigagaoka. There's no way he'd forget this sight.

There's been some kind of mistake. At first, he wonders if he somehow failed to die. When he climbs to his feet and notices that they are, in fact, feet, and finds himself swimming in a now-baggy graduation robe, he wonders if he really is hallucinating. The students are nowhere to be seen, but it appears a few hours have passed since they finally graduated from hiss classroom. None of it makes any sense. But the tranquility he felt earlier as he lay in his final moments hasn't left him yet. Inside, he thinks, he knows that it's over. It's not worth panicking about. He turns towards the dilapidated old school building. His fingers (fingers! so strange and new, suddenly) squeeze the fabric of that floppy old tie, finding the new tear in the fabric. Without putting much thought into it, he starts moving towards the classroom building, drawn towards it like a magnet. It's natural. It's the place where he belongs. The home he was given.

If he could, he'd like to see them just one more time. He doesn't dare hope for more than that. ]
commonsensei: (The wheels of fate go round and round)

[personal profile] commonsensei 2016-04-30 04:23 am (UTC)(link)
[ Perhaps because he's not actively hoping for it, this might come as a shock. Because he'll find the building occupied-- not by his students, who had bid him a soft, tearful goodbye. Not the other teachers.

But someone is in that classroom, walking the rows of desks, passing a fond hand over the teacher's desk-- and it's there he'll find her.

She'd seen everything. The way her students - his children - had tried everything in their power to save him, how ultimately Nagisa had put an end to it. Aguri had said it before-- she gladly would have died, to save his life. If this was the outcome of her death, once again... she doesn't regret a thing.

Except that she's seeing him again so soon, and in a familiar form that drags back memories of speaking softly through a thick glass pane, the first time his tentacles had suggested that it would be fine to be honest.

Aguri looks at him now, with such quiet pride. ]


Welcome back.
commonsensei: (I'll be your guinea pig today)

[personal profile] commonsensei 2016-04-30 05:03 am (UTC)(link)
Mm. [ The affirmation could mean anything, her nod-- but then she clarifies with a faint smile, something reminiscent softening her gaze. ]

I think I might have been waiting ever since the first time you held me.

[ Aguri approaches him now, extending her hand. If he reaches out to take it, he'll find her grip to be warm and solid. She's not transparent this time, or fading. He'll realize sooner or later... that this isn't a dream. Not this time. ]
commonsensei: (..... Rosebud)

[personal profile] commonsensei 2016-04-30 01:26 pm (UTC)(link)
I think you deserve it, after everything you've been through. The adventure that you've had... you've made some fun memories, haven't you?

[ Aguri's smile can only do so much to reassure him, though she's sure he's got questions. Knowing him, he's probably expected to end up somewhere entirely different. He probably didn't think there would be someone waiting for him, who had watched over him with a wistfulness to match the zeal with which he'd watched over his class.

But she is here, her fingers gently folding over his. One person probably isn't enough to assuage the loss of over twenty, she knows, and she's nowhere near arrogant enough to think that she alone will be able to help ease him into the afterlife.

But she wants to try. After all, the man in front of her means so much, so much. Her rock, who had saved her students, her sister.

So Aguri bows her head after a moment. ]


... Thank you. For everything you've done.
commonsensei: (I'll be your guinea pig today)

[personal profile] commonsensei 2016-05-01 03:15 am (UTC)(link)
[ Aguri's hand moves involuntarily, fingers twitching as though she's regretting the loss of his own hand-- but then it's there, calloused palm warm against her cheek, and she obediently lifts her eyes. This... is the hand of a man who has killed so many people that he's likely lost count. But to her, it's the hand of someone who had taken her words about being someone in a different world... and had become that person. Smart, slightly perverted, stubborn...

Someone who saw people when he looked at them. ]


... Yes. I thought that, since I'd asked so much of you, the least I could do was watch. Witness for myself what happened over the course of a year.

And I've said this, and I'll say it again... you've really become a splendid teacher, Korosensei. Just as I've known you would be.

[ Her voice also shares that heaviness, but she's smiling. ]
commonsensei: (I'll be your guinea pig today)

[personal profile] commonsensei 2016-05-04 07:09 pm (UTC)(link)
[ It takes her a moment, and even longer than that, to not only realize which times he's talking about, but to then fight back the initial rush of embarrassment, because you're a pervert. Granted, she's suspecting this is how he copes, so she won't actually shriek at him. Especially when he continues, and she smiles at him steadily and tilts her head ever so slightly into the curve of his palm. ]

The way your students tried to save you should tell you enough.

But you've done amazingly.
commonsensei: (Karma's hole-in-the-wall... present)

[personal profile] commonsensei 2016-05-11 03:37 am (UTC)(link)
You-- wait-- [ Aguri stammers, and it's embarrassing, because they're supposed to be having this solemn, serene moment (probably), but when she can literally hear the tears drenching his tone-- she finds herself at a loss. She'd wanted to reassure him that he'd done well, that he'd done what she hadn't been able to do while she'd been alive and hadn't been able to do after she'd died. He'd made so many lives that much more enriched by his presence and his teachings, and to hear him call her his teacher-- it's an honor that she'd honestly never imagined.

She'd... wanted him to live, with them. To guide her sister-- Kaede, now, on her path. To keep their smiles and confidence in place. To find his reason for living. He'd told her that she'd given him his life, but he stands here before her, and Aguri shakes her head helplessly, blinking back tears as best as she can. ]


Please... don't bow your head. I wanted to do... so much more for you.

... I wanted to watch you grow old. [ and here he is. ]
commonsensei: (I swear I'm competent)

[personal profile] commonsensei 2016-05-14 08:58 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Spoken like a teacher, she thinks, posing questions that don't have simple answers without sifting through rather complicated thoughts first. She'd known he wouldn't have long to live, even though the desperate, foolish part of her had hoped to find a way before he'd decided to take matters into his own hands-- or tentacles, as it were.

Occasionally she'd wondered, what it would be like-- if she had convinced him not to attack everyone, if they'd returned to that classroom and those students together. Akari wouldn't have been there, though. Akari, the students that had trickled in to try their hands at assassinating him-- now, though, they've both returned to a place that holds cherished memories for them. It seems only fitting that they both end up here, and Aguri smiles softly, shaking her head. ]


It's a happy kind of sad. Or a painful sort of happiness? A bit of an oxymoron, I know, but I can't think of any better way to describe it. You... found so many precious people, and I'm incredibly happy for you.
Edited 2016-05-14 20:58 (UTC)
commonsensei: (Did you just nurufufufu at me--)

[personal profile] commonsensei 2016-05-24 04:43 am (UTC)(link)
[ No one, she thinks, barring certain cases, ever really wants to die. Some have death sentences. Some are given ultimatums. Others, like her, lose their lives before time and natural circumstances can draw them to the other side. It happens, without warning most of the time, and it's unfair to everyone involved.

But if she'd had to die, she's glad her death had helped him so much. Kept him alive, led him to those children who had needed him more. And his own death had added meaning to the lives they'd continue to lead, as he'd said. A death that may hurt, but also helps... it's about as ideal as it can be.

And sadly, death hasn't cured her of blushing or any other slightly dopey expressions, because she sure looks flustered now. ]


I think you've complimented me more than enough already...

[ And Aguri had hoped he'd find someone else, even as the thought had made her heart ache. But he couldn't live his life caring so strongly for a dead woman, and yet... here they are. ]
commonsensei: (My sensei senses were tingling)

[personal profile] commonsensei 2016-05-24 01:18 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Why is he doing this to her? Akari teasing her had been bad enough, but she was accustomed to her little sister doing such a thing! Korosensei, though-- because that's who he was now, not a Shinigami but a teacher who had earned his name and title with aplomb-- it's been so long since he's teased her like this that she hasn't had time to build up any sort of resistance.

But is it really teasing, though? There's something gentle about it, and when she peeks at him, he's just as red as she's sure her face must be. There's something more to this. There'd always been something more, but things had ended before she could muster up her bravery enough to speak up about it. Now, though... what's actually stopping either of them, except her own uncertainty about his feelings?

And hadn't what he just said been some form of confirmation? ]


... It's not that I dislike it... it's just a little overwhelming. You always seem to make me feel as though I'm someone pretty amazing, when I'd always thought that about you.
commonsensei: (Why am I marrying an asshole)

[personal profile] commonsensei 2016-05-26 02:34 am (UTC)(link)
[ She's not accustomed to reverence-- not from anyone, and when he speaks so gently, looks at her as though she's truly the most precious thing he's ever laid eyes on, Aguri almost wants to cry. There'd been something between them, something even she had realized, but before anything had come of it (would anything have come of it, she'd thought)...

But there's no reason to dwell on what had happened. What lies ahead of her is him, extending his arms and saying a line so like something from one of Akari's dramas and yet it fits so perfectly that she can't even sigh at him.

Because he's right. This is so much more than thin tendrils of a tentacle cupping her cheek, and now that she's felt his warmth, Aguri can't even dream of stopping herself from walking into that inviting hold. Her own arms move, to wrap tightly around him. ]


I thought so... you're truly such a warm presence.
commonsensei: (Fuck you this is designer brand)

[personal profile] commonsensei 2016-05-27 12:48 pm (UTC)(link)
[ There's a very instinctive huff, and she very nearly retorts that while she was alive, her sister had made a point of asking nearly every day if all of her calories had gone to her chest.

But no, that's not worth mentioning, and she can tell he doesn't actually mean to mock her-- not when his breath stirs Aguri's hair (his breath, when neither of them ought to draw it anymore) and she can feel the softest pressure there. There's a sharp contrast to how it had felt when she'd been choking on her own blood in his trembling arms and now, when there's a peace beyond the knowledge of her death to be found where she is. ]


From how tightly you're holding me, [ she says finally, lightly, although her grip is likely more firm here-- ] I think you've wanted to touch me, too.
commonsensei: (I'll be your guinea pig today)

[personal profile] commonsensei 2016-06-03 01:25 pm (UTC)(link)
I think it's important to convey your feelings. Otherwise, people have to guess at how it is you feel, and they won't always guess correctly. [ Her class, for as much as she'd wanted to understand them, had never truly opened up to her, and she'd only been able to learn how they'd felt long after her death. Thanks to the adorably frazzled man currently holding her. ]

But we have time now. I finally have the time to get to understand you properly. And you have the time to tell me.

[ If he's willing to. Just this hug is enough for her, honestly. ]
commonsensei: (..... Rosebud)

[personal profile] commonsensei 2016-06-13 04:53 am (UTC)(link)
[ Well. If he's red, Aguri's like the flaming-hot version of that, mouth opening slightly and then closing. Open, close. It's suddenly hard to breathe, which is absurd, because at the very basic level, she's past the point of needing to breathe. But she wasn't prepared for this, for him to pour everything out in a desperate rush, admitting things that she had only ever thought to herself or whispered to him through the barrier that had separated him.

She'd wanted to touch him. She'd wanted to hold his hand. She'd wanted more time with him, and the courage to turn to Yanagisawa and smile and say she could no longer walk beside him. She'd wanted more than their conversations always cut short, when they could stop talking only when they wished to. She'd wanted to know him, not just who he had been or what her fiancee had turned him into, but what he could be. What he was right now.

His words now shake her heart.

Aguri draws back, barely enough, but just enough to slip her hands between them and cradle his face. She may never be able to stop touching him, she acknowledges with a shaky smile at her own weakness and daring, stroking a trembling thumb along a cheekbone. ]


I'm not going anywhere. I won't leave you. You're still so clumsy and awkward, with so many flaws...

... But I love that about you.
commonsensei: (I'll be your guinea pig today)

[personal profile] commonsensei 2016-06-29 04:06 am (UTC)(link)
[ There's a time and a place to be brazen, too honest-- but not for him, not for someone who's carefully tucked away the non-lethal aspects of his personality in favor of being a shinigami. Aguri had seen those aspects emerge slowly, had coaxed them out almost without realizing it, and she wouldn't have dreamed of ever telling him to rein them back in. Not when he hadn't allowed himself that sort of freedom for most of his life. One year compared to that-- it wasn't much.

He's still so fragile.

It's an amusing thought, when she knows the man whose face is burning her palms has killed more people than she could dream of counting. But here, being candid and open and honest with feelings, she has the most experience-- the advantage. Which doesn't really make Aguri feel any less overwhelmed or any braver. She's just as flustered as he is, breath catching just slightly in her throat when their foreheads touch but her thumbs continue to learn the solid lines of his cheekbones. ]


Thank you. [ She'll just protest his remark mildly. ] For seeing me.

[ Not too late. Not this time. ]
commonsensei: (I swear I'm competent)

[personal profile] commonsensei 2016-07-11 04:47 am (UTC)(link)
That does seem a little silly for a Shinigami to be worried about. Or anyone, really. [ But she can understand that concern. Finding happiness after death? A sort of consciousness and a mutual understanding? Things that she hadn't even dreamed of while she'd been alive, and now here they are, finally facing each other in a way they hadn't been able to do while the both of them had drawn breath on opposite sides of the glass.

Aguri's peaceful now, though. Like this... everything will be fine, and their students will continue to move forward confidently. ]


... Should I pinch you, so you know that there isn't a chance of this being a dream?

[ WOULD THAT HELP? She's only about 23% serious, though. ]
commonsensei: (Fuck you this is designer brand)

[personal profile] commonsensei 2016-07-18 11:40 pm (UTC)(link)
All right then--! Prepare yourself!

[ Aguri, don't clench your hand into a fist--

But that's okay, because she'll just lean in for the strike and-- land one right there. By which we mean a kiss on his cheek instead, because Aguri does what she wants. ]
Edited 2016-07-18 23:41 (UTC)
commonsensei: (Did you just nurufufufu at me--)

[personal profile] commonsensei 2016-08-04 01:14 pm (UTC)(link)
W-what? But you're turning so red!

[ What does he mean, he didn't quite feel that? That took a lot of daring, and now she has to take a deep breath and muster her gumption all over again, and--

... It'll take her a few minutes. ]
commonsensei: (The wheels of fate go round and round)

[personal profile] commonsensei 2016-08-14 10:10 pm (UTC)(link)
[ This is what happens when you have two adult individuals who absolutely fail at being suave, and can't just kiss each other with the fierce intensity of sucking out one's soul that Nagisa's demonstrated flawlessly (her poor, poor little sister).

In Aguri's defense, though, she'd had a fiancee she'd never really felt like kissing, and he'd been even more reluctant to show any form of affection other than false smiles in the public eye.

But this is too much. Her face is burning red, he's still blushing, and neither one of them has managed to actually kiss each other properly-- so he may still have her face hostage, but Aguri's going to reach for his tie and hold him there to kiss him. Mouth-to-mouth.

There. ]
commonsensei: (I swear I'm competent)

[personal profile] commonsensei 2016-08-23 03:33 am (UTC)(link)
[ Perhaps it had been for the best that Aguri had died before they'd acted on any of the impulse they've both apparently been feeling for some time now, because she really wouldn't have wanted to kill him prematurely. Or at all, but thankfully... it's not something she's thinking about right now. Not when he's kissing her back, and it's nothing perfunctory or unfeeling, it's soft and careful and warm and everything she's never let herself want.

Until now.

When he breaks away with that smile, and her chest grows warm, Aguri opens her mouth-- and nothing emerges except for a startled laugh when the view tilts and she finds herself suspended in his arms. So he's found his confidence again, and Aguri couldn't be happier for it. For this, honestly, for a moment between the two of them where there's absolutely nothing separating them this time. ]


You're... not bad... [ she finally manages, like she wasn't just left pleasantly dazed and thoroughly kissed. ]
commonsensei: (Karma's hole-in-the-wall... present)

[personal profile] commonsensei 2016-09-24 03:35 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Inappropriate behavior, he believes, when he'd had people like Irina teaching his students how to french-kiss victims (like her little sister) into submission.

Not that Aguri's even thinking about that, because she'd had a feeling this particular topic would be shoving on his shoulders sooner or later. For all of his smoothness and confidence in many, many subjects, he tends to worry more than he lets on. And here, at least, she can once again be his teacher-- a rare thing, definitely, but it's happened. ]


What happens next is entirely your choice. [ She'll just put that up there first, her own expression taking on the same level of seriousness. ] When we die, we're given the option to move on... or to stay, to watch over those we left behind, even if we can't interact with them or influence them.

... I'd already decided that I wanted to witness what happened, to watch over you and those children. If you want to remain... I'll be here.