Ch. 7 - A Matter of Heart
"The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched – they must be felt with the heart."
- Helen Keller
The steady drip of water echoing through the vacant tunnels seemed to intensify the tension caught between the two figures – shorter glaring in a semi-defensive stance like an animal waiting for the slightest of movements to bolt from the taller whose expression was veiled by the dim light. Seconds ticked by painfully slow as neither made a move, and Ari felt as if breathing itself would cause everything to suddenly explode. Her mind rapidly worked to find at least a few scenarios she could take to make it out alive and save the girl. Even if she could theoretically just walk away, she vowed that once she accepted a job she'd see it through to the very end, and this, despite the unexpected turn, was no exception.
Still… she narrowed her eyes, who'd have suspected this idiot of all people to be a part of the mafia? Makes you question how thorough those guys from the Agency are in their recruitment – although I guess they did accept someone they just arrested not even an hour earlier. But that doesn't really matter now. The question is: will he try and stop me? Is he really part of the Agency? Or do his loyalties remain with the mafia?
Laughter cut through the silence and her thoughts like a deadly knife, raising her nerves impossibly higher as Dazai bent over, hanging onto the ladder with one arm while its companion partially shielded his face as he spoke between laughs, "That's quite an answer, Aria-chan. Very unexpected, if I may say."
"Don't try to deny it," she accused, "Your act was good, but your eyes hold too much similarity with that other guy's – not to mention every time Port Mafia comes up its like your personality flips. Hell, even the air around you feels warped."
Just like that man from the street a few days ago… she added silently. Maybe he also was a Port Mafia member? Could the city possibly be that small of a community?
"Don't worry, I won't lie about something like that," he chuckled, wiping away a few tears from the corners of his eyes before opening them to gaze at her with a spec more interest and amusement than earlier, "So, what next, Aria-chan? Turn me over to the authorities? Tell everyone at the Agency? Or…" a dark expression passed over his features, "perhaps even blackmail?"
Ari scowled. At least his reaction shows that he's not going to stop me, so he's leaning more toward the Agency. Still, if he thinks I'm keeping quiet, he's got another thing coming. The farther away he is from me, the easier it'll be to get out of this hellhole – even if it means dragging Jay and Tuck out.
"That's not important. Right now there's a girl waiting for a new heart. We can leave this talk for later," she growled.
"You're not as cold as you try to appear after all," he commented casually, beginning up once again with Ari a few paces behind, "Prioritizing a helpless girl over your own desires to see me imprisoned or worse… It's very noble of you, Aria-chan."
"Don't kid yourself, we'll pick this up right after this job is finished," she replied sourly, "And if you even think about hurting Jay or Tuck in some manic attempt to keep me quiet, I'll see to it personally that your wish to die comes slowly."
"How very considerate of you, Aria-chan!" he looked down at her with the upmost sincerity as if she'd just agreed to make him the happiest man alive, "I really did misjudge you earlier!"
"Shut up and keep climbing," she retorted, swatting his leg in irritation as he merely laughed and continued the rest of the way, opening the grate and disappearing into the light before her.
Once she reached the top and pulled herself to the surface, Ari brushed off her clothes, nose wrinkling a bit at their additional aroma of stale, rotten cheese to the pre-existing stink from the warehouse and Dazai's mess of an apartment. Jeez, there goes another good outfit. Hopefully the Agency has some miracle stink removing detergent.
Examining her surroundings, she found them standing in an empty street – road oddly void of the typical bustle of people. Indeed... She narrowed her eyes, form tensing beside Dazai who gave the area a similar dissatisfied rating. It's too quiet here. Even if he managed to section off the road, there should still be people – so where are they? She narrowed her eyes. This is sketch.
"Come on," she spoke in a voice slightly above a whisper, "We should get to the hospital."
Taking the lead, she cut through a short alleyway whose other side revealed the tall white building. Her instincts were on high alert, eyes darting left and right while her heart pounded, memories of what he said running through her mind. If that suicidal jerk is right, then there must be some Port Mafia members nearby. Where are they? Surely the won't let us make it inside, right?
Despite her suspicions, she made it through the narrow passageway without difficultly. Indeed, everything went so smoothly she began to think Dazai overestimated the group and miscalculated – going so far as to relax if only a bit.
She quickly learned that the only one of the two making a mistake was her as a flash of light caught her eyes seconds after she exited the alley. Hidden in the shadows, a figure pounced, deadly blade screaming toward her throat. A gasp tore from her, but before she could do anything, a hand snatched her back so that the sword's only victim was a few strands of her mahogany hair.
Ari's eyes widened briefly before sharpening at the newcomer: a thin figure cloaked in typical mafia-black attire whose face was largely obscured by a gray seemingly plated mask and a few strands of obsidian hair that failed to remain in a wind-teased bun. Unlike the seemingly identical goons, this person stood out and her instincts screamed warning signs. Whoever it was, they were good enough to nearly kill her before she had the chance to pinpoint or even register the danger.
Nevertheless, she was denied the chance to learn more from the silent assassin as Dazai murmured in her ear, "Don't. Leave this to me, and go fulfill the mission."
"Oh?" she raised a brow, "Are you sure that's a good idea? I've been trying to ditch you from the moment we met. What makes you think I'll actually stick around after?"
"Simple," he answered easily, "You won't leave without Jay-kun or Tuck, will you? Besides," he started forward so that he now stood between her and the assassin, "you stated pretty clearly how much saving this official's daughter means to you. That alone suggests the likelihood of you remaining until I'm finished to be very high."
"Ass," Ari muttered, brow twitching in annoyance with how accurate the prediction was. A feeling of rebelling just to spite him bubbled up within her but she forced it down, instead positioning herself to sprint across the final empty road between them and the hospital. "Don't cry if it all blows up in your face," she grumbled, tightening the straps on the backpack and taking a breath, "Here goes nothing."
He smirked and pulled out his weapon, aiming it at the mafioso, "Ready when you are, Aria-chan."
Giving the faintest of nods, Ari dug her heels into the ground and sprinted past the assassin, noting in the corner of her eyes how the figure swiftly pulled back from pursuing to dodge Dazai's covering shot. With the additional time and cover, the red-haired woman focused solely on the doors of the establishment, letting all else fade in her peripheral. While annoying and potentially a threat to her and those she loved, she allowed herself to trust Dazai would stay true to his words even if it felt forced upon her.
More gun shots rang through the area, some ricocheting off the pavement inches away from where she stood moments earlier. Adrenaline pumped through her veins as she noted more black-clad figures appear from other outlets connecting to the road. Nevertheless, they were soon pushed back by well-aimed shots at their feet from the agent behind her – impressing the woman if only a little by his ability to control a hectic field like this.
When she crossed the boundary into the hospital, she wasted no time. Indeed, her pace only quickened as she threw open the stairwell door and darted up the steps, counting under her breath until reaching the fifth floor where the patient was said to dwell. Right as she stepped through the doorway, though, something shot through her mind, propelling her instincts into hitting the breaks just in time to dodge a fury of bullets that slammed into the wall, sending up bits of tile that scratched at her cheek.
Swiftly, she ducked back into the doorway, casting a tentative glance where two more mafia members and an elderly man stood in the connecting hallway, latter addressing in a formal manner, "Young Miss, if you'd kindly hand over the bag it would make this whole situation far easier on both of us."
Ari remained quiet, mind deciding that forming a strategy to bypass the trio claimed more importance than responding to the ridiculous request. There's too many of them in this cramped hallway to just run by; I'll have to go about this another way…
A small smirk lit her face as the answer came even when the elderly man sighed like a disappointed parent, "I wanted to avoid any more violence than necessary, but you leave me no choice," finishing emotionlessly, he ordered, "Kill her."
Rushed footsteps rapidly approached, but before they could reach the doorway, Ari stepped out – right in the path of their deadly fire. However, that's not what caused the older man's sharp heather gaze to widen in surprise.
Defying all logic the man believed in, the red-head ran unhindered and unharmed among the flurry of deadly projectiles aimed her way. It was simply impossible – a feat not even the most seasoned, skilled warriors could hope to achieve. Yet she passed through effortlessly, almost as if she were dancing between the bullets. Dancing? No. She was going straight through them.
Not wasting a moment, Ari activated her ability, rejecting the numerous shots aimed at her and rushing at the two men without the slightest fear or hesitation. With surgical precision, she swiped at their weapons, carefully selecting enough of the guns to touch and cut through with her bare hand so that when she completed the arc they were reduced to mere fragments of their former selves. The mafia members let out shocked cries, unable to do a thing as she spun around and round kicked them with sufficient force that sent them crashing into the walls and slumping down in a daze.
That's two down, only one to g-
Ari's thoughts were suddenly interrupted as an I.V. holder whooshed past her as if it were driving 100 miles an hour down the road. Turning a pair of wary and semi-startled eyes leftwards, she glared at the man. An ability user? Awesome. As if things weren't complicated enough. This might take more time than I have left… She scowled, glancing at her phone to find the timer nearing twenty minutes. How was it possible all that time had vanished? Last she checked they had at least an hour. Did her phone's clock malfunction?
"I see you aren't just a helpless delivery girl, are you Young Miss?" he addressed with more respect than earlier, his eyes scanning over his fallen comrades, "You did quite a number on my subordinates. Impressive, if I may say so myself. However," his aura suddenly grew much more menacing, "I won't be so easy to fell."
Ari huffed, facing him fully, "We'll see about that, grandpa."
A look of offense at her crass words crossed his face seconds before it returned to a stoic expression as she bolted toward him, his instincts driving forward a fierce blow which the red-head easily passed through – Ari observing with a frown how it completely crushed the bed behind her. Is he simply strengthening his blows? Not likely… she rejected the thought, peering closer to the bent metal frame. It's almost as if he put it under high pressure. Perhaps that's his ability?
Nevertheless, she swiftly spun, aiming a kick at his head only for the elder to dodge with speed beyond his age. Ari scowled, not fully expecting the tactic to work yet more wary now that she began to measure his potential in battle. This old man isn't so frail after all, huh?
Her eyes widened as he suddenly turned and swung at her, the red-head's reaction just seconds too late as his gloved fingertips brushed her arm. Instantly it felt as if the area had been trampled on by a horse, and a sharp gasp of pain left Ari's throat as she jumped back a few paces, cradling the appendage. When she grit her teeth and examined it, a bruise was already beginning to blossom, marring her light olive skin with notes of black, violet, and blue.
"If you wish to avoid further damage, I suggest you cease this pointless fight," the man instructed sternly, "No matter how much you dodge, the moment you touch me the same and worse will happen. To put it simply: you cannot win."
Ari's brow twitched. Are all Port Mafia members this arrogant? Regardless, he held a fine point. She couldn't harm him without bringing harm to herself. It seemed as if this fight transformed into who would last longer rather than mere skill, and, unfortunately for the woman, she didn't have the luxury to wait around.
"They don't have to kill the deliverer – just stall long enough that the heart goes bad. And when that happens, we fail our mission." Dazai's words from earlier echoed in her mind.
A faint smirk lit her lips. If that's the case, then I'll just have to stall him.
Not wasting a second, she once more darted at the man, who sighed as if he were a teacher trying to impart a lesson on a stubborn student. Be that as it may, the expression soon changed into astonishment as Ari reached out and grabbed not his arm but his coat. Tugging with all her might, she forced the elder against the wall while she simply passed through it, letting go of the outerwear and jumping back into the hallway.
With a mocking two-fingered salute, she ran down the hall, "See you later, grandpa."
The man started forward only to be jerked to a halt, shooting a stunned and semi-annoyed glare behind to find a good portion of his coat and upper part of his long scarf were embedded in the concrete wall – virtually tying him down to the spot long enough for her to escape. He leveled an angered glare at her to which she merely smirked and disappeared down an adjoining hall.
With the threat all but gone, Ari focused on completing the mission. Unfortunately, the battle took more out of her than she thought, and her throat began to burn. Nevertheless, she dug her heels in a sprinted down endless, seemingly identical passageways before skidding to a stop in front of a pair of double doors marked: Operation Room.
A trio of doctors shot her surprised looks, but before they could say a thing she tore off the backpack with as much care as she could despite the urgency and stated, "Here – it's the heart for the government guy's daughter! Take it!"
"R-Right," the lead doctor nodded, accepting the package and swiftly disappearing behind the doors with his companions at his heels, one calling back, "Thank you!"
With the objective at last complete, Ari found her legs fold beneath her. She slumped to the cold, sterile floor as she took in lung-fulls of air, not realizing until that moment how little she breathed through it all. Her heart pounded, and she closed her eyes in efforts to focus on merely taking in the sweet air as if she were an Olympic marathoner only to open them as a hand rested on top of her head.
Peering up, she was met with Dazai's calm smile, "Good job, Aria-chan. You completed your first mission."
While relief flooded through her, the numerous loose ends of the particular assignment wrapped around her, sobering the emotion. In between breaths, she spoke tersely, "Port Mafia?"
"Gone," the man answered simply, "We've delivered the heart safely. If they try to make a move now, they risk killing the girl and losing their leverage, although I'm sure they have much more on that government official. Either way, they won't be making any more attacks today."
Ari gave one last exhale, lowering her head in rest. Among all the unresolved portions of that day, she found some solace in the fact that at the very least they'd helped save a young innocent girl. While not covering over the other issues, it was sufficient enough for that moment along with the fact that she was one step closer to paying off her debt and leaving the tainted city behind once and for all.
…
A ticking melody played alone in the plain waiting room, a few huddled figures each too engrossed within their own individual worries to notice the other apart from exchanging a sympathetic smile on the occasion that their numbers were added to, or a hopeful supporting gleam in their eyes should their numbers decrease. Sitting quietly with her hands folded in a spot near the edge of the room, Ari finally released the doors from her relentless gaze that intensified only twenty minutes ago as their client, after handing over an envelope containing their pay, disappeared behind them. Even though their mission technically ended at that point, she insisted upon staying and seeing it fully through.
Beside her, Dazai read from his book, a nonchalant smile almost taboo in the area yet not commented on as each was either too concerned with their own matters or believed it a coping mechanism. His companion, while knowing a much more accurate explanation, didn't move to stop him either, remaining quiet in her thoughts until reaching a satisfying conclusion.
"I'm not going to tell everyone about your past," she spoke up, easily gathering his attention as he lowered the book and raised his brows at her.
"Oh? How kind of you, Aria-chan," he praised with a smile.
Noting the expression, Ari's eyes narrowed. There's that annoying look again – as if he's merely putting on a show. Even from this close, I can't feel any trace of genuine gratitude from him.
She let the thought fade, huffing, "Don't get your hopes up. I'm merely taking your suggestion earlier. So long as you follow some basic ground rules and other specifics, I'll keep my mouth shut. Get it?"
"Blackmail, huh?" Dazai chuckled, "Well, I guess I have no choice but to accept to your conditions. Please go easy on me, Aria-chan."
The woman scowled, feeling almost as if he was enjoying the situation that typically left its victims squirming in anxiety, "Ugh, what's with you? You sound like you're about to go on a once in a lifetime trip."
"Is that so?" he tilted his head, rusty eyes gleaming in amusement.
Taking it as a tease, Ari's brow twitched and she huffed, turning away from him and saying, "Whatever. So long as I have this hold, I could care less what you think of this. Which reminds me," she glared at him out of the corner of her eyes, "First thing's first, you're going to clean out that mess of an apartment, and I'm sleeping in a different room – one that doesn't have a peep hole in the wall, ceiling, floor, door, or whatever other place you might have one."
"Aw, I thought we bonded sleeping in the same room," Dazai pouted although a note of humor lit his gaze, making Ari scowl, "As if. At least this way I can finally sleep in peace without worrying about the resident perv watching me the entire time."
"But it was an act of affection, Aria-chan. I was making sure you weren't disturbed," he defended lightly.
"The only thing disturbing me was you, idiot!" she snapped, ready to strangle the man when two figures stepped through the door, coming to a stop before the odd pair who looked up from their conversation. Upon closer look, Ari recognized one from earlier: the same doctor who'd thanked her before running off to perform the operation.
He gave a small, almost timid smile, "She's awake now, if you'd like to see her."
Ari's eyes widened and she quickly rose, letting the young doctor lead the way while Dazai followed at a relaxed pace, folding his hands behind his head and whistling some strange tune that hung in the back of the woman's mind until the cab ride back. Nevertheless, after a little maneuvering through the halls, they came upon a room housing a young girl with honey blonde hair conversing with their client, both of which glancing over at the newcomers.
Feeling she needed to begin the conversation, Ari spoke up, "Hello, you may not know this but we're-"
"You must be those goons Daddy hired to get my heart," the pair blinked at the sour note contrasting with the girl's sweet appearance.
Ari blinked, not expecting such a tone, "Y-Yeah, you're wel-"
"What took you so long?" the girl snapped, glaring at them as if they were the reason why she needed another heart in the first place, "I had to wait two hours in this dump of a place just because you lazy idiots took your sweet time. Couldn't you understand that my life was on the line? Apparently not. I'm surprised you even knew where to go."
Her demeaning tone made Ari's brow twitch, annoyance rising even more as the girl's father expressed his own feelings of disappointment at the efforts of an agency he'd heard such good things about, completely siding with his daughter's dramatic story. The red-head couldn't believe her eyes or ears – disbelief so potent that she let Dazai pull her away and lead them out of the hospital and into the first cab that responded to his hail. Through it all, she couldn't believe how much her expectations of the girl were turned on their heads.
So much for a sweetheart. Almost makes me regret stopping the mafia in the first place. And to think that guy was willing to go so far to save her. He must've been paid as well given that attitude…. She sullenly thought while looking out the window, mood not improving as Dazai sighed dramatically.
"See? This is why I said we should leave as soon as the job's over. At least then you could've kept some of your feelings of accomplishment intact," he stated as if knowing the girl's true colors from the start.
"Just because she's not an angel doesn't mean I regret saving her," Ari muttered, resting her chin on her palm, "Please, I'm not that petty, or slow for that matter. I could care less about that ungrateful brat."
Dazai smirked, a small puff of entertainment coming from his nose as he observed just how bothered she was about the reality. Turning to look out the other side, he murmured, "You should be proud, Aria-chan. Kindness is a rare thing in this line of work – foolish, yet somewhat admirable at the same time."
The woman shot an irked glare out of the corner of her eyes, not knowing whether to feel complimented or insulted by the remark as Dazai's lips curved slightly, making the emotion fade within her as she noted for the first time a genuine speck of regard toward her. Indeed, she was so stunned by it that she let the quiet surround them for the rest of the journey.
Or at least until he began making crude remarks about which bridges he preferred to jump off of.
…
At long last, the two returned to the Agency, finding near all its occupants having retired for the night as a faint orange-red glow of late twilight filtered in through the blinds. However, those that remained turned and greeted them brightly, Tuck coming up and embracing the woman, "You're back! How was your first job? I bet it wasn't as exciting as the case Ranpo-kun solved. You should have seen it! He deduced everything in under a minute!"
"Oh?" Ari raised an impressed brow, allowing the man to lead her where Ranpo, Atsushi, Jay, and Kenji stood exchanging their own adventures of the day while Dazai joined Kunikida and Fukuzawa a little ways off.
Upon his approach, the leader of the organization spoke up, "How did she fare?"
Dazai smiled, glancing over to where Ari's mouth hung open in mild jealousy of the jobs assigned to her family members – her own story sparking outbursts of shock and surprise nonetheless. In the slightest of amounts, his red-brown eyes narrowed calculatingly at the woman, yet retained a note of amusement.
"She's very interesting – all three of them are for that matter," he answered truthfully, "As for Aria-chan specifically, while her actions are still questionable to the point we shouldn't let her out of sight, her motives and heart are stunningly pure. Almost surprised me, given that they're coming from a master thief that is."
Fukuzawa quirked a brow, following Kunikida's and the bandage man's attention directed at the red-haired woman as Dazai concluded, "All in all, I believe if we can get her to trust us as much as she does her family, Aria-chan will prove an invaluable ally – unafraid to do anything for the sake of the Agency and maybe even Yokohama as a whole."
A little late update, but managed considering I almost forgot until I looked at the calendar and saw it was Saturday and realized I'd yet to upload anything. My bad! Hopefully the rushed chapter isn't too terrible for you all.
badlydrawnellen: Aww thank you so much, it means a lot Sorry for the cliffhanger but I do love leaving loose ends, so can't say this will be the last. But thank you! I loved creating Ari, Jay, and Tuck, and am glad you enjoy them c:
Hmmm, Dazai and Ari, huh? I wonder. Well if it does happen I am sorry to say it won't be clear for a while longer - not until Ari manages to trust him enough that is. Honestly it's a complicated thing, seeing as both have their own demons holding them back. But who knows? Maybe they just might beat them c;
Anyways, hope you all enjoy the longerish chapter and have a wonderful Mother's Day!
