Kyandi: We're back, everyone!
Dimir: With two new chapters. She just couldn't wait.
Kyandi: That's not a bad thing.
Dimir: It will be if you can't finish another chapter by next Sunday.
Kyandi: Uh...I will.
Dimir: You sure?
Kyandi: We'll see?
Dimir: Kyandi-sama...
Kyandi: Anyway...everyone, enjoy and review.
Dimir: Kyandi-sama does not own Bungou Stray Dogs.
Chapter 10 Beginnings of War
Dazai's taking his time...
Atsushi heaved a sigh, checking his phone once more. With Dazai meeting up with a government official in order to see about getting help from the government when dealing with the Guild, Atsushi found himself standing on a bridge spanning across the river, just waiting. So far, it was proving to be a very uneventful waiting as he stood there, leaning on a guard rail.
"Sorry to keep you waiting."
Atsushi turned when someone suddenly spoke to him. He was sure that wasn't Dazai's voice, and sure enough, when he turned, his eyes widened when he came face to face with the very leader of the Guild leaning on the rail beside him.
"To someone who owns an awful lot of cash and some very outstanding subordinates, the largest enemy is boredom. It's a problem that can't be solved with either money or ability." Fitzgerald told him, smirking at him.
"Wha..!?"
Atsushi jumped back from Fitzgerald, trying to put distance between them. In the blink of an eye, though, Fitzgerald was behind him, looking unamused.
"What a cliched reaction." Fitzgerald remarked.
Activating his ability, Atsushi whipped around, attacking with a punch. Fitzgerald easily caught the punch, stopping it as an amused grin curled his lips. Atsushi was shocked that he had managed to stop his punch.
"This attack is just as typical. The leader of the Guild himself is here to collect you despite the objections from his folks, you know? So you'd better give me some fun, eh?" Fitzgerald said, applying pressure that had Atsushi gritting his teeth.
With such a strong arm, Atsushi knew Fitzgerald had to be a combat-class ability user, and a strong one at that. But he also knew that if he could defeat Fitzgerald, then and there, than it would put an end to the whole war that they currently found themselves in. Atsushi aimed a kick for Fitzgerald's face, getting the man to release him, but, otherwise, it didn't affect the man.
"That was a nice kick. Worth ten thousand. But," Fitzgerald returned the kick, his kick packing enough force to send Atsushi flying back and almost through the guardrail. Coughing up blood, Atsushi fell forward, Fitzgerald grabbing his hair to keep him up. "The bounty we put out was seven billion. If this is all you've got, you're not worth that much. Still, don't despair, old sport. Your worth lies somewhere else. Now come with me."
"Wait."
A new voice calling out, had Fitzgerald turning, looking across the bridge behind him. When he turned, Atsushi was able to get a look at who had spoke. Walking across the bridge, heading their way, was Dimir with Kyoka at her side.
"Oh, I remember you!" Fitzgerald said, his eyes going to Kyoka first. "You're in the lower ranks of the mafia. According to the reports, aren't you suppose to have gone M.I.A.?"
"No. My name is Kyoka. A member of the Detective Agency. Nice to meet you." Kyoka said, seconds before she attacked with no warning.
Fitzgerald leaned back, barely managing to miss having his throat slashed. He was forced to back off away from Atsushi while Dimir ran to Atsushi's side to check on him.
"What a barbaric country. For a dainty young girl to swing a blade without giving away the slightest bit of murderous intent." Fitzgerald remarked.
"Kyoka, now!" Dimir called.
Kyoka whipped around, the two girls each grabbing one of Atsushi's arms. Turning in unison, the two jumped over the rail and towards the river below, dragging Atsushi behind them. Having timed it just right, the two landed on top of a boat passing below, Dimir looking back to make sure he didn't try to follow them.
Thankfully, he didn't.
They road the boat a little ways down the river, until Atsushi had recovered enough to run for himself, before jumping off, finding themselves running through back alleys. Kyoka and Dimir were peering around a corner when they heard Atsushi groan in pain. Turning to look at him with concern, Atsushi gave them a weak smile.
"I'm fine...toughness is the charm of a man-tiger." he told them. "I'm more worried about the two of you. Kyoka, I've been looking for you everywhere. Where have you been all this time? And Dimir, should you really be out and about now that the Guild wants to get their hands on you?"
"Wandering...in the dark...in back alleys and ghettos. Places where I have stayed before. But I now no longer have any place in those neighborhoods." Kyoka answered him.
"I found her there a little while ago, and don't worry about me. Osamu sent me out here to find Kyoka and bring her back home." Dimir added. "I swear, sometimes, the way that man phrases things, it almost sounds like you're about to make a deal with the devil."
Atsushi couldn't deny that way of describing a conversation with Dazai.
"More importantly, let's deal with the Guild first. Look." Kyoka said, drawing them attention around the corner from where they were crouched.
There, they saw a couple of police officers and a squad car. More than likely, the Guild had turned a previous Agency tactic around on them and had called in a false report to the police. From what little of their conversation Dimir could hear, it sounded like someone had called in a false bomb threat.
"Even the Guild can't launch an attack rashly in the presence of the police." Kyoka remarked.
"I wouldn't be so sure about that. Something about this whole thing gives me a bad feeling and has the hairs on the back of my neck standing on end. Even my scar is throbbing like it's trying to warn me of a storm on the horizon." Dimir remarked, reaching up to touch the scar hidden by her bangs.
"What are you, Harry Potter?" Atsushi asked.
"That's not even funny, Atsushi." Dimir retorted, frowning at him. "I'm being serious."
"I know. For now, let's go." Atsushi told her.
"Come on." Kyoka said, turning to head the opposite direction from the police.
Dimir turned, following her, Atsushi bringing up the rear. Recalling what Ozaki had told him about Kyoka, Atsushi silently watched as Kyoka and Dimir spoke lowly together, discussing which direction to go before making turns. Finally too curious for his own good, a trait that probably sprung from his tiger side, he stopped, making both girls stop and turn to look at him.
"Why have you come back, Kyoka?" he asked. "You could've stayed out of the war if you had remained incognito. Even after Dimir found you, you could have easily given her the slip and continued to stay hidden."
"No, I couldn't." Kyoka retorted.
"Despite what you might want to think, Atsushi, I'm a very hard person to shake. There would be no giving me the slip." Dimir added. "Lolita makes me very fast."
"You know what I mean!" Atsushi retorted in an annoyed fashion before heaving a sigh. "She could have remained hidden because I know you care enough about her that you wouldn't have forced her to come back if she really didn't want to."
Kyoka glanced up at Dimir, who was looking off to the side, sheepishly smiling as she scratched at one cheek. The truth was, Dimir never would force a friend to return if they didn't want to and Kyoka knew it.
"Because the Detective Agency is the only place where I belong. This is the first time I have ever wanted to be something, so I must fight for it. I will resort to anything, even the monstrosity that lies within me." Kyoka replied.
"I agree that we have to fight for it, but I don't agree that you need to kill to do so." Dimir told her. Kyoka turned to her to argue, but the look on Dimir's face was both stern and soft, making the younger female pause as Dimir laid a hand on each of her shoulders. "Remember what I have told you, Kyoka. You can never truly be rid of darkness, because it is just as much a part of the world as light is, but you don't have to let it control you."
"Is it the same for you?" Kyoka asked, remembering one time that Dimir had said she had been born in the darkness too.
"The truth?" Dimir asked, Kyoka nodding. "I like to look at it like this. I will always love the light, for it shows me the way. But, I will also endure the darkness, because it shows me the stars. There's good and bad in both, Kyoka. It's what you chose to do with it. Now, let's find our way out of here."
With that, they decided to try to use the police presence to their advantage. Supporting Atsushi between them, Dimir and Kyoka approached the police, pretending they had been attacked.
"We were attacked by people carrying weapons over there." Kyoka told the police officer as he approached them.
"What did you say? Are you alright? You're badly injured!" the man said, seeing Atsushi's bloody and torn clothing. Turning, he called his partner over. "Inspector!"
The man looked the three of them over.
"This could be a conflict between organizations in the underworld. Yokohama has been giving off some really strange vibes since a while ago." the man mused. "The explosion of a foreign vessel...the young murderer on the run...even the orders from the higher-ups are a mess. Just what on earth is happening?"
The second man was called away then as the radio in the squad car went off. The first man bent to get a good look at Atsushi and to check that Dimir and Kyoka were unharmed. It was from there that they heard the report that came over the police radio.
"HQ to 07. We've received report of a serial killer on the loose in the vicinity. The target is a fourteen year old young girl in traditional attire, barely five feet tall."
Dimir's eyes turned to Kyoka then, the young girl freezing as the office at the radio, turned to look at her, asking how old she was. The man started to reply to HQ that he had found the suspect and had started to reach for his gun, but Kyoka was faster. She attacked the man, slashing him over the left shoulder with her blade. She turned to finish the job, but Dimir and Atsushi, using their abilities, were faster. The two caught Kyoka, all three sliding away from the officers. When they came to a stop, the two turned on Kyoka, speaking at the exact same time.
"What the hell are you doing/What do you think you're doing?!"
Dimir turned, wanting to help the officer, but they had to get out of there before reinforcements showed up. Grabbing one of Kyoka's wrist, Dimir started running, pulling Kyoka after her.
"We have to get out of here." Dimir called to Atsushi.
Nodded, the boy fell into step beside her, Dimir pulling Kyoka after her the whole way. They managed to escape the two police officers, but, before they could leave the area, they ran into Fitzgerald again, and this time, he had company. Dimir and Atsushi slid to a stop, Kyoka bumping into Dimir's back when she came to a sudden halt.
"Congrats. Aren't you getting quite the workout, scuttling about?" Fitzgerald said, holding up a rather thick stack of papers clipped together. "We have an excellent tactician. Of course, we've been perfectly prepared for the situation where the enemy slips through our fingers. Though the plan is thick enough to leave me speechless. Of course, there was only one variable that our tactician couldn't account for."
Dimir slipped into a defensive position, guarding Kyoka behind her, while Atsushi prepared to attack. Before Atsushi could launch his attack, something hit him in the side of the head, like a sniper shot, knocking him unconscious. Dimir whipped around, Kyoka drawing her blade to attack. Another shot took out her blade hand, making her drop her blade. Dimir whipped around to face the direction the shots came from. She only caught the barest of hints of another incoming shot.
"Ao, guard!"
The next shot ricocheted off a shield as it sprang to life around her, two figures, one with a grey scarf and the other with a blue one, appeared beside her. Knowing that there had to be a third Guild member nearby, Dimir glanced towards Fitzgerald, wondering what her next move should be and how she was going to get both Atsushi and Kyoka out of there.
"And that was the unpredictable variable that our tactician couldn't take into account. So you must be the young woman, Dimir, that Steinbeck has told me about. He says you have more than one ability and that is a very dangerous thing for our enemies to have." Fitzgerald said, approaching the shield. Reaching out, he knocked his knuckles against the shield. Light rippled over the shield, Dimir watching him closely. Laying a hand against the shield, Fitzgerald leaned against it, grinning at Dimir. "Come work for me. I can pay you five, no, ten times the amount the Detective Agency does."
The look that fell on Dimir's face, was one that was carefully void of any emotion.
"You must be insane."
That was not the answer he had been expecting. Fitzgerald blinked at Dimir is surprise, but the girl's expression didn't change for a moment. Turning to fully face him, Dimir's eyes took on a sharp glint, as if she was angry, but was just barely managing to hide it.
"You really think I care about the amount of money I make? If I really did, I would have taken up the mafia's offer a long time ago, but I grew up on the streets, an orphan living hour by hour, and I am well aware of just how fleeting money is. Keep your money, I have no interest in it." Dimir told him.
"Well, aren't you different." Fitzgerald remarked, standing up straight to slip his hands into his pockets. "Oh, well. You have one of three choices. Join willingly-"
"Pass." Dimir interrupted.
"Become our prisoner and be forced to use your abilities for the Guild, or die." Fitzgerald finished.
Dimir turned to fully faced him and what she did next, also took him a little by surprise. Clasping her hands before her, Dimir tilted her head to the side and gave him a bright smile, a small giggle leaving her.
"Well, then...kill me. I will never betray the Detective Agency in any way, shape or form."
Fitzgerald couldn't help but laugh. Dimir was a very interesting person, indeed. It would be a shame to kill her. Stepping back from her shield, he smiled at her, just as she was smiling at him.
"Mr. Twain."
Dimir's head whipped around as more shots begun pelting her shield. She could tell, from how they felt hitting the shield, that they weren't normal bullets. It had to be a part of someone else's ability. It had to be some kind of sniper-like ability. Dimir, herself, had some long-range attacks, but she wasn't as sharp a shooter as Twain obviously seemed to be. She did better in closer quarters. But nor could she deal with Fitzgerald and his companion if she had a sharp shooter raining bullets down on her head.
"Kyoka, I'll give you an opening. Get Atsushi and yourself out of here. I'll deal with the sniper." Dimir whispered lowly to Kyoka. The other girl looked up at Dimir's serious expression, as she braced her feet, getting ready for whatever she was planning to do. "And I just filled up my stomach, too."
Dimir heaved a sigh, casting a sharp look Fitzgerald's way. The man raised an eyebrow at her. She seemed so calm, even with two injured comrades to concern herself with and a hail of bullets chipping away at her energy.
"Wha-"
"Ki, Orenji, Shiro...come forth!" Dimir called, giving a wave of her arm. Three more of the dark figures appeared. One wore a yellow scarf tied around it's right ankle, the second wore a white scarf tied like a blindfold over it's eyes, and the last wore an orange scarf tied around it's left ankle. "Cover your eyes, Kyoka."
Dimir whispered the last part to Kyoka, who instantly shielded her eyes. Fitzgerald and his comrade caught on a little too late.
"Now, Shiro."
A blinding light suddenly lit up the area, blinding all of those who didn't cover their eyes. Even Twain, from his location far away, was blinded by looking through the scope of his gun. Dimir took advantage of the situation, bending her knees as she called for Gure. Gure shrank, flying to Dimir's collar to cling there. Ao and her shield vanished and, with a little help from Lolita, Dimir bolted forward, springing out across the water. Lolita added enough punch to her steps that she easily cleared the water, bouncing off the rail on the other side before rocketing forward once more.
"Orenji, track." Dimir called. "Ki, gun mode. Energy bullets, no real bullets."
Orenji, her orange figure, turned into a tracking device that latched itself to her right wrist. Ki, the yellow one, turned into a gun that landed in Dimir's left hand. Dimir, now bouncing from one building to the next as she followed the energy from Twain's shots all the way back to him, gave the gun a disgusted look.
She really did hate guns.
When she finally located Twain, it was on the top of a tall building. Dimir, since she already knew where he was, sent Orenji back to Kunikida and the others in order to get someone to come back her up.
Twain, thankfully, didn't see Dimir coming until, in a flash of lightning bolts, she was standing in front of him, a gun aimed at him. Twain scrambled back from her as she fired, the first shot missing and the second grazing his leg. Twain cursed as he fell back on his butt, gripping his leg.
"Hurts, doesn't it? Now you know how my companions feel." Dimir told him, still aiming the gun at him.
"Yeah, certainly hurts like hell. Not as much as this will, though." Twain said, raising his sniper rifle.
Dimir raised an eyebrow at him. He had to be kidding, right? A sniper rifle...with her that close? Yeah, it would be like hitting the broad side of a tree, but Dimir was fast and in such close quarters, she should have the advantage. So when he pulled the trigger, she jerked to one side, avoiding the bullet.
"Really, now, that was just a waste of tim-"
Dimir was cut off as something hit her, hard, from behind. Her eyes widened as Twain grinned. Stumbling forward, Dimir winced as she gripped her left shoulder. Okay, so that was a grave miscalculation. Dimir turned her eyes to Twain, his ability showing itself. She blinked when she was confronted with the two small, boy-like figures that appeared. If she had to venture a guess, they acted like homing beacons for his shots, which meant, no matter how many times she dodged, the bullets would just follow her.
"Tom, Huck...let's show the lady how we do things." Twain told the two.
Dimir reacted as fast as she could, bolting from the building top in a flash of lightning as Twain pulled the trigger once more. She crashed into another build top, sliding to a stop. From there, she saw the shot curving right for her. She jumped again, avoiding the shot as it crashed into the roof where she had just been standing. Twain took the next shot while she was still in mid-air. Dimir let out a cry of pain as she went plummeting towards the ground below.
Dimir, despite knowing how much more energy it was going to cost her since she had already used Lolita and Ten Dark Women, used The World Like The Wind to slow her descent, but even with that, she still crashed into a pile of crates on a construction site below with enough force to completely break them. Pain flared to life all throughout Dimir's body as she coughed, blood bubbling up from her lungs. She was sure something had pierced her body somewhere. It wasn't a position she could afford to be in and black webs were already starting to creep up on the edge of her vision.
Despite that, she could see the approaching form of one of Twain's little boys. If she could make Twain think she had died, then he would just leave her there, giving her friends the chance to find her. So, despite her pain, Dimir slowed her breathing, calming herself until she was barely breathing. When the boy reached her, she held her breath altogether. The boy looked her all over, even put an ear next to her mouth is order to try to hear her breathing.
Folding his arms behind his head, the boys floated back from her, giving her mangled body a once over.
"Well, Twain's gonna be disappointed she died. Oh, well."
With that said, the little figure floated off, returning to his master to inform him that she had died in her fall. While Twain didn't relish the idea of telling Fitzgerald that he had accidentally killed Dimir, at least it meant one less ability user going up against them.
Dimir, on the other had, released her breath once Twain's ability creature was gone. Opening her eyes as wide as she could, she stared up at the sky above her.
Guess there's no chance of that little black out thing happening and saving me again this time, is there?I'll just have to have faith in my friends, she thought to herself.
The black webs thickening, Dimir let her eyes drift close. It felt like only a second to her, but when she heard someone calling her name, she forced her eyes to open, just slightly. She found the sun setting and Yosano, Kunikida, and Junichirou standing over her.
"What did you go and do to yourself this time?!" Kunikida snapped at her.
"Atsushi...Kyoka...Guild..." Dimir managed to get out.
"Okay, okay, we got it. Just stop talking. I'll have you better in no time." Yosano told her.
"The...they think...I'm...I'm dead...let them." Dimir told them, trying to get out what she needed to before she passed out. "Find...Atsushi and...Kyoka..."
"We got it, be quiet!" Kunikida told her. "Or do you really want to die?!"
The three watched as, even in pain and losing blood quickly, Dimir smiled, her eyes drifting close. It was almost as if she was amused.
"Wor...ry...wart..."
Dimir trailed off, her head rolling to one side.
"Dimir?! Hurry and heal her!" Kunikida told Yosano.
"You don't have to tell me!" Yosano snapped back.
Pulling all the board free of her body, Yosano activated her ability. With how badly Dimir had managed to damage her body, Yosano didn't have to do anything to bring the girl to the verge of death in order for her ability to work. For a few minutes, the three remained silent while Yosano worked. When Yosano finally sat back on her heels, Junichirou peered over her shoulder at Dimir.
"How is she?" he asked.
"She should be fine when she wakes up. We should get her back to base." Yosano replied.
Being as careful as he could be, Kunikida gathered Dimir in his arms and the three rushed to leave the site. They would have to report to Fukuzawa what Dimir had told them, but they wouldn't be able to get the full story until Dimir woke up, which, judging by the fact that she had sent one of her Ten Dark Women to them, and had acquired new electrical scuff marks on her boots, she had used two abilities at once, again, so there was no telling when she would wake up.
Hopefully it would be before more crap could hit the fan.
-0-0-0-0-
It was almost a week before Dimir awoke again.
By the time she finally cracked her eyes, they had already figured out that the Guild had managed to take Atsushi and Kyoka had been arrested by the police. Yosano was sitting at Dimir's bedside when the girl finally opened her eyes. At first, Dimir was groggy, unsure of where she was, until she turned her head and found Yosano, magazine in hand, sitting in a chair beside the bed.
"Akiko?" Yosano looked up when Dimir called her. Dimir pushed herself up into a sitting position, rubbing a hand over her face. "How long was I asleep?"
"Six and a half days." Yosano replied.
"Oh, really? Oh! Hey, what about-" Dimir cut off when she turned to ask Yosano a question only for the woman to suddenly grab her in a hug, holding her tightly. "Akiko? Is something wrong?"
"How reckless can you be?! If we had gotten there just a few minutes later, you'd be dead and there would be no way to bring you back!" Yosano snapped at her, hugging her tighter. "Really, just how foolish can you be?!"
Dimir didn't need to read minds and she didn't need Yosano to say it for her to know how much she had worried her. She could feel it in the subtle shaking of Yosano's body as she held her. It had been so long since she had to actively consider what her choices would do to those around her.
Perhaps it was time to relearn.
"I'm sorry, Akiko. I underestimated the one I went up against. It won't happen again, I promise." Dimir told her.
"It better not! I've had to heal you more in the last few weeks than I have anyone else in the last year." Yosano told her, holding her by the shoulders so she could look her in the eye. "If this keeps up, I'm going to start thinking you like my treatments."
"Yeah, no. That is definitely not the case." Dimir assured her. "But what about Atsushi and Kyoka?"
"The Guild has Atsushi. As for Kyoka, she was arrested. We'll take care of it, don't worry. For now, we need to get you some food and get you back to form." Yosano told her.
"Alright."
With how much her stomach was growling, Dimir was not going to turn down food. She was probably going to be able to put back more food than Atsushi and Kyoka combined. Yosano made her clean up and change clothes first. After trading the gown someone had managed to get her into for knee-length, black pants, a simple, sleeveless, yellow long top, and ankle boots, Dimir was presented with a spread of food enough to feed two or three people.
She had just finished all the food when Kunikida went storming past them, heading for the stairs leading to the roof.
"Mr. Doppo?" Dimir called after him.
Kunikida ignored her, making his way for the roof. Dimir watched the stairwell and it wasn't long before Dazai came rushing down the stairs with Kunikida, ordering that chains be brought in. Dimir stared in confusion as they chained Kunikida to a chair.
"What's going on?" Dimir asked.
"See the hand print-shaped mark on his neck?" Dazai pointed out.
"Yeah. What is it?" Dimir asked, peering at the mark.
"It's the mark of the ability of a psychotic boy name Q. It's a mind control ability." Dazai said, going on to explain it to her.
"Mr. Doppo is a victim of this ability?" Dimir asked.
"Yes. He's restrained, so we should be fine." Dazai assured her.
For a long moment, Dimir, Dazai, Yosano, and Kenji, just stood in a semi-circle around Kunikida, watching him. For a long time, nothing happened. Then Kunikida's eyes shifted to the side, as if he could see something none of the rest of them could.
"Hey, Dazai...it's starting!"
And it was then that the crap really hit the fan.
END
Kyandi: This chapter was a little on the shorter side.
Dimir: Hence why she's posting two chapters.
Kyandi: Yep. That, and I really like the events that take place in the next chapter.
Dimir: You're enjoying yourself, aren't you?
Kyandi: Yes, I am. Anytime I get to write you, Chuuya, and Dazai all together, is fun.
Dimir: What about that combination is fun?
Kyandi: Dazai and Chuuya bickering like children!
Dimri:...They're grown men. They shouldn't be bickering.
Kyandi: Yeah, but they do. Anyway, everyone enjoy and review.
Dimir: We'll be right back.
Kyandi: Bye-bye!