Atsushi was utterly and hopelessly lost. Navigating the streets of Yokohama wasn't as easy as he had thought. Even with the tattered map in his hands, the never-ending rush of people and the loud buzz of the world was driving him half-mad. The rags hung off his bony shoulders and he had long forgotten to put a name to the gnawing emptiness in his stomach.
He collapsed in an inconspicuous corner, wriggling his toes to lessen the biting pain from the blisters that had formed. He pushed back a lock of grey hair and watched the sea of people through his purple-yellow eyes. Atsushi remembered, then, the warmth of the two beasts who had comforted him instead of devouring him alive. With renewed vigour, the teenager took a look at the map, tracing the path to the Yokohama Zoo with a grimy finger. He made his way to the zoo somehow, and it was dark by the time he got to the entrance. Atsushi handed up the last of his money at the entrance and followed the signs to the white tiger enclosure.
There were a few people, given it was almost closing time. He stayed in the shadows until everyone had drifted off and he leaned over the railing, trying to catch a glimpse of the tigers. Under the moonlight, the white tigers seemed to glow. They were doing an affectionate tumble, and Atsushi wondered if they would still recognise him. As if sensing his presence, the tigers looked up at him. One of them growled, bounding up to the edge of the enclosure and a rush of adrenaline ran through the boy. He climbed over the fence, wincing as he felt a blister burst, and he tumbled down to the safety net. It felt like déja vu when he landed and rolled onto the ground, facedown.
The tigers growled softly and Atsushi wondered if he had only been dreaming that fateful day five years ago - but his fears were alleviated almost immediately when one tiger walked over to him and licked him all over. He felt laughter bubbling up within him and the euphoria went to his head, making him even more light-headed than he already was. The other snapped its jaws around his scrawny ankle and dragged him to the cave where they presented to him a few slabs of meat. Atsushi eyed them warily and covered his mouth, resisting the urge to retch.
"Thanks," he said, hesitant, "but I can't eat that. Raw."
They watched him in silence, and the bigger one looked offended somehow. Atsushi reached his hand out slowly, and the tiger snorted against his palm as his fingers pressed into soft fur. It settled down next to him and he leaned against it, his heart thudding wildly. He fell asleep a while later, utterly exhausted from his journey.
When Atsushi woke up, the cave was empty. The tips of his fingers were numb with cold and he stepped out, wondering where the tigers were. He saw them standing at the pond, watching something in the water. He walked up to them and his stomach dropped when he saw a body floating facedown in the water.
What. Is he dead? Atsushi took a step back, his heart thudding. He watched the body float past, biting his lip. Oh, to hell with it!
He took a deep breath and dived into the water, pulling the man out with him and dragged himself onto the ground, panting. How on earth had the man ended up drowning in the pond?
He stared at the brunet as he sat up, his eyes flicking over to Atsushi's own.
"Tch."
Atsushi gaped. Had the man really...?
"I was hoping it would be successful today." The tigers snorted and bounded off, evidently unconcerned by the man.
"Well, nevermind," the man sighed, standing up and wringing the water out of his soggy coat. "I have no intention of burdening anyone when I take my life."
Atushi stared at the man with growing horror. He couldn't wrap his mind around the idea. The man had intended to commit suicide?
"Tell me," he held out a bandaged hand to Atsushi, "What are you doing here?"
Before the boy could respond, there was an enraged shout in the distance and a blond-haired man leaned over the railing, his features twisted into a prominent scowl.
"Dazai, you suicidal maniac! What the hell are you doing so early in the morning?!" He paused and stared at Atsushi for a few minutes, progressively turning paler.
"And what's that kid doing there?!" he yelled, waving a hardcover book in the air. "You better explain yourself!"
"Loosen up, Kunikida-kun," the man - Dazai - drawled, his gaze flicking to Atsushi. "As for the kid, I have no clue either."
Atsushi winced when the man's expression became murderous. "Get out," Kunikida growled, "and bring him with you."
"Well, you heard him," Dazai gave him a small smile. "Let's go."
He gestured for Atsushi to follow him to the exit of the enclosure and the boy took one last look at the tigers who had stopped to stare at him, their intelligent eyes resting on him even after he had walked out.
What followed was an ear-splitting lecture from the blond and, to Atsushi's utter confusion, demands for any qualifications from school.
"So?" Kunikida scowled, a vein twitching above his eyebrow and Atsushi was momentarily fascinated. A low growl jolted him back to the question at hand and he shook his head, his mouth cotton-dry. He swallowed a few times, trying to get the words out.
"I'm an orphan, and we had no schooling at the orphanage I was at. I only read books."
Kunikida's mouth was set in a hard line and he watched Atushi with a critical eye, as if evaluating him. "Dazai. What do you think?"
The brown-haired man sitting next to him leaned forward, his chin resting on his interlocked hands. There was something about his manner that reminded Atsushi of a snake waiting to strike. His accommodating smile was still in place, and he blinked.
"Well, he did survive the night without Tatara and Kagasuki killing him."
"You cannot be serious."
"Oh but I am, Kunikida-kun. And you know as well as I do how difficult it's been for their current handler."
The blond released a long-suffering sigh and rubbed his temples, his eyes squeezed shut. "I'm already schedule and now you want me to take in a snot-nosed brat instead of a qualified professional. Marvelous. Superb!"
Atsushi was finding it difficult to keep track of the conversation and Kunikida's distress was rolling off the man in waves. And then there was a loud growl. Both the men stared at Atsushi. He swallowed, one hand on his stomach.
"I might be a little hungry."
Kunikida was poring over his "Ideals" as Atsushi finished the last bowl of chazuke.
"Atsushi-kun, you said you don't have any place to stay or a job, right?"
Atsushi nodded, rolling part of his shirt between his fingers. A nervous habit.
"Then what do you say to getting a job at the zoo?"
That was, without doubt, the last straw for Kunikida who howled in rage and stabbed at a section of his book with his index finger. "Nowhere in this book is it written that we're accepting new employees! And unqualified ones who eat up my money at that!"
"Now, now, he must undergo training but I've never been wrong about our employees," Dazai said, and he looked like he was about to say more but he paused. Atsushi followed his gaze to the bronze oak tree that was resting at the entrance, its gnarled trunks spreading along the walls of the shop. It was a particularly fascinating design.
"It looks like a good place to hang from, if it were a little taller."
Atsushi blanched.
"We didn't come here for you to devise another morbid plan!" Kunikida hissed.
"What're you talking about?" Dazai turned to Kunikida, mock surprise running across his face. "Haven't you heard hanging on an oak tree helps migraines?"
"Seriously?" Kunikida gaped at Dazai before flipping his journal open to an empty page and furiously scribbling down what the other man had said. Atsushi watched in mute alarm. Were these really adult men?
"I was joking," Dazai added on afterthought.
The pen snapped in half and Kunikida throttled Dazai with intensity that was painful to watch. Atsushi made a few poor attempts at distracting them before asking what Dazai had meant about a job at the zoo. That caught their attention and the brown-haired man gave him a full-toothed smile.
"We're staff at Yokohama Zoo. We've been looking for a long-term handler for our white tigers. Most of our animals were rescued from various ugly situations and kept in sanctuaries. The ones who were healthy enough, we decided to keep have them in the zoo. Most of the time, these animals don't take well to their handlers and it requires a lot of patience and time to take care of them. The last zookeeper nearly got mauled."
"So… you want me to work with the tigers?" Atsushi asked, his eyes widening.
"Well, that's about it," Dazai nodded, looking pleased. Kunikida's expression said otherwise, but he grudgingly agreed to let Atsushi meet the Director.
The white-haired boy was beside himself with growing hope. Perhaps he could find somewhere he felt at home, for the first time in his life.
Thank you for your reviews! Glad you're enjoying so far :"))