"There is no winning or losing in training. There is only learning." -Tucker Max
Age 10
Training was serious business for young Port Mafia Gifteds. Unfortunately for Dazai, he was being pitted against a Gifted who was also a noted close combat specialist: Chuuya Nakahara, Kouyou's apprentice.
"Begin!"
"Hello," Dazai cheerfully greeted. He barely dodged the kick aimed at his knee cap.
"Good target choice. If you can hit a knee cap it can seriously incapacitate your opponent," Dazai chattered as he dodged a kick to his stomach.
"And if you had landed that one, a kick to my stomach, it would have severely winded me. You're actually pretty good," Dazai complimented.
"Stop talking," Chuuya growled. His bangs whipped around as he went for Dazai's knee cap once again.
"Of course, of course. I'm distracting you? Is that it? I'm so sorry," Dazai evenly said, a hint of sarcasm in his tone.
Chuuya's eyes narrowed. "Yes, quite," he replied in a clipped voice.
"Well then, I guess I'll just shut up then? But, it's such a nice day and there's so much to talk about," Dazai mockingly commented as he skipped away from a kick once again. "Yes, there is so much to talk about. Like how you keep missing me."
"Oh really?" Chuuya asked, a glint in his eyes as he glared at Dazai. He sent another kick towards his opponent's knee cap. Dazai side-stepped. Chuuya pivoted and drove a fist into Dazai's diaphragm. Dazai gasped and choked, clutching his chest.
"Well, there may have been a lot to talk about. But you may find yourself out of breath," Chuuya sardonically stated.
XXX
Mori inspected the cup in his hand. It was a piece of expensive, fine china. A bouquet of multiple types of flowers had been carefully painted on it.
"Why did you want our protégés together?" Kouyou asked. In her right hand was a china cup painted with another bouquet of flowers.
Mori hummed. The cups were part of a set, but there was likely more then two. "Dazai is a prodigy; strategies and scenarios are constantly on his mind. His latest trap is responsible for six of the men. . . in your care."
Kouyou sipped her green tea before she replied, her eyes sharp and curious. "Dazai's abilities are commendable. However, that doesn't explain why you want them as partners."
"Chuuya is also a prodigy; his ability and various combat skills have grown greatly under your care. His martial arts mixed with his gift would have already made him an almost unstoppable force. But since young Chuuya was wonderfully talented in close combat from the beginning, you chose to train him in ranged attacks as well. As it turned out, he had a knack for sniping, which perfectly compensated for his weakness. Currently, Chuuya can kill any ungifted Port Mafia member," Mori complimented as he poured sugar and milk into his tea.
"Your point being, Mori-san?" Kouyou courteously questioned with a raised eyebrow. She was ever so slightly more tense after the praise.
Mori smiled. The expression was a blatantly crafty fake. "An expert tactician and a talented combatant. If they grow alongside each other, they have the potential to be the strongest duo in Yokohama."
XXX
Age 12
Dazai rushed through the halls of Port Mafia Headquarters, dodged around the other older members who walked at a more sedate pace. Chuuya followed, hands clenched into fists and a scowl on his face. Dazai ran into a small room off a hallway.
Chuuya walked into the room, looking around. Dazai had definitely come in here, the only question was where he was now.
"I must use my last resort!" A voice yelled. Dazai vaulted over the couch and tackled Chuuya to the floor. While his opponent was stunned, he stuck his fingers under Chuuya's armpits and started tickling him.
Chuuya laughed and tried to shake Dazai off. "Stop! Daaazaaaii! Stop tickling me!"
XXX
Age 14
The training room was empty except for a ticked off child and another smug child. Chuuya swung at Dazai.
Dazai smirked and nimbly skipped to the side. He has completely memorized Chuuya's patterns and can predict his peer's every move.
Chuuya scowled and decided to up his speed. He knew how much Dazai could take, but he also knew that Dazai calculated his moves and how he could easily predict and dodge.
The dance of punch, dodge, kick, dodge continued. Dazai winced as Chuuya's leg cleanly connected with his side and threw him to the floor. In the area of his chest, a snap was clearly heard by both. Dazai had underestimated Chuuya's recent growth spurt and hadn't noticed the increase in speed.
Dazai winced as he sat up. "I think you cracked one of my ribs."
"Oh, s*t, really?" Chuuya asked, not managing to completely hide his guilt and concern.
After that, Chuuya kept a careful handle on his anger when fighting Dazai. That's the only reason why he hasn't accidentally killed the idiot.
XXX
Age 15
The closet contained cleaning supplies and a mop and bucket. Chuuya held the door closed with his ability. Muttered threats and thuds came from the hallway outside.
"Ideas?" He asked.
Dazai cleared a space on the a shelf and sat. "Nope! I only planned so far as getting us out of the meeting room."
"Well, we can't easily take on three dozen people. So what are we going to do?"
Dazai raised his fingers to his chin in thought, a cheerful look on his face. "Hmm, I guess we should just give up and die then."
Chuuya smacked the back of Dazai's head. "Ow! Did you have to hit that hard?"
"When you're acting stupid, absolutely yes," Chuuya deadpanned. "Anyway, Dazai, give me your bullets."
Dazai raised an eyebrow and discharged the magazine from his pistol. He grinned. "Well, I'm guessing you got a plan?"
"Yeah. If I use my ability, who needs a gun to fire bullets? I sure don't."
After that mission, Dazai started to carry around a small box of bullets.
XXX
Age 16
Dazai silently watched as Chuuya tried to control three droplets of water. Skin contact was still necessary, and so the redhead's discarded gloves lay on his leg.
The brunette mulled over what Chuuya was and could be. The redhead's petite figure was deceptively strong, even without his ability, he could decimate enemy ranks. After the fine-tuning of For the Tainted Sorrow's effects on different substances, Chuuya would be able to use everything in his environment to his advantage. But Chuuya would likely develop a habit of holding back his power in battle due to his want of a 'fair fight' and adrenaline.
Dazai sighed. He smiled wryly as the drops splattered to the floor and Chuuya cursed. That would be later down the road. For now, he would just enjoy making weird faces and thwarting his partner's focus.
XXX
Chuuya had gotten to the point where he could control a good amount of water and move it around. The liquid floated around, changing shape and magnifying the view of the the opposite side.
The water turned into a small whip and then back into a ball. It flowed into a thin line again and snaked around Chuuya. Dazai poked the orb of water just as it got over Chuuya's face.
Dazai's ability nullified For the Tainted Sorrow and reasserted Earth's gravity. The ball fell down and splashed onto a beloved black fedora.
Dazai took one look at Chuuya's face and started running away with a grin.
"Dazai!" Came the furious yell from behind him.
XXX
A sound, a flash, and a piece of metal flew towards Chuuya. It lurched to a halt at the center of his palm. For the Tainted Sorrow's red tint made the grey look as if it had been dipped in blood.
Dazai stood several yards in front of Chuuya. He casually pointed his gun at his partner and chattered away. The dim moonlight from the windows obscured everything but his face and raised hand.
Chuuya's eyebrow twitched. "Can you stop talking?"
"What? Why would I do that? I'm helping you." Dazai gave an innocent smile.
"No, you're not."
"Oh? Do you expect your enemies will just quietly stand there and wait for you to do something?"
"No. But let me get the basics down first, you a," Chuuya growled. He sneezed in the thick dust.
"But you're so slow!" Dazai complained.
"Oh, I'm so sorry that I can't instantly learn how to stop bullets. You want to trade places?" Chuuya frowned and sighed. "No, never mind, forget that. You're just going to say something about suicide." Chuuya hissed in pain as a bullet nicked the web between his index and thumb.
"Guilty as charged," Dazai joked. His brown eyes narrowed; they were two cold piles of mud. "And actually, you do have the basics down. You just need to do this enough that you can stop bullets without thinking about it."
Chuuya sighed. "Fine. But after I put a band-aid on. I'd prefer not to get an infection. Who the h*l knows how many germs are in this musty warehouse?"
XXX
Age 17
'Soukoku bets' were a label given to one of the particular brands of insanity the titular partnership was known for. A few others were the ongoing prank war, the rumored games of chance they played to choose a international criminal competitor to take out each month, and the sight of Port Mafia Executives arguing like five-year-olds.
Not for the first time, a Soukoku bet affected the training of a new batch of recruits. Dazai had once caused all of the recruits in a training session to faint from fear except for one. For a week afterwards, Chuuya was in a foul mood and didn't wear his trademark hat. *
Today, in a Port Mafia HQ training room, there was a gathering of new recruits ready for their next lesson. Clean-shaven men stood in rows, dressed in grays and blacks.
They were waiting for the executive Chuuya Nakahara. However, the executive Osamu Dazai showed up, yawning and leafing through a list of recruits. "All right, I'm training you for the next ten days. And for all those wondering," he frowned, "yes, I lost a bet."
The recruits already connected to Port Mafia's rumor mill shivered at the word 'bet'. Those who weren't were confused, but who were they to question an executive.
XXX
Chuuya swayed in his chair before steadying. The bottle of wine next to him was three fourths gone. His eyes were focused as he leaned an elbow against the bar countertop.
Tachihara sat on Chuuya's right. His face was flushed from drinking, but his eyes burned with excitement and determination. "1000 yen says I can beat you in arm wrestling. No abilities of course."
Chuuya smiled and downed the rest of his glass. He had a misstep but corrected his balance as he got out of his chair. "I'll take you up on that."
Dazai smirked and took a small sip of his glass of whiskey. This would be fun to watch. Port Mafia members often challenged Chuuya to arm wrestling competitions, but only while he's drunk.
The room dropped in volume as a table cleared for the competitors, and everyone crowded around. Dazai stood with his drink in hand by Chuuya's left shoulder. Gin sneakily weaved her way around people in order to see. Hirotsu was the referee and stood at the hallway point of the table.
Bets were exchanged and shook on. Most didn't bet on who would win, but how long it would take for Chuuya to get serious.
Chuuya took off his right glove, rolled up his sleeve, and set his elbow on the table. Tachihara grinned as he firmly gripped his opponent's palm.
"Ready, set, go," Hirotsu declared.
Tachihara twisted his wrist up and pushed with all his might. Chuuya's arm moved several inches to the left. Inside his mind, he cheered and continued his onslaught.
Ever since the Tachihara's challenge had been issued, the fog in Chuuya's mind started gradually clearing up. He clenched his fingers around Tachihara's hand and began pulling their hands upwards with all of his strength. With his eyes sharp and clear, he smacked Tachihara's fist down on the table. "Chuuya is the winner," Hirotsu calmly stated. The bar went wild.
Dazai cheerfully grinned as several bills were handed to him. "Why thank you," he sang.
"You won." Tachihara handed over the money to Chuuya, his eyes wide with surprise and newfound respect.
Chuuya accepted the money and then staggered over to the bar countertop. Dazai sighed. He didn't fancy lugging his drunk partner back to the apartment.
XXX
Age 18
In the driver's seat, Chuuya had tilted his chair back as far as it would go and had fallen asleep. His hat covered most of his face and he had crossed his arms.
Dazai was awake, but he was far too absorbed in his Nintendo to watch for the targets. The only reason he noticed someone sneaking out was a small flashlight that had briefly turned on. He tapped Chuuya's shoulder a few times. Chuuya shifted and mumbled something.
"Chuuya, wake up." Dazai lightly shook his partner's shoulder.
A gloved hand slapped Dazai's hand away. "What?" Chuuya grumbled. He rubbed his eyes.
"They're moving out. Have fun," Dazai absently commented. What he viewed as his job done, he immediately focused on his game again.
Chuuya narrowed his eyes and glared at his partner. "You're not even...I'm going to kill you when we get back," he threatened.
Dazai waved goodbye, eyes still glued to his screen.
XXX
Age 22
Chuuya grimaced as he lay flat on his stomach, buffeted by the winds as he periodically watched a party occurring in a nearby skyscraper. He was sleep-deprived and annoyed. Not a good combo for a sniping mission.
Chuuya was sleep-deprived because because he had spilled wine on several handwritten reports and then had to type up barely legible kanji the night before. He was annoyed because he was on top of a roof at 3 AM in the middle of freaking winter. The wind kept messing up his bangs, chilling him through his black trench coat and trying to blow his hat off. Plus, he was unable to find his boots and had to wear a pair of cheap black flats. Well, at least his hands were warm in a pair of fuzzy gloves he had left in his office last week.
Chuuya grabbed his binoculars and looked through them.
Mr. Wite was a corrupt politician who had been invited to the semi-annual gala hosted by the StarrI Company. Another corrupt politician was paying for the hit.
Cold air currents swept around the skyscrapers across from Chuuya, separated by glass from the crowd of well dressed sycophants. Most were peacocks, spreading vibrant feathers as wide as possible to boast and gather admirers. A few sharks and snakes swam and slithered among them, not noticed by the unobservant.
Men in black, white, and dark blue suits strutted and stalked around the room. Women wearing dark suits or vibrants dresses gathered in clumps. A necklace made of twenty diamonds, a large gastly ruby and gold ring, and a elegant pearl pin. It was times like these that Chuuya almost wished he was a thief.
It seemed that Mr. Wite was determined to be fashionably late. The party had started fifteen minutes ago, yet there was no sign of him.
Weight was suddenly placed on the bottom of Chuuya's feet. Chuuya dropped the binoculars, sat up on his knee caps, and pulled the person's legs forward. The person yelped as he fell on his back.
Chuuya stood up, twirled around, and sat on his attacker's chest. The edge of his knife pressed harshly against a pale, bandaged throat.
He stared in surprise and Dazai grinned. "What the h*l, Dazai," Chuuya growled, rolled over, and flopped on the ground beside his ex-partner. "You know you shouldn't interrupt me when I'm on a job, a*e."
"Hmm, same knee jerk reaction," Dazai commented out of the blue. He smirked, "I bet you're still ticklish."
"And I bet you're still an a*e. Oh wait, you already proved that," Chuuya snarked. "Anyways, go away. I'm trying to kill someone."
"Oh? If I was a normal person, wouldn't that be exactly why I was interrupting?"
"Yeah, but you're not a normal person. Neither of us are." Chuuya sighed and sat up. "Stop wasting my valuable time. Say what you came to say or leave."
Dazai's cheerful face turned serious. He frowned slightly. "There's a guy on the move that I think you'd like to know about. I came out here and interrupted, because it's not like I could just send you an email."
"File or flash drive?" Chuuya asked. He grabbed his binoculars and peered through them. Still no Mr. Wite present.
"Flash drive. Use a burner laptop," Dazai suggested unhelpfully. He lobbed the small, cat-shaped device at his ex-partner.
"Of course I'm using a burner. No one in their right mind would trust a flashdrive from you enough to put it in something they have anything important on," Chuuya scoffed as he caught the small plastic cat.
Dazai smirked and shrugged. He stood up. "Well, as fun as hanging out as has been, I better be going," he chirped.
"Yeah, yeah. Bye. Don't drive Kunikida insane." Chuuya blinked as a thought hit him. "You didn't set this up as a fake hit in order to contact me, right?"
"Nope. You still have a target," Dazai assured as he walked away.
"That doesn't mean you're not the other politician, the client," Chuuya pointed out.
Dazai chuckled and stopped walking. "You are much better at catching possible omissions like that now. But no, I just heard about it, I have nothing to do with this hit. Anyways, good luck. Don't get caught! It would be a joy to see your mugshot, but a shame to get interrogated by the Special Abilities Department because we're ex-partners."
"Yeah, yeah," Chuuya grumbled and turned his mind back to his job. Thoughts of what Dazai was up to, who the unknown man was, and what the flashdrive contained would have to wait till later.
XXX
Age 23
Chuuya took off his shoes and placed them by the door. His keys were carefully placed in the blue quartz bowl by the door. He walked into the living room. Dazai was on Chuuya's couch, eating yogurt.
Chuuya sighed and ignored his ex-partner. He strolled into his kitchen and started making a sandwich for lunch. When he put everything back in the fridge, he checked for what Dazai took. A sudden thought struck him about how much yogurt he's had to buy recently.
"Have you been breaking into my apartment and eating my yogurt for the past few months?!" Chuuya yelled.
Dazai smirked as Chuuya stomped into the living room. He ate another spoonful of his stolen yogurt and replied, "Took you long enough to notice."
Chuuya scowled. "How long have you been doing this?"
Dazai held a hand to his chin. "Ehh, six or seven months?"
"You're stealing yogurt! It costs like...nothing!"
Dazai nodded. "Then you shouldn't mind me eating it."
"That wasn't my point and you know it! From now on, buy your own yogurt, you lazy waste of bandages," Chuuya stated with a frown.
"But Chuuya," Dazai whined.
Chuuya ignored the plea. "You either willingly leave by the front door or I will throw you out of a window," he threatened.
Dazai stuck his tongue out but complied. He took his yogurt with him, of course.
A/N
Bet: Dazai can't make twenty of the new recruits faint out of fear. If he can: Chuuya can't wear his hat for a week. If he can't: Dazai won't attempt to die for three days.
-Silver