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Chuuya grit his teeth as another nail was ripped out. Blood began to pour out the nail bed as the woman in front of him dropped the nail to the floor, where the other four had been scattered. She pressed down into his finger, a sly smile forming as he hissed in pain.
‘Ready to talk yet?’
He felt nauseous and despite his best efforts he couldn’t keep his pain from showing on his face. Dazai was better suited to missions like this - he was uncannily skilled at hiding his reactions to torture. But that was precisely why Chuuya had been selected for this mission. Because reactions drew in a crowd. Chuuya could feel eyes burning into his skin - the rest of her gang had stopped their tasks to watch his torment, laughing as he suffered in silence, the occasional groan escaping when he couldn’t stop it. All eyes in the warehouse were on him.
Exactly as planned.
Hiding behind stacks of boxes housing stolen goods, Dazai and Oda sat watching the torture. Their mission was, at face value, simple - create a distraction and take down the gang that had been stealing their supplies. But their main base, an abandoned warehouse, had been heavily guarded, and some squads from Dazai’s faction were still dealing with them.
Their orders had been clear - not to underestimate the group. Wait until all squads had their areas secure, then attack the main warehouse where their distraction was working as planned. With all eyes on Chuuya, it had been easy for Dazai and Oda to sneak in. From here they could give the order to attack, but only at the right moment. If they were too early and the attack didn’t go as planned, they would have wasted months of work tracking them down.
Mori had been very clear about that.
Chuuya would have to hold on for a bit longer, putting on a show that had started as an exaggerated performance to catch their attention, but now, as Dazai watched another nail be plucked from its bed, he wasn’t sure how much was an act.
His legs were shaking, feet tapping against the ground, his jaw clenching and unclenching. Even from a distance, Dazai could tell Chuuya was beginning to grow fatigued.
He turned to Oda. ‘How much longer?’
Oda glanced at the phone in his hands, scanning messages from the squads. ‘Still waiting for three squads to secure their blocks. I think they had an ability user in one area.’ Dazai cursed. In the months leading up to this, the gang housing an ability user had never been mentioned. ‘Squad Four abandoned their block to help Squad Six with them, I think they’ve been taken care of, though. Waiting on Squads Four, Two and Seven now.’ Oda looked up to meet Dazai’s grim expression. ‘Don’t do it.’
Dazai raised an eyebrow. ‘Hm?’
‘Don’t send them in early. I hate this as much as you do, but it’s already been proven tonight that they have tricks up their sleeves.’ A crash from the centre of the warehouse echoed around, followed by a shout. Dazai moved from sitting to crouching on his knees. ‘Just a few more minutes.’
The woman had stepped away, tossing the bloody pliers to the side. Chuuya let out an inward sigh of relief. He still had three nails left. His wrists were burning from the friction of the rope. How much longer would this last? He couldn’t see Dazai from where he was tied to the chair. What if he’d been abandoned? What if the mission had been called off and Chuuya had been left there to deal with it? No, Dazai wouldn’t do that. He promised he would never leave Chuuya. He wouldn’t...would he?
The thud of the hammer hitting his empty nail beds echoed across the warehouse and he couldn’t hold back a yell.
The woman grinned at him. ‘Just checking you were still awake. Wouldn’t want you passing out on us.’ She reached out her hand to receive a new pair of pliers.. He could sense movement behind him.
His heart began to race as he braced himself for whatever was coming next.
The woman leaned over him, the bright light behind her casting a dark shadow across Chuuya. ‘Still not up for talking?’
Chuuya’s eyes darted between hers and the tool in her hand. ‘I don’t know. No one--’ Chuuya forced his eyes to tear up, adding a quiver to his voice. ‘No one told me anything. I don’t know anything to do with the Demon Prodigy.’ The woman tilted her head, encouraging him to continue. ‘Last I heard anything about him was after the Dragon…’ He paused, making a show of gulping, trying to catch his breath, ‘after the Dragon’s Head Conflict. I heard someone say he had been captured briefly.’ He looked up at her, the tears falling down his cheeks. ‘That was years ago, I swear that’s all I know, please...please…’
Despite knowing it was all an act, Dazai had to resist sending in the available squads. That was why Chuuya had been sent in to be tortured over Dazai. Chuuya could pull off an act, gather pity, grab their attention. Dazai could remain stoic through it and gather intel.
‘Squad Four is in position. Waiting on Two and Seven,’ Oda said quietly.
The woman sighed dramatically. ‘Stop wasting my time with lies. If that’s how it’s going to be…’ A hand pulled his head back sharply, another forcing his jaw open. Panic began to build. Real panic. ‘I suppose you won’t mind if we take a few teeth? How many nails did I take? Eight?’ Chuuya’s hands began to shake. Before he’d been in control of the shaking. But not now. ‘How about we match that number?’
Dazai’s hand tightened around his phone. Enough was enough. He typed out the message, his thumb hovering above the Send button.
‘Dazai,’ Oda warned.
Dazai watched as the woman reached into Chuuya’s mouth using the pliers. He couldn’t look away. Hands held Chuuya down as she jammed them in, twisting and turning. As she pulled them out, a shorter figure beside her brandished a knife soaked in a dark substance, plunging it into Chuuya as the bloody pliers came out.
A scream came from the centre of the warehouse.
He hit send. They were still waiting on two squads, but they had five at their disposal. That would have to be enough.
‘I’ll deal with the consequences. I sent the order. Get Chuuya,’ he snapped, drawing out his gun.
A group of soldiers burst in, shooting down the gang members. Some went in to restrain anyone who tried to run. By the time Dazai reached Chuuya, his chair had been knocked to the side, his face resting on the ground in the ambush. He was covered in a layer of sweat, his chest heaving, eyes glassy. The knife was still in his stomach, dripping with poison.
Dazai brushed Chuuya’s hair out of his eyes. Chuuya winced at the brief contact. ‘I’m sorry, Chuuya,’ he whispered.
‘Inside is clear, sir,’ a squad leader called out.
Oda stood above them, watching Dazai carefully. When he made no move to respond, Oda ordered them out to check the perimeter for anyone trying to escape. Within seconds, the three were alone.
‘Call the infirmary, let them know to be ready for Chuuya. There’s poison on the knife, if I remove it now it’ll only cause more blood loss,’ Dazai heard himself say. He was vaguely aware of Oda talking on the phone as he cut through the ropes tying Chuuya to the chair. Every touch resulted in a flinch. Dazai leaned down to whisper in Chuuya’s ear. He wasn't forcing the tears anymore. ‘Rest. You’ve earned it.’
---
It had been four or five hours since then. Chuuya was in recovery in the infirmary. Oda had promised to stay by his side until Dazai returned.
Dazai stood in the middle of Mori’s office, reciting the report of the mission. When he finished, Mori stood up from his chair.
‘You gave the order to attack early?’
The tension was palpable.
‘Yes, Boss.’
‘Because you were worried about Chuuya?’
Dazai took a measured breath. ‘Because it was the best option at the time. It took the enemy by surprise and we emerged having defeated an organisation and retrieved all our stolen goods.’
Mori nodded, opening a drawer within his desk. ‘You did it for the benefit of the Port Mafia? Despite the fourteen men we lost as a direct result of the early attack? Even though it defied direct orders?’
Mori’s hand reached inside the drawer.
‘Yes, Boss.’ Dazai knew he would be angry. It was why he had insisted on coming to hand in the report alone. He made eye contact with Mori. ‘I’m not sorry for sending them in early. It was the right decision. If they had gone in later, some of the group may have escaped.’ It was a lie and they both knew it.
Mori closed the drawer and stood up, holding a small object in his hand. ‘You aren’t sorry?’
Dazai held his ground. ‘No, Boss.’
Mori took slow steps towards him, the blade sparkling in his grasp. ‘You will be.’