This one-shot was requested by @BlossomingGeek

This idea has developed into more of its own story instead of a one-shot, so I'll be uploading it in parts. Enjoy!

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My name is Nagisa Shiota, and I'm an assassin for hire.

For my current assignment, I've been sent to a masquerade ball. To attract as little attention as possible, I'm infiltrating as a girl. Not only can I get closer to the target this way, but this dress was specially designed to hide weapons. Within its folds are two daggers, a small but specially designed handgun (with a silencer, of course), and a scalpel. In my small, messenger-bag-style purse, I have toxic perfume, poisonous lip gloss, antidote pills in an allergy pill bottle, an antidote injection disguised as an epipen, and an elegant fox mask.

I scroll through my phone, glancing through pictures of the target. He looks quite ordinary to me, but my client, his ex wife, doesn't think so. She wants him seduced, killed with a kiss of poison, and for me to carve out his heart with a scalpel and deliver it to her. Sometimes the imaginations of those I hire are quite lively, as you can see. I find it quite amusing.

"Here we are, miss," A voice tells me, and I glance up to find the taxi I'm riding in parked in front of a mansion. "Have fun."

"Thank you," I tell the driver, handing him a few bills and flashing an easy smile. I climb out of the taxi, pulling out my mask. I hope this doesn't take too long. It's been forever since I've had a full eight hours of sleep. I don the face of a fox, one of the slyest animals, and smile at the irony. If this man is anywhere near as girl-crazed as most of the male world, then I should be able to enjoy a quality rest.

My attitude towards the mission changes quickly. As I step into the mansion, I instantly groan aloud at the sheer number of people. How the hell am I supposed to find the target? I can't even see the majority of these guys' faces, so I'll have to get close to figure out who he is... Damn it, this is going to take longer than I'm prepared for.

I head towards the punch bowl, looking for the target. I risk a glance at my phone. Brown hair, sharp chin, gold eyes. First off, brown hair. Lots of that here. Why can't I be searching for a redhead or something? Lost in thought, I don't even see the man in front of me until I've already bumped into him. "Gah!"

I yelp loudly as I fall to the floor. All of a sudden, the man I bumped into catches me, pulling me back to my feet. "Are you okay?" He asks.

I raise my eyes to examine him. Could this be my target? His chin line is very sharp, and I can see his golden eyes gleaming from beneath his mask. And his hair is... Red. I sigh inwardly. I guess I did ask for a redhead, but this is not what I meant. And I'm no closer to finding the target, either. What a waste of time.

"Uh, miss?"

I jump a little as I realize I'm still in the strange man's arms. "Sorry!" I squirm away from him, blinking. "Thanks for catching me."

"No problem," comes the reply; I glance up to see that he's holding in laughter, and my face grows hot. "Sorry, sorry," he gasps, the laughter winning over at last. "Just the way you practically rolled away from me just now was... that was great. Am I that ugly, miss?"

"Don't call me Miss; it feels weird," I huff, and I feel my face burning. Wait. I'm not attracted to this man, am I? I can't be gay; I've had like three girlfriends! I can point out girls in this very room I think are hot. That doesn't mean I'm not bisexual, I realize. Shoot. This is bad, this is really bad...

"Eh? What should I call you, then?" The redhead asks, with a lopsided grin.

"Nagisa," I reply, still fazed. I mentally smack myself when I realize that I've just given out my real name to a stranger. Dang it, world, why are you doing this to me tonight?

"Nagisa, huh? My name's Karma." The redhead's still smiling. "Your fox mask is quite beautiful. The dark tones make your eyes sparkle."

Oh, no. I do NOT have time for this. This hot bastard is NOT hitting on me. This is the last thing I need right now. "Thank you," I say, accepting the compliment awkwardly and trying to push past him. "I'm sorry, I have somewhere I need to be–"

"What?" Karma complains, grabbing my shoulder. "Come on, we have all night. You just got here. You're just trying to get away from me." The redhead puts on puppy eyes, and I resist the urge to slap him. Stop guilt-tripping me! I barely know you! "Isn't the whole point of a masquerade ball to dance with pretty strangers?"

"Fine," I sigh, playing along, although inwardly I'm screaming. How am I supposed to seduce the target if this hot buffoon is clinging to my arm all night? The simple answer? I'm not. I've already failed. My life is over.

"Great!" Karma beams at me. "Let's dance!" As Karma leads me to the dance floor, I keep my eyes peeled for my target. Brown hair. Sharp chin. Gold eyes. Brown hair, sharp chin, gold eyes. Brown hair-

I stop abruptly as something catches my eye from across the room. Karma nearly trips, as his grip on my arm is still tight. That's him. By the fondue fountain. Yuuma Isogai, the man who broke my client's heart. 2016 came along, and all of a sudden he decided he was gay for a man named Hiroto Maehara. My client claims that if Isogai can't decide what his heart wants, then he shouldn't have a heart at all. I narrow my eyes, frowning. Maybe she's right. It doesn't seem like Isogai's new husband is here, either. Instead, he's hitting on a white-haired man who looks to be about my age. Wow, this guy needs to be taught a lesson. And I'm the perfect professor.

"Uh, Nagisa?" Karma sounds confused. "Why are you staring at the fondue fountain? If you want to go over there, you just have to say so. I don't own you. It's not like we have to dance."

"Sorry," I apologize, giving Isogai one last glance-over. "I was just thinking." I turn my gaze back to Karma, my smile sincere. "Come on, let's dance."