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“Walk faster, weretiger.”
Atsushi sighed in annoyance and picked up his pace slightly to catch up to the other man.
“Are you sure we’re going the right way?”
“I’m going exactly where Dazai told us we needed to head. Weren’t you paying attention?”
“I was, but we’ve gotten nowhere-”
Akutagawa spun around and glared at him.
“Are you saying you don’t trust Dazai?”
“Of course I do! But-”
“Patience. We should find it soon.”
Atsushi wanted to be patient, but he was just too anxious. He didn’t know what happened to Dazai after he sent them away to find a way out of the winding maze of a house they were trapped in. They had been walking for what felt like hours, narrowly missing cartoonish traps and getting turned around and pulled in every direction. Surely they must be close to their destination by now.
“Ack-”
“Quiet.”
Atsushi had bumped into Akutagawa, who stopped abruptly at a large door.
“Remember, weretiger, we need to stay on guard. Dazai said this maze will try to break us if we try to leave. We can’t afford to let that happen.”
“I know.”
“I’m going to open this door now.”
Atsushi looked at him and nodded.
The screaming had finally stopped. It must have been hours of that sound, non stop. Atsushi was filled with dread. He feared the worst. Footsteps approached the door of the room they were being kept in. The door swung open. Two men in masks entered, holding up Dazai. Atsushi’s eyes grew wide as he saw the state he was in. He was stripped, even of his bandages, revealing his scarred arms and torso. He looked so frail, and his eyes were dark and empty. Just a few hours ago he had been his lively self, but now he was like a corpse. The men dropped him on the ground and left.
“Dazai!”
Akutagawa rushed over to the man’s side. Atsushi did the same.
“Dazai?”
He was breathing, but it was shallow and harsh. Akutagawa removed his coat and placed it over him.
Akutagawa pushed the door open. It was… an empty room? Not much different than the one they had been kept in. Atsushi felt relieved for a moment, but he remembered to do as he was told and keep his guard up. This house had many qualities, and at any point it could-
Atsushi yelped and covered his ears and closed his eyes as the room was filled with blinding light and a high pitched ringing sound. He felt dizzy and sick. He felt like his head would explode. It stopped. He slowly let his eyes open, and looked around at the changing scene. They were in some sort of warehouse now?
“What is-”
“Why are we here?”
Akutagawa’s voice shook slightly. Atsushi turned to see him looking even more pale than usual, his fists clenched tightly. Atsushi heard a thud, accompanied by a yell.
“Get up!”
That voice!
“Dazai?”
He spun around to find the source of the voice. It
was
Dazai, but he was different here. He was a bit shorter and younger, maybe even younger than Atsushi. He was bandaged as usual, but this extended to his eye as well. He kept his arm in a sling. Dazai turned around and walked until he reached the other wall. He spun back and raised his voice.
“I said, get up!”
He yelled at another boy. It was a younger Akutagawa. There was blood on the ground beside him. He clutched his ribs and began coughing.
“Now!”
The boy painfully and slowly stood up.
“You’re not quick enough!”
Akutagawa’s barrier barely came up in time to stop the bullets.
“See? I know you can be fast when your life is actually in danger. You need to apply that to all aspects of your training.”
Dazai walked over to Akutagawa, his gun still pointed at him. He placed it right against the barrier, which Akutagawa concentrated on keeping up. Dazai put the gun away and turned around. The barrier came down, and Akutagawa fell to the ground, panting. He was kicked in the stomach.
“Did I say we were done? Get up.”
Dazai grabbed him by the hair and pulled him up to his feet as the other boy groaned in pain. They looked into each other’s eyes for a moment.
“Dazai-”
He was struck across the face, hard enough he fell back to the ground. Atsushi inhaled sharply. Images of the orphanage headmaster flashed into his mind.
“Get up.”
He was kicked in the stomach, hard. More images. Atsushi looked away from the scene, his heart racing.
“Look at it!”
His face was grabbed and forced to look on as this illusionary Akutagawa was kicked repeatedly.
“This was the Dazai I knew. The Dazai who saved me from the slums. Do you not like it? He reminds you of someone you knew, doesn’t he? But you don’t want to admit that. Because the Dazai you knew took you from your sorry life and gave you a purpose. Just like with me. Except unlike me, you didn’t have to lift a finger to receive his kindness. It was given to you freely. Some of us had to go through hell and back to try and earn that, and it still wasn’t nearly enough!”
“I’m sorry-”
“I don’t want your pity, weretiger.”
Akutagawa let go of his face and closed his eyes for a moment.
“I don’t resent Dazai, and I have no regrets. I knew how I would be treated if I followed him, and I willingly agreed.”
He looked at Atsushi.
“You didn’t have that choice, though. You didn’t agree to the cruelty you faced at the orphanage.”
Was… Akutagawa trying to make him feel better about Dazai?
“Still, you shouldn’t have been treated that way-”
“I told you, I don’t want pity from you! Don’t pity me, and don’t resent Dazai. Worry for your own problems. Don’t dwell on the pain of others.”
Atsushi looked back at the scene. Dazai now held Akutagawa by his hair and looked coldly into his eyes.
“As an apprentice, you’ve been quite disappointing.”
He let him fall to the ground and walked out of the room. Akutagawa curled up on the ground, shaking and coughing. Atsushi looked at the boy. It reminded him too much of his own self as a child, and he felt sick. He needed to do something .
“What are you doing?”
Atsushi’s legs carried him over towards the boy. He extended his hand out. The boy’s eyes met his.
“Are you okay?”
“It’s just an illusion, you dolt.”
“Dazai said there would probably be tests we’d have to face. This must be one of them. I feel like we have to overcome them somehow to move on.”
“When he said there were tests, he just meant that there’d be obstacles in our way intended to get to us. It’s not like the person who trapped us here created some special exams for us to deal with our problems, he’s just messing with us in order to hinder our escape.”
“Maybe so, but I think Dazai knew it would be something like this before he sent us out, and that we’d be forced to deal with our pasts. Are you saying you don’t trust Dazai, Akutagawa?” he asked mockingly.
“If our abilities weren’t stripped from us here, I would have struck you down with Rashoumon as soon as we were out of Dazai’s sight.”
“Yeah, I know.”
Atsushi smiled, and kept his hand extended to the smaller Akutagawa.
“I’m sorry you’re in pain. There’s no reason for you to go through this. You must be very strong, to keep fighting for your right to live.”
He embraced the boy tightly. The illusion faded, and a door appeared on the other side of the room through which they could make their escape.
Akutagawa frowned and clicked his tongue.
“That may have worked, but there may be more of this. Stay on guard.”
He strutted past Atsushi and went to the door.
“Wait!”
Atsushi trembled. He knew that door. He knew what he was to face next.
“L-let’s not go through there. Maybe there’s an exit the other way!”
“Don’t be foolish. This is how Dazai told us we needed to proceed through this maze. I’m sure there’s another illusion in the next door, we’ll just have to do the same thing. Come on.”
He grabbed Atsushi, whose entire body shivered. He pulled him towards the door and pushed him through.
Another flash of blinding light and the same high pitched ringing. The room transformed, now illuminated by moonlight peering through purple stained glass windows.
A ghastly scream echoed throughout the room. The two young men looked to see a small Atsushi writhing on the ground as a burning hot poker was held against his ribs.
The real Atsushi fell to his knees, trembling more violently than before.
“P-please, can we p-please get out of here-”
“You know it’s not that simple. Wait here. I’ll take care of this one.”
Akutagawa strode over to where the headmaster and the boy were. He punched the headmaster to the ground.
“Akutagawa!”
Akutagawa grabbed the hot poker and offered it to the boy.
“Take it.”
“But-”
“Take it. You are far stronger than he is. Burn him with the poker. He’ll be sure to leave you alone if you do that.”
The illusion of Atsushi’s child self reluctantly took the poker, and pointed it at the unconscious headmaster. He trembled as much as the real Atsushi, and he fell to his knees, wailing.
“What’s wrong?”
“Akutagawa, stop it!
Akutagawa kneeled down next to the boy.
“I’m going to tell you this now, since no one else would. You’re gifted. You can turn into a white tiger. You’re incredibly strong and talented. My own former mentor even said you’re far more impressive than I ever was. Take pride, weretiger. Prove your worth to the world in your immense strength. Don’t let others control or hurt you. They are far weaker than you are.”
The boy’s eyes grew wide. So did the real Atsushi’s. Was this Akutagawa’s way of trying to comfort him?
The illusion disappeared like the last one.
“See? These are no more than pathetic illusions meant to deter us. We proved stronger than them, no?”
Atsushi looked at Akutagawa, his mouth gaping slightly. Then he felt a smile creep across his face.
“Yeah, we did.”
The young men turned around as they heard a tiny thud on the ground. It looked like a giant glowing pearl, if they were to compare it to anything.
“That’s it! That’s what Dazai told us to find!”
Atsushi ran over and scooped it up.
“So this is the object that created this prison .”
Atsushi remembered what Dazai told them:
“There’s a stone here… it’s basically this user’s abilities condensed into an object. It manifests powerful illusions, and it strips others of their power, much like my own ability. But an ability is an ability. Even if it’s similar to my own–an ability that nullifies other abilities–it shouldn’t work against me. Bring me the stone. If it comes into contact with me, the illusion effect in this house should collapse, and your abilities should return. Then the Agency or the Port Mafia will find us and we’ll be out of here. Maybe we’ll be able to escape without their help.”
“Akutagawa, we-”
Atsushi turned to see his companion held at gunpoint.
“Did you two really think you could get out so easily?”
“Atsushi, run out of here and get the stone to Dazai-”
“If you run I will shoot your friend. And you…”
He put his mouth close to Akutagawa’s ear.
“You really trust that man, don’t you? After everything he did…”
Akutagawa gasped.
“My ability isn’t just one that causes illusions. It completely connects me to someone’s mind. Their hopes and dreams, their deepest fears and darkest secrets… When I use my ability, I see all of it. I feel all of it. I felt so much pain when the illusions of your pasts activated. Both of you. The broken ribs, the burning, searing skin. So much suffering… But even still…”
He pressed the gun harder against Akutagawa’s temple.
“Even all the torture we put that man through today, I’m sure it doesn’t compare to the years of pain you endured at his hands. And yet you… want to take this stone back to him? Thinking he’ll fix everything for you? If that isn’t the height of foolishness.”
“Hmph, bold words coming from someone who captured us. Why would I listen to a single thing you say?”
“Both of you have suffered so much. I witnessed this. You could join me. We could help each other.”
“Like he said, bold words coming from someone who captured us.”
“I know your pain, I really do. Men like your old mentor, Dazai, like your headmaster… they aren’t too rare in this world…”
He lifted up his shirt to reveal a multitude of scars.
“I thought maybe we could help each other. I brought you here to make you realize that. I was even willing to have Dazai join us, if he really has changed. I saw his mind, too. He’s suffered more than enough for the both of you. But he’s too stubborn. He wouldn’t turn to my side, no matter how I tried to persuade him.”
“You can’t persuade people to join you… by torturing them, or making them relive the worst parts of their pasts! If you truly cared for our emotional wellbeing that much… if you wanted us to heal together, you wouldn’t treat us that way!”
Atsushi threw the stone at the man’s face, knocking him over.
“Akutagawa!”
“I know!”
Akutagawa grabbed the gun and pointed it at the man. Atsushi grabbed the stone.
“We’re taking this back, no matter what. We’re leaving. We won’t let you hurt us anymore.”
The man’s eyes grew wide as he said that. Maybe he had realized he was turning into the kind of person he despised so much.
“Dazai, we were able to get the stone.”
Dazai’s eyes weakly fluttered open.
“Did you, now?... Good job… both of you…”
“Don’t sit up, I’ll bring it to you.”
Dazai held his hands out, palms open. Atsushi handed him the stone. As it made contact, the glow vanished.
“Did it work?”
“It appears that it did.”
Red energy crackled around Akutagawa as he tested his newly regained power.
“If our powers are back, that must mean the illusion around the building fell. The Port Mafia should be able to find us now.”
“I hope the Agency finds us first…” Atsushi mumbled.
Dazai rolled over.
“Aaaaaaaaaaa, Akutagawa, I forgot how nice this coat was! I’m taking it back.”
“Dazai!”
Akutagawa tried to snatch the coat back, but Dazai held onto it tightly.
“Ah, don’t take it off of me now! I have nothing else!”
“You better return it to me when we get your own clothes back, Dazai.”
“Ahaha, sure!”
Atsushi laughed weakly. Then his face fell. He was glad to see Dazai acting like himself again, but… it was hard accepting that this was the same man he had seen haunting Akutagawa’s darkest memories earlier.
“Get up!”
“No one has any need for the likes of you!”
Dazai’s cruel voice now echoed in his mind along with the voice of his headmaster. Even if he never got to know this Dazai, would he now have to live with his phantom?
“You’re having a hard time dealing with what you saw earlier, aren’t you?”
Dazai’s voice was serious now.
“How did you-”
“I knew enough about this man before he captured us, that I had an idea of what he would show to you and Akutagawa.”
Atsushi looked away and brought his knees close to his face.
“You saw your old headmaster. And you saw me, as well. You saw us in the same light.”
“Yes.”
“But you don’t resent me?”
“Akutagawa told me I shouldn’t.”
“Since when do you care what Akutagawa thinks?”
“I don’t, but-”
“But?”
“I know you’re not like that anymore.”
“Who’s to say? You’re making excuses for me.”
“Well, what else am I supposed to do?!”
Atsushi quickly stood up.
“I don’t know what else I’m supposed to do. What am I supposed to do in this situation, Dazai?”
“It’s not my place to tell you, Atsushi.”
“Weretiger, you-”
“And it’s not Akutagawa’s, either.”
All three men were silent.
After a moment, Akutagawa spoke.
“Mori just messaged me. Looks like the Port Mafia found us first, after all.”