Chapter Text
The first thing Kei Tezuka felt as she got stabbed was cold.
It's so cold, what's going on?
The second thing was a paralyzing fear and pain.
Help. Please.
It hurts.
Mom.
Dad.
I'm sorry for being such an obnoxious kid.
Just please.
Save me.
I'm dying.
"You want to live?" The world around Kei disappeared and she was surrounded by darkness. Kei reached out into the nothingness.
Yes. Please.
"You can't go back to your old life. But you can go to a new one. What do you say?"
Yes. Anything to live again.
Can you just make sure of one thing?
"Hm?"
Make sure my family is safe.
The voice laughed lightly. "Sure, welcome to your new world." Everything went white, and Kei fell unconscious.
Kei Tezuka was now a 15-year-old girl with no purpose. When she was reincarnated, she lived with abusive parents until she was thrown out at seven years old. So, for the past eight years, she had lived on the streets just trying to survive, day to day.
"Ha," Kei mumbled. "Sorry Mom and Dad, compared to dear Father and Mother in this world, you actually cared about me." I wish I hadn't taken that for granted. She spied a man who bought a sandwich from a nearby seller, and had sat down on a bench, talking on his phone. The corners of her mouth curved up.
Lunchtime.
Kei changed the direction she was walking to go in front of the bench. As she passed, the man looked up at her, and his lip curled in disgust from Kei's appearance. While the man was distracted, Kei took the chance to take the sandwich, and swipe the man's wallet.
Victory. Kei walked nonchalantly away, her victim none the wiser, still talking on his phone. Time to go home. Kei put the wallet in her pocket
Kei turned into an alley, walking down to the end, turned left, and in the corner of an alley she called home, was a boy sleeping. She felt a twitch of anger, but before she reacted, she decided to observe him first. He seems a little well-dressed to be sleeping in an alley.
He seemed the same age Kei was, he was wearing a long black coat and a suit and tie. He had wavy short brown hair and pale skin. What confused Kei, was the abundant amount of bandages on the boy's person. He has bandages on his arms and bandages on his right eye and gauze on the left part of his face.
Kei cleared her throat. "What are you doing here?" The boy stirred, but didn't open his eyes. Kei went closer and kicked the boy's foot.
"Wake up." Chocolate-brown eyes blinked open and stared up at her.
Kei's hand that wasn't holding the sandwich was placed on her hip. "It's rude to sleep in others' homes without asking first."
The boy's lips curved up in an impish smile. "Apologies." He leapt up, standing right in front of her. Kei's hand on her hip relaxed to dangle at her side, slowly inching towards the knife in her pocket. The boy glanced down at Kei's hand, then looked back up at her.
Just as Kei was about to pull out her knife, the boy kneeled in front of her and took her hand. He placed a soft kiss on Kei's hand. "Pleasure to meet you. You're so beautiful, I was breathless."
Kei frowned. What is up with this guy?
Kei wasn't particularly bad-looking. Her silver eyes and shoulder length black hair helped be often praised for her good looks....when she actually brushed her hair, took a bath, and had clean, not ripped clothing.
Kei stared at the boy. "Who are you?"
"When asking someone's name, it's polite to introduce yourself first~"
"It's also polite to not intrude in other people's homes." Kei retorted.
The boy sighed dramatically and stood up, still holding on to Kei's hand. "Osamu Dazai." Dazai replied, a smile on his face.
"....Kei Tezuka." Kei said warily. He's smiling, but his eye is empty. No emotion whatsoever. Dazai's grin widened, sensing her thoughts.
It's alright.
Two can play at this game.
Kei let a smile cross her face, and let her eyes dull. "Sorry for my harsh attitude earlier. Having such a good-looking guy in my home is a little unnerving."
"It's alright, it's alright." Dazai waved away Kei's apology. "So what is a beautiful lady like you doing having a home in a corner of an alley?"
"..." Kei's smile faltered. "Let's go somewhere more comfortable to talk." Kei took her hand out of Dazai's grip and crouched, then jumped onto the roof of the building. She stood up and stared at the array of roofs spread out in front of her.
"Impressive athletics~" A voice hummed behind Kei. She turned around. Dazai walked towards her, dusting himself off. Kei sat down near the edge of the roof, her legs dangling over the edge. Dazai sat next to her.
"Thank you." Kei replied lightly. "Are you hungry?" She held out her sandwich. "You can have some if you want."
"Thanks!" With a wide grin, Dazai took the sandwich and ate it in two bites.
"That was my lunch..." Kei mumbled.
"Your lunch? Or that poor man's lunch?" Dazai commented, staring into space. Kei froze.
"Uh...."
"Not like I care particularly."
"I see."
"Now what were you saying, Kei-chan? About you living in an alley?" Dazai smiled a closed-eye smile.
Kei sweatdropped. "We're not close enough for you to be calling me by my first name, Dazai-san."
"Heh, alright, Tezuka-chan."
"I've been living here for eight years, since my parents threw me out." Dazai's eye widened.
"Eight years?! How old are you?"
"I'm fifteen." Kei said flatly.
Dazai clapped his hands, childish excitement shone in his features, except for his eye. Never in his eye. "We're the same age!!"
"Amazing," Kei said dryly. "We have very different circumstances, though. You look like you already have a job, while I'm just a street kid." She coughed.
"I suppose that's true." Dazai hummed, staring into the distance. "My job isn't necessarily normal...."
"Really? What is it?"
"...."
"Dazai-san?"
"It's a secret."
"Really."
"Yes, really. Why did your parents throw you out?" Kei smiled, hiding her annoyance.
"It's a secret."
"Really."
"Yes, really."
"Why are we reiterating our conversation from five seconds ago?"
Kei crossed her arms. "We both have secrets. I'll tell you my secret on one condition: you tell me what your job is."
"Okaaaay~" Dazai stretched and laid down on the roof. "You first."
"No, you. And you're not in a position to say no." Kei said, her knife at Dazai's throat in an instant. Dazai's smile was gone.
"No, Tezuka-chan, you're not in a position to say no." Kei stiffened, careful to not let her fear show on her face. Alarm bells rang through her mind.
This man.....
He's dangerous.
More dangerous than anyone my age should be.
"H-huh?" Kei hated the tremor in her voice. As explanation, she heard a click near her head. Slowly, she glanced towards the source of the sound, careful not to move. A gun....
"Who....are you?"
Dazai's eye locked with hers. That soulless, empty, dark eye. That smile....that smile that never reached his eyes appeared again.
"I told you, Tezuka-chan. I'm Osamu Dazai. Now, are you going to tell me why exactly an innocent child at the tender age of seven was thrown onto the street?"
Kei laughed darkly. "Alright. My parents were scared of me. Happy?"
"Why?"
Kei bit her lip. "I have....a special ability of sorts."
Dazai's eye finally had a spark of emotion in it-
Interest.
"Really? What is it?"
".....It's called Divergent. Basically, I have different abilities depending on which 'faction' I'm in." Kei took a deep breath and explained her ability.
"Dauntless. Pros: Increases fighting power and agility, decreases fear and pain receptors. Cons: Decreases awareness of surroundings when used for too long, basically is a constant state of adrenaline, so exhaustion and pain catch up immediately after I switch to another faction."
"Erudite. Pros: Increases knowledge retention, and capability to analyze. Cons: Slowly makes me lose my sense of humanity."
"Candor. Pros: Allows me to tell whether someone is telling the truth or lying. Cons: I can only tell the truth in this faction."
"Amity. Pros: Makes others let down their guard around me. Cons: Decreases my intelligence and lets down my guard."
"Abnegation. Pros: Increases intelligence and ability to remain calm. Cons: My self-sacrificing instinct is much greater."
"And Neutral. No pros or cons, it's my normal personality."
Kei coughed slightly once she finished, overcome from the effort of explaining her ability. "Y-your turn, Dazai-" She was overcome with coughing again. The knife clattered to the surface of the roof as she doubled over. Blood spattered onto the roof.
Dazai's eye widened slightly. "Are you all right, Tezuka-chan?!" He put a hand to Kei's back.
"Don't touch me!" Kei hissed, then covered her mouth as she coughed out more blood that bled through her fingers. "A-Agh..." The last thing Kei saw was Dazai looking at her in confusion before the world went black.
The next couple of hours Kei spent half conscious.
"Blockage to the lungs..."
"Pneumonia..."
"Impressive she survived this long..."
"Requires surgery...."
Kei finally woke up. Where...am I?
She sat up, clutching her head. I was with Dazai-san until I lost consciousness....!
Dazai-san!
Kei tried to get out of bed, but the world spun, and she sat back down.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you," a voice drawled. Kei looked around for the source.
Her eyes found another boy her age leaning against the looking at her. He had orange hair and blue eyes. He was wearing a similar outfit to Dazai's, except he had a top hat and there was a lack of bandages. "Who are you? Where am I?" A voice that Kei realized was hers croaked out.
"Once my boss gets here, you'll know what you need to."
"Heh, what a bedside manner." Kei managed a weak grin.
The orange haired boy fumed. "Hey! I'm not the one who got pneumonia and didn't get it treated for five years."
Kei's mouth dropped open. "What?"
The boy looked embarrassed. "Oh, I wasn't supposed to tell you that yet."
Kei giggled. "You're funny."
The boy's cheeks turned pink. He stood up and walked towards Kei. He flicked her forehead, forcing her to lay down again. The boy then said gently, "Just rest right now. I'll be back." He walked towards the door and, before his departure, he said one last thing.
"The name's Chuuya Nakahara."
Kei then felt the first genuine smile appear on her face. "Nice to meet you, Nakahara-san! I'm Kei Tezuka!"
"..." Chuuya tipped his hat brim over his eyes and nodded once before leaving.
Kei's smile disappeared once Chuuya was gone. I'm all alone now....
What do I do?