Chapter Text
Jouno walks up to Fukuchi, who is sitting in his office.
“Jouno, did you find the criminals? Is there any sign of Snow?”
Jouno takes a small breath, stopping in front of Fukuchi’s desk.
“Commander, I wanted to ask you something.”
“Shoot.”
“Do you know the identities of any of the Decay Of Angels members? I know that the higher up will have you keep things, but we do need to know.”
Fukuchi lets out a small laugh as his heart rate skyrockets. His face and posture is completely stoic though Jouno wouldn’t know that.
“Not to worry about that. I wouldn’t let the higher ups tell me how to run my team, or what information to give them. I’m not withholding their names.”
He must think that he can lie to me. I was already suspicious when he was lying about having to go do paperwork.
He sticks his hand into his pocket, quickly hitting send on the pre typed message on his phone. It’s just a frowny face that tells Teruko that things aren’t going well.
“Are you done with your paperwork?” he asks, clasping his hands together.
“Yes, I am. Did you need help finding the criminals? You never said if you found them or not.”
“We have not yet. I left Tecchou there, so that I could come ask you for help.”
“You came to ask for my help?”
“Well, at this point, it’s too much ground to cover by ourselves. I already called someone at base, and talked to Teruko. She’s busy, and I thought you might be done.”
“Alright, come on.”
He stands up, heading straight for the door. He leads Jouno out of the building and towards his car.
Atsushi hears something crash, his mind barely even comprehending what’s happening. He’s disassociating again, and he can’t seem to pull himself back to reality, even as the headmaster shakes him.
“What is that? Did you lead someone here?” he practically yells.
How would I do that? he wants to ask, but can’t seem to find his voice.
He sees the headmaster race out of his line of sight, and then someone bursts into the room with Akutagawa. He has red hair, but Atsushi can’t seem to place his name. He tosses pebbles into the air, and suddenly everyone is on the ground bleeding. The man races over to Akutagawa as another man runs into the room. The man with the red… no orange hair, is on the bed with Akutagawa now, hovering over him. Atsushi can’t tell what he’s doing, but nothing can be worse than what was just happening. Then he’s being whisked away by the headmaster. He’s placed in the back of a van, still completely unable to move. He doesn’t see the men again, and can only hear the roar of the loud engine.
Dazai runs into the operating room, still clutching the gun in his hand. Chuuya is on top of Akutagawa, doing chest compressions. Dazai stares for a moment before speaking.
“Do you have him handled?”
“Yes, go get Atsushi.”
Dazai nods, running back out of the room. However, he doesn’t make it far before he feels something hit him in the back of the head. The last thing he sees as he attempts to turn around, is a head of light, kind of muted pink hair. The only other thing that he sees is the small body clad in a green military uniform.
Crap, they already found us.
When he comes to, he’s handcuffed to the bars of a cell. A guard is watching him, clicking something on his phone as soon as Dazai’s eyes open. It’s not long before the pink haired girl from before walks in. She looks even younger than he thought.
“Hi, Mr. Dazai.”
She sits down across from him on the floor. She doesn’t seem bothered by how dirty the cell is, or the fact that she’s taking her defensive advantage away by sitting on the floor like that.
“What a pleasure to meet one of the famous Hunting Dogs. The pride of the military.”
“Now isn’t the time for pleasantries. I’ve realized that our interests align. We’re both looking for the book and Atsushi Nakajima.”
“Why would you want our help though?”
“Because Ranpo told me that the Commander is the leader of the Decay of the Angels. I didn’t believe him, but now Jouno is missing. If you don’t know, he’s one of my co-workers. He told me that he thought Ranpo was right, and I haven’t seen him or the Commander since then. I need to find the book before he gets his hands on it. It’s just me and Tecchou now. That means that we’re going to need someone’s help, and I think your agency is the least corrupt option. We can’t let the Commander catch onto the fact that we know, or it’s over.”
“You don’t want to find your co-worker?”
“That is not the first priority. It’s possible that he’s already dead, so we can’t waste precious time and resources searching for him right now.”
“What about Akutagawa?”
“The mafia member? Mr. Nakahara got his heart beating again, and I got him dropped off in the infirmary when we arrested all of you. I sent someone to get Dr. Yosano so she could treat him if she was willing.”
“You captured Chuuya?”
“Yeah, Tecchou managed to get his hands on Mr. Akutagawa, and he wasn’t too hard to subdue after that. At least that’s what I hear. Anyway, I’m willing to release three of you. Then, if you behave, once we clear things up, I’ll get your whole agency released.”
Dazai contemplates before responding, “Are there any stipulations?”
“Mr. Nakahara won’t be released until everything is cleared up. Mr. Nakahara and Ranpo cannot be one of the three. You count as one of the three. So you can pick two other people. You can talk to Ranpo, but it will have to be in his interrogation room with someone present.”
“Alright, well, I’ll go with Kunikida and Tanizaki. I’ll need to speak to Ranpo first though. Also, I want to check on Akutagawa before we go.”
Teruko nods, standing up. She unlocks his handcuffs before taking a step back to let him get up. He stands up, following her out of the cell. She takes him to the infirmary where guards are watching Akutagawa and Yosano.
“I’ll leave you here while I get Kunikida and Tanizaki.”
Dazai nods, prompting her to walk out. Akutagawa doesn’t make eye contact, refusing to even look at Dazai. His eyes stay glued to his hands resting in his lap.
“Akutagawa.”
“Hm?”
“Look at me.”
“I don’t want to. I messed up. Now Atsushi is gone. I don’t want to face what that means for him, or what you’re going to do.”
“I’m not going to do anything. I wanted to let you know that it wasn’t your fault. You did good keeping you both alive that long. I know what state you were in when Chuuya found you. You did good.”
Akutagawa barely peeks up. He looks just like he did when he was younger. He would peek out from under his bangs, looking for praise. All he would get was punishment. In fact, he would punish Akutagawa even more when he did well. It was as if he thought that he would build more character if he made him think that he couldn’t do anything right. Like he would always strive for higher things, and never settle for good.
All he sees now is the exhaustion coating his eyes, his face, his whole being, cause no matter how well he did, it was never enough. His eyes lighten a little when he sees the compassion in Dazai’s eyes. When he sees how honest he’s being. Honesty isn’t something that you can usually see on Dazai. He looks down again with a sigh.
“It still wasn’t enough. Who knows what the headmaster is going to do with Atsushi now.”
Dazai sighs.
“That may be true, but you can’t do everything. You’re lucky that Yosano was around.”
“Hm.”
“Alright, well, I need to go.”
“I want to come with you.”
“You need to rest,” Yosano interjects.
“No, I need to find Atsushi.”
“I’ll ask the nice government lady,” Dazai replies, a smile on his face as the fire enters Akutagawa’s eyes again.
It’s not long before Teruko comes back with Kunikida and Tanizaki.
“Do you think you could take Tanizaki back to his cell, and Akutagawa will join us?”
“Sure, why not?” she asks sarcastically. “It’s not like you asked me to get these two, or that we’re on a time crunch,” she grumbles as she walks out with Tanizaki.
“What’s going on, Dazai?” Kunikida demands, folding his arms.
He’s not wearing his glasses, causing him to squint. Dazai has to hold back a laugh at his expense.
“Well, we’re going to find Atsushi and the Commander of the Hunting Dogs.”
“Why are we looking for the Commander of the Hunting Dogs?”
“I’ll brief you later.”
He huffs, shaking his head. Teruko walks back in alone.
“Alright, you two are going to stay here, and I’ll take you to see Ranpo,” she says to Dazai.
He nods. She takes him to the interrogation room that Ranpo is sitting in. He looks incredibly bored, laid across half of the table. He immediately sits up when he sees Dazai though.
“Dazai!”
“Hey.”
“What happened?”
“Apparently they're on our side now. We’re going to work together to get Atsushi back, and if we’re lucky, their missing partner.”
“Alright, well, Poe is on the outside. He should find you at some point after you leave. He already knows the plan, but it hinges on Akutagawa going with you. Is that going to be a problem?”
“No, I actually already got that arranged.”
“Good.”
Teruko clears her throat, motioning towards the door.
“Is there anything else that I should know that I don’t already?”
“No, that’s it.”
Dazai nods, heading back towards the door. Teruko says something to Ranpo before walking out, but Dazai doesn’t hear what it is that she says. They pick Akutagawa and Kunikida up from the infirmary before all climbing into a car with Teruko at the wheel.
“Where are we going?” Dazai asks, leaning back.
“We’re heading to pick up Tecchou. We’ll wait to decide what we’re going to do after that until we have everyone picked up.”
Atsushi wakes up to a strange man in his face. A man with shoulder length, greasy hair, and sharp purple eyes. He jerks back, but is strapped to another table.
“Ah, you’re awake,” the man says in a thick Russian accent.
Atsushi stares back at him, his eyes wide and unnerved.
“Fukuchi, come in here.”
He walks out as another man walks in. Atsushi recognizes him as the Commander of the Hunting Dogs, Fukuchi Ochi. He’s even wearing the signature uniform. He cocks his head as Fukuchi approaches him.
“Atsushi Nakajima. It’s nice to meet you. I’m sorry about the restraints. I’m hoping that we can just have a conversation, but I did have to take precautions.”
“Where’s the headmaster and Akutagawa?”
“I killed the headmaster when I took you. When I did that, it was just you, but I can ask my comrades about your friend if you want.”
Atsushi doesn’t say anything.
“I’ll let you go if you don’t try anything,” he says, already reaching for the restraints.
“You don’t seem too concerned that I might.”
“That’s because it wouldn’t do you any good. I just don’t want you to get hurt trying to get away.”
Atsushi’s eyes dart around the room, his eyes landing on a crumpled body in the corner. He can’t see any defining features since the man’s head is out of view. However, he’s small, and wearing the same uniform as the man in front of him.
“Don’t worry about him. He’s just someone that I had to apprehend.”
“Why are you dressed the same then?” he asks, almost taking a step towards the man in the corner.
“He was impersonating one of the Hunting Dogs. I found him out, and apprehended him. I assume that you recognize my uniform already?”
Atsushi nods cautiously.
“Does that mean that you work with the military? You’re here to help?”
“Yes, of course. I’m here to help, but I need you to tell me a few things first. Your headmaster already told me how to find the book, but I do need your cooperation for that.”
Atsushi hums, pulling his eyes away from the body in the corner. He can’t hear the man breathing, but his senses still feel dull. He doesn’t let it bother him too much, choosing to hope that the man is alive, and leave it at that. It’s not like he would be able to help if he was dead. So, he follows Fukuchi out of the room, entering a more lively area with a couch and a coffee table. There’s a counter along one wall that has a coffee pot and a microwave on it.
“Who was that man that was there when I woke up?” he asks.
“He’s a consultant. If he was rude, you’ll have to excuse him. He’s from Russia, and not used to Japanese culture.”
Atsushi nods, still playing along even though he feels unease creeping into his bones. If Fukuchi notices, he doesn’t say anything. He sits Atsushi down on the couch before walking over to the counter to get them both coffee. Atsushi takes his, but doesn’t drink it. He sets it in his lap, letting it warm up his hands.
“So, what exactly do you need from me?”
“I need you to lead me through a maze. You’re the only one who can. It was built with your ability in mind, and with your skill set, you can get through it.”
“My skill set?”
“Your profession. All of the skills that you’ve picked up over the last year. Your ability will help you greatly, but even that might not be enough. If you do decide to help, I can get you released. I can get your record cleared. If you want to get back to stealing, be my guest. You don’t ever have to live in fear of your headmaster again though. You can stop if you want. You can do whatever you want to. Nothing is stopping you, at least if you do this one thing. If you don’t, you’ll end up in jail for the rest of your life. You won’t get to see your friends again, unless we manage to catch them too.”
Atsushi frowns, looking down at his coffee. He brings it up to his lips, pausing right before it reaches them. It smells funny, so he puts it down on the table in front of him.
“Alright, your offer doesn’t seem too bad, but do you have any more details about this maze? Everything you’ve said so far is kind of vague. Do you even know where it is?”
“Yes, I do know where it is, but I don’t have any more details. We’ll have to figure that out as we go.”
“What about backup? Don’t you have a team of professionals? What are they doing?”
“They’re on another mission right now. We don’t have time to wait for them. No one has been able to keep their hands on you for very long, and you could end up with someone a lot worse if we don’t hurry up.”
Atsushi hums, seemingly not impressed. After all, Fukuchi isn’t the first person to tell him that.
“Alright, when do we leave?”
“We can leave within the hour.”
He stands up immediately.
“I’ll go get everything ready. You stay here until I come back.”
Atsushi nods, and he strides out of the room.
There’s no way that this is legit. He can’t be one of the good guys. Even if he is part of the Hunting Dogs, this is way too suspicious. I have to stall, or I’m going to get on his bad side. I don’t want to know what that might entail, especially if he actually did kill the headmaster. I know that he said to stay put, but I have to check on that man. I need to know if he’s alive, or if I could help him.
He jogs into the other room, making sure that Fukuchi isn’t in there. He’s not, so he heads straight for the man in the corner. He kneels down beside the man. From this close, he can see the man’s face. His face is relaxed, framed by white and red hair. He has a small frame, almost like he hasn’t taken care of himself in a while. From this distance, Atsushi can pick up a faint heartbeat, but there’s obviously something wrong with him.
Atsushi checks him over. He doesn’t move, or stir at all, though Atsushi can’t find anything obviously wrong with him. No cuts, wounds, or large bruises. The only thing is that he has a few small bruises around his neck, but they’re not even large enough for him to have been choked. Atsushi shakes him, trying to wake him up. It doesn’t work, and the quiet is deafening. He shakes the man again, then slaps him lightly across the face. Since he still doesn’t get a reaction, Atsushi stands up.
I really don’t want to leave him here, but I don’t think I have another choice. Nothing I’m doing is waking him up, and even if he does wake up, what am I going to do with him? I don’t think I can help. So, I’m just going to keep Fukuchi’s attention off of him, so maybe he’ll last until someone finds him.
He jogs back into the room where Fukuchi left him, settling in to wait for him to come back. It’s almost an hour before he does, and he’s dressed differently now. He’s in jeans and a nondescript t-shirt.
“Did you go check on him?” he asks as he leads Atsushi towards a different door.
“Yes.”
“Hm. Did you find what you were looking for?”
“Yes, I just needed to know that he was alive.”
“He’ll be fine, for now. I can’t say what will happen once my co-workers get to him.”
“The ones that he was trying to trick?”
“Yeah.”
He hears something from the room that the man is in, but Fukuchi quickly pulls him through the other door. He takes him out of the building, which is in the middle of nowhere. There’s no other buildings in sight, and no people milling around. He hasn’t even seen the weasley man again.
“Well, come this way. We’re driving to an airstrip nearby. From there, we’ll head straight to the maze.”
Atsushi hums, folding his arms.
I doubt that this is where the book is. First of all, if the headmaster knew where it was, he would have taken it. Secondly, there’s no way he would have told this guy where it was. Especially since he was wearing the uniform for the most experienced military squad in the country. There has to be more to this story. Who was that man back there? Is there going to be a maze at all? If so, what’s there?
“Get in the car,” Fukuchi says, already climbing into the driver’s side.
Atsushi blinks, confused for a second before remembering what they’re doing. He climbs into the car as soon as he realizes.
“Sorry,” he mumbles.
Fukuchi just watches him for a moment before nodding. He starts the car, pulling forward, then begins driving at a completely unreasonable speed. He speeds down the dirt path, still driving for at least half an hour before pulling up to the airstrip. Atsushi searches for any sign of where they are, but by the time they get there, he still has no idea where they are. There’s a single plane sitting on the airstrip, and it’s the dingiest airstrip that Atsushi has ever seen. Not that he’s seen that many.
“Come on, we have to get going.”
Atsushi nods, following him to the plane. The plane takes off almost as soon as they’re on it. Fukuchi still doesn’t say anything, leaving Atsushi in complete silence.
Dazai watches Teruko drive past multiple parts of town before stopping in front of a beat up warehouse. Tecchou is standing outside with his arms folded. He climbs into the passenger seat as soon as she stops the car.
“What’s going on? You told Jouno to leave me in the middle of nowhere. I had to go miles just to get here.”
“Well, in my defense, he was supposed to pick you back up. We lost contact with him. I think the Commander might be in on all of the stuff with the DOA.”
Tecchou sobers immediately.
“You wouldn’t say that without a good reason. What happened?”
“I don’t know. Jouno thought he was, and there has to be a good reason for that. He went MIA right after that. That can’t be a coincidence.”
Tecchou’s face goes through varying emotions for a minute while he contemplates his response.
“So, the Commander doesn’t know what we’re up to? What do you think he did to Jouno?”
“He is not aware of what we’re doing. If he calls, I’m going to tell him that we’re using the criminals to find Snow. Nothing more. I don’t know what he did to Jouno. All I know is that Snow is our first priority, and hopefully we’ll find him.”
“That’s not good enough. What if he kills him?”
“What if he already did?”
It gets quiet in the car, the silence heavy and unforgiving. Tecchou eventually sighs.
“Fine, what are we doing now?”
Teruko turns to the others.
“Head to the agency. Hopefully Poe will be hanging around there.”
“Well, wouldn’t that be convenient?” Teruko mutters as she starts the car again.
She turns around, pulling away from the warehouse. It’s dark by the time they get there, the street lights not doing much to illuminate the area.
“Alright, one of you can come in with me. The rest of you are staying out here with Tecchou. Who’s it gonna be?”
“Me,” Dazai says before Kunikida can give his input.
“Alright, let’s roll.”
She climbs out of the car, striding towards the doors.
“I should go first,” Dazai says.
“Fine, but know that I’m on high alert. You don’t want to try anything right now.”
Dazai nods, making his way through the front door.
“We’re closed,” Lucy says, looking up. “Oh, Dazai. Who’s that with you?”
“Another Guild member?” Teruko asks incredulously.
“Yeah, but it’s just two. Either way, Lucy, have you seen Poe since we were arrested?”
“Yeah, he’s hanging out in the break room. He said that he couldn’t go up to the office. What’s going on? Ranpo was arrested here earlier. By someone wearing the same uniform as the woman behind you.”
“Well, speaking of which, this is Vice Commander of the Hunting Dogs, Teruko Okura.”
“Oh, why is she here?”
“Her team arrested most of the agency. She got Chuuya too, hehe.”
“That’s not funny.”
“You’re right. I just love the idea of Chuuya being stuck in a maximum security prison.”
“He’s not. He’s in one of the holding cells that you were kept in. He’s in a straight jacket, muzzled, restrained, and has something that stops him from moving any of his muscles. He’s also having his ability suppressed.”
“Wow, you didn’t hold back at all,” Dazai says, folding his arms.
“Can we? Unless we wanted our whole building brought down, and everyone inside killed.”
“That’s a good point. Moving on, can we go see Poe? Ranpo told us to come see him to get the plan.”
“Yeah, of course. Just don’t break anything. Also, try not to spook him. He’s shaken up enough. Maybe keep her out of sight until you explain what’s happening.”
Dazai nods.
“You need to stay to the left of the door, so he doesn’t see you.”
“Alright,” Teruko replies, skipping over to Dazai’s left side.
They make their way to the break room. Dazai knocks lightly before opening the door. Poe is sitting on the other side of the door, holding Karl tightly to his chest. His wide eyes completely look over Dazai before relaxing slightly.
“Dazai. What happened?”
“Fun story actually. So, we were all arrested by the Hunting Dogs. Now we’re all working together. Ranpo said that you had some information for us?”
“Yes, he left me a note at the front counter. I came back down here after I got away from the other two,” Poe says, eyeing Teruko, who’s creeping in behind Dazai.
She stands in the doorway with her arms folded neatly over her chest.
“Alright, well, we need to know the plan. She’s on our side, so you can tell me.”
Poe nods, opening his mouth to start.
Atsushi watches as the plane descends, once again in the middle of nowhere.
“I don’t see a maze anywhere,” he says, leaning against the back of his seat to get a better look out of the window.
“Shut up, it’s underground,” Fukuchi growls, seeming to forget his manners at the last base.
He takes a deep breath to compose himself.
“I already sent a scout to check that it’s here. It’s definitely a real place.”
“Ok, I believe you.”
“Good, I didn’t bring you here for you to sass me.”
“Sorry, it’s a defense mechanism.” While that’s definitely not a lie, that’s also not why he’s acting the way that he is.
I hate people lying to me. You just ooze false sincerity. I miss the others.
An ache begins to form in his chest at the thought of Akutagawa being taken apart in that OR. He quickly looks from the window to his own hands. They’re completely clear of scars, despite how many times the headmaster ripped them apart. They always healed just like new. It was like those horrors never happened. Somehow he can’t decide which is worse: having them, or not. If Akutagawa made it, he’ll have scars for the rest of his life.
I doubt he wants to be reminded of that.
“Get out of your head,” Fukuchi commands.
“Did you hear anything about Akutagawa?”
“Yes, he’s alive. He’s with my colleagues right now.”
Atsushi sighs in relief.
“Maybe if you’re good, you can see him later.”
Atsushi can’t hold in the laugh that huffs past his lips. Fukuchi glares at him, but doesn’t say anything. He stands.
“Come on, we’re ready to disembark.”
Atsushi unbuckles his seatbelt before standing up. He follows Fukuchi off the plane into the barren land. There’s nothing for miles. Not even small creatures.
“Where are we?” Atsushi asks, looking around.
He wears a slightly shocked expression at the completely blank area around him. The ground beneath his feet is dirt, but there isn’t even any grass growing. It’s like a splotch of boring brown on a vibrant canvas.
“Are we sure that this place is even safe to be? This kinda looks like one of those nuclear test sites.”
“It’s perfectly safe, now stop whining.”
“I’m not. I was just asking. After all, I have a healing ability. I’m not really worried about me , as long as we don’t stay here too long.”
They come to a small hole in the ground.
“Get in.”
“Are you gonna fit in there?” Atsushi asks, looking down the hole.
Honestly, he isn’t sure if he’s going to fit in there. He doesn’t express those doubts out loud though.
“Yes, now get in.”
Atsushi shrugs, sitting down by the hole. He puts his feet through it, slowly slipping through the hole. He braces himself for a long fall, but it’s only twenty feet between the hole and the ground below. He tucks into a roll, springing up almost immediately. Fukuchi also drops down, but he has a harder time fitting through the hole. Atsushi has to cover his mouth to stop himself from laughing when he gets stuck for a few seconds.
“Come on,” he commands, motioning for Atsushi to lead the way down the path.
It’s narrow, and completely dark. Atsushi has no idea how Fukuchi can see well enough to avoid running into walls. He keeps walking for a while, not sure where this is leading. Eventually the corridor splits off towards the left and right.
“Where are we going?” Fukuchi asks, folding his arms.
“Left.”
He nods, and they head to the left. It’s not long before the corridor leads to a dead end.
“You said that we should go left,” Fukuchi growls, grabbing Atsushi’s collar.
Atsushi shrugs.
“I don’t actually know. I just guessed, and wrong apparently.”
“Turn around,” Fukuchi demands, shoving Atsushi’s shoulder hard enough to cause him to stumble.
They walk to the right this time, which also leads to a dead end. Right as they hit the dead end, the walls begin to shake.
“What’s going on?” Fukuchi demands, grabbing Atsushi’s collar again.
“I don’t know,” he says, pulling away.
He pushes Fukuchi as dirt starts raining on their heads. He sees something fall from Fukuchi’s belt, and immediately grabs it. He can’t instantly tell what it is that he’s holding. Fukuchi reaches for the thing that fell off of his belt as the dirt continues to rain down on their heads. His eyes widen as he realizes that it’s not there. Atsushi takes off towards the exit, Fukuchi right on his heels.
“Get back here!” he yells.
Atsushi puts a little bit of power into his legs, pushing ahead of Fukuchi. He reaches the hole first, jumping up. He doesn’t make it though since Fukuchi grabs his leg. He slams into the ground, the breath knocked out of his lungs. Fukuchi is on him in a moment, punching him in the face. Then he starts searching for the object he dropped, but Atsushi pushes him off.
“Get away from me!” he says, trying to drag himself to his feet.
The ceiling continues to fall, dropping a huge chunk of dirt and rock in between them. Fukuchi uses that distraction to make the first move. He lunges around the dirt, landing on top of Atsushi again. His finger brushes the object that’s now in Atsushi’s pocket before Atsushi turns to the left. His shoulder hits Fukuchi in the face, right as something comes through the hole. Atsushi doesn’t turn in time to see what it is, but something slams into Fukuchi. Akutagawa appears beside Atsushi, Rashomon slithering along the ground around them.
“Akutagawa,” he says breathlessly.
“Are you alright?”
“Yeah, I’m fine.”
“Where’s his sword? The whole plan was built so that we could get that sword.”
Atsushi holds up the thing.
“This?”
Akutagawa snatches it, wrapping it in Rashomon.
“Yes, that. Guess we didn’t even need our plan afterall. You got it all on your own. That thing lets him go into the past.”
“Well, I’m not sure what you were planning, but-”
Fukuchi kicks Akutagawa, sending him flying.
“If you won’t let it go, I’ll kill you and pry it from your cold, dead hands.”
Akutagawa struggles to his feet, bringing Rashomon in front of him. The fight gets desperate quickly since Fukuchi is much more experienced than they are. The area is tight too, and he’s targeting Akutagawa so that he’ll drop Rashomon. It’s only a few minutes before they’re both on the ground with Rashomon starting to flicker out.
Fukuchi grabs Akutagawa’s throat, tightening his fingers. Atsushi watches, his eyes wide and unblinking. Then Fukuchi is on the ground, and a girl with pink hair is standing over him. A copper smell fills the room as blood pours from a wound in Fukuchi’s side. The woman is wearing the same uniform that Fukuchi was wearing earlier. She kneels down, blood soaking into her uniform.
“What did you do to Jouno?” she whispers, pulling Fukuchi’s head up.
He doesn’t respond, so she just knocks him out. Then she stands, offering each of them a hand. Akutagawa pulls himself up, but Atsushi takes the offered hand.
“Are you two alright?”
“Yeah, who are you?” Atsushi asks as Akutagawa just nods.
“I’m Teruko. I’m the Vice-Commander of the Hunting Dogs. I’m sure you’re aware that’s who he works with?”
“Yeah, I kinda got that. Who’s Jouno?”
“He’s one of my men. Fukuchi was dirty, and he got to Jouno first.”
“Does he have like red and white hair? A thin build?”
Teruko nods, raising one eyebrow.
“I saw him at the last place that we were.”
“That’s where Dazai and Kunikida went with Poe,” Akutagawa adds helpfully.
“Was he alright?”
“He was breathing, and he seemed fine. However, he wouldn’t wake up no matter what I did.”
“Alright, well, we’ll see what his condition is once we meet up with the others. Tecchou is up there waiting on us. He already took out the pilot, and has control of Fukuchi’s plane. Do either of you need help getting back up?”
Atsushi shakes his head, and Akutagawa just uses Rashomon to pull himself out of the hole. He leans back down, grabbing Fukuchi with Rashomon, and bringing him up too.
“I guess this is the end of the Decay Of The Angels, right?” Atsushi asks, and Teruko gives him a small smirk.
“Yeah, I guess it is. We’re hunting down the last members right now.”
Six Month Later
“Atsushi, pay attention.”
“Yeah, I know. Can I meet your sister?”
Akutagawa sighs, folding his arms.
“You’re supposed to be paying attention. If you’re going to have the Port Mafia’s protection, that means helping out occasionally.”
“I didn’t ask for your protection. I still don’t think that I’m actually the key to finding the book. You insisted that I needed it. Also, I could be planning a heist right now.”
“Do you want Dazai to come back into your life?”
Atsushi shudders.
“Point taken, even though I’m not certain that you can keep him away.”
“There’s a reason that he hasn’t tried to convince you to join the agency again. That reason’s name is Chuuya Nakahara.”
As if on cue, Chuuya walks in. He’s holding a drink carrier with two cups in one hand, and in the other is a bag of take out.
“Hey, boys, I brought you some food.”
“Thanks, Chuuya.”
“Here you go, Atsushi. I got you a coffee, and I got you a tea, Ryuu.”
Akutagawa smiles in thanks as he takes the tea.
“How’s the mission planning going?”
“Well, Atsushi won’t focus. He wants to meet Gin.”
“Then you should call it an early day. Take him home for dinner. Gin went home earlier, said that she was going to cook something.”
“Well, that would be an option, but you already got us dinner.”
“I’ll take it to Mori. Elise would love it, and then maybe she’ll be in a good mood.”
Akutagawa sighs heavily, closing the folder that he had open on the table in front of him.
“Alright, let’s go.”
Atsushi’s face lights up, racing to follow him. It’s a short walk to Akutagawa’s apartment.
A woman’s voice rings out from the kitchen as soon as they open the door, “Ryuu, who did you bring with you?”
“Atsushi.”
Gin appears in the doorway, her eyes bright too.
“Oh my gosh, I’ve been so excited to meet you. My brother doesn’t like anyone, and he talks highly of you.”
“That’s great, I’ve wanted to meet you for a while now too.”
“Come on, I just finished dinner.”
Akutagawa is the first to speak after they’re all seated at the table.
“Did you hear about the Hunting Dogs?” he asks Atsushi.
“Nah, what about them?”
“Well, Jouno finally healed from the poison that Fukuchi gave him, and they were cleared of any wrongdoing. They’re working again as of last week.”
“No talking about work. Anyway, what have you been up to recently, Atsushi?” Gin asks, giving him a small smile.
“I actually worked a big heist recently.”
Atsushi feels a smile stretch across his face as he explains the details.
I’ve always struggled connecting to people, but this is easy. This may be the luckiest thing that’s happened to me.