Chapter Text
A future classmate.
That was the only explanation to the way it was written on your wrist. By technicality that would be the first words said to you even if those words would address the entire class and not you alone. You got lucky you guessed, knowing who your soulmate was even before meeting them properly. During your first and second year at Kunugigaoka you saw him around campus often skipping classes. He had quite the reputation that you’re not sure you would want to be associated with. You've been studying his antics from a far and you're not that impressed. Sure he was cute but was this really your type? You think you should get looked at if he’s supposed to be your perfect match.
Nearing finals, you had spent more time trying to figure the sadistic redhead out and less time studying, leading you to bomb your finals. That's how you ended up in class 3-E. Your suspicions about him being a bad influence on you weren’t a million miles off but honestly you did this to yourself. At the end of the day, just because you were soulmates truly didn't mean anything. It's not like he gave off the kind of feeling that he would be interested in finding his soulmate. It’s clear by the way he interacts with others that he firmly keeps people at arms length. What do you even say to your soulmate that you've known about and stalked for years? What would happen if you just didn’t say anything at all? It's not like there was any kind of rule stating you had to converse with them. This was a conundrum that hadn’t even occurred to you.
After all you have no way of knowing what's written on the other’s wrist. There have been cases where someone could be one person's soulmate but not vice versa and then there was that study of the first polygamous soulmates only last year. It's all so messy to begin with and that's not even taking into consideration that Karma could just not care about it at all. So you stayed quiet and made sure to never address him directly. It's not like you were in the same social circle and given that he really only ever talked to Nagisa it wasn’t that hard. Until he came back from suspension and was also in 3-E.
Luckily he hardly ever showed up to class. Which pissed you off greatly when you placed just below him in the midterms. Karma had tried to acknowledge it but you didn’t respond verbally, only humming and shaking your head before he could push the conversation further. You ran away as fast as possible and hoped he didn't follow you. What you didn’t see was Korosensei noticing you had been avoiding a certain sadist.
For the class trip to Kyoto you needed to get into groups of six. You thought avoiding Karma would be easy. All you had to do was pair up with someone he'd never group with. You had approached Kanzaki about following her lead for what group to join. The prettiest girl in class probably wouldn't try to partner up with the class's biggest slacker right? Little did you know Korosensei forgot to mention there was going to be one group of seven. You tried not to appear apprehensive about her choice but you couldn't help your heart from pounding in your chest. You hoped no one could tell you were a little more quiet than usual. You noticed that your guide book had some encouraging words about making friends and a little Korosensei holding a banner saying “Go for it!”
It was almost your turn to bring Korosensei to your designated spot when the group decided on taking a shortcut. You were on edge even before you entered the alleyway. Everything happened so fast. Your group was surrounded. Karma took down one of the goons leaving you in awe. So much so that you let your guard down enough to be grabbed from behind. As you struggled against your captor to break free, another goon grabbed a pole. You couldn’t believe your eyes. Getting hit on the back of the head with a metal pipe could be lethal if you hit the right spot. You had to do something before anyone got seriously injured. You fought harder against your kidnapper and without even realizing it you screamed out Karma's name desperately hoping that he somehow dodges the surprise attack.
He didn’t.
They continued to kick him on the ground after he collapsed. You screamed as they ushered you, Kayano and Kanzaki away from the fight. You watched the rest of the boys get beat up but Karma was still lifeless on the ground. You shouted for anyone in the area the best you could but someone finally muffled your voice. You wanted to bite their hand but you begrudgingly went along with them. You were grossly outnumbered and it wasn’t only your life on the line. If only you could have done anything to help.
If only you said something sooner. You shake your head in disappointment. This was all your fault. If you would have told them this was a bad idea this could have been avoided. You were too concerned that saying it to the general group would mean you were speaking to Karma.
If you had been paying closer attention to your surroundings instead of worrying about not speaking to Karma you wouldn't feel so useless right now. What were you even afraid of? Being rejected? You won't even let him get close to you. The image of Karma being beaten on the floor is still fresh in your head. You hoped he's okay. Despite you not sustaining any injuries your chest hurt seeing your soulmate in pain.
—
When Karma turned 10 he was alone, just as he's always been. The family business was far more important than celebrating the day he received his soulmate mark. Surprisingly the loneliness didn't hurt as much as it used to in past years. The idea of a soulmate always fascinated him. This person was destined to be his companion. He was always curious about the little wrist tattoos others had and now he finally had one. It wasn’t exactly as he expected though. On his wrist only one word was written.
Karma
No punctuation, no pleasantries, no nothing. The only thing written on his wrist was his own goddamn name. How utterly and absolutely useless. So much for trying to find his soulmate. Obviously it was going to be a longshot, the words only tell you how you know you've met but you have no idea when you'll meet. Some people will wait their whole life to meet and what happens when their ages are like 30 years apart or if one of them is practically on their deathbed. That aside this meant it would be on his soulmate to note when they've met and Karma hasn't exactly been known to trust other people.
Years passed and no luck. Most people called him Akabane but he had some distaste for his family name. He started exclusively going by his first name in hopes to force his soulmate to come out to play sooner but it didn't seem to be working. He shrugged it off pretty fast because what was there to do about it? You were already destined to meet, he guessed he'd just have to wait for it to happen naturally then.
In that same vein Karma has never cared for people let alone the opposite sex. He always thought he had no interest in girls but that was until he transferred to class 3-E. Actually scratch that he wouldn't exactly call it an interest, it was more like he was curious. He noticed the way you refused to make eye contact with him during his introduction and how you would avoid him if you could help it. The behavior was odd. It didn't seem like you hated him and it's not like he did anything to you, so what gives? Karma couldn't decipher what he was feeling and why. Was he irritated that someone wasn't paying attention to him? He didn't think he had that big of an ego and It's not like he's ever cared about that before so that shouldn't be it. Come to think of it, what were your first words to him? He genuinely couldn’t remember since he was too focused on killing Koro Sensei the first few days he transferred.
Surely if you were his soulmate you would have said something when he spoke to you. In fact now that he thinks about it more, he's certain you've never spoken to him directly. Even during the planning phase for the Kyoto trip he only now realized you somehow never addressed him. Which was very clever Karma had to admit, if that was the case but he was antsy thinking about it. Did he actually miss something or was he giving you too much credit? For all he knew he was just reading into something that wasn't there. He had too many questions and conflicting emotions that frustrated him greatly.
As his vision started to focus he could barely make out Okuda's voice. His head throbbed while he pieced together what just happened. Karma had the upper hand but that didn't stop the fact that he had been outnumbered. He got too cocky, wasn’t paying attention, someone called out to him and the world faded as he passed out for a second.
“It'll take too long if we go to the police,” Karma clenched his fist looking up at the others. “And I really want to deal with them myself.”
—
“You're sick.” Kayano muttered under her breath. You were at your limit as the thug reached forward for Kayano. If you had your hands free you would have strangled them by now but the most you could do was body barge your friend out of the way and try to headbutt this delinquent. It’s unfortunate that all your training so far was for one on one combat situations. You've fought with a group before but not against a group. It made you feel guilty since you were the better fighter of those who got captured but you still couldn’t do anything to prevent this from happening. Luckily it seemed you stalled enough for the rest of your group to find you.
Your eyes met Karma’s and your knees felt weak, probably from stress and exhaustion. Although there was a pang that dropped your heart in your stomach, fear maybe? That’s never happened before but you've also never been kidnapped before. There's a first for everything you guess. As he walked out from the shadows like he was ready to kick some ass, Karma was mesmerizing and it made you feel warm that he was coming to save you. Well not only you, but with the way you both were looking at each other it wasn’t that hard to pretend, plus your head was a little muddled from smashing it against the other guy a moment ago. Honestly it makes you want to throw up in a sense. That could be because you were worried about everyone’s well being. Definitely not because you saw Karma specifically get beat up. It would have been the same if it was any other classmate surely.
Even as the dust settled and Korosensei cleaned up the rest of the mess your head felt fuzzy being a few feet away from him. It was like you were vibrating, most likely adrenaline. You caught him stealing glances at you and you wonder if it had something to do with your appearance or if his body was also not functioning normally after being hit on the back of the head. Your hand itched to reach out but you willed it to follow directions no matter how dizzy it made you. The impact from your head might have been much harder than you anticipated. That soft gaze you both shared in the golden light of the sun was almost certainly relief that everyone was safe and nothing else. Honestly you hoped it was all in your head. How could there be a weird shift in your dynamic if you never had a dynamic to begin with. You were definitely overthinking things or maybe this is the trauma that Korosensei was talking about when being kidnapped. Whatever the case no one batted an eye at you being quiet for the rest of the day.
___
As Karma walked back into the boy’s division he could overhear them talking about who people had crushes on. He never really gave it much thought. Did he even like anyone like that? When they asked him who he liked from the class your face popped in his head for some reason. Weird. Come to think of it after he regained consciousness earlier he had a strange feeling like he needed to be close to you. Maybe it was guilt that he couldn’t save his classmates but he didn’t feel the same about Kanzaki or Kayano. He shrugged and gave them a perfectly logistical answer to satisfy their curiosity. He could see himself liking Okuda even if it's more for selfish reasons. When the matter of soulmate marks were brought up things became harder to avoid.
Isogai rolled his sleeve down after showing off his mark looking over at the redhead. “What does yours say Karma?” His classmates huddled around him with interest.
He laughed and showed his wrist casually almost like this was an everyday occurrence. Some people hide their mark but he's never cared to look at other's. “Probably the most generic mark I could have.” The reactions from his classmates varied but it was mostly how he imagined them to be, apologetic. Most people just felt bad that it wasn’t even a common phrase. It was almost lazy in a way that it was just his name. He only shrugged. Life truly was unpredictable.
“You think anyone in our class are soulmates and we just didn’t pay attention?” Meahara was skeptical since everyone had their one social circle they primarily hung out with.
“I doubt it by now, but you never know.” Sugino replied, almost hopeful. There was a pause before they went back to talking about crushes. It made Karma ponder for a moment as he had this bizarre feeling of irritation. He brushed it off as frustration that his soulmate’s first sentence was straight up just his name. The next thing he knew everyone was chasing Korosensei around.
___
“So (Y/N), you got a crush on anybody or are you waiting for your soulmate?”
You swallowed hard as all the focus was shifted to you. Since turning in for the day you had been a mess who couldn’t focus because all you could think about was watching Karma get bested earlier and why seeing him afterwards made you feel different. Is this what a crush is? It would make sense since he’s your soulmate but everyone just agreed that Karma is a psycho so would it be weird to admit it? That deep down you would have to like him to some degree if he was your soulmate.
“Well actually, I’ve already met my soulmate so I guess I don’t really think about it.” You tried to be nonchalant about it.
Turns out that was the wrong thing to say.
Everyone was bombarding you with questions. “What do you mean you met your soulmate?” Rio was trying to grab at your wrists to try and take a look at your mark.
“I mean he spoke to me but I haven't said anything back to him yet.” You batted her hand away.
You always covered the words with a bandage but you never thought people would try and look for themselves. You only really cared to cover it for Karma’s sake but now that everyone was so thoroughly interested you’re glad you cover it. “Wait, is that even allowed? What does it say?”
“Yeah why are you being so secretive? Unless it's someone that we know!”
As your classmates chased you around the room, part of you wondered if it was really that bad if everyone else knew. You all had the same opinion on Karma, that he’s very charming if you ignore his sadistic tendencies. After a minute it was once again apparent that you had been trained in fighting one on one. They managed to take the bandage off with relative ease. Curse your classmates and their ability to work together. They had you backed into a corner, right next to Korosensei.
Korosensei who could see the words on your wrist.
Korosensei who made a snarky comment “So that’s why you avoid talking to him directly! Oh how interesting~”
That, for some reason, was enough to get all the girls off your back and to get them to chase after Korosensei instead. You were thankful but oh so baffled. Rewrapping the bandage you needed to get some air. Luckily the nearest vending machine was down the corridor. Unfortunately you ended up bumping into Karma. Of course this would be the case. It made your heart beat faster knowing that no one else was in the hallway. You guess Karma could tell you were tense.
“You okay? You’ve been spacing out since we rescued you guys.” Karma sounded concerned.
You have no idea what to do. Looking at him made you feel different now, like you had this compulsion to say something. Like you were done running away from this petty game you created. He quirked an eyebrow when you still hadn't responded. The moment you opened your mouth Korosensei slithered past, bringing the angry mobs with him. So instead of answering you slipped into the crowd, unable to confront him.
It left Karma baffled but he guessed you were kidnapped earlier so he didn’t want to pry, even though he had a feeling in the back of his head that told him he should have.
___
After that Karma paid more attention to you than he'd like to admit. Partly because of that strange instinct he had that he always felt your presence and partly because he genuinely doesn't remember you speaking to him. After a week of purposely taking the time to invade your personal space more and more, and you still not addressing him once, he really was in disbelief. He really tried to push you to talk naturally. Attempting to be inconspicuous without starting the dialogue himself. He made sure to always be around and surely any normal person would at least tell him to back off or leave them alone. Instead he watched as you'd fidget and look for literally anyone else close by.
During P.E. Karma finally made a move.
You shuddered as Karma boxed you in. There was no more running, no one you could directly address to cover your base. Karma chased you as far away from the rest of the class as he could.
“What cat got your tongue?”
He laughed tilting your chin up to meet his gaze. “You've been avoiding me for quite some time. It was clever, I'll give you that. I never even noticed until recently that you refused to speak up when I'm around.” Karma leaned in, tilting his head to the side. You could feel his breath on your cheeks.
He was smiling wide, “Well? There's no more denying it. I'm waiting~”
Smug bastard.
Too many thoughts were racing through your mind, like why is he pressing the matter so hard or what will happen when he confirms it for himself? Before you could really think of the consequences the words left your mouth “Clearly you already know what I'm going to say, so what's the point?”
Karma’s eyes widened in shock.
He was wrong.
That's not what he thought you were going to say. He was so sure you hadn't spoken to him before so why wasn't that what's written on his arm? He let you go and leaned against the tree. “You really had me there for a second. Although if you're not my soulmate what gives?” He was perplexed. Karma almost felt listless at the endeavor. He felt it with every fiber of his soul so why were the words all wrong?
“huh?”, was that not right? Were you his soulmate and he wasn’t yours? Wait no other way around! He was destined to be your soulmate but you weren't his. Now you’re glad you never said anything. How embarrassing. Your face dropped at the realization.
You weren’t his.
“Why take the time to pretend you were my soulmate?” Karma accused trying to keep up the facade that he didn't care one way or the other.
Meanwhile you were taken aback. Pretend?
You had half a mind to show him your arm but what's the point if you weren't even his soulmate. You knew it was best to remain quiet but then why was your heart aching right now. What did it matter to you? You never planned on telling him anyway. Maybe this was your true fate.
“Since when is not talking to someone, quote on quote pretending to be their soulmate?” You rolled your eyes trying not to let the tears start to form. You were still mystified at why you felt so hurt over it. This was honestly the best case scenario.
His body fully went limp as he backed away. “I guess you’re right.”
Karma was withdrawn for the rest of the day and in a way so were you. Nagisa tried to ask you about it but you didn’t know what to say. Or what to do. Instead, for better or for worse you asked Korosensei for his thoughts.
“And he didn’t seem phased?” It was hard to gauge Korosensei’s expression since he was so chipper that you even wanted to come to him for relationship advice.
You shrugged “Apparently that's not what's written on his arm.” Shifting in your seat you lay your head down. That pit in your stomach was back. This was embarrassing but who else could you turn to?
“And you're certain you never accidentally said anything to him?”
You sighed. “not that I can think of.” You had been so careful about it for two years.
Korosensei sat up straight. “Now that is strange, I'll look into it. But how do you feel about it?” He grabbed a notebook to write something down.
“The best way I can describe it is itchy. Like I need him around but then whenever I get too close it feels like I can’t breathe properly.” That was an understatement. Ever since Kyoto you have developed different feelings toward the redhead and you genuinely can’t think straight because of it.
___
Unbeknownst to you, Karma was having a similar talk with Nagisa. Karma couldn’t fathom what was going on. Was it because it got his hopes up for something he knew was highly unlikely? Or was he missing part of the puzzle? Regardless, not being able to comprehend what his body’s signals were, pushed him to inquire the only guy he’d trust with this kind of information.
“So what do you think, Nagisa? Should I check myself into a psych ward or what?”
“I wouldn’t go that far,” Nagisa rolled his eyes trying to remember your interactions with Karma. He tries to take notes and keep tabs on everything that happens in class because you never know what will become useful later. He did think it was weird that you would never address Karma when he asked you questions. You've used him personally to skirt around the redhead often. He didn’t question it at the time but this would make sense of why you do it so frequently. It’s weirder if you’re not Karma’s soulmate because then why bother to go to such lengths to avoid talking to him directly. Nagisa hummed before he remembered something crucial. The day you all spent in Kyoto. The moment Karma hit the floor he heard someone shout Karma’s name. Of course he didn’t think anything of it at the time but that must have been you. Although that does beg the question, does it count if their soulmate is barely conscious to hear it? That could be why neither of them remembered it happening, plus there were more important things at stake.
“I think there’s a good chance that you just don’t remember it. When we were in Kyoto I’m pretty sure she screamed your name when you were barely conscious.”
Karma’s eyes lit up right before he frowned. That’s right he was beaten over the head by those high schoolers. “That’s plausible. It would definitely explain why I don’t remember but then why did she continue to keep up the charade?”
Nagisa shrugged. “It’s possible she thought you didn’t hear her so it didn’t count? I’m not sure.” No one is really sure how the rules work with the soulmate marks. Obviously she would recognize the words spoken to her so why didn’t she say anything back when he first said them. Nagisa perked up. Unless she already knew who would say those words to her. If she knew her target from the start she could bypass speaking directly to them. “Do you know what’s written on her arm?”
Karma smiled, coming to the same conclusion as Nagisa. “Not a clue but that shouldn’t be hard to find out!”