PART 1: THE GOOD
CHAPTER 2
[The Angelic Apprentice... Not]
The hallways echoed with ominous footsteps, mutters and mumbles can be heard from the doors. Men with guns and knives patrolled the perimeter. Such as the usual protocol within one of the buildings in the Port Mafia's complex. Yokohama's Port Mafia wasn't just an unruly bunch of thugs with abilities, power and money.
It was a far more complex organization that directed the currents of Yokohama's politics and economy. They can either continue to let Yokohama flourish in darkness or crush it mercilessly.
Five buildings that soared through the heights of the skies were dedicated as the base of operations of these mafiosi. Inside the structures housed the different valuable artifacts gathered through shady transactions, the spaces to train and up the skills of the people working for them and the offices used for money laundering and such. The building complex of the mafia, sitting at the heart of Yokohama, wasn't a place for children.
However, a duet of 'jan-ken-poi'* was heard from room four-thirteen, which was soon followed by a cheerful yelp and a scream of protest. This has been going on for about an hour now. The sentries protecting the said room could only sigh at the things they have heard from the room. It was, in fact, torture to begin with. Two of the youngest members of the mafia, aside from the boss' daughter, were inside. They have been left alone together and had been playing the said game ever since. (*Rock-paper-scissors)
Inside the room sits two young teens. Tachihara Michizo, a candidate for being Black Lizard's commanding officer at such a young age, and Yamazaki Tomie, Nakahara Chuuya's promising subordinate. It was noticeable that both of their right forearms were decorated with various vandalisms that the other had written.
It was the challenge of the game. Given that you lose in the game of jan-ken-poi, the opposing person gets to write or draw anything they desire, as long as it is within five strokes.
Yamazaki's forearm was decorated with a few writings and drawings. There was an obscenely phallic body part, a collection of name-calling and an ai-ai gaza* of her alias and Dazai's name under the parasol. The last one had Yamazaki reaching for her tonfas and attempted to electrocute the red head to death – until he cocked up his semi-automatic pistol against her chest, forcing the girl to retreat back to her seat with a string of uncensored mumbling. She was getting good at insults and bad words, thanks to her mentor's not-so-clean vocabulary.
(*Ai-ai gaza: A drawing of a parasol where one puts two names underneath it, showing that the bearer of those names were a couple or a 'ship'. It's similar to the American 'sweetheart carvings' in trees like in the movies.)
On Tachihara's arm was an assortment of insults, a lot of stick drawings of him dying under very unfortunate situations and a huge writing of 'DIE' was in the middle of his wrist. Yamazaki deemed her 'masterpiece' is as good as the hieroglyphs seen in Egyptian temples. The boy tried to punch her for the useless comment - only to have his arm nearly ripped off his shoulder with a martial art move that the girl have learned the day prior. He must admit that Nakahara's been pushing her to her limits because her improvement from the first day he met her was steadily triumphing up the charts.
The duo held up their fists against each other and sang, 'jan-ken-poi'.
Yamazaki yielded scissors.
Tachihara yielded paper.
The brunette laughed maniacally, hand reaching up to the blue permanent marker beside her. "I win again, Tachihara-kun!" She declared, an ear-splitting grin and a predatory expression decorated her face as she looked up at the red head.
"Damn it!" He cursed. The ratio of his wins to her wins was one to eight and he wasn't getting any more confident as they continued the game.
"You arm, your aaaaarm~" Yamazaki chanted, wriggling her fingers in a mocking manner. With the boy hesitating to give in, the brunette reached out for his right hand and pulled at it. She bit the cover of her marker and opened it in an unlady-like manner, preparing herself for revenge.
The red head sighed in annoyance, he just seem to never win against her. He felt the cold wet tip of the permanent marker touch his forearm as Yamazaki started drawing, "Just, how many— D-Don't draw a peni…" He faltered, seeing that the girl wasn't anywhere close to stop drawing the extremely phallic object that also decorated her arm. "Ugh. You immature shit." Tachihara was itching to shoot her dead but he doesn't have the guts to go in contradiction of the Nakahara Chuuya of the Port Mafia. That's suicide waiting to happen.
"Says you!" She said, bitterly waving the matching drawing that he had put on her skin a few wins ago infront of his face. Yamazaki stuck out her tongue, "Bear that for the whole duration of your mission today! Hirotsu-san's going to be pissed with you!" She said with pure malice and amusement on her tone.
Upon the realization that his boss wasn't too pleased on the stupid-and-explicit-things-teenagers-do-these-days, Tachihara buried his face on his hands as he lamented his possible death. "Oh god, Gramps is gonna kill me if he sees this!"
"Ahem." Speak of the devil, Yamazaki thought to herself. The man in question, Hirotsu Ryurou, had come in room four-thirteen without the two teens' knowing. He stood over the duo, Tachihara immediately lowered his sleeve to hide the phallic drawing and Yamazaki smiling up at the older man. She greeted him with a humble bow and a polite 'good afternoon, Hirotsu-san'.
Yamazaki was quite respectful of the Black Lizard's commander. She saw the image of her grandfather in him. He was silent, filled with reprimands but that's what made him grew into the brunette. Her grandfather was the only sane person who'd be nice enough to treat her like a normal human being. Always looking out for her and always telling her the right and wrongs in the correct and patient way. Hirotsu was somewhat like that, minus the bloodthirsty tendencies to kill everyone and everything on his way.
The man turned to the brunette, speaking to her in his usual formal manner, "Yamazaki, Dazai-dono had asked me to bring you to the fourth tower."
Dazai-dono.
Da-za-i.
Dazai.
D
A
Z
A
I
The name echoed on Tomie's mind. The alarms in her head started sending distressing signals all at once. Her mentor's warnings resounded on her brain. 'Should he do anything to bring you in a secluded place, run for your life if you want to preserve your innocence.' He had once told her while in the middle of training. She asked him why, even if she already know what he meant, and he merely shrugged the topic of. Chuuya was hesitant and jumpy when she tried to pry him open with the concrete reason of his worry – much to the liking of the girl.
To Tomie, it became an indicator that she should heed her mentor's warning, no matter what circumstance.
Now, however, was a tight situation. It was as if the brunette was caught in between a rock and a hard place. She knew Hirotsu never takes a 'no' for an answer and she knew that Chuuya wasn't joking with his warning. The girl could only gulp at the thought of what is to come. She asked meekly, her face paling every second at the thought of her impending doom. "I-Isn't that his domain?"
"Yes."
She groaned in annoyance. Damn it, Yamazaki inwardly thought. It was only her second month in the organization and already, she is seeing the interior of her coffin. Tomie knew it was a bad thing. Even though she has faced death a hundred times, dying without properly repaying Nakahara's charity work for her was a huge disappointment on her part. Remembering Chuuya's position in the mafia, she made up a desperate excuse. "N-Nakahara-san told me I'm not supposed to go there without him!"
"I know you're wary of Dazai-dono…" Hirotsu sighed. Indeed, Yamazaki had every right to be anxious around the young executive. Dazai's clinginess to the girl was almost to the point of harassment, if Hirotsu was to be asked about his say in the matter. The veteran is aware, however, it wasn't his business to reprimand the boy of his actions – especially since Dazai is his superior, as much as that sounds ludicrous. "He's been very... flirtatious around you, as he is with every other woman, but this is an urgent matter."
Yamazaki rolled her eyes. She must admit, he's nice and handsome but he's just really… touchy. The brunette thought that she might not have minded his clinginess, had his abilities not been 'No Longer Human'. It was a troublesome power, especially for a combative member of the mafia like her.
There was a malicious whistle from Tachihara. She glared at him as the red-headed boy sling his arm at her shoulders, pinching her cheeks in a mocking manner. "Oho~ I didn't know you're sleeping with the big ones now, Yamazaki."
She blushed at Tachihara's implications but decided to feign ignorance. "I'm not sleeping with Dazai-san, Tachihara-kun. I sleep alone." She said, stating her point proudly, ignoring the underlying meaning to the boy's words. With those words, she stood up and picked up the fedora and tonfas that Chuuya had given her a few weeks prior.
The boy laughed at her 'stupid' reply but Hirotsu interrupted him before Tachihara can mock the girl once more. "Let's go, Yamazaki." He insisted, staring piercingly at the hesitant girl. "It is rude to keep Dazai-dono in wait."
"I'm off…" Yamazaki dejectedly said, all of the cells in her body forcing and warning her to not follow Hirotsu and his orders to bring her to Dazai's domain. The brunette secured her tonfas on the straps on either side of her legs and checked her pistols at the straps on either side of her chest that she had both crafted for safety purposes. She bit her lip and shoved her right hand on her pants pocket. I hope I get out of there alive. Yamazaki wore the fedora and tipped it forward to hide her face, in which Tachihara laughed at her 'unsightly display of trying to act mature'. Yamazaki decided to ignore such childish jests and followed Hirotsu out of the room.
It was a long walk. From the second building to the fourth was too much to handle for her fragile heart. She clawed at the bottom hem of her shirt in anxiety. Yamazaki felt as if she's awaiting her punishment, even though she (probably) hasn't done something that will anger the young executive.
She shivered at the cold touch of the tiled floor when they entered the building. At that moment, the elder man noticed her bare feet. Hirotsu droned on about her getting all sorts of viruses and diseases if she kept not wearing any shoes or slippers. The brunette drowned out his voice. The thoughts of anxiousness are still plaguing her mind as they neared their destination.
Hirotsu and her walked up the metal mezzanine platform that leads to Dazai's secluded office in the building. Upon closing in to their endpoint, she heard voices echo in the hallways. The brunette felt a shiver run up her spine at the subject they are discussing. I sometimes forget that the other mafia businesses are not as shallow as my jobs; she cringed at the graphic image she is imagining at the topic of the voices. Not too long after a few more steps, Yamazaki saw two figures. The taller one was obviously the man of interest, Dazai Osamu, and the smaller of the two, clad in an ominous black coat, seemed like he was the suicidal maniac's subordinate.
When the mafia executive looked at them, the brunette removed her fedora and placed it infront of her chest, a habit that she picked up from her mentor. "Dazai-san! G-Good afternoon." She bowed, blushing as she stuttered accidentally. Damn it, she cursed inwardly. Yamazaki put back the hat from her head and, without her knowing, Hirotsu merely bowed at Dazai and left them.
"Oh, Yamazaki-chan!" She flinched at the use of the honorific. It was one of Dazai's habits that she can never get used to, even at the span of two months that she had known the young adult. He smiled at her - a smile that made her pale ten times than she already is. "You're looking so fine and pretty today. I like your hat, your choices are a thousand times better than Chuuya's."
The girl forced herself to not laugh at his ignorance. It was, in fact, Chuuya who has chosen and given the hat to her. "Thank you, Dazai-san." Yamazaki nodded politely but also, covertly, malevolently. She looked at him straight with his dark brown irises, eyes burning with the emotion of sarcasm. "However, I'd like to tell you that Nakahara-san was the one to give this to me."
Dazai laughed an amused laugh, patting her head then he bowed to her eye level. He placed his index finger infront of his lips and winked at her, "Shush, small detail." He was a lot taller than her, being a hundred and eighty one centimetres while Yamazaki is a mere hundred and forty centimetres. Yamazaki noted that she would need to become taller if she wishes to covertly spite him, a mission that implanted on her head due to Chuuya's constant insults at the man.
Realizing the weight on her head, she screamed, "AH, YOU TOUCHED ME!" She immediately shrugged off his hand from herself. In panic, the girl tried to use her powers but to no avail. Yamazaki pouted, crocodile tears forming at the corners of her eyes. She glared at the now smirking Dazai. "I have an excursion later, Dazai-san…"
He brushed off her protests, deeming that she looked too cute, and introduced the girl to his subordinate. "Yamazaki-chan. I'd like to introduce you to my subordinate, Akutagawa Ryuunosuke." Dazai said with a smile. "Akutagawa-kun, this is Yamazaki Tomie-chan. She's the one I always tell you about!"
Yamazaki looked at Akutagawa. His eyes were as black as the darkness of the night. His skin tone was as pale as the snow. His small slender stature stood tall and proud, ominously intimidating the brunette. Even though she noted that he doesn't have any eyebrows, Yamazaki knew she'd have to save the laughs for later because he looked pissed. And she was certain that she wouldn't appreciate triggering a pissed-off mafia member.
Plus, the amount of threats that came from other members regarding the young teen was too much to ignore. A lot of the senior members were wary of Akutagawa, even going as far as calling him a name. The 'Silent Rabid Dog of the Mafia'. Rumors were said that he doesn't talk much but his actions speak louder than words, actions that prove his heartlessness and brutality. Who's to say that Yamazaki is an exception to the fear that Akutagawa spreads within their organization?
Gulping at Akutagawa's piercing stare, Yamazaki stuttered a reply, "P-Pleased to meet you." She said, forcing herself to keep eye contact to not seem overly-shy. Chuuya had told her to get out of her shell and talk to other members while keeping eye contact. He deemed that it was necessary so she wouldn't be preyed upon as the weak girl.
The boy clad in the black coat merely clicked his tongue with a loud 'tch' and a roll of his eyes. Yamazaki twitched, in both intimidation and annoyance, at his cold response. What a snob, she mentally noted then proceeded to agree on his decision to ignore her presence. The brunette hypothesized that if:
[A] Akutagawa takes interest on her, he would either, 1) make her his play toy and torture her to no ends, like what Dazai is doing, or 2) use her as a slave to satisfy his, possible, sadistic traits.
[B] Akutagawa gets pissed off by her mere presence, he would either, 1) kill her instantly or 2) kill her slowly with the intention of murdering her soul or 3) torture her to (again) satisfy his, possible, sadistic traits.
[C] Akutagawa deems her unworthy of his time, he'd leave her alone and she's free to do her own bidding while staying in the Port Mafia.
Of course, the last option was her ideal situation - in which she was praying that that's the case.
"Sir, it's me." A man in the usual tux approached the suicidal executive, bowing in respect for Dazai before handing over a red envelop.
The bandaged teen took the said envelop with seriousness, his eyes glazing over at the sight of the papers. Yamazaki deemed it was important enough that it was the first time she had seen Dazai with a grave expression. She knew he's capable of being serious but she was not expecting him to be this serious. It was… refreshing and alluring at the same time. The girl didn't anticipate seeing such a solemn mien from the boy who kept harassing her childishly.
"You two, please stay outside for a while."
Irritated by the fact that her fear was abruptly interrupted, she complained with a childish pout on her face, "I just got here and you're pushing me out your office?"
Dazai's serious face distorted into a dark expression, a predatory smirk made its way on his lips. "Would you rather have me lock you up here?" He walked towards her slowly, his shoes dragging across the cold pavement in a way that made the brunette's heart drop each time he steps closer to her. "I have a lot of toys we can play with~ What do you want? Whips? Chains? Guns?" The mafia executive offered, his hedonistic voice sending shivers up her spine.
Yamazaki knew he didn't want to 'play' with such weapons... more than that. Even at such an early age, the girl had an idea of what he wants and she's not going to let him.
"No." She firmly said, stepping back to avoid his hands that were already making its way to grab her shoulders. The newcomer crossed her arms, "Nakahara-san said I should avoid being in a secluded space with just you and me!" She exclaimed. Upon seeing that Dazai's apprentice had perched himself on the edge of the mezzanine platform, she pointed at the coughing boy, "I'll be sitting here with Akutagawa-san."
Dazai chuckled at her hesitation, "Good girl." He reached out to pat her head once again but the girl immediately ducked under his trajectory,
"No touching, Dazai-san!" She frowned at the suicidal teen and sat beside the boy in the black coat. The ravenet, only laughing at her response, went in his office with the man who delivered the envelop. Uncomfortable silence came to the hallways when Dazai closed the door to his office.
Yamazaki didn't know what to say to Akutagawa. She wasn't even looking at him but she can feel his gaze upon her figure. The brunette had that inkling that the pale boy doesn't have many friends at all, what with the ferocious glare and mysterious black cloak that looks like it could kill.
After finally mustering up the courage to look at him straight in the eye, she asked the most interesting question she's had after hearing so many rumors about Akutagawa from Tachihara and the few members of the Port Mafia that she has worked with, "So you're… void of all emotions?"
"No." Akutagawa replied in his deep voice. Yamazaki was thoroughly surprised that he'd reply, after he had rolled his eyes and ignored her at her introduction. He merely looked away and stared at the wall opposite the mezzanine, once again ignoring the girl. He raised his hand infront of his mouth in attempt to cover his coughing.
She stared at him for a full minute, almost forgetting that he's a dangerous teen who can kill her at his will. His eyelashes weren't short nor long but it curled up to a gorgeous angle. His pale skin was flawless and the gradation of his hair from black to white was astoundingly miraculous to look at. His eyes conveyed a mix of irritation and… hesitation? Yamazaki was unsure of what she perceives with her eyes in his expression but she's certain of one thing.
Akutagawa looks angelic.
To her, there's no doubt about if the other members call him a 'rabid dog' or the 'devil', Yamazaki saw a side of him that he possibly wasn't aware he's displaying.
With this new assumption in mind, Chuuya's apprentice smiled at him. "I heard Dazai-san's a terrifying teacher even if he's very comical on the outside." She stated casually, trying her best to help him open up to her, even just a bit. The brunette felt as if Akutagawa was that kind of person who's hard to pry open but once she's got his trust, he'd show her all kinds of colors inside him that hides beneath the darkness of his coat. A hopeful spark was evident on her eyes as the thought of being friends with him and proving everyone in the mafia wrong motivated her. She asked him, "Does he beat you up just like how Nakahara-san does to me?"
Akutagawa looked at her with a disgusted expression and scooted away from the sparkly eyed girl. "I refuse to answer your idiotic questions."
She looked at the wall opposite them and closed her eyes, remembering her training regimen with her mentor, Chuuya, and his words of encouragement to her, "You know, Nakahara-san beats me up too but he just does that because he said that since I'm used to being beaten up when I was a child, I should endure the pain better."
The boy decided to not say anything but her words weren't getting blocked out, no matter how hard he tried. How can she casually tell him that she was abused back at her home? He can't even tell Dazai, the young executive who he has been with for more than three years now, a single thing about his hardships in the slums then suddenly, here comes Yamazaki, a mere acquaintance after fifteen minutes, and she's already trusting him about her history.
The black-haired boy looked at her unconsciously as she continued, "Someone else's punch will be a mere flick for me soon because Nakahara-san's one hell of a beast." Yamazaki made eye contact with him once again. "You know, I'm very curious about your power, Akutagawa-san." She changed the topic, seeing that Akutagawa wasn't anywhere near telling her a snippet of his life.
"You'd like me to show you?" The teen stood up, towering over her. He was emitting some sort of dark energy as his clothes flowed without the help of the wind. She gulped in fear at his predatory aura, ready to tear her apart limb by limb. Akutagawa raised his hand, his coat following his actions. She scrambled off, putting much space in between them at the metal platform, to avoid being caught in his ability.
Yamazaki pulled her tonfas from the straps on her legs and stood her guard – after all, he might kill her any moment now. Matter manipulation, she thought to herself at the scene of Akutagawa controlling his dark coat with his will. It was her first time witnessing such an ability but she knew marveling at his gift wasn't going to help her escape his murderous aura.
He smirked at her, knowing fully well that she's standing on her guard, what with the sparks of electricity buzzing from random parts of her body. Yamazaki gulped again. His slender stature stood proudly and malevolently, his eyes glazed with a predatory expression and his smirk was a mere cherry on top at the dangerous sundae called Akutagawa Ryuunosuke that's about to murder her horrendously.
Wait, why are you thinking about sundaes, Zheng? She scolded herself mentally; there won't be any more sundaes for you if he kills you. Akutagawa spoke, his hand raised up with authority and power, "I can easily slit your throat without batting an eyelash-"
Dazai appeared behind his subordinate, holding his wrist, and harbored a warning glance. "Don't you get cocky, Akutagawa-kun."
She put away her tonfas and straightened her posture. Yamazaki removed her hat, placing it infront of her chest once again.
Dazai gave out an apologetic smile at the girl. Yamazaki sensed a feeling of regret from the suicidal teen but she wasn't too assured if that's really the case. The handsome ravenet gave a stern glare at his apprentice; a threatening grin was decorating his face. "Akutagawa-kun, keep in mind that your useless power will be no match for Yamazaki's ability. Given that you are standing on a metal platform, she's barefooted, she's got her tonfas and you're only a few feet away from such a high voltage girl. You'll be toast once her sparks fly." He let go of the rabid dog's wrist in aforceful manner, "Well, seeing you burnt to ashes isn't that bad of a sight, to be honest."
"Tch." Akutagawa merely responded, "You didn't need to tell me that."
"Clicking your tongue disrespectfully won't cut it if you keep wimping and whining about every little thing that irritates you, you special snowflake." Dazai enunciated the last part with dripping sarcasm then immediately changed his expression as he announced with a smile, "Ah, I have a mission for the two of you~"
"Will you not pat me in the head again if I say 'yes, I'll do it'?" Yamazaki inquired, somewhat relieved that the young executive seemed to return back to his cheerful self.
"These are direct orders from the boss. You can't refuse, Yamazaki-chan~" He said chirpily, walking up to her hastily, arms extended to give her a hug.
"N-No!" She stepped aside, careful to not bump against Akutagawa because she knew he's more than peeved at her – one more push and he might not control himself much longer. "Hands off, please. I'll die later if I don't have my ability…"
Dazai blinked when he had unintentionally hugged Akutagawa, making the teen blush at the accidental display of affection that wasn't even directed to him to begin with. His apprentice shoved him with a frown etched on his face. The suicidal mafioso shrugged and continued, "We have a delivery of the new guns and bombs shipped specifically from Switzerland. It'll have to be escorted by ability users because we've been tipped that a few… thugs with special skills are keeping an eye on that package."
Yamazaki inquired, "Dazai-san, what will happen if, hypothetically speaking, the delivery gets mugged?"
"We lose three and a half million of revenue." Dazai replied casually, eyeing Akutagawa at the corner of his eyes. The said boy flinched but decided to not join in on the conversation, trying his best to suppress his coughing.
The girl attempted to count the zeroes in a million, only to surrender mid-way. She was never good in maths anyway. "That's a lot of money, right?" Yamazaki sheepishly smiled at Dazai, embarrassed at her display of illiteracy.
"Yes, Yamazaki-chan." He nodded, "Fifteen times the amount of your current monthly pay."
"So if Akutagawa-san and I fail, we'll be killed?"
"Eventually."
Akutagawa clicked his tongue, eyes blazing with hatred towards Yamazaki, "I won't fail."
"Oho~? I doubt that, Akutagawa-kun." Dazai mocked, his eyes once again glazing with ruthlessness. "Remember what you did yesterday?"
Yamazaki wasn't so sure if these two were actually a student-teacher tandem but Chuuya was never like this to her. Sure, she gets to hear him curse her but that was for motivation, not humiliation. Dazai seemed to be such a toxic and stressful teacher to his subordinate… however, she wasn't going to be too vocal with it, considering that if Akutagawa is learning and growing from it then so be it.
Dazai sighed at his apprentice's murderous expression, "This is why I've requested help from Yamazaki-chan. She's been showing exceptional skill ever since she's been escorting our supplies in and out of Yokohama."
"Well, I'll be off now." The ravenet said, putting his hands on his pants' pockets, "Expect the full detail of this mission by tomorrow morning. The schedule of our paper works has been completely disarrayed, thanks to the audit department."
Yamazaki snorted then blushed as the two boys looked at her with two different expressions. Dazai, betrayed; Akutagawa, irritated. She tried to force herself to not smile but the grin still broke out and she responded, "I hope you help with the paper works, then, Dazai-san."
The young mafia blinked at her and chuckled, happy that the girl is starting to talk to him casually, "Is that a plead of death that I hear? I'd be more than happy to die with you, Yamazaki-chan."
"I'm shutting up." She shook her head, the smile still decorating her face. "I'd like to keep my head intact, Dazai-san."
With one swift movement, Dazai had caged her in a tight embrace, his hand patting her head and caressing her hair affectionately. He smelled of roses, lavender and sweat, far different from his usual smell of alcohol. "Goodluck on your trip later~" He whispered to her ear flirtatiously, enough to make her gasp and blush as red as a tomato. Yamazaki was immobilized by his touch; her heart was hammering loudly against her chest.
W-What the hell is this? She asked herself, her mind racing at the possibilities as to why she's reacting as such. Dazai stopped embracing her but his hand stayed at her shoulders. Yamazaki blinked and made eye contact with the teen, in which he smiled and winked at her. He leaned in, giving her a quick kiss on the cheeks. After that, Dazai started walking away from them without anymore words.
Damn it. She cursed inwardly. It was the third time that Dazai had tried to pull such a stunt just to give her a kiss in the cheeks. "NOT AGAIN!" She yelled at the retreating form of Dazai, who was lazily waving goodbye at them. Realization hit her as she tried to use her ability but to no avail. She groaned in agony, "Not again…"
She was pulled back from reality upon hearing Akutagawa cough. "What a waste of my time."
Yamazaki was about to speak to him but he beat her to it, grabbing her by the collar of her blouse. He pulled her closer to him in attempt to intimidate her more. The girl was starting to become uncomfortable at the closeness but what caught her attention was that attractive smell of his perfume. It was strong, a lot stronger than Dazai's, and enough to distract her from her current predicament of being pulled at the collar.
"Look here, snowflake." Akutagawa started, pulling her back from reality, "I don't care whether or not you're a friend of Dazai-san but don't you try to fail in this mission." Akutagawa threatened, his eyes blazing with pure hatred.
The brunette shook her head, a frown etched on her face. "I don't intend to-"
"One screw up and I will skewer you like barbeque." He pushed her away. The teen looked away from her direction as he coughed. Is he sick? He's been coughing since I got here. She thought, mindlessly worrying about his health first than his threats. "Get out of my sight. Be happy that Nakahara-san picked you up because if you joined alone, I wouldn't have hesitated to kill you right here, right now."
Yamazaki decided to not answer him. It was true. She won't deny that fact. If Chuuya wasn't the one who picked her up, she would've been the target of bullying within the mafia. She might've been floating through the river by now, if not for Chuuya's power and authority in the mafia.
"You're not even worthy to be here in the mafia in the first place, weakling."
With those words, it triggered a switch within her. A switch that made her look at him with coldblooded eyes. She can accept his hatred but to go as far as calling her 'unworthy' infront of her face... How dare he… "You dip-dye melanophilic stingy pale-face."
Akutagawa heard her creative insult, his rashoumon ready to devour her at any moment. "What did you say?" He towered over her once again, figuratively and literally looking down at the smaller girl.
Without giving her ay time to respond, the boy's rashoumon attacked her from different angles in the span of a second. Yamazaki was lucky to have honed her reaction time with her mentor because she would've been kebab-ed at that instant. "People like you should just vanish in the face of the earth!" The girl pulled one of her pistols from the straps at either side of her chest, her tonfas ignored for the fact that Dazai had rendered her ability useless at the wrong time. Before she could pull the trigger, Akutagawa had cut the gun into two halves, making it completely useless. "Guns are the weapon of fools."
"Well, what do you expect me to do, huh?" She screamed at him, her blood starting to boil at the black-haired boy's unreasonable actions. "I can't use my fucking ability because of your mentor!" The brunette was suddenly pulled down at the cold metal platform, her wrists and ankles held down by Akutagawa's ability. It had her pinned down the floor with the teen looking down on her.
Yamazaki started to perspire with cold sweat, her heart once again hammering against her chest – but this time, for a different reason. "O-oi! Are you- Are you seriously trying to kill me?!" She asked him, a desperate smile graced her face and terrified tears streamed down from her eyes.
Akutagawa stared at her distressed state and with a monotonous voice, he said, "Die, Yamazaki."
A/N:
Whew. Guess who's back from the graveeesss—Nah, just kidding. I'm just drowing in projects that I kept pushing aside just to write this long overdue chapter. Here's to hoping that chapter three won't be as late as this chapter.
ilivedx: thank you for thinking so that this is a good OC story! I'll do my best so Yamazaki won't be one of those OCs that are completely flat and uninteresting!
VeraVera: this made my heart jump! Thank you for thinking that my writing style is cute, clear and clipped! To be honest, I'm not sure if my writing style is that good, seeing that I just write what I think? HAHAHA And I was hoping to keep Ryuu and the rest of them in-character so the story won't seem to be too forced. I hope I kept that in this chapter!
Also, the reason I gave Akutagawa the nickname 'Ryuu' was because Akutagawa is often called by his last name in the anime and rarely by his first name, which is sad – if you consider the Japanese tradition of calling people by their first names if, and only if, you're really close to that person. I thought it'd be funny that Yamazaki calls Akutagawa 'Ryuu', something that shows a part of their relationship in the future (somewhat a sneak peak but not totally spoilery.)
Anyways, I really hope I kept them in character! I'm doing my best to observe the characters' way of speaking and behaviors so please bear with me if they kind of stray away from the canon stuff. I will do my best though!
If there're some things you'd like to tell me about the interactions, the grammar and other things, don't be shy to drop a review! I love reading your reactions to my stories so please give me feedback, okay?
Anyways, thank you to those who followed and added this to their favorites. I can't believe I'd receive such a huge amount of support at my first Bungou Stray Dogs fanfiction! I'll do my best so please keep on reading this story! Thank you everyone and until next update! Ciao ciao!