Mio yawned as she stretched her arms above her head. She had gotten back from a mission to gain some viable information for Mori. She ran a hand through her hair before making a noise at the knots that had formed in it. She kept her hair short for this very reason; however, it would seem she was due for a haircut. The young woman moved to unlock her phone - intent on calling her hairstylist - when the phone had disappeared from her hands. She blinked before giving a look to the person who swiped it.
"Your hairstylist?" the young man with the bandaid over his nose asked. "I didn't realize you needed one of those, Ito."
"Give it, Tachihara," she said as her hand stretched out. "Otherwise, I will take it back forcefully."
"Wow, buzzkill," he said as the phone was placed back into her hand. "Hadn't seen you in a few days, so I thought I'd come say hi."
"Don't you have something important to do?" she muttered before deciding to call her hairstylist later.
"Not really," he answered as he placed his hands behind his head. "The Black Lizard just came back from a mission, so we're relaxing."
"Then go write a report," she snorted before walking around him. "Seriously, there's always something to be doing."
"Wow, buzzkill," he said again, a smirk beginning to form on his face.
Mio bit her lip as she flexed her fingers. Tachihara Michizo was getting on her nerves. She wasn't going to react. She wasn't going to react. He had wanted that reaction out of her. The informant was going to break his nose. He would need more than just that bandaid soon enough.
"Wow, somebody wants to die today," a voice came, a hand placed on her shoulder.
Mio relaxed as she recognized Chuuya. The executive must have been coming back from a mission as well. He had walked through the front door. The gravity ability user grinned at her before moving to push Mio forward - away from Tachihara. He glanced back at the young man before smirking in his direction.
"I suggest you find something productive to do with your time," he said. "Otherwise, I could always find something for you to do!"
Mio chuckled at the fluctuation of tone within his voice. Threatening to high pitched to represent a feeling of happiness of giving somebody something they wouldn't want to do. At the very least, it had gotten Tachihara to leave the lobby and let her be for the time being. She sighed before moving to rolling her neck and her shoulders. The stress the young woman held was not going to help her in the future as she grew older.
"I can feel the gray hairs growing," she groaned. "This place is going to give me gray hairs."
"You're only 21," her companion said. "You won't get gray hairs anytime soon, Mio."
"If I get gray hair before 30, I'm coming for your head, Nakahara Chuuya," she huffed. "Cause I'll be blaming you."
She watched as the ginger haired executive doubled over in laughter as he heard her words. The young man had to hold onto the wall to keep himself from falling onto the floor. She rolled her eyes at him before looking up and down the hallway. Nobody was in the hallway with them. She was glad there was nobody else in the hallway. Dealing with people was hard, and she was an introvert.
"Thanks, by the way," she said as she leaned against the wall. "For getting him out of my hair."
She was the superior, but her battles were picked carefully. Though, she would admit that giving in to that man's teasing should have been beneath her. She ran a hand through her hair before closing her eyes to relax for a moment. She had a relatively close friendship with Chuuya due to the fact that they were around the same age. It was easier to relate to him than some of the others. Her eyes opened as she heard the absence of laughter. Gray eyes met blue eyes before Mio smiled at him.
"You're welcome," he said. "Come on, Minx, you can order him around."
Minx. The nickname she had gotten from the Port Mafia. She played the part well to get her information. The nickname had been earned from all her missions and information gathering. She didn't have to torture anybody for information. Her phone went off as she got a message. Her eye twitched as she read the message. The informant sighed before pocketing her phone. She didn't want to deal with this today.
"What?"
Mio glanced at Chuuya as she began her walk through the hallway. She grinned at him. No point in keeping the information from him. He would find out eventually, and she supposed finding out from her was the lesser of all the evils.
"Dazai's here," she answered. "He's being detained in the dungeons. I've been asked to get some information out of him."
She waved her hand to Chuuya as she heard the distinct cracking of the wall. Chuuya could control his ability, so the crack wasn't large. She felt his annoyance and frustration off of him though.
"Once I'm done with him, he's all yours," she called before disappearing around a corner.
Dazai Osamu was chained to a cement wall in the dungeon of the Port Mafia. He had been captured for a day, maybe two. He didn't keep track of such things. Though, his encounter with Akutagawa had left him with some bruises and cuts. He whistled a tune as he waited for his next guest. Being captured didn't seem to have bothered him in the slightest. His attention turned to the stairs as he watched the small figure walk down the steps. The chain on her pants shuffled as she walked down the staircase. A bright grin appeared on his face.
"Mio!" he exclaimed. "I'm so glad it's you."
Mio's head tilted to the side which caused her hair to fall over her face. She gave Dazai a sharp look before her body relaxed and she sighed.
"Let's cut the bullshit, Dazai," she began as she crossed her arms. "You and I both know you were purposely captured. You wanted to be captured by the Port Mafia. So, why are you here? What are you after?"
"Wow, no pleasant conversation beforehand," he whined with a small pout. "Haven't seen you in four years and this is how you treat an old friend."
"I'm really not in the mood for your chaos gremlin ways this week," she responded as she stared up at him.
"Shark week?" he teased with a grin on his face.
"Want your nose broken for that answer?"
"Ouch."
Neither broke eye contact before Mio decided that she needed to blink. The woman looked away from him before leaning against the same wall with the chained up Dazai. She wouldn't have called Dazai her friend when he was in the Port Mafia. They talked. They interacted with each other. He irked her to no end. She wouldn't call him a friend - especially since he betrayed the Port Mafia.
"Are you going to talk?" she asked him.
"Nope," he said with emphasis on the p as he popped his tongue. "Well, you'll find out eventually. I kind of want to leave it a surprise for dear Chuuya. How has he been?"
Mio gave him a look of annoyance and being done with him. She had come to get him to give her information on his plans. He felt this was a good time to catch up with an old friend. She hated this man. She sighed before looking up at the ceiling. The dungeon needed a remodel. Cracks were everywhere in this place.
"He's fine," she answered. "Probably going to come and "talk" to you as well."
"I'm planning on it," he said with a grin on his face. "Think he'll enjoy seeing my beautiful face again?"
"Who's beautiful face?" she asked in response. "Certainly can't be your ugly mug."
"Rude," he huffed.
"Pot calls kettle black," she said with a grin on her face. "You're useless not going to give me information. I'm going to take a nap. Be nice to Chuuya, Dazai."
"Me? Nice? Chuuya? Never," was his response.
Mio rolled her eyes as she walked up the steps. The woman crossed paths with Chuuya before she shrugged at him letting him know Dazai wouldn't talk to her. He growled.
"Don't destroy the dungeon," she said to him. "Or, do destroy. They'll have to remodel all those cracks then."
"You're ridiculous," Chuuya snorted before he disappeared into the room.
Mio sighed before she found her office. She had a small one given to her after Mori had granted her the allowance of one. It had a desk, couch, and a few filing cabinets she needed for her information. The young woman fell onto the couch before she curled up with one of the pillows. Her couch was mostly used for naps. Dazai was right. Cramps were a killer. She needed a painkiller. Her head rolled to stare at the desk before she decided it wasn't worth it to get off the couch. Her eyes closed as she lulled off to sleep.
"Mio!"
Mio twitched as she refused to open her eyes. It was her nap time. Couldn't anybody respect that in this place. She heard her name being called again before she moved to sit up. The woman stared at her phone before groaning. She hadn't even been sleeping for 15 minutes. She heard the knock on the door and her name being called once again.
"Coming, Elise," she called before going to open the door. "Does the boss need something to send you here?"
"No," she said. "I was bored and left the office."
The shadow ability user groaned as she heard the girl. Mori's ability had too much of her own personality. She opened the door wider for Elise to come inside. The little girl did just that before she moved to sit on the couch after fixing the pillow.
"Were you sleeping?" asked Elise as she eyed her.
"Of course not," the young woman said. "Who needs sleep?"
"You do!" the ability answered. "But, I'm bored. Play a game with me, Mio-chan."
Mio sighed before she gave a small nod to Elise. She would play a game or two with the girl to satisfy her. Mio reached underneath the couch to grab Candyland. She had a few board games hidden under it for Elise when she decided to visit. The woman didn't know why the girl took a liking to her. It wasn't as if it was a bad thing. She enjoyed Elise's company for the most part. It was when she interrupted things such as a nap that it annoyed Mio. She never spoke up about it. The ability manifestation seemed lonely on occasions, or she looked as if she needed to escape Mori. Mio's office was a safe haven.
"How's the boss been doing, Elise?"
"You'd know that answer if you gave him your reports in person," huffed Elise.
"Too much energy and not enough spoons to care," muttered Mio. "He gets his reports just fine through written email."
Elise giggled at her answer. Mio's answers to her questions were always amusing. The ability appreciated the conversations she had with the informant. It wasn't often that she was able to spend time with her since Mio's job was very demanding. Mio smiled softly at the girl before going to move her own piece on the gameboard. She jumped as her office door was slammed upon. The woman watched Chuuya walk into the room before he flopped onto the couch. His hat moved over the top of his face to hide his frustration and anger. The two girls blinked as they stared at him.
"Chuuya-kun!" shouted Elise as she jumped on top of the executive. "You're rude, you know. You didn't knock."
"Mio's used to it," he said as he moved his hat to stare at the girl. "Aren't you, Minx?"
Mio glowered at the smirk that Chuuya had given her. She had gotten used to him barging into her office uninvited. The young woman wasn't going to admit that to the gravity ability user - she would take that to her grave.
Mio sighed as she moved to rub the bridge of her nose. "I see Dazai made you upset."
Chuuya's amusement dissipated as she mentioned Dazai. He growled before moving to sit up. The man moved Elise to place her on the floor once again. She scurried back to the game board to move her piece. Mio took her turn at the game as well. She watched Chuuya with an amused expression as Elise took her next turn. The man had been uncharacteristically quiet about Dazai being in the same building as him.
"Chuuya?"
"I hate that bastard," he snapped. "Thinks he has everything figured out. Always one step ahead of everybody in the Port-Fucking-Mafia."
"Language. There are children present."
"Oh please," she heard Elise mutter underneath her breath. "Not like I haven't heard any of it before."
"Mori won't be too pleased to hear that you're used to us swearing around you, Elise," Mio said with a slight chuckle mixed into the words. "Whatever shall I tell him."
"I'm being serious here, Mio!" snapped Chuuya.
"Oh, I know," she said. "But, I don't know what you want me to do about it, Gingersnap." She gave him a grin with the nickname.
Chuuya's eye twitched as he heard the nickname that Mio had given him when they met officially for the first time. He didn't remember too much of the girl when she encountered him in the alleyway all those years ago. Gray eyes watched Mio as she went back to her game with Elise. The shadow ability user grew quiet as he watched her get lost in her own thoughts. The meeting with Dazai shouldn't have only affected him. She had known the man almost as long as he had - though he had the advantage of being Dazai's partner as part of Double Black.
"He didn't say anything to you?" asked Chuuya in a quiet tone.
Mio stared at him before she smiled. "He asked me if it was shark week, and I responded by wanting to break his nose."
"Is it shark week?"
"Want me to break your nose too?"
"Next time I see you chocolate it is."
"CHUUYA!"
Elise let out the loudest laugh as she tried to keep herself from falling on to the board game. She knew what they were talking about at the very least. She was an ability not an actual little girl. The girl wiped the tears away from her eyes as she tried to recompose herself. When civilians think of the Port Mafia, they think of cold, heartless people who would kill others without a second thought. They believed that the organization had no morals. The people within it weren't cold-blooded killers. They were far from the truth, especially when she watched the people that had come and gone year after year.
The Port Mafia members were as human as the next person.
Elise made a move on the board after picking up a card. She watched the pale hand of Mio move to pick up a card as well. She stared at it before sighing. The little girl raised an eyebrow at Mio's sigh. Oh. She was curious about the reason for Dazai infiltrating the Port Mafia. The ability could see it in her eyes.
"Why is Dazai here?" she asked Chuuya.
"He wanted information on the weretiger's buyers," the man answered as he moved to lay back down on the couch. He crossed his legs at the ankles as he propped them up on the arm of the couch. "Also threatened to leak all the secrets of the mafia if anybody tried to kill him. Damn bastard."
"Language."
"Don't care," he said. "Point is that he escaped and made his way to the floor above the dungeons with the information stored in it."
"Akutagawa isn't going to be pleased," hummed Mio.
"When is that brat ever pleased?" snorted the rusted red head. "Don't worry about it, Mio. He'll be leaving and be out of our hair in a bit."
"I'm not worrying about it," she said with a small snort. "Anyway, Elise, I win."
Elise pouted as she watched Mio's piece land at the top of the board. It wasn't fair. Mio always wins this game. She must be cheating. The little girl pouted as she puffed out her cheek. The informant laughed at her tantrum before going to pat the top of her head. Whenever Mio won one of the games, it headed to Elise throwing a tantrum about not winning. The black haired woman smiled before she went to put the game away. Once it was underneath the couch, she moved to stand up and head toward the desk. Mio opened a drawer before pulling a bottle of ibuprofen out of it. Three tablets fell onto the palm of her hand as she shook out the painkillers. Grabbing a bottle of water, the woman took the pills before returning everything where she had found it.
"Now then," she said as she sat on her chair. "Are you two just going to hang out in my office for the rest of the day?"
"Maybe," came Chuuya's reply. His hat had returned to resting on his face. "I have nothing better to do today."
Elise giggled as she moved to prop herself on top of Mio's desk. She moved to stare at some of Mio's paperwork before going to slide one toward her. The girl tapped at it incessantly to gain Mio's attention.
"Oh, you want me to finish this one?" she asked the blonde haired child.
Elise nodded. The paperwork in front of Mio was for The Guild. When they offered a sum of money to the Port Mafia to capture the weretiger alive, Mori had asked Mio to look in on them. It was a slow process as The Guild had tight security. No obvious backdoors existed, and she was weary of using her ability in such a place. Her search began with learning about the members of the organization that wanted Dazai's precious weretiger. The leader of The Guild was thorough. She filled out the paper with what she knew before handing it to Elise. The girl took it before hopping off the desk.
"You could have just told me that's what you came for," she told Elise. "Would have saved us the trouble."
Elise grinned at her from the door. "But, what's the fun in that?"
Mio watched the ability walk out of her office with the door shutting behind her with a soft click. She groaned before spinning her chair around to stare out the window. She had a good look over the city. The informant had requested a window from Mori when she was picking out an office. Her cheek had been propped against her chin as she watched the various cars and people hustle and bustle below her. The Port Mafia, under the guise of Mori Corporation, had a hand in almost every business. They were the kings of Yokohama. Nobody dared get in their way. The demons of the night. The harbingers of destruction. Her hand slipped a piece of paper out of one of her pants pockets. She flipped it around in her hands.
It was the note her father left her after he disappeared six years ago. She had kept a hold of it as a memento and reminder of her overall goal.
"I'll find you dad," she whispered. "Through hell and high water, I'll find you."