Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

September 1st 20XX.

Mahiru Koizumi here. It's another day, another world of hell. Japan has been overthrown by a new force; the mafia. Huh? The Kuzuryuu Clan? Oh, yeah, they got overthrown a long time ago.

ALIAS: COBWEB MAIDEN

The woman who murdered the man who once controlled the government. Prime Minister Ishimaru, who is the father of Kiyotaka Ishimaru. I don't even know if he was a good man. The Cobweb Maiden is known by a stoic face, one eye hidden by a long strand of greenish-gray hair. She is a very skilled assassin with a kill count of over one-hundred political figures. I would not want to cross paths.

"Mr. Ishimaru, the papers are here."

POLICE RECORD: KIYOTAKA ISHIMARU

The son of the Prime Minister, and a man of refinement and maybe a stick up his ass. Strict but kind, I think he'd be able to turn this world around.

"Excellent! Thank you, Koizumi-san! These will come in handy!" Taka took the papers from me, smiling as he did, and walked back to his desk.

"This isn't really a day for coffee. No day in this world is." Kaito said as he kicked the door in frustration. "Damn Yakuza is killing people by the day! Come on!"

POLICE RECORD: KAITO MOMOTA

The local idiot in the police force, Kaito is a very impulsive man who has a bone to pick with a certain someone in the mafia, the 'Crimson Assassin. He tries to storm into the front head on, but when would that work?

Kyoko quickly interjected. "There is no way we could just storm in there. It's completely idiotic to even try it. After all, Maizono got pelted by a baseball to a vital organ. There's no way to predict what they would do."

POLICE RECORD: KYOKO KIRIGIRI

Finally, someone intelligent. Kyoko is the local detective, and she has a clean record of knowing every murder method and what happened in the case. Sure, Shuichi looks up to her, and I can definitely see why. She has a lot going for her.

I looked over at Kyoko who had just entered the room. She had dropped a couple papers on my desk, eyeing me.

“Watch your back, Koizumi, these are the Yakuza I have record of terrorizing the town.”

ALIAS: ROBOT JOCK

A sniper of great accuracy, he shoots baseballs in vital spots, causing multiple casualties at lightning speeds. He is a man to be feared, and no one has ever seen his face. Only a red streak of hair and a prosthetic arm have been seen of his appearance.

ALIAS: GORE ARTIST

She is a woman who kills people with simple terror. They stumble upon her artworks of sacrifice, and get so frozen in fear that she is able to quickly assassinate them. A sinister laugh follows their demises, and their corpses are never seen again. Photos of the artworks are in this folder, look at your own risk.

Paintings of blood and organs cover the field. Red eyes are painted onto the wall with multiple actual eyes. A heart was nailed into the wall, making a whole structure reminiscent of a full body’s internal organs, stolen from multiple different corpses. I almost wanted to throw up at the sights.

“Jesus. She takes art to another level…” Kaito said, turning away after looking over my shoulder.

POLICE RECORD: SAYAKA MAIZONO

STATUS: DEAD

“Oh, shit. Did Robot Jock take her out?” I asked Taka.

“Yeah. We lost her when she was trying to break into enemy territory. He knew she was coming and sniped her.” Taka said sadly.

She is a woman of a good soul, with her bandmates turned soldiers, is a force to be reckoned with. Agile, and good with a knife.

“Well, unfortunately she’s dead.” Kaito said as he sipped his water.

Taka stood up. “She fought for a good cause. Died with honor. We keep fighting with her spirit with us.”

I nodded my head. Walking away from the police’s headquarters, I changed my camera into the one that I killed an officer with, and changed my whole appearance, shredded tie and shirt, and blood stained on my bandana.

ALIAS: SNAP SHOT

They don't know that I work for both. Nobody does, except for a couple citizens. I take pictures and use them to incite fear in the crowds. Only glimpses of my eyes are seen by police officers, who are usually found dead by the end of the night.

Why do I also work for the mafia?

Simple.

I'm a double agent. I want to know what caused them to be this way. Many of the people who are known warriors of the gang were ordinary citizens just a couple years ago, including one of my best friends. I snapped some pictures of Angie's artwork and went to print them out. On the way I ran into the Robot Jock himself, Leon Kuwata.

"Area's clear. We're good, Snap Shot."

I nodded. "Great. I was going to send these out very soon. Wanna help?"

"Hell yeah! Lemme help you strike fear into these guys, we gotta let 'em know the Yakuza is the boss now!"

He raised his hand for a high five, and grinned as we went to make the propaganda. I know the goal of both sides. Kill the head of the opposing party.

Both sides have formidable armies, and they know it.

Both sides don't know they have a spy.

What am I doing, you ask? Well, I'm actually trying to fix both sides' crooked morals. The police aren't any better anyways, punishing innocent civilians and harassing them until they're forced to make a claim about being guilty. Seriously, have you seen the Death Row bullshit? It's stupid.

Screams followed by laughter and a gunshot echoed the alleyways. An officer ran past, yelling "Who's there?" Leon took this opportunity to assassinate him from behind.

"Bingo! Gotcha, idiot."

"Hey! I was having a lot of fun. Let me use the corpse for something." Gore Artist stepped out of the shadows, blood on her clothes as red as her eyes. Angie Yonaga was her name.

"Oh! Hello there my friend! Nyahahahaha!" She bounced around the alley. "Let's go home!"

"We probably have a meeting. Mondo is gonna kick my ass if I don't show up."

We ran back to the hotel that the mafia had claimed as their base. Angie kicked open the door to some of the guys playing Beer Pong. Mondo was laughing, a drunken stupor lining his lips. Nekomaru grinned as he threw the ball. They drank the beer in the cup after he landed the ball in one of them.

ALIAS: CRAZY DIAMOND

The leader of the biker side of the mafia, he rushes the streets, racing with no care in the world of who or what he hits. The police had killed his brother, and he has been in a rage ever since.

ALIAS: COMMANDER

He is the trainer for every mafia member. He pushes us to our limits, and then shows off his skills in the streets. Much of the sports utility he uses is dead human parts. Eugh.

Leon high fived Nekomaru. "How's my big bro doin'?"

Nekomaru: "Hella good, dude! Mondo an' I are winnin' this game. Eat shit, Nagito!"

ALIAS: LUCKY SEVEN

His avoidance of death is ridiculous, you can't physically kill him. He can dodge bullets by pure luck alone. Many have tried to kill him, but one roll of his slot machine is deadly. Land a lucky seven, and you're dead.

"Heh. You haven't seen the last of me just yet."

Nagito hit another shot, and he and another man drank from the beer cup.

"Nice shot, now next!" Fuyuhiko took the ball and bounced it. He missed, and an array of swears came after it.

ALIAS: SHOGUN

He commands an army while nowhere to be seen. His previous Yakuza experience as the son of the Kuzuryu clan helped him here and is responsible for many of the extremely coordinated attacks from the gang.

A familiar sound of heels clacked against the wood. Many of the gang members tensed up, even the sight of her was enough to strike fear into even Byakuya. Kirumi's eye scanned the area, smiling.

"Well done, everyone. Keep up the good work."

Kirumi looked at everyone, and her butler followed. His eye scanned the room, and the woman next to her also glared at everyone. She told us that we had the day to relax and do whatever we needed, so everyone sighed in relief.

ALIAS: BLOOD MOON

Maki Harukawa, the right hand of the leader, ready to take over at any given moment. She is distinguished by her snake and blood moon tattoos, one on her stomach, the other on her back. Her scimitar is lined in red, hence the name she was given. Trained as an assassin since childhood, she destroyed her cultish trainers and led her own path.

ALIAS: DOUBLE-FACE

He acts like a helpless young man, with his disguises being on point, almost reminiscent of a political figure. Despite having one eye, his sniper aim is on point as well as his knife ability. Korekiyo is known to betray those who try to help him, using his multiple faces as a lure.

Devious smiles ran across the room. A pure desire for malice and chaos, echoing off of expression to expression. Human beings who rejoice in malice. Rejoicing in the blood of other human beings.

I do wonder, what happened in order to turn a simple maid into a full fledged assassin?

The patriarchy, perhaps?

Or maybe the fact that normal civilians get stepped on so much that she wants to give them power?

Because, most of the people in the main hall are normal people. Normal, just like you, and just like me. Just average citizens who are going to become a number once the press is involved.

No matter what the reason is, it's still a fucked up way to go about it.

I took a seat and watched the simply despicable chaos erupt. Sayaka's corpse was on full display, getting torn apart by Angie who was mercilessly ripping her limbs off.

I have to say, props to Kirumi for causing such a movement. A movement of pure, unbridled rage against society for what the world had turned us into.

[END JOURNAL: SEPTEMBER 1ST, 20XX]

Mahiru, out.

Chapter Text

[September 2nd, 20XX]

Maki has multiple names. Blood Moon is one of them. Kaito calls her the 'Crimson Assassin'. She once crossed paths with him, and rolled her eyes as he called her that.

The gang kept howling like wolves and screaming, drinking, doing anything and everything. I sat back with my glass of water as mafia men and women ran around enjoying themselves.

Time to go back to my room.

I took a seat on the bed, my legs hanging over the edge. The window showed a maroon stained red sky, as now I understood that hell finally broke loose. In fact, birds don’t even chirp at night. It’s simply just screams. I get greeted by screams and gunshots. Turning on the TV, I saw somehow that a news reporter was still alive, as the media was absolutely hated by the Cobweb Maiden.

“This just in! mafia terror spreads to Europe! Mass suicide in Novoselic! I repeat, a mass sui…”

A gunshot went through the head of the man. His body fell over and blood spilled out of it, staining anything below it. A mafia man grinned at the screen, saying something.

“For those of ya watching at home, let’s say, fuck the media! They fucked up normal civilization, we’re gonna do the same to em!”

ALIAS: ROCKY WRENCH

One of the many geniuses of the mafia, Kazuichi has built terrorizing giant machines that have killed millions who don’t side with him. He and a woman named Sonia took the mafia's terror overseas, destroying those who try and save Japan. He has an absolute hatred for the news, so targeting them is his main priority. Hence why I don’t ever write public papers for the police. Ever.

I turned off the TV as Kazuichi was spray painting the camera, and decided to shower. The warm water washed away my fears about this world domination from a group of pure terror.

The grease washed from my hair as I decided to sit down. I turned on my phone to a message from Taka.

“Koizumi-san, where are you? These propaganda posts are getting way out of hand!”

I smiled a bit at it.

"I'm on my way to shut it down, don't worry." I texted back. Little did he know, Mahiru Koizumi, is also known as Snap Shot, is the same woman who took those posts to strike fear into the opposition.

We mostly targeted the police, the fucked up side of society, as Toko put it, "those bastards who think everyone is guilty until proven innocent."

FILE: TOKO FUKAWA

A neutral woman who roams the streets. Safeguarded by both the mafia and the police, she is a journalist who really is just here for information. I'm surprised she isn't dead yet. However, young mafia men and officers alike have been killed by a serial killer linked to her. I wonder what's up with that...

I changed into my neutral wear, refurbishing my hair to look as ordinary as possible, a gun hidden in my camera bag just in case, and stepped out. My eyes lined the streets for my essentially, partner in crime. Toko's hand gestured in the alleyway, letting me have a safe way to get to her.

Toko sat down. She had a homeless makeshift area where she lived. The city had been so screwed up that in order to get proper food or anything, you'd have to side with one of them. She somehow had stolen food from one of the sides to keep herself alive.

"T-those officers that our serial killer friend k-kills keep food on them. No wonder they're so incompetent in n-normal society." She said, biting into her donut.

I watched her eat as I pulled out my camera to show her the propaganda I created and also eradicated from the internet. She grimaced a bit before taking the camera.

"J-Jeez. Sayaka is a mess in this picture. It doesn't seem like their t-terror will stop, Mahiru."

"No. Not in the slightest." I nodded, giving her some of the food from the party last night.

"Oh. These for me? T-Thanks."

"Anything for my friend. Has your recon gone well?"

Toko nodded. "They're spreading overseas. The Cobweb Maiden's goal is to reform the world and k-kill all corrupt society members."

"Shit..."

I looked over at Toko in worry. American forces would definitely be in play.

Gunshots rang. Footsteps quickly came around the corner. The policeman stared at Toko, who was starting a fire, and me, who just made eye contact with him. He walked away awkwardly, and Toko finally lit her match.

"H-Honestly, the only thing I find nowadays is marijuana pods and cigarettes. At l-least a small high can get me out of this r-reality."

After setting the fire, she lit the cigar in her mouth. "It also lets my b-body die faster. I want to leave this world a-anyways."

I felt bad for her. The bags around her eyes and her tattered clothes really showed me all I needed to see. Her long skirt revealed her very pale scarred legs. Scissors were attached to her hips that were just barely visible. Toko's left arm possessed a bandage that was covering a bullet hole. Her body was completely malnourished, ribs visible under her thin, worn down clothes. She reeked of smoke, having not showered for weeks. Part of her lenses were shattered, and her eyes had a deathly stare to them as if saying she wants to take my gun and let her brains blow out.

"I'm so sorry, Toko. Need some more clothes? I could-"

"It's fine." she interrupted. "I'm fine."

"Really, Toko, I can help you."

Toko froze and crouched into the fetal position. "I feel h-hopeless. This bullet hurts like all hell. Is there anyone who could help m-me?"

I knew of someone.

I took her hand and ran down to a small shack. This woman too was a double agent. It didn't matter who received the medical supplies as long as she got to live. Hence why she, of all people is one of the most content commoners.

This shack used to be a hospital. And it returned to being a medical facility thanks to the dexterous hands of Mikan Tsumiki.

[September 2nd, 20XX]

Signing off, Mahiru Koizumi.

Chapter Text

[September 3rd, 20XX] 0:00 HOURS

I decided to include times. In case you were wondering what time it was when you read it. I pushed Toko through the door and she crashed against the wall with her non bruised arm.

"Hey! W-What was that for?" Toko glared at me, her eyes squinting.

I shrugged.

Someone's footsteps were quick and small. "Do y-you need something? I was about to go to bed."

FILE: MIKAN TSUMIKI

Probably the smartest woman in the medical field, Mikan is excellent in tending all sorts of wounds. If mafia and police fight while they are under her care, she gives them a horrifying look. Apparently everyone has to get along. She doesn't care what happens outside her hospital. This place is one of the wealthiest areas in all of Japan. However the wealth of kindness is very limited.

Mikan's tattered hair matched her war scorched clothes. It appeared to be that her prosthetic was hand made, and working just fine. Her eye appeared to be cybernetic, perhaps the work of another? I wasn't sure in the moment. She ran a comb through her hair. "U-Urgent care, Toko?"

Toko was stunned. "She k-knows me?"

Mikan smiled. "Of course, now let's get that arm of yours looked at!" Mikan picked Toko up and ran down the hall. I had no choice but to follow them.

The hospital smelled like the fragrance of a well kept bathroom. Mafia and police alike rested in the beds. Mikan kept things very well kept. For the world we live in, this was heaven.

"It's infected. Let me see what I can do." Mikan's voice became extremely serious. Toko was mumbling fearfully until Mikan put her to sleep with a shot.

"She's also very malnourished. Would you like something to eat too?" Mikan opened her microwave and put a meal into it. Where did she get that?

"I need to know how you're living so...luxuriously?"

"Well. It's because of my medical work. I know you work for both s-sides, but you're welcome to stay any time, I consider you a friend."

"Oh, thank you Mikan." I nodded.

The surgery was going to take a while as she had to get that bullet out of Toko. A police man looked at me up and down.

"You. You look very familiar."

"I'm sure I do." I was trying to hide my identity. I was just a "commoner." Not Snap Shot, not Koizumi-san, just a commoner named Mahiru. A common name, yeah?

"No, like one of our really good officers. Your name is Koizumi, yeah?"

I blinked. He caught me. Then he kept talking.

"I wish I was as free as ya, kid. I can't stand fighting. My wife an' kids are dead, and I'm here barely living onto life. I just wanna die..."

I sat down next to him. "I'm sorry to hear that. Really, I mean it."

"Why can't everyone jus' hug it out?"

He started to sob. The mafia man across from him looked at us. "Snap Shot?"

Shit.

The police man's eyes widened. "A mafia girlie too, eh?" He had a slight aggression in his voice. Mikan shot him a glare.

"Nah, that bitch works for the police too? What the fuck?"

I held up my hands in surrender. They caught me.

"Look." I said. "I want to stop this war as much as the next person. My goal is to gather intel. My mafia job is pretty harmless."

That caused the officer to calm down a little. The mafia man leaned back in his bed. "Yeah. I love my brothers and sisters in there, but I do hate the amount of corpses I see. My family was also killed in the skirmish."

"Especially with that one girl who uses 'em for art." The officer said.

"Yup. She scares me." The mafia man nodded.

I didn't know how people who weren't the elites felt about all this. They were normal people with lives and families. And they were dragged into a political war.

"I wanna run away, but there ain't nowhere to run." They both nodded to that comment.

I had a suggestion for them. "The subway still works. Usually commoners are left alone. Take it to Nagasaki. Take the line and you'll be safe. It's run by a neutral party who has guards everywhere. Mikan can probably remove your tattoos and get you new clothes."

FILE: TENKO CHABASHIRA

She doesn't want to get involved if she doesn't have to. The governor of Nagasaki at age 20, she guards that area like her life depends on it. Her martial arts are used by every member of her army, and no matter how much people try to push her forces away to get into the town, it's impossible. She's that fierce.

I told them about her. The woman's movements are almost machine-like. I've seen her fight as I took my file on Nagasaki. Tokyo is extremely dangerous, and Tenko was raised in the place she lives now, so it makes sense why she wouldn't want to leave even if the rest of Japan was in peril.

Many feared her, so they didn't consider her home a safe haven. But they had everything. I showed the two men the pictures, and they both smiled. They wanted their lives back. Hopefully Nagasaki can give that back to them.

I picked up my phone and attempted to call her. Yes, I have communication with every neutral person in this goddamned country.

"Chabashira speaking." Her voice sounded calm and collected.

"Tenko, I have some refugees who would like entrance into the city." I told her. "Ex mafia and ex police."

"Give me names, and I'll let my guards know. They'll have small housing here. I don't have too much left though."

I asked the men their names and transferred them to Tenko's ears. She then passed it on to her guards.

"They're free to come in. Perfect clearance." I could hear her smiling through the phone.

"Thank you, Tenko." I hung up. The men looked happy.

"Once we recover, we're out of here." The mafia man said.

They both nodded.

I walked back over to Mikan who was watching the sleeping Toko. The surgery had taken approximately 3 hours, and she gestured that she was going to bed.

"You can use the hospital beds as you please. Good night." Mikan turned on her heel and left.

"Goodnight, Mikan. And thanks again." I waved and got into the bed. Time for a slightly good night's sleep...

[8:00 MORNING]

I woke up to the fragrant smell of a breakfast. Eggs, bacon, pancakes...

Pancakes?

Toko looked at me as she ate an apple. "Y-You're finally up. My arm feels so much better."

Mikan smiled and offered me some breakfast with a gesture. Her eyes had a warm, motherly glow to them. I took a plate and filled up on food.

Gunshots rang outside the hospital. Mikan, who got irritated, opened her window and pulled out a sniper rifle. She hit both the mafia man and the officer with a single bullet to their heads. Tossing the gun onto a hospital bed, she took her teacup, and sipped it.

"Ahhh. Peace and quiet."

Toko just stared at her, dumbfounded. "What the actual fuck."

Mahiru: "Anyone who disturbs her peace, she kills."

The mafia man in the room laughed. "Well, guess Gore Artist has more bodies to use."

His new friend, the police officer, waved to us as he opened the door. "We're gonna try and head out. Thanks for everything."

"Stay safe." I replied to them. "And you're welcome."

"I think it's time we go too, yeah Toko?" I looked at her who had a third plate of breakfast.

She nodded. "Yeah. I do wanna eat a bit more. Mikan, do you have a first aid kit, by chance? We might need it."

Mikan gave us a set of bandages, gauze, and everything you could imagine in a first aid kit. You name it, she got it. I took it graciously and opened the door, waving goodbye to Mikan.

"S-Stay safe!"

Closing the door, I looked in the direction of the subway. I looked at her, telling her I would meet her in Nagasaki. She nodded, offering an awkward hug towards me. I hugged her as she told me to stay safe, and headed towards the subway, gun in hand.

Let's return to the headquarters, shall we?

[September 3rd, 20XX]

Mahiru, out. Tomorrow is a new day.