Chapter Text
It took 30 seconds for Atsushi to realize that this mission was doomed from the start.
Dazai planned to send his trump card, the new generation of Double Black, to take control of the situation. The goal: to uncover a group of underground human traffickers, who sought gifted individuals with the intent of selling them to the highest bidder. Some of the victims were sent overseas, some were purchased by government agencies for illegally-funded experimentation, others had even worse fates. The recent abductions in Yokohama caused quite a stir amongst the ADA and Port Mafia, which led to this joint mission. The only information Dazai gave Atsushi and Akutagawa is that one of the men had an ability called “Blood of Thy Enemy”, which forced those affected to relive all the traumas of their biggest rival or enemy. Trapped in a dream of torment, the effects could last anywhere from several minutes to several hours, leaving the affected completely incapacitated in a dream-like state. This made it all the easier to abduct the criminal organization’s targets.
“Pleasant, isn’t it?” Grinned Dazai.
Atsushi sighed. “Do we really have to do this Dazai? I mean, wouldn’t it make more sense for you to go and just nullify the ability?”
Dazai wrapped his arms around his new and previous subordinate. “Come on now, Atsushi.” He ruffled the younger boy’s hair in his grasp. “Besides, me and Chuuya have an assignment of our own to deal with overseas! I’m sure you two will do just fine. You guys were made for this mission.”
He didn’t know what Dazai meant by that, but his eerie smile sent a shiver down his spine.
“When do we begin, Dazai-san?” Asked a driven Akutagawa.
“Right now.”
——————-
Atsushi and Akutagawa left immediately to set up at one of the ADA’s safe houses near the port. This would give them easier access to watch the surrounding area for signs of the traffickers. Dazai estimated that the search and seizure would take a minimum of 3 days, so he suggested they bring some clothes and toiletries along. Atsushi laid his small suitcase on the dresser and began rummaging through his clothes. The safe house was rather small, although none of the ADA’s hideouts were glamorous by any means. It consisted of one large room, similar to that of a studio layout. There was a small kitchenette with a leaky faucet and a small fridge with a broken lightbulb. The cabinets had a few cans of food and some ramen dinners. The bathroom was cramped with worn tiles that at one time, may have been white but were now tinged to an unsightly color. There was a musty odor that was hard to identify, but not entirely too unpleasant. It kind of smells like incense.
Akutagawa made sure to comment on the inadequate and subpar conditions of the ADA’s safehouse. A look of disgust was plastered on his face as he wiped his finger across the dusty coffee table.
Atsushi felt his stomach grumble, and decided to microwave one of the ramen cups.
It doesn’t say it’s expired. I guess it’s ok to eat. I’m starving, I should have grabbed lunch first before I left.
Behind him, he heard a low, frustrated groan from his rival.
“What’s wrong?” Atsushi asked, turning to Akutagawa.
“As expected. There’s only one bed here.” Growled the mafioso.
Atsushi took a bite of his noodles and looked towards the sleeping quarters. A single king sized bed with worn quilts was placed next to the wall. Off to the side was a rolled up futon mat that was probably only an inch thick and in poor condition. Atsushi groaned as well, predicting how the discussion of sleeping arrangements would go.
“Yeah, well I figured that—you know how Dazai-san and Chuuya operate,” referring to the close-quarters the two usually preferred when utilizing these safe houses for their own important missions.
Among other things.
“You will take the futon on the floor, weretiger. I’ll sleep here tonight,” Akutagawa stated matter-of-factly as he placed his small black suitcase on the edge of the bed.
“Hey! Who said you could decide where we each sleep?” He groaned. “Why can’t we just share the bed? It’s big enough for both of us! We can just pile some pillows in between us.”
“I prefer not to sleep next to wild beasts, weretiger,” he snapped.
“Fine, yeah ok. I still don’t understand why I have to sleep on the floor.”
Asshole.
“Is that not where cats and other animals prefer to sleep?” His typically stony expression was tinged with a hint of a sarcastic curved mouth.
Atsushi frowned, fists clenched at the rude comment. “I’m a tiger, not a cat. Plus no, I don’t think any living thing should be forced to sleep…on that.” He gestured towards the dusty mat.
“We will discuss this later. We have work to do,”. Akutagawa swiftly rushed towards the front door; his long black trench coat whipped past Atsushi before he could even process him walking out.
The young boy let out an exasperated sigh as he looked towards the wide open door to the outside.
This is going to be a long couple of days…
——————
To no surprise of their own, the moment Shin Soukoku reached one of the larger warehouses at the port they were immediately ambushed. The gifted’s ability hit them dead-on before either of them realized what had hit them. Akutagawa was sent into a dream of Atsushi’s tortured past, while Atsushi found himself waking up in Akutagawa’s. This was the expected outcome should they have been hit, considering how intense their rivalry was.
Great, I knew this was going to happen. He sighed, cursing his psychotic mentor for sending him on this damned mission.
Atsushi rubbed the back of his head and brushed himself off as he slowly got on his feet. He looked around his surroundings and found himself in a run-down building. It appeared to be an old apartment complex of some kind. The walls were dilapidated and the ceiling had collapsed throughout most of the building. Beams that no longer stood to hold the ceiling in place were scattered along the floor.
“Where am I?” He mumbled to himself.
It was then that he noticed a group of 8 small children of varying ages huddled around a small fire towards the center of the building. The children wore tattered clothes and appeared homeless. One of the children appeared a couple of years older than the rest. He noticed the older boy had an irascible look on his face and very dark eyes. His black disheveled hair was tipped in white.
Akutagawa.
It was hard for Atsushi to know just how old Akutagawa was in this memory—11, maybe 12. It was hard to tell, but he knew his malnourished appearance most likely made him appear younger than he actually was. After watching the young children huddling together for a moment, he noticed a strange door with a light blue glow to the right of the room. It appeared out of place, and was not attached to any place in particular. Its odd appearance led him to assume that this wasn’t a part of the memory. He was pulled from his thoughts as he heard the children begin conversation.
One of the smaller children complained that his stomach was rumbling. Another mentioned not eating in days and feeling queasy and weak. A young girl who looked similar to Akutagawa cradled another small child in her arms. This most likely was Akutagawa’s sister Gin, he thought.
“I know where I can get us some food.” He heard Akutagawa say to his young companions. “Don’t leave. I will return soon.”
Atsushi followed a young Akutagawa in the streets, which were covered in trash and lined with empty buildings. The dense trash led to Atsushi tripping over it several times, as he tried to keep up. The air quality was so poor that the area looked as though it were hidden beneath brown smog.
As they continued walking, he decided to try something.
This probably won’t work, I mean, he hasn’t even acknowledged me but I am a little curious…
Atsushi tapped the young boy's shoulder. “Hey, uh. Akutagawa, can you hear me? Where are we going?”
Hell, even if he was able to interact with me, he wouldn’t recognize me and would probably send Rashomon out to stab me.
Not that that’s different from any other day of the week…
After a few more minutes walking in silence, they reached an older corner store that had several broken and blinking lights. The open sign was on. The store seemed to be the only building nearby still in operation. A young Akutagawa slunk into the shabby store from the back door. He began prowling the aisles and using Rashomon to grab random packages of snacks and small bags of rice from the shelves. Atsushi noted that he swiped some fig candies as well. The weretiger smiled to himself. The small tendrils slipped the items easily under his many layers, and Atsushi was surprised at how quiet and stealthy the young boy was.
Did he always have to do this?
It kind of reminds me of when I had to sneak food back at the orphanage…
He quietly exited the store behind Akutagawa when a large man approached him from behind. Akutagawa didn’t notice him until he spoke.
“I don’t tolerate thievery in my place of business.”
The young Akutagawa growled at the man and light flickers of Rashomon appeared from his back, ready to attack. Before he could fully utilize his ability, he was gripped up by the large man by his boney arm. The young boy was forcefully thrown into the dumpsters, hitting his head with a loud thud.
“Huh, an ability user aye? Interesting,” the man commented, smirking at a downed Akutagawa.
Flickers of darkness began to appear from his clothes again as he summoned Rashomon, but the injury made his reaction time slow. The man placed a boot on his small stomach and pressed down. A young Akutagawa grimaced.
“I will tear you apart…you disgusting p—“
His words were cut off as the older man grabbed him by the throat and began tearing through the top layers of Akutagawa's clothes in a vicious fashion, disarming him. The young boy shouted in horror as his body was being dragged down to the ground.
The old man chuckled, “I know how a wandering cur like you can pay me back for what you stole.”
Stop, no. I can’t watch this!
The memory appeared to skip ahead, shoving Atsushi in a tunnel of wind and darkness. The sounds of grown men laughing and firing gunshots could be heard. Flashes of slaughtered children played throughout his thoughts. A young Akutagawa screaming in pain and vengeance over his fallen companions and friends, as he slaughtered several men…This was when he saw the light switch from the young orphan, and saw the dark, angry eyes of the man he had come to know.
Then Dazai.
Atsushi turned around and frantically looked for a way to get out of the horrible memory. It was then that he noticed a strange door again.
This has to be the way to get out of here!
He rushed to it and desperately tried prying it open. He turned his arms into the half-tiger form and crashed through to the other side, leaving the memory and feeling relief rushing over him.
He appeared back at the port in Yokohama, and at first believed to be back in the present. This relief was short-lived, as he realized he was still trapped in Akutagawa’s past.
He was now in the presence of a much younger Dazai. Akutagawa appeared a few years older now, and was wearing his typical black coat and ruffly white shirt. The two teenage boys walked in silence through the streets. This was definitely the shadier part of town; the street lights were dim and roads lined with trash. Several homeless men and women laid asleep under blankets and worn coats huddling from the cold. After a long, silent walk, Dazai stopped in front of a sketchy looking bar with Akutagawa close by his side. Dazai put his hand in his coat, and Atsushi noticed Akutagawa flinch. The older teen pulled out a strange looking black strap with a box on it. Dazai slipped the strange collar-looking thing around Akutagawa’s neck.
“What is this, Dazai-San?”
“A shock collar. Untrainable dogs like you need to know their place. The men I am meeting with are valuable clients of the Port Mafia. If you so much as speak a word or look at one of them, I’ll be sure to make good use of this.”
Akutagawa glared at him, but spoke quietly under clenched teeth, “Understood.”
Atsushi looked on in shock at the behavior of his beloved mentor. This was not the same man who saved him from homelessness and gave him a life at the ADA.
Was he really like this back then? Why is he treating Akutagawa like he’s some kind of dog—like he’s an animal?
Animal.
His guts churned as he remembered all the times Akutagawa had called him a filthy animal, or beast, or some other dehumanizing insult. Let alone, the man never addressed him by name. It was always Jinko this or Weretiger that. And on his especially grumpy days, idiot or fool.
The two teens slowly entered the grungy establishment, with an invisible Atsushi close behind them. The bar was pretty much empty aside from three men in dark suits drinking at the bar. One of the men turned around and gave a devious looking grin towards Dazai.
“Mori said you’d arrive right on time. I’m happy to see my old friend was right.”
“It’s no problem, happy to join you fine men this evening.” Dazai walked over and sat next to the men at the bar, Akutagawa trailing silently behind him with his head facing down to the floor. Dazai ordered a drink and cheers’d the men beside him and took a long sip. It was then that Chuuya entered the bar.
“Shitty Dazai! I told you to wait for me!”
“Oi, Chibbie! I couldn’t keep our lovely clientele waiting!”
Chuuya punched him in the arm and sat in between him and Akutagawa. The five men chatted and exchanged pleasantries in between short laughter. Dazai turned his head to give an intimidating glance to Akutagawa and slowly stood.
“Excuse me, my fine gentleman. Chuuya and I have something to discuss real quick. We will continue our conversation once I return.”
The men held up their glasses and nodded, as Dazai and Chuuya left and entered another room, shutting the door behind them.
Akutagawa was now left alone with the three men. He remained stiff, sitting on his bar stool and avoiding all eye contact.
“Say, aren't you the Rabid Dog of the Port Mafia I hear so much about?” One of the men questioned, seemingly intrigued.
“Look there, the dog even has a collar.” Two of the men chuckled amongst themselves.
The man at the end of the bar leaned over to speak to Akutagawa, who was still avoiding eye contact. “How long have you been working with Dazai-san? He’s a pretty intimidating executive for the Port Mafia don’t you think?”
Akutagawa didn’t respond, maintaining his distant stare ahead of him. The man directly beside Akutagawa frowned and grabbed the teen by the arm, “Hey! My partner asked you a question? You are being pretty fucking rude. Do you think this is how you should act during a business transaction?”
What is wrong with these assholes? I wonder what Akutagawa is thinking—what he’s going to do.
He looks pretty pissed.
The rage was radiating off of him as his expressionless face remained. After more silence, the man grew angrier. “I’m fucking talking to you, you filthy mut!” The absent stare on Akutagawa’s face slowly changed into a distinct frown, as his lips curled in anger and his brow furrowed. A few flickers of dark red light appeared from the back of his black coat.
“Watch out man, I hear this kid is pretty violent.” Another man interjected.
“Luckily I know how to put a dog down,” the man smiled, placing his hand on a gun strapped to his hip. Awkutagawa’s eyebrows raised and immediately summoned Rashomon to slice through the holster, making the gun quickly drop to the floor. Another tendril appeared and sliced the gun in half, as the man quickly grabbed Akutagawa's coat collar.
“You fucking piece of shit! Do you know who you are dealing with right now? I’ll fucking kill you!”
“You are despicable. I would like to see someone as weak as you try,” Akutagawa gave a testy smirk as another man shouted to his partner that the tendrils were now right behind his neck waiting to strike.
The shouting must have startled Dazai and Chuuya from whatever they were doing, because they quickly barged back into the room.
“My good men, what seems to be the problem here?” Dazai asked calmly with a smile.
“Your fucking lap dog is unruly. If I were you I’d take him out back and put this bastard down.” The man beside Akutagawa stood and picked his broken firearm from off of the floor.
“My apologies, I’ll be sure to handle this problem. We can continue this conversation tomorrow, same time?” Dazai asked. The men nodded and the two others bowed as they took their leave. Chuuya stayed behind to finish off their drinks, mumbling about the clean up he and Dazai would have to deal with for Mori.
Dazai led Akutagawa out the side of the bar as Atsushi followed them.
Oh shit, Dazai looks really pissed. I’ve never seen that look on his face before— his eyes look so dead and vacant. Is he going to reprimand Akutagawa? It wasn’t even his fault, they were about to shoot him!
Once outside, Dazai quickly turned to him and punched him hard in the gut. He immediately fell over and was then kicked in the same spot. The young Akutagawa grasped his stomach as he heaved to catch his breath.
Fuck. I need to get out of here…where’s the door??
He noticed the door but to his dismay, it wouldn’t even budge.
“A worthless dog indeed.” Dazai muttered.
Akutagawa growled at him, his glare burning holes into Dazai’s eerily stoic presence.
Dazai laughed with an evil smirk. “Look at you. Growling like the Rabid Dog you truly are. You’re not even human.”
Akutagawa looked into the taller teen’s eyes and glared at him, teeth bared in tight disgust and contempt. Dazai, unpleased with the disobedience, slapped him across the face.
“Say it. Say you are nothing, Akutagawa.”
Akutagawa grit his teeth, his face twisting up in disgrace. “I-I am nothing.”
Atsushi rushed into the strange door, slamming into it with all of his might. When it still wouldn’t budge he began to pound on it and slam it using his tiger ability’s strength. Finally, he was able to make it to the other side.
Fuck. I can’t keep watching this. His past, I-I Can't keep seeing this stuff…
Atsushi could feel the guilt bubble up inside from being witness to some very intimate and traumatic moments of his rival's life. It’s like I’m invading his privacy and I feel sick. There was more to this feeling that Atsushi would soon come to realize: empathy.
After a few heavy breaths beneath weakened knees, he noticed he was in another time period of Akutagawa’s life.
He was now inside a posh, upscale building he somewhat recognized as the Port Mafia’s headquarters. That is when he noticed Akutagawa walking towards him, although he was aware he couldn’t be seen. Seemingly out of nowhere, a group of Port Mafia members surrounded Akutagwa and jumped him before he could summon Rashomon. A boot met the young teen’s legs while fists met his face and jaw. Atsushi watched frozen in place as his body was brutally beaten.
“Because of you, I lost a lot of money on that deal. Go figure you would tear all of those bastards to pieces before we could get information out of them!! You are fucking useless! Deranged piece of shit!” One of the men shouted down at the blooded heap beneath him.
Akutagawa slowly lifted himself up, barely able to move his lower body. He gave an evil grin at the men before him. “Fools. I will enjoy ripping your entrails out and feeding them to you inch by inch.” Akutagawa spat out as blood dripped down his chin.
The group of men surrounding him chuckled at the fallen recruit. “This bitch has quite the mouth on him. Maybe he should save his mouthy enthusiasm for sucking off executives to avoid corporal punishment.”
Atsushi saw the moment the switch went off in Akutagawa’s head. Rage and vengeance clearly visible in his eyes.
Rashomon sliced through the group of men without a second of hesitation. Blood curdling screams filled the hallway. Blood splashed across the walls like a morbid Picasso painting.
The rest was a blur as Atsushi was now in Mori’s office with Dazai and Akutagawa. Mori was comfortably sitting at his desk, while Elise drew contently on the floor beside him.
“What a shame. Those were some of my best men.” Mori reflected. “Alas, it seems our young Akutagawa-kun is in need of more training.”
Dazai placed his hand on Akutagawa’s shoulder, as Mori verbally reprimanded him and reminded him of his expectations for mafia members. It was then that Dazai placed a gun to the back of Akutagawa’s head. His finger was teasing the trigger.
Akutagawa tensed. Atsushi watched in horror as the scene unfolded.
Mori looked at Akutagawa, then back up to Dazai and smiled. “I must say, I would have thought you’d be better at picking up an apprentice for our organization, Dazai. How very disappointing.” Mori’s demeanor seemed calm, but the icey look in his eyes said otherwise. “No need to kill him just yet, though we must find a suitable punishment for our recruit. I trust that you’ll be able to handle this Dazai?”
“Without question, sir.”
“Good. You may go.”
Atsushi followed as Dazai and Akutagawa exited Mori’s office. With one swift movement, Dazai slammed Akutagawa into the hallway wall, making the smaller man crumple to the floor on his knees. He looked up and snarled at him as he held his chest, wincing in pain. Dazai’s fist collided right into Akutagawa’s face, then he spit on him in disgust.
“Next time I won’t be so kind. If you embarrass me in front of Mori again, I will not hesitate to kill you.”