Beautiful Wreck
"We only part to meet again"
–Michael Scott
Chuuya's fingers had long ceased to feel anything. The snow had begun to fall in earnest, a curtain of white descending from the sky, each flake that landed on his frail body eliciting more tremors on his small frame.
His whole body was trembling, it felt like the cold was inside him now, a deep chill that seemed to leech the warmth from his very soul. He didn't know how long he'd been here, huddled behind this tall green metal bin that stank with things he didn't even want to know.
Or maybe the stink was him.
He didn't remember the last time he'd bathed.
The people in white clothes always just threw a bucket of ice cold water on him before moving on with their experiments.
Though now that he thought about it, did that even count as bathing?
Chuuya sighed, his breath escaping him in a white puff before it was swallowed up by the frigid air. The redhead looked at the sky above him. It was dark now. When he'd stumbled into this corner to hide from his possible pursuers, it had been bright out.
He didn't know where he was but a lot of people stopped by.
He'd never seen so many people before. All of them in various shapes and colors.
He was used to the people in nothing but white so all the new colors were nice to see.
The people who came and went always rode in large contraptions with wheels. Most tapped a card on the machine they stopped by before pulling out a rope from it, at least it looked like a rope, before plugging the thing into the four wheel contraption and leaving.
Others got out and went inside the building stationed nearby only to sometimes come out with bags in their hands.
A lot of them had spotted him where he sat huddled next to the green metal bin but no one ever approached him.
Some looked at him in pity.
Others in disgust.
And some even pretended they hadn't seen him at all.
A sudden gust of wind had his whole body trembling even more.
What was he supposed to do now?
He should probably find somewhere else to go, preferably somewhere warmer but he didn't know this place, he'd never been outside before, so where was he supposed to go?
A glance at his white gown had him glaring.
If he wasn't so cold he would have shred these disgusting garments from his body already but at the moment it was the only thing keeping him somewhat warm so he would endure.
The sound of another one of those metal contraptions stopping before the building behind him had Chuuya lifting his heavy head to see who else had arrived. This metal contraption was longer. It was the longest one he'd seen today and it was all black.
A tall man with gray, swept-back hair and a short beard stepped out of the vehicle. Something about him was different from the rest of the people he'd seen today.
He just looked…fancier?
There was glass over his right eye, the thing held up by a golden chain, and his long black coat looked so warm and fancy that Chuuya just wanted to curl up in it forever.
The man didn't seem to notice him staring. White gloved fingers went into his pockets only to frown when he didn't find what he was looking for. With a sigh, the man opened the metal contraption before sticking his head inside, Chuuya couldn't see what the man was doing before he straightened up, closed the door, and stepped inside the still bright building despite the late hour.
Chuuya lowered his head back down to his arms and contemplated.
Should he go?
He probably should.
It wasn't going to get any warmer here after all.
But where should he go?
So lost in his thoughts, he didn't notice the person standing in front of him until his view suddenly got darker.
Startled by the sudden loss of light, Chuuya let out a frightened gasp as he made eye contact with one brown eye.
It was a girl.
Chuuya couldn't' help but stare.
Not only because she looked like she was his age, though he didn't know what hisactualage was, just that she was as small as him, okay, maybe just a tiny, tiny bit taller than him, but also because her appearance was strange.
She was wearing a black long coat that reached under her knees, the thing was obviously too big on her, it kept sliding off her shoulders. She wore bandages over her right eye, her short wavy brown hair sometimes obscuring it and her right arm was in a sling. Chuuya only knew it was a sling because he'd had to wear one before when he'd disobeyed and had his arm broken as a punishment.
The girl was still staring at him.
Chuuya stared back.
There was a void of darkness in that gaze.
Like all the light had been snuffed out.
This girl had been through stuff.
He could tell.
Because in the rare moments where he'd seen his own reflection, he'd had that same look in his eyes as well.
Was he supposed to say something?
This was the first person who hadn't ignored him today.
Chuuya continued to stare.
The girl did the same.
She wasn't looking at him in pity.
She didn't look disgusted.
And she was obviously not ignoring him.
She just looked curious.
He should say something right?
Chuuya opened his mouth, he didn't know what he was going to say, just that the silence was stretching and he was starting to feel awkward, but it certainly wasn't the violent cough that came out of him.
Chuuya felt his cheeks heat up in embarrassment as his cough died out.
At least he wasn't so cold anymore?
There was the sound of someone clicking their tongue, and suddenly a black coat was draped over his shoulders. The thing practically dwarfed him.
Chuuya startled, his fingers touching the warm fabric before meeting the lone eye of the girl before him.
The black coat that had previously rested on her shoulders was now on him.
"You look like you need it more than me," the girl finally spoke. She sounded dead. "So you take it."
Chuuya felt his words get caught up in his throat. "Oh." When the girl continued to stare, Chuuya hesitantly spoke up again. "Thank you."
The girls face lit up in a small smile and for some reason Chuuya felt proud. She looked at him once, then glanced back at the building behind him, then back to him before coming to a decision. "Wait here."
Before Chuuya could say anything else, the girl had already disappeared inside.
Well, where else was he supposed to go anyway?
It had stopped snowing, but just because it had didn't mean that it'd gotten warmer. Chuuya brought the coat closer and practically buried himself inside. It was so warm.
He didn't know how long he stayed there, huddled inside the big coat, but eventually the little girl came back out, a plastic bag filled with all sorts of colorful things inside and a cup sandwiched between her chest.
When she was finally in front him, she dropped the bag to the floor and shoved the cup in his face. "Here, this will help."
Chuuya stared.
Her hands were covered in bandages, they looked a little red.
Was she hurt?
The girl tilted her head and blinked. "It's not poisoned or anything." She took a sip and that same small smile returned as she licked her lips. Chuuya was immediately distracted. "It's good, trust me."
She didn't look like she was lying.
But neither had the people in white when they made him drink strange things either.
He waited, and when nothing seemed to be wrong with the girl, he unwound one of the hands that had been tucked inside the warm coat and finally accepted the cup.
It was hot to the touch, but Chuuya who's fingers had become stiff thanks to the cold gladly welcomed the heat.
There was a small hole where smoke was coming out. Was that where he was supposed to drink from?
"Make sure you blow on it first," the girl said, he'd been so busy studying the drink in his hand that he didn't notice her taking a seat right in front of him, "it's hot, you don't want to hurt your tongue."
Chuuya straightened.
Why was she sitting so close to him?
Was she going to hurt him too?
Was she not bothered by his stink?
Blue eyes discreetly glanced at her.
She didn'tlookbothered.
And she didn't look like she was going to lunge herself at him either.
In fact, she looked pretty comfortably just sitting there in the cold wet floor in nothing but a white long sleeved shirt and black pants.
The small act had him relaxing the more she just sat there, unmoving.
Deeming it safe enough, Chuuya finally took a sip of the mysterious drink in his hand and felt his whole world explode. His eyes bugged out. Before he knew it, he was chugging the whole thing.
Did his tongue feel like it was on fire?
Yeah, but did he care?
No!
It was so sweet!
And warm!
He could deal with a little pain if it meant he got to drink this forever!
What was this drink called?
He desperately wanted to know!
Because Chuuya was in love!
The girl in front of him laughed and the sound of her laughter had him staring once again because it was quite possibly the most beautiful sound he'd ever heard. It was soft and melodic and it made her whole face soften, and its weird how his chest feels inexplicablylighterjust hearing it.
The darkness in her eye had faded, there was a bit of light in there now.
"You stare a lot, you know," the girl spoke again. She didn't sound angry or anything, she was just stating a fact.
Eyes widening at the brunet who had just spoken up, Chuuya felt his face heating up. "Y…shut up." He muttered, and turned away quickly. Why was his heart beating so quickly all of a sudden.
"I'm not saying it's a bad thing," the girl continued, leaning in slightly, "it's kind of nice. Most people tend to avoid eye contact, or even avoid talking to me in general," she mumbled, her eyes downcast "so this is nice."
Chuuya chanced a peak at her. "Why would people avoid you?"
"Because they'd been ordered to by my grandfather."
The redhead's frown deepened. He knew very little about families, he himself didn't even know if hehad afamily but from what he'd learned in his time at the facility, weren't families supposed to love you unconditionally?
"Why?"
"Because he hates me."
Chuuya was stunned. Why did this girls grandfather hate her? She seemed nice. She'd given him her coat, and she gave him a hot drink that had Chuuya's toes curling in delight. Maybe he was bias, but right now she seemed like the nicest person in the world.
He was going to ask her why, but she probably didn't want to talk about it because she suddenly reached for the bag she had dropped and opened it a little too loudly. "Anyway," she said, her voice rising, still pleasant though, "I also got you these."
Well, if she didn't want to talk about it, then Chuuya wasn't going to push it.
He himself had things he didn't want to talk about either so he understood.
Admittedly, he was a little surprised and secretly pleased that she hadn't askedhimanything either. He must look suspicious right? Here he was in nothing but a hospital gown, no shoes, no socks, no anything. If he was in her shoes, he'd have questions.
But she hadn't asked him anything.
Not once.
It was nice.
"I got you a few lunchboxes, some water bottles, a few chocolate bars, oh and here!" the girl shoved something red and fluffy at him and Chuuya had to put down the now sadly empty cup in his hands on the floor so he could inspect them better. When he still didn't know what they were, he looked up at the girl with a frown. "What is it?"
That one eye of hers blinked in surprise and Chuuya felt himself bristle, ready for the mocking tone that the scientists always used when they had to explain something to him. It made him feel stupid and he hated it.
But it never came.
Instead, the girl took the items back and gently lifted one of his arms and began to explain. She was surprisingly patient and there was none of that mocking tone that he'd been expecting either.
Again, it was nice.
The things she gave him were apparently gloves.
And just like the coat, they were doing a good job of warming up his hands.
"Here, this will help too." She finally said once she finished wrapping something around his neck. "That's a scarf, it will also help you keep warm."
Chuuya rubbed the red material between his fingers but even through the gloves he could still tell that it was soft when he brushed his chin on it.
This was probably the first time in his life that he'd ever been so warm.
Chuuya felt his throat constrict. "Why are you being so nice to me?"
The girl stared at him, surprised.
She wasn't getting anything out of this.
She didn't know him.
And he didn't know her either.
They were strangers.
So why?
Why was she being so kind to him when all he'd ever received was cruelty at the hands of strangers?
Finally, after what seemed like forever, the girl just shrugged. "I guess, because you remind me of myself." And then she smiled at him, but this smile seemed more genuine, and sweet, and Chuuya felt like his heart was going to rip right out of his chest at the sight. No one had a right to look this cute. "And I just wanted to, felt like the right thing to do."
They were the right words to say, and suddenly Chuuya's vision blurred and then there were tears running down his face and damn it, now he was embarrassed.
In all that time he'd been locked away in that facility, no one had ever been nice to him. They didn't stop prodding him and injecting more strange things into his veins when he told them it hurt, they never gave him delicious things like this girl had, they didn't offer him a blanket or more clothes to keep him warm.
They kept him locked away in his little cell, hands and feet chained to the wall, a muzzle over his mouth so they didn't have to hear his cries, and they certainly never smiled at him either.
Not like this anyway.
And thathurt.
Because, what had he done to receive such awful treatment?
What was inside him that they so desperately wanted?
Because Chuuya wasn't stupid, he knew there was something inside him. He'd feel it whenever those people in white tried their experiments, he'd get these bursts of anger and rage and it felt like someone, orsomething,had control over his body.
Chuuya didn't remember his past, he didn't even know how old he was, but he definitely remembered his name, and that's all he really remembered. He didn't know what the thing inside him was, and he didn't know how he'd ended up with the people in white but surely whatever he had done it wasn't that bad that they had to lock him up right?
Chuuya cried harder, ever since he'd escaped a few days ago, he'd been on the run and he hadn't had time to really feel anything but now, at the first sign of kindness, everything was just spilling out.
The girl didn't judge him either, she just tucked him in close, mindful of her injured arm, and ran her one good hand through his hair, untangling every strand until it didn't feel so mangy, and it was nice. So nice.
Normally he hated it when people touched him.
It never came with anything good but being here tucked into the brunets chest, Chuuya felt safe and warm and just wanted to stay here forever.
But all good things must come to an end.
Because of course that's when they both heard a loud cough.
The two immediately froze and sprang apart.
The fancy man with the gray hair and the glass over his eye had come out of the building. Those violet eyes eyed them both curiously before they shifted their glance to the brown haired girl. "My lady," he said with a dip of his head. "The boss is asking for our swift return."
The girl stiffened.
Whatever light had returned to that eye of hers was immediately fizzled out. That genuine smile she'd showed him gone, like it was never there. She looked dead. The brunet didn't say or do anything in response, it looked like she was barely present.
"We should get back," the man continued quietly, and he almost looked sorry, as the girl continued to just stare, "before his moods worsens."
That had the girl sitting up straighter. "Yes sir."
The man opened one of the doors belonging to the metal contraption. "Come along miss, before you catch a cold."
The girl hesitated but then got up.
Chuuya's hand shot to her wrist. "You're leaving?"
You're leaving me?
"I…I have to," she whispered, then gently pried his gloved hand away. "You're going to be okay you know, you're stronger than you think you are, I can tell." The brunet cupped the side of his face in her hand and wiped whatever tears had remained on his cheeks with such gentleness that Chuuya wanted to cry all over again. "Besides, you don't want to go where I'm going. It's…not good, but I'll be fine, and so will you."
Chuuya had to swallow before he spoke and when he did he could barely hear himself. "Will I ever see you again?"
The girl gave him a sad smile and tucked a strand of red hair behind his ear. "Maybe one day." And then she pushed past Chuuya and began walking towards the man where he was still waiting, the door of the metal contraption ajar. "Make sure you eat everything in the bag or it'll go bad."
And with that last word of advice the girl disappeared inside and the four wheeled machine vanished into the night and her along with it.
He'd never even gotten her name.
"Chuuya!"
Who the fuck was that annoying voice?
"Chuuya, come on!"
The redhead grumbled under his breath and turned in his bed. There was an annoyed sigh and then there were hands roughly shaking his shoulders. Chuuya immediately shot up in bed with a snarl.
He didn't like being touched.
And the Sheep knew hehatedto be touched so who the fuck had the audacity to lay their hands on him?
"Woah!" a boy around his age with a gray beanie on his head promptly leaped back from his closed fist. "Sorry, I know you hate being touched, but this is an emergency!"
Chuuya narrowed his eyes.
It damn well better be, he'd been having such a nice dream, and he hardly ever got those.
"What?"
The boy, Akira, swallowed before speaking. "Yuan and Shirase never came back home."
Chuuya was instantly awake. "What do you mean they never came back home?" He slid out of his bed and rounded on him. "They were here when I went to bed last night."
Akira nervously looked away. "Well, Shirase was in the mood for a drink but we'd run out so he was gonna go and steal some but Yuan didn't want him to go alone because it was dangerous, you know with all the kidnappings lately, so she went with him." The guy took a breath. "I thought they'd be back soon, they promised they would, so I stayed up as long as I could but I guess I fell asleep and then I woke up and saw that it was morning, but theystillweren't here, I panicked. I asked the other Sheep, but no one has seen them since last night."
Shit.
God damn it Shirase.
Why the fuck would he go out in the middle of the night looking for a drink when heknewhow dangerous it's been lately?
A bunch of kids had been disappearing over the last two months, most of them from the slums.
It's why the Sheep had stopped their nightly activities, at least for a while, so they could keep their younger members safe and sound.
Chuuya didn't know who was doing the kidnapping. For a while he thought it was one of the other many gangs around the area but he'd done some snooping and they'd also had some of their younger members taken.
Therewasanother organization, the biggest one in the city too, but he didn't have any leads that it was them either.
Though they certainly had the resources for it.
"Did you try their phones?" Chuuya asked, already putting on his brown shoes, so he could head out. "Try Yuan, Shirase tends to run the battery from his with all the gaming he does on it."
"Yeah, I already tried!" Akira vigorously nodded his head. "But neither of them answered, that's why I came to you, so you can go find them."
Chuuya suppressed another annoyed sigh.
He was getting a little tired of having to solve all the Sheep's' problems lately.
For a group of kids that claimed they were "in this together" and "it's us against the adults" they sure picked a lot of fights with others gangs only to leave Chuuya to clean up their mess.
He knew he was the strongest out of all the Sheep. He was their strongest fighter, and it wasn't just because of his Ability though that was the main reason.
Still, they could at least train to get better.
Chuuya certainly did.
He didn't like to always rely on his ability.
Then again, whenever the Sheepdidparticipate in a fight, they almost always got caught or were rendered useless once they got their weapon taken and Chuuya had to go and save their asses anyway.
For someone who claimed to be the leader of the Sheep, Shirase sure let Chuuya take care of all the problems their members caused, only to take over when he had to make a toast to celebrate their victory or to announce a grand plan to get them more daily necessities and making sure Chuuya was a main participant in his so "great scheme."
"Fine," he finally relented, "I'll go look for them, do you know which area they went to get their booze?"
Akira suddenly looked nervous. "Well, about that."
Chuuya glared. "Which area did they go in?"
Akira gulped. "They went to the Port Mafia territory."
Chuuya felt himself go still.
Double shit.
Why, out of all the areas where they could get booze did they decide to go to the territory where the most powerful organization did business?
Yeah, the Port Mafia's alcohol was by far superior to any he'd tried.
One sip from their imported drinks and you didn't want to ever try anything else because nothing else could compare but they had no choice but to settle for less because messing with the Port Mafia only brought trouble. The last time they tangled with them, the Sheep had been lucky to get away.
AndChuuyahad been with them at that time.
The Port Mafia was strong, they were a criminal organization located in Yokohama where they basically ruled. They had the latest tech, the latest weapons, and even their grunts were tough but what made them truly dangerous were their Ability users.
Chuuya didn't know how many they had but the ones he'd encountered had given him trouble. It was hard to put up a fight when you had to protect a bunch of kids who were basically useless in a fight.
The worst thing was that Chuuya could tell they weren't being serious.
And that stung.
He'd never felt so humiliated.
He would have liked to go all out, show them what he was really made of, but then he would think of the Sheep, and he'd lose all fight.
He didn't doubt that an organization as big as the Port Mafia would resort using the kids as hostages to take him down.
It didn't matter that the Port Mafia had rebelled against their previous boss who'd gone insane and ordered the organization to start random fights that wouldn't benefit them, that had his own people fighting each other for no reason.
Last year had been dangerous, once the previous boss had been taken care of, the mafia didn't stop. They got rid of all the corrupt cops, executed all the traitors and those who'd been loyal to the previous boss, as well as got rid of all the gangs that would give them trouble.
They basically cleaned the whole city of crime.
Don't get him wrong, the Port Mafia was still a criminal organization but whatever illegal things they did never involved the public, in fact, whenever there was trouble they always made sure all the civilians were out of the way before they even started their fight. The Port Mafia even had their members do a sweep across the city and stopped any crimes they saw.
Not even the pickpockets were safe.
But just because they suddenly got a new boss and did a 180 didn't mean they weren't still dangerous.
"Why the fuck did they go there?" Chuuya hissed angrily. "The liquor store a few blocks from here lets us take the ones that are just a few days past their expiration date!"
"I don't know!" Akira threw his hands up. "Shirase just said that the Port Mafia wouldn't have many patrols because its nighttime and he wanted a really good drink!"
Chuuya shot him an incredulous look. "The Port Mafia is most active at night!"
"I know that!" Akira shouted. "I told him that too and Shirase just laughed! Why do you think Yuan decided to go with him in the first place? It wasn't just because of the kidnappings. "
Chuuya let out a long-frustrated groan and dragged his hands over his face.
God damn it Shirase.
Well, stalling wasn't going to get their two missing members home anytime soon. Making sure hischoker was still on his neck, it was, he turned to Akira. "Is it the usual route we take?"
Akira wordlessly nodded.
Chuuya stepped toward the wall next to his bed where his gray hoodie was and slipped it on before placing a short black pea coat hover it. February consisted of cold weather.
As he turned to follow Akira down the stairs his eyes caught sight of the black long coat hanging over one of the hooks and he couldn't help but stare. The thing was still too big on him, but that and the red gloves and scarf he'd gotten were the first gifts he'd ever received in his life so he made sure to take very good care of them.
He only wore them when it was super cold and only inside their hideout, he didn't want to dirty them.
His hand trailed down the black sleeve and tugged.
Like usual, his thoughts would drift to the one eyed girl who'd practically saved his life seven years ago. Sure, Yuan and Shirase found him huddled behind that trash can a few hours after she'd disappeared and offered him a home but if it wasn't for that girl giving him all these things: the coat, the gloves and scarf, thehot chocolate, as well as the lunch boxes, then Chuuya was sure that before Shirase and Yuan found him he'd have frozen to death.
He wondered how she was doing.
He'd been dreaming of her a lot lately.
Her features were becoming blurry but he definitely remembered the color of her eye.
Over the years he'd gone back to that spot where they first met a few times to see if he could find her but so far he'd found no trace of her.
It made him a little sad.
Wherever she was, he hoped she was doing well.
With one last tug at the black coat, Chuuya followed after Akira to search for his missing members.
The Sheep's main base was a decently sized abandoned house near the docks. It was falling apart in some areas, and there was another hole in the roof that he'll probably be asked to fix, and some of the stairs came apart if you put too much pressure on them, but nobody complained, even if it was a bit cramped.
Everyone usually hung out in the living and dining rooms, there was a bedroom down there that housed about ten of its members, but there were two more bedrooms in the second and third floor as well.
Chuuya's bed was in the third floor where he shared with twelve other members but at least they each had their own beds so it was something.
The only reason the place hadn't been teared down was because the Sheep had made a deal with the government. Every few months the Sheep would do them a favor and in return, the government would let them keep the building as well as the water and electricity.
It wasn't a bad deal.
As Chuuya finally made it down to the main floor, he noticed that everyone had already gathered. All thirty members except for their two missing members were accounted for. As soon as they saw him they all started speaking at once.
"What are we going to do Chuuya?"
"What if they were kidnapped?"
"Are we next?"
"Everyone calm down," he began, hands raised in a calming gesture, "I'm going to go look for them, in the meantime I want the eldest members to take care of the rest until I'm back."
At his words, five of the kids paled, Akira included, but wordlessly nodded.
Chuuya glanced at the time on his phone, it was almost noon he needed to go soon, and put his phone on the back pocket of his black jeans. "I don't know how long this will take so make sure you guys stay in doors as much as possible, I'll keep you guys updated every few hours."
Chuuya didn't wait for them to nod, they would follow his orders anyway, and without another glance at them he walked out the door.
Chuuya observed his surroundings with a weary eye. Suribachi City was a shithole. The place was packed with litter but it was also the home of the least fortunate. There weren't that many people out and about. In fact, most people avoided going towards the docks in general, the further you went in, the more likely you would stumble on a Port Mafia member.
The docks were part of their territory after all.
Normally Chuuya would have done his best to stay as far away from their territory but he had two missing Sheep and this was their last known location.
He'd been lucky so far in not bumping into anyone but his luck was bound to run out eventually.
No sooner had he thought it that he turned the next corner and immediately stumbled over a Port Mafia member.
Fuck.
Chuuya immediately hid and glanced around the area for more of their people.
There didn't seem to be any.
At least not that he could see.
Odd.
They usually traveled in groups of four or five.
The redhead took a glance back at the Port Mafia member, and it was so obvious that they were in fact Port Mafia because no else but them were allowed to wear black. And this person was definitely wearing all black.
The organization didn't exactly go out and make that a rule or anything but one immediately assumed that if the person was decked out in all black, then they were definitely from the Port Mafia so most, if not all, people would avoid wearing the color.
Chuuya wasn't one of them. If he wanted to wear black then he would.
The PM member was crouching down, their hand sweeping over the floor.
Were they looking for something?
He couldn't see very well from his hiding spot.
Whatever they were looking for, they obviously didn't find it because they gracefully got to their feet and slowly continued to search around the area.
Chuuya only noticed that the PM member was actually a girl probably his own age when she turned around.
Were the Mafia recruiting kids now?
He stared; she didn't look like any of the usual grunts he'd seen around, those all looked rough around the edges.
With a delicate face like that, he would have definitely noticed her.
Pretty girl,a voice in the deep recesses of his mind spoke and Chuuya almost fucking screamed. The redhead ground his teeth and clenched his fists but it was no use – there was no controlling that things comings and goings.Pretty girl,the god inside him repeated.Finally found.
What the fuck?Chuuya hissed in his head.You've been all but silent for the past few years and now that you decided to speak,thisis the first thing you say?
Foolish human.
The hell?
Chuuya didn't know how, but he just knew that Arahabaki had rolled his eyes at him.Figure it out yourself.
With those final words, Chuuya felt the god in his head retreat to his corner in Chuuya's mind and went quiet. It was watching though. He could feel that too.
Chuuya rolled his eyes.Fine, keep your secrets.
Arahabaki huffed.
The redhead glanced back to the girl one last time, she was still alone, so far, and steeled himself. Better to take care of her now in case she wasn't alone. Chuuya strengthened his expression, flexed his legs, and rushed forward.
He was just going to knock her out.
Honest.
Just one good kick to the head and she'd be down.
So imagine his surprise when the girl smoothly dodged his kick and leaped back.
The fuck?
Had she noticed his presence?
Chuuya tried again, this time rushing a little bit faster, but the girl dodged him again.
Curious brown eyes stared back at him. The girl in front of him was a head taller than him, her attire consisted of a dark purple blazer with the sleeves rolled up, black business pants and heels, and a long black coat draped over her shoulders.
"Children these days are so violent."
"Ha? I'm not a child you bitch!"
The girl tilted her head, short brown locks falling into her face with the movement. "That's quite the potty mouth little boy."
That's it, the redhead didn't care how pretty this girl was, she'd just insulted him twice. Chuuya was going to end this quickly, but screw it.
"That's it!" He rushed forward, "you're dead!"
Chuuya snarled, anger filling him, as he raised his leg to kick the girls' head into the concrete, but the girl just leaned back an threw a bandaged fist to his throat. Chuuya choked, and the girl didn't hesitate before bringing her knee to his face.
Crap, his nose was bleeding. With a huff, he wiped the blood with the back of his hand and leaped forward once again. Despite the blows he'd just received, the redhead felt himself grinning. This was the first time someone was actually keeping up with him. It was also the first time he'd been hit.
Not once.
Buttwice.
He'd intended to make this quick. He really had.
Except this girl was keeping up with him just fine.
And though it should piss him off, he still had two missing Sheep he had to find, Chuuya was havingfun.
Every one of his kicks was being avoided. Every taunt he made only earned him a blank stare, but his blood was pumping in excitement and he just really wanted this to last longer but he'd already wasted enough time.
With all the noise they were making, it was only a matter of time before someone stumbled into them.
It was time to end this.
With that thought, Chuuya leaped back and activated his ability. He was just going to increase her gravity so she'd crash into the concrete and finally stop moving.
But nothing happened.
Chuuya blinked.
He tried again but nothing happened.
He knew he'd activated it, he could see the red glow of his ability covering his arms but when he tried to direct it towards the Port Mafia girl, nothing happened.
The only good thing about this was that while he was busy having a crisis, the girl was just standing there unwrapping one of the bandages around her fingertips with a bored expression.
Something about those bandages seemed familiar.
She also had bandages wrapped around her neck.
There was a prickling feeling that he was missing something.
Arahabaki huffed.
Seriously, what was his deal?
He'd been so quiet these past few years, why start speaking now?
"Are you finally done?" the girl drawled, "or will I have to get a little serious?"
Chuuya gaped. "Youweren't?" and then he grinned.
He hadn't been serious either.
She had more to show him?
That'sawesome.
The god inside him was all but purring in delight.
If there was one thing Chuuya and Arahabaki had in common, it was that they loved a good challenge.
Arahabaki because it meant that he could shed some blood and Chuuya because he didn't have to hold himself back.
The girls mouth twitched. "You know, most people would find that sentence terrifying," she sauntered over to him and Chuuya immediately tensed but she didn't look like she was going to attack him again, "but you just seem excited." Her hand reached for his chin, loose bandages swaying with the wind, and Chuuya should really be aiming a kick to her face or pushing her away orsomething,but he was mesmerized, the way she moved was so graceful, and she was smiling so sweetly at him and wow, had she always been this pretty and he just never realized it, and suddenly he was on the floor, head pushed to the ground with a palm on his cheek, his right hand locked behind his back and a knee pressing down on him.
Chuuya hissed,Upon A Tainted Sorrowactivating to get her off but nothing happened. And that's when he noticed it. Arahabaki's presence was gone. His ability was gone.
And he should feel terrified.
And angry because she was touching him and he absolutelyhatedbeing touched.
But all he feels is relief.
Because for the first time in his life, he is utterly alone in his head.
There was no hissing.
No snarling.
No pounding headaches.
No god demanding he go terrorize a city because it's bored.
Just him and his thoughts and nothing else.
Chuuya's body went slack, like a weight had been lifted off him, and he sighed. "Feels good."
There was a moment of silence and then, "I'm going to be honest here, didn't expect you to be a pervert."
Chuuya's face immediately went red. "Wha –" he trashed in her hold. "I'm not a pervert!"
The girl snorted. "Yeah, sure."
"I'm not!"
"Whatever chibi."
"The fuck did you just call me?"
"Anyway," her hold on him became tighter, "I'm looking for someone."
"I don't a give a shit who you're –"
"It's a twelve-year-old boy."
Chuuya immediately clammed up.
"He didn't come home yesterday, and he didn't show up for work today either," the girl went on and Chuuya listened closely because what she was saying applied to his two missing Sheep members as well, "his last location was here so I was wondering if you'd seen him."
Chuuya knows that he definitely hadn't seen him, he wasn't in charge of this area yesterday, but his arm was starting to hurt and he needed to get her off. "Have a picture?" he huffed.
"I do," she murmured, "but I get the feeling you're going to attack me again if I let you go."
Yeah, he probably would have, but maybe they could help each other out. "I won't."
"Promise?"
"I promise."
"I'll shoot you in the balls if you do."
Chuuya gaped and spared a look at her.
Oh.
She was serious.
He swallowed. "I already promised!"
Chuuya felt her hold on him loosen and he immediately shot to his feet to put some distance between them while the girl just watched him with a sharpness in her brown eyes.
Foolish human.
Chuuya huffed. Oh, great,hewas back.
And so was his ability he realized, the red swirling energy wrapping around his frame as he activated it.
How had that happened?
One minute he had it and the next he didn't.
Touch her again.
Chuuya startled.
Was quiet for once,the god murmured,it was nice.
The redhead blinked in surprise.
It'd been quiet for him too?
But how?
As if sensing all his questions swirling in his head, the girl finally spoke up again. "It's my ability."
Chuuya furrowed his brow. "Your ability?"
The girl nodded, her hands crossed over her chest. "It's called No Longer Human and it nullifies abilities." Nowthat, had both Chuuya and the god inside him paying very close attention. "I can't turn it off, it's always on. And there are no abilities I can't nullify, I just have to touch them."
Blue eyes widened in realization. "That's why you unwrapped your bandages."
The brunet nodded and after hesitating, took a few steps toward him.
Brave girl, Arahabaki approved.
She reached into her back pocket and pulled out a photograph and thrust it in his face. "His name is Akutagawa Ryunosuke, have you seen him?"
Chuuya took the picture and if his fingers touched hers a little longer then necessary then neither of them mentioned it. The gravity user wanted to touch her again, it'd felt so nice to hear his own thoughts again. The boy in the picture had a slim build and very pale skin. Short, choppy black hair with side bangs that were white at the tips greeted him.
Chuuya was right, he'd never seen him.
"Never seen him," he huffed, and the girl didn't look surprised at the admission, like she'd already known but had felt the need to ask anyway. Chuuya pursed his lips in indecision. Should he tell her about Yuan and Shirase?
If what she said is true then the people they were both looking for might be together. They'd all disappeared in this location, probably around the same time, so if they had all been kidnapped together, which is proving to be the most likely reason, then they might have all been taken to the same place.
Chuuya didn't know where they'd been taken but unlike the Sheep the Port Mafia had resources.
If he wanted to find his missing members, then working along side one of the mafia might help him track them down faster.
Fuck it, what did he have to lose?
"I'm also looking for someone," he finally admitted, "welltwosomeone's actually."
The girl nodded, "Yeah, I figured." Chuuya immediately tensed. "Why else would you be in this specific spot if not for that?" The girl shrugged and began to walk in small circles, her eyes looking down at the floor instead of him, as if searching for something. "You Sheep have made yourselves scarce since your last bout with us."
"How did you –"
"Know that you're from the Sheep?" the girl finished for him, and still she wasn't looking at him, "we make it our business to know of any possible threats to us and you, Chuuya Nakahara," brown eyes finally focused on him, "are definitely a threat."
He should be a little pissed at the fact that this girl knew his name but he didn't know hers.
He should be demanding answers because if she knew his name what else did she know? His unknown past?
And he should definitely be offended that she only saidhewas a threat but not the Sheep.
Those were his friends she was insulting.
But Chuuya found himself smirking.
The Port Mafia considered him a threat?
Hell yeah.
The girl looked amused. "You're funny," she said and when those brown eyes looked away from him again he couldn't help but pout, "I imagine your friends were taken to the same place as Akutagawa was. Though they were probably taken by force while he willingly went with them."
The redhead frowned, following after her while she crouched down to look at a few crates, "Why would he let himself be taken willingly?"
"Because," the girl huffed, "if I know Akutagawa as well as I think I do, which Idosince I've been training him, then he didn't just get captured without leaving something behind so I can find him."
Chuuya's interest was piqued. "So?" he crouched down beside her, their shoulders touching to see better when her hand reached inside the space between the crates stacked together, "did he?"
"Yes," the girl grinned victoriously, and as she pulled out her hand, wedged between her bandaged fingers was a small little device, "he did."
"What is that?"
"A tracker." She turned to the side. "Well, technically its an ear piece but it can also track its counterpart."
"A tracker?" Chuuya squinted. "That little thing?"
The brunet huffed. "Yes, Chuuya, this little thing."
The redhead bristled. "So how are we going to find them? Does it give out a signal or something?"
The brunet gracefully got to her feet while he all but stumbled after her. "Yep, I just need to input it in my phone and I'll be good to go."
When Chuuya still seemed to be confused, the girl beckoned him over and he watched mesmerized as she clicked on an app and began to type in a series of numbers, turn over the device in her hand, typed in evenmorenumbers that had him blinking because how the hell had she memorized all those numbers in one glance before typing them out, but his thoughts came to a screeching stop when a map suddenly pulled up on the screen and a huge red dot greeted him. The girl sounded triumphant. "Found you."
"You got his location?"
"Yep."
He turned to go. "Then let's fucking go!"
She arched a brow at him. "Who says you're going?"
"Ha?" Chuuya marched back to her and even though it pissed him off that she was taller than him, he made sure he was nose to nose with her even if he had to get on his tippy toes to make his point clear, "if you think I'm letting you go to where my friends are possibly being held hostage without me then you've got another thing coming."
The gravity user crossed his arms and fixed her with his most intimidating glare, one that cowed the Sheep and left his enemies quivering in fear. His ability was activated and he even made a crater where he was standing to look even more frightening. Unfortunately, it did nothing to this girl.
She didn't looked scared like most people would be at this point.
If anything she just looked amused.
What the fuck?
I like her, the god inside him purred.
Chuuya scowled.I thought you were going to be quiet?
We need a strong mate.
Please,Chuuya begged,his face reddening.Stop talking.
"And if I say no?" she continued, thankfully interrupting his silent conversation with a tilt of her head.
Chuuya bared his teeth. "Then I'll just take your fucking phone and the tracker and go find them myself."
"Oh?" And suddenly the air seemed to grow heavy and both he and Arahabaki tensed at the sudden bloodlust the girl was emitting. The brunet's voice had dropped in cadence, it was low and silky and dangerous and that murderous grin on her face had him sweating. "You think you can take me little chibi?"
Chuuya swallowed.
She can take me on any day.Arahabaki cooed.
Are you fucking kidding me?
Please, don't pretend this doesn't turn you on too.
Please,he begged the god. Stop talking!
"I can also just destroy them before you attack," she shrugged, that murderous glint she'd released thankfully gone. She almost looked playful. He wasn't sure if him being disappointed that her murderous energy was gone was the right way for him to feel.
It was kind of nice how she was making him feel at ease and completely on edge after a second.
At least she wasn't boring.
"Then you wouldn't be able to find them either!" he snapped, the cracks beneath his feet were widening, small stones rising to levitate a few inches from the floor.
The brunet waved an unbandaged finger in his face and tsked. It was seriously upsetting not to see someone be terrified at his obvious display of power. "Are you sure?" that too wide smile made him gulp. "Unlike you, I've already memorized the location." She waved her phone and the tracker in his face. "I don't need either of these anymore."
Chuuya shivered, a little thrown off. Was she telling the truth? But he couldn't just give up. "I can just follow you all the way there."
The girl sighed and put her hands to her hips. Shestilllook amused. "You're not letting this go are you?"
Chuuya crossed his arms and viciously grinned. "Nope."
"Fine," she finally relented and began to walk past him, "but you better not get in my way, Iwillleave you behind."
Chuuya staggered after her, damn those long legs of hers. Of course she was going to be faster than him. "I can keep up just fine you –" he slowed to a stop. "Oi, the fuck is your name anyway?"
"Dazai," she said, shooting a smug little grin over her shoulder. "Dazai Osamu."
"You're the one that better not get in my way shitty Dazai, I doubt you'd be of help anyway."
"You just never stop yapping do you little chibi?" Dazai leaned in slightly once he reached her side. "Just like a dog."
Chuuya threw a punch at her for the comment and he was both impressed and angry that she easily dodged it. "Shut up bitch."
"Whatever you say little slug."
"And stop calling me small, I'm still growing damn it!"
Dazai snorted. "Yeah, sure keep thinking that."
The two continued their banter and even though Dazai was clearly insulting him, Chuuya couldn't stop the grin from spreading to his face. It wasn't every day that someone talked back to him despite the high risk of getting pummeled by him.
Maybe working with Dazai wouldn't be so bad.
Evenifshe was from the Port Mafia.