Kyandi: We're back everyone!
Dimir: And come baring the gift of two chapters.
Kyandi: I would of had these up sooner, but my internet was being weird.
Dimir: The price to pay for living in the country side.
Kyandi: Yeah, yeah. Give me a year. I won't be living here then.
Dimir: We'll see.
Kyandi: Yes, we will. Anyone, let's get to this. Everyone, enjoy and review.
Dimir: Kyandi-sama does not own Bungou Stray Dogs.
Chapter 6 Pediophobia
"Why didn't I know we'll be living together?!"
Dimir, who had just made her way into the office, looked up from where she was sitting her bag down at her desk. Atsushi, looking extremely flustered, was panting and glaring at Dazai, Kyoka standing at his side.
"We don't have enough room." Dazai replied matter-of-factly.
Dimir, a little confused on what was going on, turned to the nearest person to her, which was Kenji. Taking a seat in her chair, she asked him what was going on. Kenji explained to her that, due to the lack of company dorm rooms, Atsushi and Kyoka, as the two newest members, were being made to share an apartment.
"Not to mention, this arrangement can save you two newbies some expenses since you can split the rent." Dazai told Atsushi.
"But...why not make her room with Dimir, then?! At least then it would be two girls." Atsushi pointed out.
"I don't live in the company dorms." Dimir remarked, turning to the paperwork that had been left on her desk.
Atsushi deflated at this. It was easy to tell that he had been hoping to get Dimir to take Kyoka in.
"She has agreed to it, right?" Dazai said, looking at Kyoka.
"Since it was an order." Kyoka replied.
The look Atsushi gave the girl was put out, at the best. He obviously didn't agree with the girl's willingness to obey such an order. Not that Dimir could blame him.
"You still don't get it, Atsushi:?" Dazai pulled Atsushi to the side, where Kyoka couldn't hear them. Dimir, whose desk was close, could though. "She is currently on the run from the mafia and has no one to rely on. She's drowning in loneliness. And the mafia will most probably send assassins after her to get rid of this traitor. It's too dangerous to let her live alone."
"You...you have a point." Atsushi replied, glancing at a confused Kyoka.
"Then it's your duty to watch over her. It's a very important job!" Dazai told him.
"I see! I'll do my best!" Atsushi declared, completely being sucked into Dazai's words.
A sigh, followed by the sound of keys clicking on a keyboard, had Atsushi turning to Dimir as she started entering information into the computer from the papers left on her desk. The girl was shaking her head, her eyes fixed on the papers.
"You poor, gullible fool." she remarked.
Before Atsushi could question Dimir on what she meant by that, Kunikida turned to Dazai. Waving a handful of papers in the air, Kunikida started in on Dazai.
"Hey, Dazai, hurry up and submit a report recounting your incarceration by the mafia." Kunikida demanded.
"I hava a brilliant idea! Kunikida, let's decide who'll write it through a game of paper, scissors, stone!" Dazai exclaimed.
"Write it yourself." Kunikida retorted darkly. "You're already in trouble for divulging Dimir's secret."
Instead of replying, and therefore denying or confirming the fact that he had given away her secret, Dazai turned to Atsushi.
"Atsushi, I've been thinking...now's probably the time to teach you how to write a report." Dazai said.
"At a time like this?" Atsushi replied.
"This also has something to do with you. It's some insider information regarding the bounty on your head." Dazai said, holding a piece of paper between two fingers.
"Do we know who's behind it?!" Atsushi demanded.
"According to the mafia's communication logs...their benefactor is the leader of an ability user corporation based in North America known as "The Guild"." Dazai told him.
"The Guild?" Dimir repeated, looking up from her work.
"Do they really exist? The Guild is practically an urban legend." Kunikida remarked. "According to hearsay, their members all appear to be important figures in the financial sector and the military, but in actuality, they are all ability users in possession of a huge amount of capital. It's a secret organization that has a hand in various conspiracies...they're almost like the villains in a third-rate novel."
"Oh, they're real, alright."
All eyes turned to Dimir as she finished typing in her last paper and collected the papers to put them away. When she looked up, she found them all staring at her.
"What?" she asked.
"How do you know this?" Kunikida demanded.
"I lived on the streets, Mr. Doppo. You hear and see a lot when you're always lurking in the shadows. Not to mention, my mother use to work for a...big organization. I overheard her talking to my grandmother about work, quite a lot." Dimir replied.
"That aside, why would these people go after Atsushi?" Kunikida asked.
"That, I couldn't say." Dimir said with a sigh.
"I suppose we'll have to ask them directly, though meeting them is easier said than done, still...if we can catch them unaware..."
Dimir jumped in her seat and spun around when the door to the office flew open and Junichirou burst into the room, yelling something about bad news. That was closely followed by what Dimir was sure was the sound of a helicopter. Dimir, like most of her co-workers, instantly went to the windows. Sure enough, a helicopter landed right outside their building, a man in a fancy suit, stepping off. He was closely followed by a man and a teenage girl.
"Something tells me that it might just be easier done than said this time, Osamu." Dimir remarked.
"You're right. They've beaten us to it." Dazai agreed.
"Dimir! Come help me with tea!" Naomi called.
Dimir took one last look down at the man as he glanced up at the windows before hurrying to help Naomi. While she helped with tea, the man, and his two companions, were shown inside the Director's office.
"I'm very, very pleased to meet you." he said. "President Fukuna...Fukuda..."
"Fukuzawa." Fukuzawa corrected.
"Yes, that. Come to think of it, I probably shouldn't have left my helicopter by the road, should I? But I'm not really to blame, since this is the first time I've visited a company with no helipad." the man said.
"You have traveled from afar, honored guests from overseas, you must be exhausted. How may we be of service?" Fukuzawa asked.
Naomi laid a teacup before him, then, Dimir setting one before Fukuzawa, who thanked her with a nod. Picking up the teacup, the foreign man examined it.
"Oooh, what a rare design, and here I thought I was pretty knowledgeable regarding chinaware. What brand is this? Royal Franco? Or is it El Zelga?" he asked.
"It's from the Shimomura Ceramic store next door." Naomi replied.
"How churlish of me."
Naomi ignored this, turning to leave the room. Dimir moved to follow her, but Fukuzawa raised a hand, giving her a silent sign to stay put. Stepping back to stand just to the right hand side of his chair, Dimir tucked her tray under one arm and waited. The man then turned his attention back to Fukuzawa while Dimir silently studied his companions. Silently, the man sat a business card down on the table.
"The name is Fitzgerald. I'm from an American organization known as The Guild. Apart from that, I have three conglomerates and five hotels under my name, as well as an airline and a railway compa-"
"Mr. Fitzgerald." Fukuzawa started, cutting Fitzgerald off. "Rumor has it that you coerced the mafia into attacking us by offering a bounty. Was that true?"
"Ah! That was just a miscalculation on my part, old sport!" Fitzgerald said happily.
Dimir raised an eyebrow, looking down at Fukuzawa. She hadn't expected them to work too hard to hide the truth, but she also hadn't expected Fitzgerald to come right on out and admit to it.
"I never expected the criminal organization of this country to be so incompetent! As an apology, I have come with a wonderful business proposal." Fitzgerald said, giving a snap of his fingers.
The male out of his companions, stepped forward, dropping a heavy, thick suitcase on the table. Dimir dived forward, saving their teapot before it could be knocked over or broken. Giving the man with the suitcase a pointed look, she carefully sat the teapot back down.
"This agency is pretty nice. The low ceiling is a bit of a bother, but the street view is excellent." Fitzgerald said, sitting his teacup down and leaning forward to pop open the suitcase.
Inside, bundled and packed neatly, was stack after stack of money. Dimir had never seen so much money in her life.
"I would like to acquire this agency." Fitzgerald said. "Please don't misunderstand. I could buy every piece of land and all the companies within sight if I wanted. I have no interest in the building or the staff of this company. There's only one thing I want."
"You mean..."
"The Agency's Ability Business Permit." Dimir said, finishing Fukuzawa's sentence.
"That's right. Hand over your Ability Business Permit." Fitzgerald confirmed. "If an ability user corporation wants to start a legal business in this country, it must acquire a permit issues by the Special Ability Department under the Ministry of Internal Affairs. But the stubborn mules at the Special Department refused any sort of bribe. After all, they're a nonexistent organization to the general public. So, if I want to browse around this city without getting on their wrong side, I'll need that permit-"
"I refuse." Fukuzawa said, cutting Fitzgerald off.
"Are you sure? At least take this watch. It's a limited edition especially embellished with diamonds-"
"Exactly what do you think the Director, a traditional Japanese man, would do with that? A normal, one hundred yen watch would do just as well." Dimir remarked. "Besides, I think you might be mistaken about something."
"Oh? And what would that be?" Fitzgerald asked.
"Just as life cannot be bought with money, the permit cannot be exchanged for anything else. It is the very soul of this agency, filled with the Special Department's expectations, as well as the aspirations of Natsume-sensei, who worked tirelessly to acquire this permit. It is not something that can be touched by rich snobs whose head is stuffed with money." Fukuzawa told him.
If Dimir had to put a word to the looks on both men's faces, she would use the word, "intense". Or "scary". Both seemed to fit.
"'Cannot be bought with money', huh? That's poor people's favorite line. Boast all you want, but if every single staff member disappears, this agency no longer exists. Even if you change your mind, it'll be too late by then." Fitzgerald threatened.
He was...threatening her friends.
Dimir's mind zeroed in on that fact and that fact alone. Her whole body tensed as every protective instinct in her roared at her to act before anything could happen. Fukuzawa and Fitzgerald were snapped out of their glaring when all the lights in the room begun to flicker, growing dim as if all the electrical power in the building was being drained.
Fukuzawa instantly turned his gaze to Dimir who was staring at Fitzgerald, her eyes narrowing while her hands twisted into fists at her side. With every flicker of the lights, he could see the small ripples of electricity that would travel up her arms. He knew that the flickering lights were a sign that Dimir wasn't taking the threat to her friends very well.
"Dimir."
Fukuzawa held out his teacup, the action and his stern voice, snapping her out of staring, drawing her attention to him. The moment her attention shifted, the lights returned to normal.
"Sir?" she asked.
"More tea, if you will."
"O-oh...right."
Dimir instantly picked up the teapot, turning her full attention to pouring him another cup. It only took one look from Fukuzawa for her to get the message. She needed to calm down and keep a good grip on herself. She filled his cup, and set the teapot back down, Fitzgerald now watching her with a look of intrigue. Once she stepped back, Fukuzawa spoke.
"I shall bear your advice in mind. Have a safe trip." he said, dismissing Fitzgerald and his companions.
Fitzgerald got to his feet as Dimir called Kenji to come and escort the three out of the office.
"Till the next time. I'll leave you a message in tomorrow's morning papers. You'd better read it carefully, old sport. If it's what I want, it is what I'll get." Fitzgerald told him.
Dimir and Fukuzawa watched as the three left the room, Dimir already feeling a little concerned about her more ordinary co-workers who didn't have abilities to help protect themselves.
"Dimir."
"I know, sir. I'm sorry." Dimir apologized.
Fukuzawa glanced in her direction. Dimir was gripping at the front of her clothes with a tight grip, her expression showing just how concerned she was growing for her co-workers. Letting her dwell on her concern wouldn't help them. For the moment, they needed to just prepare for the worst and keep an eye out. That meant keeping Dimir busy.
"Make some more tea, will you?" he requested.
"Right away."
Fukuzawa watched as Dimir took hold of the teapot and hurried away. He was well aware that The Guild was not a group of people they should take lightly and it seemed that Dimir had picked up on that as well. While he would have liked to assure her that everything was going to be just fine, they would have to see what the morning news brought them.
And hope that it wasn't an obituary.
-0-0-0-0-
The next morning didn't bring an obituary, but the news was so big that it even ended up on morning news channel. Dimir stood beside Dazai as they watched the news.
"We're at the crime scene! Let's take a look...A seven-story building vanished without a trace in just a night! According to certain sources, the Port Mafia's front company is based within the vanished building. Other sources claim that said company was being used as an office by members of the Mafia. The city police suspects this to be an attack perpetuated by an enemy syndicate, requesting help from the Military Police." the reporter was saying on the screen.
"Is this the message?" Kunikida mused.
"Kenji can't be found anywhere in the dorms." Junichirou reported.
"I really don't like the sound of this." Dimir said.
"The uncooperative Detective Agency and the mafia are no longer of use...so he's gonna destroy us both?" Dazai mused.
"Well, he's off to a pretty good start." Dimir remarked.
"Tanizaki! Starting from now, don't go anywhere unaccompanied. Pair up with Atsushi and Dimir and search for Kenji. Dazai and I have a meeting with the director in the conference room. If you run into an enemy, don't fight. Just run! That goes double for you, Dimir!" Kunikida ordered before turning and walking away.
"You know, I'd ask "why me", but I know why me." Dimir remarked as she and Junichirou went in search of Atsushi.
In the end, Naomi ended up going with them, refusing to stay behind while her brother went out searching for their missing co-worker. Something that really displeased her brother.
"This is the first time I've seen the Detective Agency so tense." Naomi remarked as they walked down the sidewalk.
"Naomi, you really should head back to the agency." Junichirou said, turning to look at his sister.
"No! I want to help with the search! I don't want to leave onii-sama at a time like this!" Naomi argued.
"It's too dangerous!" Junichirou snapped.
Dimir and Atsushi stood off to the side, watching the two siblings as they argued. Dimir could have just told Junichirou, right from the beginning, that he was better off talking to a brick wall, but she doubted he would listen to her.
"It's hardly more dangerous than staying at the agency. Even a whole building can be gone just like that! Right, Atsushi? Dimir?" Naomi asked, turning to the two.
"Eh?! W-well-"
"Atsushi, unlike you and Dimir, she has no ability. She'll only get in the way." Junichirou said tartly, cutting off Atsushi.
"What do you mean, onii-sama?! I thought you said you'd always listen to me!" Naomi retorted.
"La-last night, you made me...!"
When Junichirou suddenly cut off, Atsushi and Dimir looked at him. His face went red before he buried his face in the too long sleeves of his shirt, Naomi grinning like the cat that got the canary.
"I'd ask what you two were up to, but I have a feeling I really don't want to know." Dimir remarked, looking from one Tanizaki to the other.
"...It's nothing." Junichirou insisted before turning away from them to start across the crosswalk. "A-anyway! Assistants should just go back to the office!"
Dimir and Atsushi followed him, Naomi bringing up the rear.
"My, my. Would you like me to remind you of your request yesterday?" Naomi asked.
"I think we can do without th...where's Naomi?"
Dimir trailed off, asking that when she turned to find that Naomi was no longer behind her. Atsushi and Junichirou whipped around. In that moment, there was a moment of pause and silence before Junichirou flipped, shoving his way back through the crowd while calling his sister's name.
"It's them! How's that possible? I didn't sense anything!" Junichirou yelled.
"The enemy is close by...! It's dangerous, Tanizaki!" Atsushi called as he and Dimir hurried after him.
"Junichirou! You have to be cautious!" Dimir called, but he wasn't listening to either of them.
"Where are you?! Dammit! Give me back Naomi!" Junichirou yelled, running through the crowd.
In his haste to find his sister, Junichirou shoved aside a man who was in the process of looking for someone as well. Atsushi stopped to check on him while Dimir continued to follow Junichirou so he wouldn't get separated from them. She was just about to catch up to him when he spotted the girl that had come to the office the day before with Fitzgerald. Racing after her, he reached out to grab her shoulder. Dimir only had time to turn, but somewhere in the middle of that turn, the space around her completely changed into that of a playroom filled with toys.
"What the...?"
Dimir looked around. All around her, confused and scared people stood, wondering what had happened. Behind her, Atsushi was still knelt beside the man Junichirou had shoved.
"Welcome to Anne's Room."
Dimir turned towards the voice, finding the Guild girl. It clicked in Dimir's head, instantly, that this whole thing had been a trap. They had been waiting for them!
"My, my...how awkward to have so many people staring at me. I'm not good at talking to strangers, but no. I owe everyone a proper explanation. Everyone must be confused...so very confused. After all, you've been brought to this strange place all of a sudden. If it had been me, my heart would have jumped right out." the girl said.
"Where is Naomi?" Junichirou demanded.
"Oh, I'm so sorry. I should've explained this first. Gentlemen, and lady, from the Detective Agency, this way." the girl replied, gesturing to a door behind her.
One look inside showed them not only Naomi, but Kenji too. And about two dozen other people who had probably been plucked from other locations in the city.
"Kenji! Naomi!" Junichirou yelled, running to the door to try to open it with no success.
"You can't open the door without the key. You can only open that."
This time, the girl pointed to a door on the opposite side of the room. Dimir peered out the window finding the outside world, but everything was frozen in place.
"Everything outside...has frozen." Atsushi exclaimed.
"My name is Montgomery. This is a space I've created using my ability. But don't worry. Anyone can pass through that door. If you don't want to save your companions, that is." the girl, Lucy Montgomery as she introduced herself, said.
"What the hell do you want?" Junichirou asked.
"Simple. Please play with the Anne in this room. Come here, Anne." Lucy called.
The thing that appeared behind Lucy was, in Dimir's opinion, a demented version of a rag doll she use to own when she had been a little girl. The way this thing looked, was enough to give a girl nightmares. Especially since Dimir had an irrational fear of dolls.
"Gods help me, I'm going to be having nightmares for weeks." Dimir muttered, looking up at the thing Lucy called Anne.
"Anne loves playing. She might be a bit spoiled, but she is quite adorable!" Lucy said.
One look at Anne sent everyone around Dimir and her comrades, running for the door to the outside world. Dimir would have liked to run away from Anne too, but she couldn't leave her friends behind like that.
"Ah! But once you've walked through that door, you'll forget everything in this room. Is that okay?" Lucy called after them.
Not that any of them were listening. In the end, only Dimir, her comrades, and the man Junichirou had pushed, remained.
"Only four left?" Lucy asked, looking at them.
"It's very dangerous here. You should run." Atsushi told the man.
A man that Dimir recognized as the man she had saved when Akutagawa had been chasing her. Dimir knelled next to him.
"I know you. I had to get you and a little girl out of the way when a mafia member was chasing me." Dimir said.
"Uh, yes! I remember you too." he told her.
"Sir, my colleague is correct. You really should run." Dimir told him.
"I'm looking for a girl. The girl that was with me that day. A child as lovely as an angel. Have either of you seen her?" he asked, showing a picture of the child to Atsushi.
"No...I'm sorry." Atsushi told him.
"Her name is Elise. She's so cute, it wouldn't hurt a bit even if she got into my eye! Ah, but it might hurt if she really did...Anyway, I'm absolutely freaking out because I got separated from her." the man cried.
"She's probably right behind that door." Atsushi said, looking towards the locked door.
"If that's true, then I'd never forgive myself if I ran away now. So I'm staying, too." the man told them.
"I understand." Atsushi told him.
"Just stay back for the time being, sir." Dimir told him before raising to her feet.
"The rules are simple! Play hide-and-seek with lovely Anne. If she catches you, you lose." Lucy explained, a key appearing before Junichirou and Atsushi. "If you can open the door with that key before getting caught, you win. And the hostages will be safely returned. Now then...who's in?" Lucy asked.
Dimir stepped up to Junichirou's left, Atsushi to his right. The three shared a look, all three agreeing silently.
"Can there be three players at the same time?" Junichirou asked.
"Of course! The more the merrier!" Lucy told him.
Another look passed between Dimir and her friends, the three of them nodding. Atsushi was sure that, if it was hide-and-seek, then they could win. After all, no one was better at hiding than Junichirou with his ability.
"One more thing before we start." Lucy told them. "Violence is prohibited in this room. You mustn't damage or destroy anything in here. Are you ready?"
Dimir and her friends braced themselves as Junichirou took the key and declared that they were ready. She had just enough time to think that she shouldn't have worn a dress to work today before something moving in the corner of her vision, had Dimir activating her Lolita ability and moving before she could think it through. She moved out of the way just in time to avoid Anne grabbing her, but that meant she grabbed Junichirou instead.
"Got the first one." Lucy sneered.
With her hands on Junichirou, Anne dragged him into the locked room, the door slamming close behind him. Dimir hurried to Atsushi's side, now on high alert.
"This isn't good." she said lowly. "That thing moves so quickly. Using an electrical discharge through my ability was the only way I avoided her. As if I didn't have enough reasons to find dolls creepy."
On this, Atsushi had to agree with Dimir. Dimir would probably be alright, for a while, with her Flash Step technique, but once she ran out of built up electricity, she would be at a disadvantage. This was bad.
"You're getting more friends! Aren't you glad, Anne?!" Lucy asked. "What? You still want more? Then..."
"Move, Atsushi!" Dimir yelled, the sound of electricity crackling sounding as she darted to the side.
Anne reached for Atsushi, her fingers closing on air as Atsushi activated his own ability in his legs only to launch himself into the air. Anne followed his upward progress and made another snatch for him. Dimir came darting in from the side, grabbing Atsushi around the waist to yank him out of the way. The moment they landed, they split up, Anne, once again, grabbing at air. Anne turned, this time going after Dimir. Another crackle of lightning and Dimir jumped over Anne's head, flipping so that she landed right on her feet. Lucy started clapping at the two.
"That was amazing! You're both like acrobats! Show me more!" Lucy cheered.
Dimir put her back to Atsushi's, the two keeping their eyes peeled for where Anne would pop up next.
"Speed wise, she's no slower than Akutagawa was." Dimir remarked.
"You're right. If we so much as let our concentration waver, we'll be caught." Atsushi agreed.
Then what were they going to do?"
"Those abilities of your are really powerful and convenient!" Lucy called, drawing their attention. "You must've been doted on ever since you were little! Both of you. You're orphans, aren't you? I grew up in an orphanage, too. It was a terribly cold place. After working for an entire day with freezing cold water and a dishcloth, my fingers would hurt for several days straight. Not to mention, my ability is something like this. Everyone says I'm disgusting."
Dimir peered over her shoulder at Lucy, She could feel Atsushi tense up behind her and knew that Lucy was getting to him.
"After you were kidnapped, the people at the Detective Agency did everything they could to look for you. How nice. It must be because you have such a wonderful ability. I was also taken in by the Guild because of my ability. But the Guild does not tolerate failure. If I mess up this mission, I'll be thrown away like a dirty napkin. Then I'll become alone again. Can you believe that? Hey. Why is it you? Why not me?" Lucy asked. "So unfair. Perhaps I should make you understand how I feel. Stay in this room forever!"
This time, when Anne attacked, Dimir grabbed Atsushi's shoulder, swinging him behind her. Holding up her hands, she warned Atsushi to cover his eyes before letting off a blast of electricity so bright, it blinded Anne and Lucy for a moment. It was a handy little technique Dimir liked to call Stun-gun.
"Go, Atsushi!" she called over her shoulder.
Atsushi, the key in hand, made a dash for the locked door. With Anne blinded, he was able to make it to the door, but when he tried to put the key in...it attacked him. Turning, Atsushi threw the key away from himself.
"Oh? If you throw away such an important key just like that, you'll get scolded by the teachers at the orphanage." Lucy said, picking up the key to show the twisted little monster the key had become.
"Didn't you say I win if I open the door with the key?!" Atsushi demanded.
"Yep. If you can. But even I don't know how to use this key." Lucy replied.
So it had been stacked against them from the start. If they couldn't use the key, then they couldn't free their friends.
"What's wrong? The game has only just started for real! You may be a genius at playing tag, but how long can you stay conscious in this state?"
Dimir and Atsushi were forced to stay on the move after that, each of them dodging and avoiding Anne as she chased them around the room. Dimir tried to think of a way out of this, but if the key attacked them whenever they tried to put it in the keyhole, then how were they suppose to win their friends back? Dimir didn't even have a chance to talk it out with Atsushi and, therefore, didn't know what he was thinking.
When Anne went after her, though, she found out.
The moment Anne turned her attention to Dimir, Atsushi made a dash for the door that would lead outside.
"Are you running away? Leaving your friends behind?!" Lucy called after him.
"Atsushi, don't!" Dimir called, darting out of the way of Anne.
Thankfully, before he could grab the doorknob, the man, who had managed to slip Dimir's mind for the moment, stopped him.
"That won't do, young man. The enemy is over there." he told Atsushi, Dimir finally reaching them.
Dimir opened her mouth to scold Atsushi when he simply fell over. Dimir stared down at him, bewildered, while Atsushi coughed.
"I don't recommend running away under such circumstances, even though I don't expect you to trust a lowly doctor like me." the man told Atsushi.
"He's right, Atsushi. If we can believe what she's already told us, then once we go out this door, we lose all memory of this place." Dimir reminded Atsushi.
"Not only would you fall right into the enemy's trap, you would also forget that your companions are in grave danger, and the enemy will continue her attack." he man added. "Here's some good news. According to game theory, thoroughly retaliating against an opponent that means you harm is the most suitable solution, theoretically speaking. In other words, beat your enemy on the spot, so thoroughly that they can't fight back." the man told them.
"But this method..."
"It's particularly effective when used against enemies who can't afford to lose but still take their opponents lightly. And from what I just heard, didn't the people in that room risk their lives to save you when you were locked up in the first place?" the man asked.
"He has a point, Atsushi. Given our current situation, even though the Director told me not to, we might have to resort to Ten Dark Women here." Dimir told Atsushi.
"You can't! He said to never let anyone outside the agency see!" Atsushi told her.
"I know, but Lolita isn't going to be enough, Atsushi. I can keep Anne away from you with Ao." Dimir said. "Better yet...we'll use Midori."
It took Atsushi a moment to catch the meaning behind that last comment, but then he remembered what Dimir said was Midori's power.
"What is she talking about?" the man asked.
"Sir, I'm going to have to kindly request that you don't repeat what you see here." Dimir told the man, giving him a smile when he looked at her. "I really hate having to use two abilities on one person, but this is an emergency."
Leaving the man staring at her with wide eyes at the reveal, Dimir turned, along with Atsushi, to face Lucy, Atsushi reaching out to take the ribbon the man was holding.
"Done talking? Fired up again? It won't be fun if you're not." Lucy told them. "But it's over."
Dimir was faster to react than Atsushi, her eyes following Lucy's when she looked down. Seeing Anne's face rising up out of the floor, Dimir, in a moment of panic, freaked out and, with a little squeal, bolted. Atsushi jumped at the last second, only for a second Anne to appear out of the ceiling.
"There's another one?!" Atsushi yelled as the first Anne went after Dimir.
"Because there are more than one of you! Isn't that obvious?" Lucy replied as the second Anne caught Atsushi and dragged him into the locked room.
"Yay! One more to go! Ready to give u..."
Lucy trailed off as she turned to look at Dimir, only to find the two Annes chasing Dimir from one side of the room to the other, the girl only picking up speed to squeal when one of the dolls got in her way. She would then freak out and manage to slip through the second doll's fingers to start the chase over all over again.
"I hate dolls! These things are so creepy!" Dimir cried, running for all she was worth.
It made both Lucy and the doctor stare after the girl with deadpan looks. Neither had ever expected to meet a teenage girl who was so thoroughly creeped out by dolls. Then Dimir tripped. In that moment of stumbling, one of the Anne's caught her, dragging her into the room, the door slamming shut behind her.
"That's it! Game over!" Lucy cheered before turning to the doctor. "Well then, what to do, dear sir? It's all thanks to your words that the man-tiger didn't run away. I can let you go as a show of thanks. After all, I wasn't ordered to capture you. Letting a raggedy middle-aged guy go won't piss of Fitzgerald. Or maybe...It'll be quite fun to watch your face of despair when you get caught by Anne."
Lucy froze when she met the man's gaze. An instant wave of murderous intent washed over her, leaving her unable to move from her spot as her legs started to shake uncontrollably. Even Anne seemed to freeze in the face of this man.
"Why don't you give it a try?" he taunted. "You can't because you've already lost. Look."
When he pointed towards the door, Lucy turned to look. Before her eyes, the close door faded away to show Atsushi holding on to the door frame, the door wide open, unable to close with Atsushi still not completely in the room.
"How...the door was definitely closed!" Lucy exclaimed.
"You've overlook something. This has been a three-on-one fight since the beginning." Atsushi told her before she finally saw Junichirou behind Atsushi. "The moment the door opened, Tanizaki created an illusion of a closed door with Light Snow."
"And then there was my part." Lucy whipped around as Dimir stepped out from behind a pile of boxes. "Of course, you didn't see that coming, either."
"How?! I saw you get dragged into the room!" Lucy yelled.
"Sorry, but that was a hallucination. Courtesy of Midori." Dimir said. Before Lucy could question that, a small dark figure shaped like a woman came out from under Dimir's hair, climbing up onto her shoulder. There was a grey scarf tied around her neck. "Gure, please recall Midori."
The little figure gave a bow of her head and waved an arm over her head. Lucy stared in wide eyed horror as a similar figure, this one with a green scarf tied around her waist, appeared from the neckline of her dress and flew back to Dimir, landing in Dimir's outstretched hand.
"But...you have an electrical base ability!" Lucy yelled.
"You seem to be just a little mistaken. This is my ability, Ten Dark Women. Midori here, causes my enemies to hallucinate a vision of my choosing." Dimir told her, smiling.
"No way...he fought against the force dragging him into the room with nothing but his arms? And you...you tricked me into thinking your ability was something else. This all should be impossible!" Lucy yelled.
"You...are wrong about one thing." Atsushi said. "I'm not strong, nor am I popular. It's fair to say I bring calamity upon others simply by being alive. So I understand your envy and hatred towards others."
"As for me, you are right." Dimir said, drawing attention to her as she sat Midori on her other shoulder. "I am an orphan, yes, but unlike you and Atsushi, who had a roof over your heads and food to eat, I grew up on the streets, fighting for ever scrap of food and for the clothes on my back, day in and day out. I understand well the tears of loneliness and sadness, the anger towards those who have so easily, what I have to fight for. But I don't let that dark take hold. I choose to look on the bright side."
"To tell the truth, neither of us want you to fail your mission! We don't want you to lose your home! But...I'm too weak and too inexperienced. So I can't think of any other way!" Atsushi swore.
"And here is where my part comes into play. You see," Dimir pointed to her waist. "I had to make you hallucinate so you wouldn't notice."
"Notice? Notice wh-"
Lucy cut off when something suddenly yanked her towards the room by her waist. With Midori's effect finally lifted, Lucy noticed the ribbon now tied about her waist.
"This is...!"
"I tied this ribbon on you right before I was pulled away." Atsushi told her, giving the ribbon one hard yank to fully pull Lucy to him. Wrapping one arm around her shoulders, he held her tightly.
"Let go of me!" Lucy screamed.
"Deactivate your ability right now and release everyone or I'll drag you into this room together with me. The door can't be opened without the key, so if you're locked into the room, there'll be nobody left to open the door. If it comes to that, you won't be able to return to the original world even when you deactivate your ability. Right?" Atsushi demanded.
"Well..."
Lucy couldn't deny it but she didn't want to confirm it either.
"Abilities aren't a tool for dominating others. I know that very well. Do you want to be locked in this space of your own making until you die? No...you probably won't be able to get out even after you die?" Atsushi continued.
"But I...absolutely cannot fail." Lucy said, her tone pleading with him to see sense.
"I'm letting go. You only have until the door closes to make your decision and Dimir will not move an inch to stop this." Atsushi told her.
Lucy's eyes flew to Dimir but she had already turned her back on the door, one hand raised to lightly stroke Gure's head with two fingers. It was clear that the girl wasn't going to do anything to stop this.
And then Atsushi let go.
In the next second, they all found themselves back in the real world, Junichirou checking on Naomi while Dimir rushed over to Kenji to make sure he was unharmed. When she was sure he was fine, she looked around, catching sight of the man who had been looking for the little girl.
"Aaaaaah, Elise!" he cried, finally finding the little girl. "Are you alright? Where on earth have you been?! I was worried sick! How could you just disappear on me?!"
"I thought you'd be worried if I suddenly vanished, Rintarou." the little girl, Elise told him.
"Of course I would! I was really worried! So worried I almost cried!" the man replied.
"I know. That's why I wanted to make you cry. For fun." Elise told him.
Dimir almost slapped a hand to her face. That was some child if she got her kicks from scaring the daylights out of her guardian. Even she had never gone through a phase where she liked to make her mother worry.
"That's mean, Elise!" the man, who Elise called Rintarou, said. "But you're adorable, so I forgive you!"
"That child could get away with murder if all saw it as he does." Dimir muttered lowly to Atsushi, before something caught her attention.
Only the sound of running footsteps warned Dimir and Atsushi before Kyoka ran right into Atsushi, hugging him around the waist.
"Kyoka! Are you here to fetch me?" Atsushi asked, crouching down in front of Kyoka.
"I was worried." Kyoka told him.
"Thanks."
"Well, I guess roommates got to stick together." Dimir said, smiling when Kyoka looked up at her.
"Then we'll be going."
Rintarou calling out to them, had Atsushi and Dimir turning towards him.
"Thank you very much for your advice. That's right...you're a doctor?" Atsushi asked.
"I was. Now I'm just a middle-aged nobody working in some small company." he replied. "Young man. No matter how difficult the situation is, there is always, theoretically, a suitable solution. The more you feel like giving up amidst the confusion, the more you mustn't forget that."
With that, Atsushi and Dimir waved to the man as he took Elise's hand and walked away. It was then that they heard the clattering of Kyoka's cellphone hitting the ground. Turning around, they found the girl falling to her knees in wide-eyed horror. Dimir dropped to her knees before Kyoka, trying to get her to say something, but the girl merely continued staring. Whatever it was that happened, it frightened Kyoya and Dimir didn't like it.
She would find out, soon enough, what scared Kyoka.
-0-0-0-0-
"I had such a wonderful time." Elise looked up at the man walking beside her as he talked happily. "It feels as if I'd regained my child-like innocence! I feel like kicking my enemy's ass with my ability!"
"An old man like you? Forget it." Elise told him.
"You're mean!"
The air around the man shifted then as they reached a back alley dead-end. There waited members of the Port Mafia surrounding the bloody corpse of a man foolish enough to got up against them. Chuuya stood waiting, looking up when the man and Elise stepped into view. Instantly, every member dropped to their knees, bowing their heads to him.
Unknown to Atsushi and Dimir, the very man they had protected in that playroom from hell, was none other than Ougai Mori, the boss of the Port Mafia.
"Is this an assassin from the Guild?" Mori asked, looking down at the corpse.
"Yes, sir." Chuuya replied.
"First the Detective Agency, now the Guild. We're stuck in another difficult situation. I'd better look for the most suitable solution. Be it the Guild, or the Detective Agency, enemies have to be thoroughly beaten and killed." Mori said.
Of course, his men agreed with him.
"Ah! Also, I met the most...interesting girl today. It seems the Detective Agency has found a gem to join their ranks." Mori remarked.
Chuuya felt a bad feeling start to grow in his gut when Mori said this. He still had not said a word to Mori about Dimir and the fact that the girl had multiple abilities. It made him wonder if Mori had found out on his own. Part of Chuuya hoped that wasn't the case.
"Who are you talking about, sir?" one of the other men asked.
"Now what was her name...oh, yes...Nabokov Dimir. A girl with two abilities."
Chuuya turned, fixing wide eyes on Mori who had a grin on his face. That was exactly the look Chuuya had been hoping to avoid. It was a look of greed and desire for power. It was a look that said that Mori had seen something he wanted and now, he would have it. Somehow, someway.
"Two abilities? Are you sure?" another man asked.
"Yes. I saw them both with my own eyes. We shall have to see what we can do to...tempt her to join us." Mori remarked.
Chuuya knew this wasn't going to end well for Dimir.
Not one bit.
END
Kyandi: While I like Chuuya and being able to tease him everyday would be a plus for me, I would not join the mafia.
Dimir: Same here, though I would live without relentlessly teasing Chuuya.
Kyandi: Aw, but that's the fun part!
Dimir: You and Osamu are just too much alike. It's rather concerning.
Kyandi: Depends on how you look at it.
Dimir: Any way you look at it.
Kyandi: If you say so. Everyone, enjoy and review.
Dimir: We'll be right back.
Kyandi: Bye bye!