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The Port Mafia and the Agency were falling into chaos.
Akutagawa remained calm. The Port Mafia might have been crumbling, but the outcome didn’t affect Akutagawa either way. He would fight as hard as he could, of course, in order to keep Mori alive. But that kind of thing had always mattered less than Akutagawa’s struggle to be the strongest.
They had 48 hours to either kill the President of the Agency or find the Ability user responsible for the virus that was killing both Mori and Fukuzawa. The virus would destroy both of them from the inside out unless one of them died first. It was an admirable attempt at dismantling the Agency and the Port Mafia at the same time.
But neither organization would go down easily.
The first night, Akutagawa noticed that no one slept. No one went home. Akutagawa didn’t sleep much anyway, so it didn’t matter to him that they would work through the night.
What Akutagawa needed was orders. He needed to take action. Sitting around and talking was boring and useless. Akutagawa worked primarily as an assassin, and his first instinct was to kill as many of the Agency as possible before disposing of their President.
He still went off on his own, and made decisions without asking others. Despite that, Akutagawa had learned discretion for certain situations, and this was one where he didn’t want to act without consulting someone else first. He’d never been involved in a situation as political as this one, and even he could see that there were a lot of factors to consider in how they moved forward because the Agency and the Port Mafia were the two largest Ability organizations in the city.
Right now, Chuuya and Kouyou were in a meeting. Akutagawa paced in the corridor outside of Chuuya’s office. He didn’t know what Chuuya would do, which wasn’t surprising, but it was frustrating.
Chuuya’s motives for anything were always clear, but the ways he acted at times confused Akutagawa. Chuuya was an excellent fighter, the best the Port Mafia had to offer (Akutagawa could grudgingly admit) and even without his former partner, he made a good strategist. Yet as an Executive, violence was not always his first choice in handling a problem, and he could be surprisingly friendly for someone so talented at killing.
At least, he was friendly towards Akutagawa. Akutagawa didn’t know what to make of him. Chuuya in a lot of ways was the opposite of Dazai, but Dazai was Akutagawa’s introduction to the Mafia. He’d expected the entirety of the Mafia to be like Dazai, and while many of them were, there were exceptions. Chuuya was an exception.
At some point, Kouyou left the office, only throwing a quick glance Akutagawa’s way. Akutagawa waited to see if Chuuya would come out, but he didn’t, and after a few minutes Akutagawa decided he would go in.
He stepped inside and closed the door quietly behind him. Chuuya was hunched over his desk, a piece of paper held in one hand. He only stayed like that for a brief moment.
“Akutagawa,” he said, lifting his head. “Is there something you wanted?”
“Orders,” Akutagawa said.
Chuuya laughed, and the sound was too loud and jarring and not like his usual laughter. It was cold. “I wish I could give you that. My orders would be to kill the person behind all this, but we don’t know where they are.”
Akutagawa frowned. “I can kill the Agency President.”
“It’s not that simple.”
“If they were smart, they would consider killing our Boss,” Akutagawa said. “The sooner we act, the better.”
Chuuya glanced away for a moment, as if thinking about what he wanted to say. “We can’t.”
“But-”
“Not yet.”
Rashomon bristled. “While we sit here and do nothing, the Agency gains the upper hand. Not acting is a waste of the overwhelming strength that the Port Mafia possesses. We could easily crush the Agency. You could easily destroy them on your own.”
Chuuya’s eyes narrowed. “You don’t think I know that?”
“I don’t understand your hesitation,” Akutagawa said. “We can’t play with Mori-san’s life, or the future of the Port Mafia, or appear weak when we-”
He didn’t see Chuuya move. Before he could finish Chuuya had slammed into him, and he fell. Chuuya pinned him to the ground. Akutagawa could hardly breathe, and he turned his head to the side to cough and gasp for air. Gravity held Rashomon in place, so he couldn’t attack even if he wanted to.
Chuuya’s face was pale, twisted with anger. “Don’t you dare suggest that I’m playing with the fate of the Port Mafia. I would give my life to keep this organization alive, and to keep this city safe. I will do anything to make sure that Mori survives if it comes to that.”
Akutagawa managed to clear his throat. This was the first time Chuuya had ever attacked him, and he was shaken. But now more than ever, it was important to understand Chuuya’s reasoning. “Then why don’t you?”
Surprisingly, Chuuya stood up and turned away, as if he’d just realized what he’d done. Akutagawa forced himself to his feet, swaying slightly.
“I’m the interim leader of the Port Mafia,” Chuuya said.
Akutagawa stared at him. It wasn’t that he didn’t think Chuuya capable, but he’d never considered it. Dazai had always been the one that people said would be the next Port Mafia Boss. Dazai stood out like a beacon compared to everyone else, and after he was gone, it seemed that Mori would remain the Boss indefinitely.
Still, the other Executives had been in the Mafia longer, as far as Akutagawa knew, and Chuuya didn’t possess the same forward thinking and cunning as Dazai or Mori. If he became the Mafia Boss, the Mafia would be a different organization. Of course, that would be true no matter who took Mori’s place. But Akutagawa couldn’t say what kind of organization the Mafia would become under Chuuya.
And Chuuya, he realized, didn’t seem at ease with the idea.
Perhaps it was the circumstances. No one had been prepared for this, and if Mori died it would be a sign of incompetence on the part of the current Executives.
“That surprises you, right?” Chuuya asked. Akutagawa opened his mouth, but Chuuya added, “don’t try to pretend that it doesn’t. I can see it in your face.”
Akutagawa remained silent.
“I’m not Dazai,” Chuuya said. “I’m nothing like Mori. That’s what you’re thinking. I haven’t been in the Port Mafia as long as Kouyou, and having an extremely powerful Ability doesn’t make someone a good leader. It doesn’t give them the right to lead.”
“Why is it you, then?” Akutagawa asked. Chuuya seemed to be telling him all the reasons why he shouldn’t lead the Port Mafia.
“Because I owe the Port Mafia my life,” Chuuya said.
“Don’t we all?” Akutagawa asked. Dazai had rescued him off the streets. Without the Port Mafia, Akutagawa knew he would probably be dead. That was why despite wanting to act on his own, sometimes he still listened to others.
“You have a point,” Chuuya said quietly. “I would give the Port Mafia my life.” He looked away again, lost in thought.
Akutagawa didn’t know how Chuuya had come to the Mafia. He didn’t know how Dazai was recruited either. No one else seemed inclined to talk about it, and Akutagawa never asked. He was a private person himself, so he didn’t want to pry into the lives of other people.
“This is the one mission I can’t fail,” Chuuya said. He still wasn’t looking at Akutagawa, but Akutagawa noticed his shoulders shaking slightly. That unsettled him. Chuuya could have a temper, but otherwise was calm and confident in his capabilities.
“Chuuya-san?”
“If I can’t save Mori, then I’m not fit to lead this organization,” Chuuya said. “I would have failed the Port Mafia and broken my promise.” He turned to Akutagawa, a strange smile on his face. “I would rather die trying to protect Mori than live and let him die.”
Akutagawa didn’t know what to say to that. He couldn’t relate in the sense that although there were things he would die for (proving his worth), he wouldn’t die for the sake of saving one person or saving the organization.
“Mori-san means that much to you?”
Chuuya shook his head. “The way the Port Mafia is now is the best the Port Mafia has ever been, both for the members of the Mafia and the city itself. I’m sure you’ve heard of the old Boss. I wasn’t in the Mafia, but I saw the effects of his leadership. Everyone did. The city is more peaceful now. Mori is not a good person. Mori doesn’t mean that much to me, as a person. But what he means to the city...that means a lot to me.”
Akutagawa thought about those words. It made sense, and he knew that Yokohama and the Mafia itself meant a lot to Chuuya. He genuinely cared about his subordinates, and he was one of the first people in the Mafia to show concern for Akutagawa.
“The reason,” Chuuya continued, “that I won’t attack the Agency as the Port Mafia’s opening move is because that would open the door to an all-out war. If we can avoid that, we’ll lose less of our people. I couldn’t care less how many people the Agency loses, but what we do will come back to us. If we end up in an all-out war, not only will we lose people, but after this is over we’ll be in conflict. We’ll continue to lose people. We won’t have the Agency as allies against the organization responsible for this. As much as I would love to kill the President and put an end to all this, it isn’t the best solution.”
Akutagawa nodded. “I will wait for orders, then.”
“Thank you,” Chuuya said. He sounded genuinely grateful. “I should have something for you by morning.”
Akutagawa inclined his head and left. He was still unsatisfied in the sense that he had nothing to do, knowing that time was running out. But he could respect Chuuya’s decision. Chuuya had taken the time to explain his reasoning to Akutagawa, and Akutagawa appreciated that. He wondered what had cemented Chuuya’s loyalty to the Port Mafia in such a strong way.
There was a certain comfort in knowing that Chuuya would give everything to the Port Mafia. But of course, that sentiment on its own wouldn’t be enough to end this conflict.
Chuuya knew that, too. So Akutagawa waited for orders.
*
[Text]: come get your executive
The text had a location.
Akutagawa headed out. He knew what the text referenced, and he hoped he would finally get some answers. Chuuya had disappeared fourteen hours before Mori would have died if the virus had been allowed to complete its course. At first, he felt anger and betrayal: all of Chuuya’s words meant nothing if he abandoned the organization at such a crucial time. That he didn’t come back after everything was settled further angered Akutagawa.
Then he overheard discussions about Chuuya’s whereabouts. He hadn’t left--he had been taken. But no one could find him. The Agency as good as admitted that they had put Chuuya out of commission through a third party because otherwise, they would have lost the fight for their President’s life.
They seemed intent on waiting until everything settled to return Chuuya.
Akutagawa knew that Chuuya would be furious. After everything he’d said, to be taken out of the battle at the most crucial moment would be the worst possible outcome. Akutagawa knew it was hard to capture Chuuya, so he wondered how the Agency managed to both capture him and hold him.
The location he’d been given was an alley near headquarters.
He arrived just in time to see Chuuya punch the wall of one of the buildings.
His fist created a crater in the wall, but he lost his balance with the momentum of the punch, stumbling forward and catching himself before he crashed into the building.
Akutagawa cleared his throat. “Chuuya-san?”
Chuuya cursed and straightened up. He looked exhausted.
“I was told to come here by the Agency,” Akutagawa said.
Chuuya nodded. “I was texted,” he said, his voice bitter, “as soon as I got out, and told that the conflict had been resolved with no casualties.”
“That is a good thing,” Akutagawa said.
“Yeah,” Chuuya said. “It is.”
“Jinko and I found the Ability user responsible,” Akutagawa added, unsure how detailed the text had been. And then there was the real question: “How did the Agency capture you?”
“Because I’m an idiot,” Chuuya said.
Akutagawa was surprised by that. “What?”
“I need a drink,” Chuuya said. “You can either come with me or not.”
“Mori-san wants to see you,” Akutagawa said. “I have been asked to escort you there.”
Chuuya muttered, “of course,” under his breath. He took a shaky breath. “Alright then. Let’s go.”
He seemed slightly off-balance as he walked, but he didn’t ask Akutagawa for help and Akutagawa didn’t offer it, knowing how insulting that kind of thing could be. They made their way towards headquarters in silence for a bit, and then Chuuya took a wrong turn.
“Chuuya-san-”
“I want to take the scenic route,” Chuuya said.
He was avoiding Mori. Chuuya wasn’t one to avoid things.
Akutagawa didn’t mind the walk, however. Even with the strange mood that Chuuya was in, he’d never minded Chuuya’s presence, and it was nice to have him back.
“I was trapped in a book,” Chuuya said.
“What?”
“One of the Americans has an Ability where he can write a story and put people in it,” Chuuya said. “The Agency detective baited me into attacking him, and I got trapped there. The only way to get out was to solve the mystery, and I couldn’t do it.”
“Oh.” Akutagawa had never heard of such an Ability, but it sounded troublesome.
“Yeah,” Chuuya said. “I was stupid. I should’ve kept calm but instead I got angry about Dazai, of all people.”
“Mori-san is alive,” Akutagawa said.
“I still failed,” Chuuya said. “I wasn’t there when it counted because of my own mistake.”
Akutagawa didn’t say anything. There wasn’t anything he could say.
“I have pledged my life to one thing in this city,” Chuuya said. “I promised to give everything I have to this organization, and I failed. I failed again to protect the people I care about.”
“Again?” Akutagawa asked.
“It doesn’t matter,” Chuuya said. “It’s over, right? These things happen and you move on and make promises about doing better the next time and then you don’t keep them because you still haven’t learned-”
“Chuuya-san,” Akutagawa interrupted. Chuuya’s voice had been rising, but that wasn’t the only reason Akutagawa stopped him. “Some people are successful and still fail the organization.”
Chuuya stopped and stared at him.
Encouraging words were not Akutagawa’s specialty. He maybe gave encouragement once every few months, and he’d as good as used up his quota on jinko when they fought Fitzgerald. But he could scrape the depths of his limited positive energy for this.
“You did fail this mission,” he said, which wasn’t a good start, but neither Akutagawa nor Chuuya appreciated false positivity. “But you didn’t break your promise. You will try again, and again, and you won’t give up, and I…” He swallowed and forced the words out. “I trust you.”
He trusted very few people, but he’d always felt comfortable (as comfortable as he could feel) in Chuuya’s presence. He’d always felt like Chuuya was someone he could rely on, even if he hated relying on others.
“You...trust me,” Chuuya said.
Akutagawa nodded. He felt Rashomon shift around him, and he coughed, increasingly uncomfortable with the attention on himself and his words.
Chuuya looked like he was trying hard not to smile, for Akutagawa’s sake. “You know...coming from you that means a lot.”
“Please don’t say that,” Akutagawa said.
“You’re right,” Chuuya added. He laughed. “It’s funny...we’re both a bit too hard on ourselves, aren’t we?”
Akutagawa thought he was just the right amount of hard on himself, so he shook his head.
Chuuya didn’t argue the point. “Let’s go back,” he said.
Akutagawa nodded, and they started towards headquarters again.
A block away, Chuuya glanced at Akutagawa. “I’m glad it was you who came to get me.”
“Why?” Akutagawa asked, confused.
“You were what I needed,” Chuuya said.
Akutagawa stopped in his tracks. Chuuya didn’t attempt to get him moving again, nor did he explain himself. He simply walked into headquarters, leaving Akutagawa standing on the sidewalk, like admitting that needing someone else was not a big deal at all.
To Akutagawa, such a thing was unthinkable.
And to be needed...that was even more incomprehensible. But it made him feel something not unpleasant. Lighter. Like he meant something to someone else that had nothing to do with his ability to kill or survive.
It was a strange feeling, but he didn’t mind feeling it.