Work Text:
Considering that there was a request to kill Ayatsuji Yukito almost weekly, Ayatsuji was in no place to make demands with his keepers. Though, after weeks of arguments and certain evidence being brought to light, it was agreed that Kyouka Izumi would remain with Ayatsuji for the time being. Tsujimura Mizuki was assigned to watch over both of them, though Kyouka had far more freedom than Ayatsuji.
Her ability was restricted to the cell phone around her neck, and so Ayatsuji made sure to have it turned off so her ability could not be called forth. With that out of the way, the danger she posed to society was left minimal.
When the phone’s light went off, Kyouka kept a firm grip on the device, looking up at Ayatsuji.
“I want to keep it,” Kyouka told him.
He read the report, he didn’t need her to explain her reasoning. Her protective body language around the phone was also indicative of the cell phone’s origins. It was likely a final gift from her late mother, something Kyouka would never be able to part with. Ayatsuji didn’t feel like getting in between that.
“As long as it stays off, there shouldn’t be an issue,” he relented with a shrug as he walked towards the kitchen to prepare something to eat.
It was still early in the morning, with the sun having risen only an hour ago or so. The news of Kyouka’s approval to stay with Ayatsuji came early in the form of a long phone call with Tsujimura’s boss, Ango. Normally, Ayatsuji would try to ignore the phone call and only respond to the voicemail, but given the circumstance, he knew he had to at least act as if he cared for what the man had to say. Upon hearing her name mentioned, Kyouka woke up and watched Ayatsuji like a statue for the rest of the phone call. Once he explained what the call was about, Kyouka visibly relaxed. One of Ango’s terms was shutting off Kyouka’s phone to prevent Demon Snow from being summoned, so they set about doing that before even eating breakfast.
Normally, Ayatsuji wouldn’t make himself a full breakfast. On most days, he would wait for Tsujimura to arrive and make him a coffee. But, Ayatsuji quickly discovered that Kyouka was a ravenous child with an endless stomach, and making breakfast became necessary.
He heard footsteps behind him, and Ayatsuji gestured to one of the cabinets.
“The plates are in there, do you want to help cook this time?” Teaching Kyouka how to cook would be useful if she was going to live here for now on.
“I can,” Kyouka agreed, getting out two plates and setting them beside Ayatsuji.
They were making a simple omelet, nothing too fancy, but filling enough for the growing girl. Kyouka proved to be a fast learner as she aided Ayatsuji in cracking eggs and adding in some vegetables and meat.
By the time they had finished and cleaned up breakfast, Tsujimura arrived and entered through the front door. The door slammed open, Tsujimura already wearing a grin as she delivered the news.
“Ayatsuji-sensei, I just heard—”
“I know.”
Tsujimura deflated instantly.
“I got a call from your boss earlier, and I already turned off Kyouka-chan’s phone,” Ayatsuji explained without care for her feelings.
“Oh…”
Kyouka looked between the two, uncertain if she should stay uninvolved or try and console the poor woman.
“But you coming here is actually useful. Kyouka-chan needs more clothes, among other things.”
“I’m not a personal servant, Ayatsuji-sensei. You know that,” Tsujimura huffed.
“Ah, I simply thought that you could have some… ‘girl time’ with Kyouka-chan. But since you don’t want to, I’m afraid you’ll have to wait on having more than one set of clothes, Kyouka-chan…” Ayatsuji looked to Kyouka with a face of mock-pity.
“I didn’t say I wouldn’t take her! You should just ask more kindly!” Tsujimura quickly explained, glancing at Kyouka to make sure she hadn’t upset the young girl. Kyouka’s face was devoid of any certain expression.
“So I have to be kind when asking you to help a poor little girl?”
“Don’t put words in my mouth, Ayatsuji-sensei!”
Ayatsuji shrugged, turning to walk towards his office.
“Take as long as you need, but I’m almost finished with the new book I got.”
Tsujimura knew this was Ayatsuji code for “I’m going to get bored if you’re gone for too long and will sneak out to cause trouble.”
“Shopping for a teenager shouldn’t take too long…” Tsujumura paused, glancing at Kyouka. Tsujimura didn’t go shopping with her mother much as a child, so she wouldn’t know. Her own shopping experiences tended to last a long time because everything caught her eye. But maybe Kyouka was different. “Right?”
Surprisingly, the shopping trip didn’t take that long. Kyouka spent more time focusing on a claw-machine than buying actual clothes though… She stared at the machine so intensely that Tsujimura felt obligated to win her the stuffed rabbit she wanted. After a certain amount of money that Tsujimura does not want to talk about went into the machine, she was able to win the little girl the rabbit. After that experience, Tsujimura brought her to a few stores where she picked out Kyouka some outfits that Tsujimura would have killed for as a child. Kyouka wasn’t too picky about what she was wearing, so the shopping didn’t take too long (in fact, winning at the claw machine likely took longer…)
Only about two hours had passed, and Tsujimura was really hoping Ayatsuji stayed put. Tsujimura walked along the street while holding the shopping bags, with Kyouka following behind her holding the rabbit. She was only brought out of her daze when Kyouka suddenly grabbed her arm.
Glancing down, Tsujimura saw a look of complete fear on Kyouka’s face.
“Kyouka-chan?”
“She’s here.”
“She?”
A sudden pain erupted across her left arm, enough to make her drop some of the bags. Looking forward at her attacker, Tsujimura’s eyes widened when she saw a giant ghost-like creature wielding a blade. She gripped her arm, feeling a decent hole in her expensive jacket. That was definitely a warning strike…
The ability launched forward again, but this time Tsujimura was prepared. She quickly grabbed the dropped bags and pulled Kyouka into an alley. They couldn’t risk fighting in the streets with innocents involved, but Tsujimura doubted she could hold her own against an ability for so long.
“Kyouka-chan, are you—”
Kyouka suddenly pulled her back, just as the blade of the ability swiped at where her head would have been. Tsujimura felt a chill down her spine, not noticing how the shadows behind her started to twist and warp.
“How did it…”
“Golden Demon can teleport. We can’t outrun it,” Kyouka answered, narrowing her eyes. She wasn’t allowed to have a weapon on her either, so she couldn’t do anything against the ability.
Tsujimura was curious as to how Kyouka knew about this ability but now wasn’t the right time. The demon was big enough to completely block the alleyway, meaning they had to fight. Tsujimura gritted her teeth, reaching for her gun, but before she could grab it the demon rushed forward at an incredible speed. She didn’t have room to dodge, and the sword was longer than she was able to jump back. But, before the sword could come close to her, it was blocked by a scythe.
Yesterday’s Shadow Tag would always appear when Tsujimura’s life was in danger, and it would make sure to kill all that harmed her. The ability in front of her was no exception. Kyouka stared at the new ability in shock—it wasn’t pleasant to look at and reeked of death.
Tsujimura grabbed Kyouka’s arm and pulled her back out the way they came. The sounds of clashing echoed throughout the alley as the abilities fought.
“Why aren’t you fighting?” Kyouka asked as she ran.
“What happens after my ability is summoned isn’t… really in my control,” Tsujimura admitted, not wanting to get into the details. “We have a lot in common.”
Kyouka went silent at that. Tsujimura didn’t know how much she understood at that moment, but she was hoping it was enough for now.
Once they left the alley, there was a black car waiting for them. Several dozen men holding guns were outside the car. One of the doors opened, and a red-haired woman in a kimono carefully stepped out.
“Kyouka-chan, I’m glad to see you weren’t hurt.”
This surprise attack, the men in suits… Was this the Port Mafia?
Kyouka stayed silent. She knew this was coming.
“It’s time for you to come back to the Port Mafia.”
Tsujimura’s suspicions were right. She glared at the woman, stepping in front of the girl. Kyouka stared at Tsujimura, wide-eyed.
“Kyouka-chan is now under the SAD’s supervision, she won’t be returning to the mafia anytime soon. Additionally, attacking a government agent like this will have repercussions.”
The woman glanced up at her and began to chuckle, of all things.
“And what will you do, Tsujimura Mizuki?”
Tsujimura felt her blood run cold. This woman… she knew what she was doing. Tsujimura was left vulnerable while her ability was distracted, Yesterday’s Shadow Tag couldn’t be in two places at once. Who was this woman?
Ah… this woman must be one of the Port Mafia’s executives, Kouyou Ozaki. This shopping trip couldn’t get much worse. Tsujimura was outnumbered and facing off against a deadly ability user. Dread began to sink into her entire body as she realized how futile the situation was.
“How did you…”
“The Port Mafia has plenty of eyes and ears around the city. Kyouka-chan had a tracker on her phone, and it wasn’t hard to think of who would be taking her out of the homicide detective’s highly protected office. All I had to do was wait for you to bring Kyouka-chan to me.”
“Let me go,” Kyouka whispered from behind Tsujimura, clutching onto the phone around her neck.
Kyouka’s pleading tone affected her more than the threat of the enemy. She didn’t want to go back, but she wasn’t given much of a choice if she wanted Tsujimura to survive. Defeating an executive of the Port Mafia was no easy task… Still, Tsujimura wouldn’t give up.
“Kyouka-chan won’t be going back with you. I’ll stop that with every ounce of my being!”
She felt Kyouka stiffen up behind her.
“Then you’ll die a valiant death,” Kouyou replied in a gentle tone as if wishing an old friend goodbye.
The men raised their guns. She tried to stall, but Yesterday’s Shadow Tag wouldn’t make it. Suddenly, she felt something being pulled out of her jacket—her phone.
“Demon Snow, protect us!”
A purple glow separated the two sides as an ability similar to Golden Demon materialized in front of them. With a single slice, the guns of the subordinates were cut in half.
“Kyouka-chan, you can’t fight this. You were a flower born in darkness, you won’t survive in the light,” Kouyou whispered, her expression becoming… upset? She almost looked like she was about to cry.
“I don’t want to kill anyone anymore…” Kyouka stepped out from behind Tsujimura, holding both Tsujimura’s phone and her own. Kyouka had dropped the rabbit. “Even if I shrivel up and die, this is where I want to be.”
“And yet, you’ll have Demon Snow kill them?” Kouyou challenged.
“... I don’t want to kill anyone, but if it’s to keep someone I care about safe, then I’ll do what I must,” Kyouka insisted
Kouyou stared at Kyouka, unfazed by the ability in front of her. The two held an intense gaze for what felt like an eternity before Kouyou raised a hand and called her men back.
“Take care of her, or else I will come to take her back,” Kouyou threatened Tsujimura, before entering the car once more. In a matter of seconds, the car had sped off, as if it was never there.
Tsujimura released a breath she didn’t know she was holding.
“... I’m sorry.” Kyouka held up Tsujimura’s phone, letting the agent take it back.
“You saved my life, that’s nothing to apologize for,” Tsujimura explained as she returned it to her pocket. Immediately, Kyouka turned her phone off. They would surely get reprimanded for that later…
“I was the one who put it in danger by being close to you,” Kyouka pointed out, looking at Tsujimura’s arm. Blood was slowly dripping down it, covering her coat sleeve.
“The life of a government agent is always filled with danger.” Tsujimura bent down and picked up the rabbit, dusting it off before handing it to Kyouka. “But what keeps me running back to it is knowing I’m doing the right thing.”
Kyouka stared at Tsujimura for a second, before taking the stuffed rabbit.
“I can’t believe how reckless you are, were you really at the top of your class?”
Tsujimura ignored Ayatsuji’s biting remark as he dabbed her cut with alcohol. Tsujimura couldn’t stop at a hospital with Kyouka, so they had to go to Ayatsuji’s home first. But, as soon as they entered Ayatsuji’s home, Ayatsuji was in a bad mood. Ordering her to take off the jacket and sit on the couch, he began to treat her wound even though she could have gone to the hospital after dropping Kyouka off.
“Our training didn’t include fighting abilities…” Tsujimura mumbled. Ayatsuji pressed the cloth against her wound hard, causing Tsujimura to wince. “Ow, ow, ow!”
Kyouka watched the two of them from a distance. She had been silent since their return.
“You ran directly into an ability, twice. Normally, one would learn the first time,” Ayatsuji pointed out, putting the cloth down next to the first aid kit. Tsujimura tried not to think about how many times Ayatsuji must have used the first aid kit for him to know exactly how to handle this. It was not exactly possible to bring someone like Ayatsuji to a hospital unless he was on the verge of death.
“If you’re just going to insult me, I can do this myself, Ayatsuji-sensei…” Tsujimura complained.
“No, I can’t trust you not to mess this task up either.” Ayatsuji picked up a needle and surgical thread, beginning to stitch the wound closed. The cut wasn’t too deep, but Ayatsuji was likely erroring on the side of caution. That, and he was probably able to calculate in his head just how deep a cut needed to be to require stitches and compare it to hers.
After a few tense minutes of stitching, Ayatsuji dropped the needle back into the kit and began to remove his sterilized plastic gloves. Tsujimura glanced over at her arm to see the end result. It… looked almost professional. For a moment, Tsujimura thought of Ayatsuji being a doctor…
“I don’t have enough medical knowledge to work in the field. But I have plenty of experience with sewing.”
“How—”
“It was written all over your face,” Ayatsuji explained as he unrolled his sleeves and put his usual gloves back on.
Tsujimura sighed, but then she looked towards her designer jacket and the gaping hole that was left in it.
“No. I’m not a charity,” Ayatsuji cut off before she could even open her mouth. He picked up his pipe that was hastily left on the coffee table.
“I didn’t say anything!” Tsujimura complained, only for Ayatsuji to smile. He was enjoying this.
It felt… normal once again. The atmosphere around Ayatsuji had lightened up considerably. Perhaps, maybe… Ayatsuji was worried about her. Tsujimura didn’t dare to speak that thought, but it echoed in the back of her mind like some catchy melody.
“Tsujimura-san.”
Kyouka interrupted her musing, somehow at her side. To her embarrassment, Tsujimura had jumped a bit in surprise. The girl was so silent…
“Y-yes, Kyouka-chan?”
“Thank you.” Kyouka looked down at the ground. “I was ready to return to the Port Mafia to keep you safe. But you kept fighting for me, even when you had nothing left. I couldn’t give up when I saw that…”
“Kyouka-chan… You don’t have to thank me. If anything, I should be thanking you for saving my life,” Tsujimura replied, smiling brightly.
“You shouldn’t thank her, if she failed she would have been fired,” Ayatsuji answered, having found a spot in a chair to smoke and observe the conversation.
“Ayatsuji-sensei!” Tsujimura gave into her emotions and grabbed a pillow, throwing it at him with her uninjured arm.
And so… the adults began to bicker again. Kyouka watched as the room descended into chaos, with Tsujimura getting louder and Ayatsuji brushing her off at each turn. It was strange, how two people could care so much for each other but then start fighting in the next instant. How they would act like proper role models for the young girl alone but then start childish arguments together.
It was something Kyouka wanted to get used to.