Chapter One

Abandoned

It wasn't like he didn't know what to expect. Atsushi Nakajima knew what his place was, and it was usually at the feet of the man that owned him, Norman Mailer. Or Norm as everyone called him. He honestly had no idea how long he'd been with Norm other than it had been a long time since he had been at the orphanage. If someone told him that it had been five years, he wouldn't have been surprised. He'd barely been sixteen when this man had come to the orphanage to talk to the owner. He was an average looking man, tall, with short, curly brown hair and dark brown eyes. He wore a trench coat in tan over a suit. Atsushi made the mistake of catching his attention.

He'd never forget walking through the front and being snatched by the arm. He had held his arm in a vicelike grip and looked up at the owner.

"How much for this one?" Norm had asked.

The owner gave him a price, one that seemed to be agreeable to this strange man that was holding onto his arm. He was finally let go and tried to leave. The owner had stopped him, laughing, telling him he wasn't going anywhere but with this new man who had just bought him. He had tried to escape the room, only to find his way blocked by one of the other workers there. He had been a big man with beady, black eyes that took pleasure in their pain. Then he was being dragged from the orphanage by this man, not knowing who he was or what he wanted with him.

He quickly found out that his life with Norm would be worse than his time at he orphanage. At least there, the worst that happened was they got hit or something. Norm wanted him to dress in girl's clothes, an act that seemed to only fuel the man's anger. It wasn't long after he had been "bought" that he was introduced to the life he would soon lead. Norm would use him for his own pleasure, and if he was lucky, then beat him with something. If he wasn't lucky, there would be others there to take advantage of him.

Bruises became so common that he wondered what life was like without being bruised. He always hurt somewhere, and he lost the ability to tell what having a normal life was like. He'd always dreamed of the day he left the orphanage, the day he left the beatings and punishments behind him. He assumed once he was grown, he would be on his own, but now he didn't know what it was like to live for himself.

Norm enjoyed going to the festivals that happened in their area of New York. This year, he dressed Atsushi in a pink plaid skirt with suspenders on it. His hair hadn't been cut since he left the orphanage and hung in his eyes and down over his shoulders. Norm liked the color of it, one of the few things he ever complimented him on. He was allowed to wear a white long-sleeved shirt to cover the bruises that covered his arms and body.

He waited by the door, head down.

"Listen to me," Norm started and grabbed Atsushi by the arm tightly. Atsushi looked up at him, eyes wide. "You're going to be a good boy tonight. We're meeting my friends at a club, and you're gonna be nice to them, understand?" He shook Atsushi for emphasis. "Whatever they want, you are gonna be good and let them do as they please."

"Y-yes, sir," Atsushi stammered, looking at him and then looking down at the floor.

"You better 'yes, sir' me, boy." Norm threw him forward toward the door.

Atsushi knew better than to argue. Arguing would get him hit, and he didn't want to get hit right then. He walked behind Norm once they were outside, heading to his car. He crawled in the passenger seat and buckled the belt numbly. He knew that he wasn't feeling well today. He'd been coughing and dizzy headed all day. He couldn't tell Norm though. He would get mad if he was sick again. He'd just had a cold a couple weeks ago.

They arrived at the club before the sun went down. Norm led him to the front door where he gave their IDs to the man checking them. He paid the two cover charges and grabbed Atsushi by the arm and pushed him into the room. The DJ was already playing music, and there were a few people walking around. He didn't let go of him until they were at a table surrounded by sofas.

"Sit," Norm commanded, and Atsushi obeyed.

He folded his hands in his lap and waited as the other men showed up one by one. Finally, all four of them were there, and Norm pulled Atsushi up from the sofa and sat down. He then moved Atsushi to sit on his leg.

"Come on now, sit down here, boy," he said as he adjusted his leg under Atsushi. "That's a good boy, now," he smirked as he took a drink of something that smelled terrible, some sort of beer.

Atsushi hated when he drank. That meant more bruises by the next morning. He dropped his head and stared at his hands where they laid on Norm's knee.

"You gonna pass that boy around or are you gonna keep him for yerself?" one of the other men said with a laugh.

Norm shoved Atsushi off his lap and pushed him toward the other man. He stumbled a bit but caught himself as he was pulled down on this guy's lap. His hands slipped under the skirt and he jerked to feel his hands against the tops of his thighs. It wasn't like this was unusual; he just wanted to be anywhere but there at the moment.

"You put him in too much clothes this time, can't see his pretty bruises," the man holding him said, squeezing his thigh under the skirt.

"Well, take off that shirt he put on. He shoulda known that he wouldn't keep it," Norm commented as he took a long sip of hi beer.

"Huh, thinking yer better than ya are, huh?" he said and pulled the suspenders down his arms.

Atsushi had known this would probably happen, but he kind of hoped they would forget. He startled as his hands brushed against his sides while he pulled the shirt up and over his head. It got tossed to the floor under foot. Atsushi slipped his arms back under the suspenders, knowing that the skirt was a little too big for him without them. The man holding him helpfully pulled the suspenders back on his shoulders.

"He's got such pretty scars on his back," he said, stroking a finger over him.

Atsushi shivered and didn't say anything as he felt him tracing over the scars on his back. This guy would do that sometime, but he couldn't remember his name. He couldn't remember any of their names and honestly, they all looked the same to him even though they were four different men. They were Norm's friends, and to be obeyed just like Norm was. He gasped as the man next to him pulled him off the other man's lap onto his.

"I just finally got him old enough to come out to these places that serve alcohol," Norm said and grinned at him. "He's getting too old for my tastes though."

"Come on, really?" the man holding him said, sliding his hands down the outside of his arms. "After you done trained him so well?"

"What can I say, he was much more attractive when he was sixteen," Norm sighed, looking at him harshly for a moment.

"Yeah, I can see your point," one of the others, also drinking some kind of beer said.

Atsushi didn't know what to think of what Norm was saying. He didn't like him as much anymore? How could he say something like that? He shifted uncomfortably and jerked as his leg was grabbed hard enough that he could feel the fingernails digging into his skin.

"Damn shame they have to grow up, ain't it?"

"Might have to find a new boy. After all, can't have a boy if he's done turned into a man," Norm stated.

The man beside him snorted. "You think that boy will ever be a man? I don't think so. His pretty little face isn't the type to be a man. He'll stay someone's pussy boy forever, I imagine."

"Where'd ya get him anyway? Such a sweet young boy. You've had him a while now," quipped one on the other side of the table from him.

"Bought him out of an orphanage that was looking to get rid of some o'the older kids. Thought he fit my requirements nicely." Norm chuckled, and the others joined him.

Atsushi could feel how hot his face was, and he knew it wasn't from embarrassment this time. He was still feeling really dizzy and being passed around between these men didn't help that matter at all. He jerked as the man holding him slipped on hand down the back of the skirt. He swallowed hard and hoped that these guys wouldn't do anything here.

"Too bad this place has a no nudity rule," one of them said as he leaned back in the sofa. "Could put him to work if not."

"I'm rather tired of him lately, though," Norm said. "I picked him because I thought he was a girl at first."

"What is your thing with the girly boys?" the one sitting beside him said.

"They deserve what they get," Norm mumbled as he sipped his beer again.

"Give 'im here," the guy next to him said and grabbed him by the arm to yank him off the lap he was on.

Atsushi settled on this one's lap and he shoved both hands under the skirt and started to slide one between his legs. He automatically pulled his legs together as soon as he felt him trying to slide a hand up the leg of his underwear (also pink and lacy).

"Ha! He tries to close his legs like a little virgin girl," he laughed in his ear.

Face burning with embarrassment this time, Atsushi closed his eyes and stopped trying to put his legs together. He knew if he didn't cooperate he was going to get it when they got back home. He looked away and into the crowd and willed someone, anyone, to come and see that he was being treated like this in their midst. Of course, most of them just stared for a second as they passed by. He knew no one would think anything of a boy in a pink schoolgirl skirt in this place. He had seen far more feminine outfits on others in these places since he'd been going to them with Norm.

"So, are you just going to get rid of him?" he zeroed in on the conversation again, catching his breath.

"I wonder," Norm muttered, finishing another beer and standing to get another. He was starting to get a bit drunk, and Atsushi hated to see that because he would end up getting hit by him a lot tonight.

When he came back, Atsushi was really starting to worry because he kept looking at him weird. It was like he was deciding whether or not he was really worth his time. As much as Atsushi wanted someone to see what was happening, he didn't know what to do without Norm. He wanted to be treated nicely by him, and sometimes he was, and those were the best days.

"Come here," Norm said finally.

Atsushi got up off the lap he was currently on and went over to him. Norm put his hand against his face and then slapped him. "Yer starting to look more like a boy. I don't like it."

"I'm sorry, sir," he said, looking down. It wasn't like he could do anything about how he looked.

The other men started to leave, and Norm still stared at him. "Come on," he said roughly and got up. He pulled him along with him to the bathrooms.

Atsushi didn't know what to make of how Norm had been talking. He just went along and watched as he used the bathroom. Then he turned and looked at him.

"You know what, this is as good a place as any to do this. I'm finished with you. You have been a worthless leech on me for long enough, and I'm done taking care of your sorry ass. I'm leaving. Without you."

Atsushi's world just tumbled down around him. He blinked at Norm, the only constant in his life other than the orphanage he'd left. He didn't know how to react, so he said nothing as Norm turned and left him standing there beside the urinals. He watched him go, then started to panic because he wasn't sure what to do. He backed up and went around the side where the stalls were and leaned against the wall for a minute before he slid down it to sit on the floor. He'd be back. He wouldn't just leave him like that. This was some new game for him to scare Atsushi with. It had to be.

-oooooo-OOOOOO-oooooo-

Osamu Dazai was a man with an emptiness in his life. To fill that emptiness, he did things that were enjoyable, things that would make anyone happy. He was a professional poker player. While he played both live poker and electronic poker, his preference was to be face to face with his opponents. The best part of it was the strategy of it all. He traveled between casinos and right now was getting ready for a trip from the east coast to the west coast playing in as many stops in between as he could. He traveled with his manager, a straight-laced man named Doppo Kunikida, another strategist, Ranpo Edogawa, and a woman named Akiko Yosano. She was a doctor, but also served as his bodyguard.

He had just had a good run at one of the New York casinos and won top spot in the tournament along with the ample prize money. He figured it was a good start to the cross-country trip they were taking. He put on his coat and walked up toward the front of the bus.

Where are you headed?" Yosano asked from her position seated at the small table. She was cleaning her gun without much thought.

"Pride festival! Didn't you see the advertisement on the casino bulletin board? It's right around here." Dazai found his wallet and pocketed it.

"I should go with you," Yosano frowned, fingers deftly putting the pieces of the gun back together.

"Nah, I'll be fine. Ranpo and Kunikida are both already asleep, so I'm fine on my own. Come on, what is the worst that could happen?" Dazai asked with a smirk.

Yosano sighed and arched a brow at him. "You could get mugged. You could get killed. Need I go on?"

"I'm fine, I'm fine," he assured and stepped down out the door to the bus.

He paused and patted the side of it. It was a good thing they had opted to buy the bus rather than anything else. It slept four people and had a small refrigerator and table set with a decently sized bathroom for the type of transport it was. He hopped down to the ground, putting his hands in his pockets as he walked.

It didn't take long before he found his way to where some events had been going on earlier in the day. There were booths that were closed now, and the ground was littered with rainbow flags and beads. He smiled and looked around to see a few couples in the darker shadows of the area. He saw a guy that was still at his table, so he walked over to him.

"Say, if you're looking for something to do tonight, Club Black is having a special on drinks tonight!" he announced as Dazai got close.

"Club Black?" he asked, picking up the flyer. It looked like some sort of fetish club.

"Yes, indeed! Good fun, come as you are, or go decked out in gear, whatever strikes your fancy," the man said with a grin. He was an average looking gentleman, with brown hair that hung in strings down to his shoulders. He seemed to be in good spirits.

Dazai looked over the flyer and hummed to himself. That sounded interesting. And he was always looking for something interesting. He laid the flyer down and walked down the street toward the building that had a line to get into it. It wasn't very long, so he joined the queue to get into the place. Before long, he'd been ID'd and paid the cover charge to get into the place.

He looked around as he came into the front area. There were cages suspended from the ceiling in various points around the place. In those cages, scantily clad women danced to the thumping music that was being played by a DJ. He saw the DJ booth at the front of the place near the bar.

The people around him had various types of clothes on, he noted. Some of them were scant, others were in what would be called club wear. He saw several men and women wearing thick collars and being led by a leash of some sort. He saw there were some areas where there were sofas surrounding tables on the far side of the place along with some pub height tables and stools. He made his way toward the bar and ordered something nonalcoholic. He sipped the drink and headed toward an empty pub table on the other side.

He heard raucous laughter coming from one of the sofa areas nearby, and he glanced over. There were about five men seated on the sofas, and one of them held a boy on his lap that was wearing a plaid skirt with suspenders and nothing else. He cocked his head to the side and guessed that it wasn't that unusual. He looked around and found there were other interesting groups in the place, but then he heard a distressed sound from the boy at the sofas.

Dazai looked as though he were simply surveying the room even though his focus was on this skirt clad boy. He looked too young to be in a place like this, for one thing. For another, he realized that there were stark bruises on his pale skin. He had silvery hair pulled back in a tail at the base of his neck, and striking bright eyes. He was being pulled onto the lap of one of the other men and looked to be distressed by this change. Dazai frowned as he watched him be shifted to another person who was laughing. He watched this man slide his hands under the skirt the boy was wearing and he seemed to still, panting.

"Hey, sweetheart, you look lonely?" a woman with bright red lipstick and a black leather corset said.

"While you are quite fetching, I'm not looking for companionship tonight," he said with a tip of his glass in her direction.

She huffed a breath and turned away, muttering something about uptight men in a place like this. Dazai ignored her and returned to watching the boy.

He soon lost his view of him, though, as the place began to fill up with more and more patrons. He sighed and headed to the bar to get another drink. He swung around closer to the sofas that he had been watching, and saw that they were still there, passing the boy between them. He still looked like he was less than happy with these men manhandling him. As Dazai passed them, he got a better look at him. His face was flushed red and he had large bruises on his upper arms as though he were grabbed by his arms frequently. His back was a crisscrossing pattern of scars that stood out against his skin. He looked thin and his face was drawn.

Dazai passed the table and quickly lost sight of the boy as the crowd filled in around him. Still, his mind wouldn't leave him alone about it. He tried to convince himself that it was none of his business; that it didn't concern him. It wasn't working, though. Finally, he got up and pushed through the crowd again, only to find the group had left, and a couple of women were snuggled together on the sofa now. He sighed and looked around, completely unsure what to do now.

He finished his drink, realizing he needed to use the bathroom. He tossed out the plastic cup and headed toward the back through the crowd. He was impressed at how busy it had gotten since he came in the place. He made his way into the thankfully empty restroom. He was about done when he heard a sniffle. He zipped himself up and walked around the corner to see what, or rather who, had made that noise.

Around the corner, sitting on the dirty floor of the bathroom was the boy in the plaid skirt from earlier. He looked up at Dazai with teary eyes about to spill over. Dazai closed the distance in a few steps and knelt in front of him. He flinched back from him, crossing his arms over his chest tightly and Dazai felt the thumping of his heart in his ears.

"Are you alright?" he asked, hearing the bathroom door open and close again, admitting someone else.

The boy shook his head, tears starting to run down his cheeks. "He just left me here." His voice was soft and cracked when he spoke.

"Who left you here?" Dazai asked, hands folded on his knee where he had one propped up as he knelt on the other.

The boy swallowed convulsively for a moment. "N-Norm…m-my owner…"

"Owner?" Dazai didn't know if this was a consensual kink thing or not. After all, this was a fetish club. The boy could have been in a relationship with the guy, and the bruises could have been… No, he thought to himself. Those bruises weren't something consensual. Those bruises were abuse, no matter how he looked at it.

He nodded, eyes turning toward the floor. "H-he's all I've known since I left the orphanage…"

Dazai frowned. "How old are you?"

He shook his head. "I'm not sure anymore…"

"Come," Dazai couldn't believe he was doing this, but here he went. "Stand up. You can come with me."

"I-I shouldn't. You're a stranger…" he said softly, looking up at him with those strangely colored eyes of purplish gold.

"I know, but I can take you out of here," Dazai said and extended his hand toward the boy.

He stared at Dazai's hand for a long time. They heard the door open and close several times in that time and heard people in the bathroom. "O-okay," he said finally, taking Dazai's hand.

Dazai stood up, helping him get to his feet. He wobbled a little and stumbled as he tried to take a step. The boy didn't look well, Dazai thought as he put an arm around his shoulders and walked him out of the bathroom. No one paid them any attention as he left the place with him. He got him out in the night and could see that he was flushed still, and his breaths were wheezy.

"You have a name?" Dazai asked as they walked slowly in the direction of the bus.

"A-Atsushi," he stammered.

"I'm Dazai. And we'll get you some help. My friend is a doctor, and she can take a look at you." Dazai sighed, knowing Yosano would be annoyed at having another person on the bus. Kunikida was going to be irate. He imagined Ranpo wouldn't care either way.

They walked to the bus and Atsushi looked nervous. He supposed he couldn't blame him. The boy had been left alone in the middle of a club bathroom and now some strange man was taking him to a bus. Honestly, the fact that he hadn't run from him by now was a testament to him not feeling well. He leaned heavily into his grip as they came to the bus.

"Watch your step," he said as he guided him up the steps into the bus.

"I-I-I should g-go," Atsushi said finally, turning around and facing Dazai behind him. "I-I can't just..." He blinked and looked a bit pale. Dazai reached out in time to keep him from falling back down the steps. He sighed.

"Poor boy," he whispered to himself and managed to maneuver his body into the bus and to the table. He eased him into to seat where he just sat there limply.

Dazai sighed, not sure what to do with him now. He wasn't sure what he was thinking when he brought him out of that bathroom. He brushed the hair off his forehead and felt the warmth radiating from him. The boy was sick and needed to be cared for. He wondered again how old the boy was. People were supposed to be twenty-one to get into that club, so he had to be at least that, unless this Norm guy had snuck him in somehow. He doubted it, though They were checking the IDs of everyone that came into the place.

He heard someone and looked up to see Yosano standing there, looking at him. "What did you do?"

"I couldn't leave him there," Dazai said, straightening up and looking at her. "He's ill and he was left to fend for himself."

Yosano shook her head and leaned over, looking at the boy. She felt his face and opened one eye to look at him. He stirred a bit but didn't wake up. She felt his chest, and then leaned down to listen to him breathing.

"I think he's got a respiratory infection," she commented and stood back up. "He'll need antibiotics."

"Do we have any?" Dazai asked, hoping Yosano's well stocked medicine cabinet would be able to help them.

"I do. When he wakes up, tell me. I'm going to sleep now," she said with a wave of her hand.

Dazai sat down across from him and wondered if he was crazy for doing this. He didn't know. His life was good enough the way it was, so he had no idea why he wanted to go and complicate matters even more. He sighed, knowing he would do the same thing again, given the chance.