Q opened up his eyes. He could only feel the unbearable pain that had been consuming his body. All he felt were vague memories of being tied up in tree roots. Every bone in his body had felt as if they were being crushed by those roots. He couldn't escape, no matter how much he struggled. Someone had kidnapped him and pinned him there. They had wanted him to feel pain, all so that his ability, Dogra Magra, could be used. They had made him suffer endlessly.
He hated his ability. Because he possessed that power, he had been sealed away in a dark room for most of his life. All he had in that room was a few toys to play with. It was boring, but livable. Then, when they finally released him, they taped razor blades to his arms. He was constantly in pain, but he had been able to walk freely around the city until some scary man kidnapped him. After that, there was only pain. He couldn't remember anything but the feeling of slowly being crushed.
Where was he now?
When Q tried to move his arms and legs, he discovered that he still couldn't. The agony of being squeezed by tree roots was gone. However, pain still coursed through his arms where the razors had cut. He glanced at his body and saw that he was being tied up in ropes. It could be considered an improvement. He wasn't in endless torment anymore, but the slightest movement caused the ropes to dig into his wounds, resulting in a searing pain.
He wished he could be free. He wouldn't even mind being taken back to his old small, dark room, where the only thing he had to play with was his doll and some toy figures. At least there, he wasn't tied up and in pain all the time.
That reminded him. His Dogra Magra doll. He needed to find another one.
Q looked around. The room was too dark for him to see what was in it. However, it appeared to be empty. He was lying on a cold, hard stone floor. No one was here.
He didn't know what had happened to him. Was he still kidnapped? Were those men who wanted to use his powers still here, waiting for him to awake so that they could inflict a new torture upon him? Q lifted his head up and glanced around frantically, before lying back down, defeated. He hated being trapped like this. His mind was already reeling from thinking about the pain that was going to be in store for him. It was all because of his ability. All because of his stupid, evil, mind controlling ability that people feared so much. Everyone only thought about how they could use him. No one ever loved him, or looked at him as anything other than a tool.
All he wanted was to live like a normal child. To grow up into a normal person. But his ability deprived him of that. It made him too dangerous.
But, secretly, he also enjoyed the power over others that his ability gave him. A part of him liked seeing people lose their minds and succumb to his mind control. It was fun to see people hallucinate and go crazy!
Q heard footsteps approaching. Then, the sound of a door opening. Light flooded the room. Q blinked several times to clear his eyes, which were stinging from the bright glare. A familiar figure appeared in front of him. Dazai.
"You're finally awake," Dazai said. His eyes revealed no emotion. In fact, his face was a complete mask. Q hated the face. He hated Dazai so much. What wouldn't he give to have Dazai succumb to Dogra Magra?
"Where am I?" Q asked in a panicked voice.
"At the Detective Agency," Dazai answered. "We took you back from the Guild. The Guild has fallen, thanks to Atsushi. But we haven't figured out what to do with you yet."
"Untie me," Q ordered.
"Unfortunately, I can't do that." Dazai's voice grew cold. "Your ability is too problematic. Frankly, I don't know what to do with you. I could return you to the mafia. In fact, that's probably the best and simplest solution. However, I'm not exactly on friendly terms with the mafia, so it won't be easy to carry you back to their headquarters. Also, one of my subordinates has suggested that we try something else instead."
Q looked behind Dazai and saw a second face. It was Atsushi, the young man with the odd haircut and bizarre purple-and-yellow pupils. Actually, it wasn't much weirder than how Q looked himself. Q's pupils were the shape of a star and an ellipse, and his own hair was divided into two different colours.
"You're the man I bumped into," Q said. A smile came upon his lips. "And I cursed you and made you attack your friends."
Atsushi said nothing.
"Well, he's yours to deal with," Dazai said, waving a hand at Atsushi before turning around to leave the room. "Try your best. I doubt you'll get very far, though."
Dazai left the room and shut the door.
For a while, Atsushi stared at Q, saying nothing. Q stared back, defiant. He knew that he was in no position to be making any threats. He didn't even have his doll with him, so Dogra Magra wouldn't work. Lying down on the floor and tied up, he was completely at Atsushi's mercy.
"How are you feeling?" Atsushi said at last.
Q was surprised. "Can't you see how uncomfortable I am? Untie me."
To Q's surprise, Atsushi bent down and began untying the rope around Q's legs. Once the ropes there were free, Q moved his legs around, relishing in the feeling of free movement. Atsushi moved up and began untying Q's arms.
"So, what are you going to do to me after you untie me?" Q asked. "Beat me up as revenge for taking over your mind?"
Again, Atsushi remained silent. When Q's hands were free, Q sat up and stretched out his arms. A grin came over his face. He had to find a Dogra Magra doll. He could purposefully bump into Atsushi and tear the scars on his arms, marking Atsushi as someone who "hurt" him. Then he could rip the doll apart, and Atsushi could go on a rampage in the Agency. That would be fun to watch!
But, somehow, the expression on Atsushi's face made Q reluctant to act in that manner. Atsushi was serious, but he also looked sympathetic. Q couldn't help but wonder why someone whose mind he had controlled would feel sympathetic towards him.
"Dazai put himself in a lot of danger to rescue you from the Guild," Atsushi spoke up. "You should be thankful that he did. Otherwise, you'd still be trapped in those trees."
The memory of that made Q shudder. But he wasn't exactly feeling ready to express gratitude for Dazai. It was Dazai who suggested to have him locked up back when Dazai was still in the mafia.
"So, what?" Q replied, staring hard at Atsushi. "What'd he bring me back to the Agency for? Does he want to torture me more? Am I going to be used again?"
Atsushi shook his head. "No. Dazai doesn't know what to do with you. We're not like the Guild or the mafia. We don't want to hurt you. I'm here to help you, actually."
"Help me? You think I need help?" Q opened his mouth and laughed.
The expression on Atsushi's face grew stern. However, he never revealed a hint of anger. Q was surprised at how much restraint Atsushi was showing.
"Dazai told me about your history," Atsushi said. "You were sealed up for many years because they deemed your ability too dangerous. Then, they tried to use you to defeat us by slashing your arms with razors so that you could activate your ability. After that, the Guild used you to try to take down our city, and they subjected you to extreme pain." As he spoke, Atsushi's voice grew choked, almost as if he could feel the pain himself. "That's a kind of torment that nobody should have to suffer through."
Q didn't know how to respond. Someone was actually showing sympathy for him. Someone who had experienced the horror of their mind being controlled by Dogra Magra! It was unbelievable. No one in the world could have so much compassion.
So, Q just stared blankly at Atsushi without replying.
"I want to make things better for you," Atsushi said, a sliver of a smile appearing on his face. "I can't change what happened to you. But I can try to understand your feelings."
"Understand me?" Q turned away to hide a mischievous smirk. How gullible could this man be? Nobody could understand him. He couldn't even understand himself.
"You probably feel really sore," Atsushi said. "Come on. Why don't we go for a walk outside?"
"Outside? You mean, outside the agency?"
"Yeah."
Q turned away again. He was about to start thinking of ways to dupe Atsushi and run away as soon as they were outside when he felt a hand touch his shoulder. A burning pain shot through his body and he winced. Atsushi lifted his hand, noticing Q's reaction.
"Sorry," Atsushi said, backing away. "I should've remembered that you had wounds there."
It came to Q that Atsushi had just been 'marked', because he had hurt him. Now, all he needed to do was find a Dogra Magra doll and tear it apart.
As if Atsushi had read his mind, Atsushi said: "You're thinking of using your ability on me, aren't you?"
Q sneered. "And what if I am?"
With a sigh, Atsushi stood up. "I've been assigned the task of keeping watch over you. The other members of the Agency are aware that I could become marked. My job is to make sure that you don't get access to your doll. If I fail and go mad, they're ready to restrain me, and Dazai will find your doll so he can negate your ability. I can't guarantee you'll get any second chances after that, though."
"You're rather open about this," Q said. "Aren't you afraid of me at all?"
"To be honest, I am. But I still want to help you."
Q looked up and down Atsushi. He still couldn't understand him. Could there really be someone in the world so sympathetic and forgiving?
"So, want to go on a walk with me?"
"Fine," Q said, after a moment's pause. What could he lose? After all, he was itching to find an opportunity to escape.
"Okay. I'll have to hold your hand, though. Your hands aren't hurt, are they?"
Q shook his head. He took Atsushi's hand. Atsushi nodded, smiling, and led him towards the door.
They walked up stairs leading them out of the basement. On the main floor, sunlight streamed into the room through the windows. The air had a musty smell, as if the building was old. Standing in front of them were two members of the Agency. One was Dazai. The other was a serious-looking man with glasses who was holding a book in his hand.
Neither of them said anything as Atsushi took Q to the front door. But Q could feel their stares burning into him. He had the feeling that they were conducting a serious operation and would be ready to pounce at any moment if something went wrong. Q's heart sank. Under these conditions, it wasn't going to be easy to escape. Maybe there were other Agency members, or even members of the Mafia, waiting for him outside. Watching his every move.
Who knows where he'd even be able to find another Dogra Magra doll? The mafia used to have a stash of them around. But, now that the Agency has taken him, they've probably disposed of that stash. He'd need to make a new Dogra Magra doll by himself. That wasn't going to be simple at all.
Once they stepped out of the door, Q paused and looked up at the sky. It was clear and blue, with only a few clouds. The air was warm, and there was a cool ocean breeze. The time of day was two in the afternoon. There were people walking all around him. Q wanted to let go of Atsushi's hand and run far, far away. He wanted to explore the city by himself. That way, he could be free to do whatever he wanted. Even though Atsushi was taking him out on a walk, it was more akin to a prisoner being let out for a few hours than a prisoner being set free.
At least the mafia had let him go out and do whatever he wanted. If only he hadn't bumped into that scary, tentacled man! Who knows where he would be now if he hadn't been kidnapped?
"Q," Atsushi said, pulling gently at his hand. "Let's go."
"Okay," Q replied flatly.
