Chapter Text
Blood. It was all she ever seemed to see. Dripping down walls that moved like snakes. Coming down people's eyes like tears, gushing out of noses and mouths. But every time she tried to point it out, people thought she was joking. Had a dark sense of humor. That 'Sense of humor' is what landed her in E-class for third year. It was about to start, and she was staring at the wall, watching it shift subtlety, another crack appearing with blood dripping out of it, like it was leaking from a fresh wound. She bit her lip, trying not to freak out. She kept repeating to herself three words. 'It's not there.' Telling her parents wouldn't be any good. She had tried that already, and they thought it was just a new joke of hers. She wished it was.
Suddenly. it's like her brain reset as a coppery taste filled her mouth. She rushed to the bathroom, spitting the blood out of her mouth, and looked at herself. She seemed... normal, for now. Washing the wound, she sighed. An idea did come to her mind though. If seeing and tasting actual blood seemed to snap her brain out of the worst of things, maybe that was the key to whatever was wrong with her!
She went back into her room, noticing the walls looked normal. No blood. No cracks. Nothing. But she still felt like she couldn't really relax, as she felt she was being watched still. That never-ending feeling of being watched and looked at like a science experiment. It never seemed to go away, even with the new realization that blood and pain would snap her out of the worst of it. It seems she was stuck with that.
She sighed, getting ready for bed. It was late, and she had things to do tomorrow. But a lingering thought in her brain made her wonder if it would be worth it to open her skin more to keep the sights at bay.
Over the next few weeks, things got worse. Voices that didn't sound like her own filled her head, telling her that her classmates were staring. Judging. That they couldn't wait until her dead weight was in E-class. She scratched nervously at the back of her hand, looking around as several of her classmates sneered in her direction. Her breathing picked up as the walls continued to move and bleed as if she was in the stomach of a beast and not her classroom. Mei was a nervous wreck at the moment, but she knew exactly what to do to snap herself out of it. But she couldn't, could she? Definitely not here. Too many eyes. Too many people. Too much blood that only she seemed to see.
It was all too much.
Once she was at home, she rushed to her room with her bag, and pulled out her boxcutter. Such a simple thing that every student had, like scissors in America. She took of her jacket and shirt, and took a deep breath. She needed it all to stop!
The first slice was easy. She barely felt it on her forearm. The voices seemed to quiet down as she sliced at her skin like it had offended her. Ten slices in, she felt better, but it was hard to stop. By fifteen, she managed to drop the blade though, and watched the blood flow down her arm. It was oddly therapeutic to her. Everything that bothered her seemed to still. She felt like she could breathe. It was refreshing after so long of feeling like she was suffocating. Eventually, the blood started to congeal, and she went to wash it off, covering the cuts with a sweatshirt she liked. Finally, she felt alone. And it was both refreshing and terrifying.
The cutting quickly became a habit. She didn't feel like she could stop it any time soon.
E-class became a class of assassins. The world was going to end, but Mei could barely concentrate. All she could see was the blood on everyone's faces.
"One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight..." The only class she felt truly like herself in was Gym class. It was weird, but the blood pumping under her scabs seemed to keep her focused. Even if she couldn't tell you where she was, trapped in a head that didn't feel like hers anymore, she felt like she was back in her own body whenever gym rolled around. It was hot out, and getting hotter, but she refused to take off the jacket that she wore all the time. She always wore her blazer, and if not her blazer, her gym jacket. No matter the weather, always the long sleeves.
"Ah, the sounds of a choreographed exercise regiment echoing across the fields on a golden afternoon. So peaceful. So militant."
"Make those knives sing! Treat each and every move like a legit kill strike!" Karasuma called out. Mei, while chanting and swinging, was going over her notes mentally for her quiz next period. She studied when she was more lucid, and felt she could actually retain the information she was going over. Mr Karasuma was telling korosensei he was in the way, while korosensei complained about being lonely. She was getting better, she felt, with keeping herself present mentally, and ignoring the blood and eyes she felt, but some days she still slipped. Just yesterday, she mentioned the blood on the walls was unsettling to Nagisa, who just furrowed his brow in confusion, and asked what she was talking about.
She played it off as best she could, but she thinks he knows there's something wrong with her.
"The kids liked it better when I was their gym coach anyhow." Korosensei said while crying.
"Yeah, not so much." Sugaya said. "No offence or anything, it's just, when it comes to exercise, you..."
"Set the bar kinda high." Sugino finished. Even Mei grimaced at the memory of the disaster that was gym class before Karasuma took over.
"Like we could keep up with that." Nakamura said.
"We're human beings. I for one think our coach should be too." Korosensei cried more while stacking stones. Mei just giggled.
"Right, back to work, people."
"Can I ask an obvious question sir?" Maehara asked. "If there's an actual point to this training, should, uh, should we be practicing in front of our target?"
"Whether killing or studying, it's the same principle. Drill the basics and they'll serve you well. Isogai, maehara, step up." The two did so. "I want you to try and tag me with those knives."
"Wait, like as a team?"
"Do you think that's a good idea?"
"The blades are harmless. They weren't designed to injure human beings. Tell you what. Manage to hit me, and you can go home for the day." He said as he loosened his tie.
"Uh, okay? Well, here goes nothing." Isogai lunged first, only to get sidestepped.
"Come on." Maehara went in, and got his arm twisted away, and another side step for Isogai. He was blocking and avoiding their moves while practically half asleep. "See that kids? Even with the bare minimum know-how, I can practially didge their attacks in my sleep. They've got no technique." They lunged together, only to be flipped flat on their backs. "If you can't land a hit against a guy like me, you haven't got a prayer against a target who's top speed is mach 20. See? We've been sparring for half a minute, and look. He's had time to change clothes. Make tea, and make a model of asaka castle."
"So irritating!" Maehara said as him and isogai were helped up.
"That's why we drill. Once the whole class can hit me, you've got a shot. Do what I tell you as often as I tell you to do it, and you'll become assassins. This isn't recess kids. From now on, gym class will be about the basics. Stabbing, correct use of firearms, everything you need to succeed."
"Well okay."
"Alright. That aught to do it for today."
"Thank you sir." Mei looked around, stretching. She went ahead to grab her uniform to change, but stopped short when she noticed more red. Blood again? But looking again, it was a boy with blood-red hair, sipping on a carton of strawberry milk. As the bell rang, she looked on, curious. Who was this kid? She faintly heard Nagisa and Sugino behind her, both stopping short.
"Nagisa. Sup? It's been a while." He knew him?
"Karma? You're back?"