Chapter Text
Dazai scanned through the files that he’d been given, making sure to memorize everything written in the small print.
Mori had given him an infiltration mission, one that he really hadn’t wanted to accept. It was honestly too much work, and he couldn’t even drag Chuuya along with him to make him suffer since there was no need for Double Black.
Instead, it would just be Dazai braving the world outside of Yokohama, a world where heroes and villains were a common sight outside of the manga he liked to read.
Dazai huffed and slumped down into the car’s backseat. But it really was too much work, having to infiltrate both the villain and hero societies.
He wanted to hang himself, but if it didn’t work, Mori wouldn’t be as lenient as he currently was. He’d explicitly instructed Dazai not to commit suicide for the duration of this mission, including the pre-mission phase.
As if Dazai would actually listen to him.
But, the punishment of not listening would be annoying. Hopefully when he did make an attempt, he would actually die so he didn’t have to deal with any of this.
But knowing his terrible, terrible luck, he wouldn’t be able to embrace his doom.
Dazai shuffled the papers before sighing and stuffing them into his suitcase. All of his clothes had already been packed by Mori’s men, who had chosen things an average teen would wear.
He took in the sights of Yokohama’s sunset as the car rolled over the bridge. The pinks and blues lit up the inside of the car, and reflected on his hair. The light was too bright for him, and he huffed out a relieved sigh when they passed through a tunnel that led outside of Yokohama’s barriers.
Dazai took the chance to nap as they made their way to the nearest train station, a half-hour away.
When the car came to a stop, Dazai’s eyes slid open. He grabbed his suitcase and pushed the door open to step out. He was dressed in a black hoodie and dark jeans to blend in as an average teenager.
Without bothering to say anything to the grunt driving him, Dazai made his way to the train. It wasn’t a very large station, since this was a rural town with plenty of ricefields.
As he waited for the train to arrive, he pulled the bandage off his eye. Those made him stand out too much, and while the rest of his bandages arguably did too, they weren't as noticeable.
He sighed as he set his suitcase down and stuffed his hands into his pockets.
This was going to take a while.
When he finally reached the apartment Mori had set up in Musutafu, he carelessly threw the suitcase to the ground and collapsed on the pre-made bed, completely burnt out.
He didn’t want to do anything, but Mori had wanted to know when he arrived. As much as Dazai was tempted to ignore that order, he didn’t want Mori hounding him. So, Dazai pulled out his phone and scrolled down to his contact.
“Dazai-kun?”
“I’m here.”
“Good. You know what to do.”
“What if I don’t do it?”
“Dazai-kun.” The voice came out cold this time, and Dazai rolled his eyes.
“Yeah, yeah. I’ll do it.” He hung up after that, and stood up. He brushed past his suitcase as he made his way out the door. It was old, but not squeaky, which ensured that he could get in and out with any pesky neighbors bothering to notice.
But they probably wouldn’t care either way.
This area of town wasn’t the best, and that was for a reason. He knew that Mori chose this spot because of rumors that a new villain group was sprouting here. If it had been just any group, Mori would’ve ignored it, but there were rumors that they were related to All for One, the strongest villain with the power to steal quirks.
Mori didn’t have enough information about the whole situation surrounding him, but he’d been concerned with how the villain’s rising would impact Yokohama.
And that was why Dazai was here.
Mori didn’t want the villain anywhere near the city, so Dazai’s task was to kill him.
And learn more about heroes, because whatever information that they did have was far too lacking for his taste.
He knew of the HPSC, so maybe he could just break into there and grab some files. It wouldn’t be hard to freeze the security cameras on loop and lockpick his way in. But there could also be some fingerprint activated doors, so it would be better to scope the place out before actually committing to anything.
Dazai began wandering the streets aimlessly. He wasn’t familiar enough with this area, so wandering around like a helpless child was a good start. Maybe he’d even get jumped and murdered!
He just had to look on the bright side to all of this, and that was a very high chance of dying.
After an hour of this, he yawned, wondering if he should just head back. It was nearing one a.m, and he had to make it to the entrance exam bright and early tomorrow.
Suddenly, he saw a flash of blue, followed by screams.
“Oh?” he murmured to himself, trotting over to the alleyway that it originated from to get a closer look.
As he approached, the smell of burning flesh filled in his nostrils. He didn’t flinch, instead, observing the perpetrator, who was watching them all with a bright, maniacal grin as their flesh melted off their bodies.
The man had hundreds of staples, attaching decaying, purple flesh to his healthy skin. His hair was dark black, and he wore a coat that was fraying at the seams.
Ah, this was one of those villain boyband members, Dabi.
When the screaming had stopped, Dazai made his presence known. “Hello!”
Dabi swiveled around, and a burst of blue fire was instantly sent towards Dazai. He stood there, watching it dissipate boredly as soon as it touched his skin.
“What the hell?” the man said, fists lighting up with twin flames before extinguishing when he got a closer look at Dazai. “A kid?”
“That was really cool!” Dazai exclaimed with a slow clap. “So, who are you?”
Dabi sent him a disturbed look, which was entirely hypocritical, considering he had just enjoyed killing about a dozen people in this alley. “Who are you?”
“Ah, I should’ve introduced myself first. Common etiquette and all that. I’m Shuuji!” he said brightly. “So, who are you?”
Dabi scoffed lightly, sending him a disbelieving look. “Kid, you just saw what I did and you’re not even trying to run away. Are you messed up in the head?”
“A little,” Dazai said honestly, sending him a blinding grin. “So, c’mon, who are you?”
“...Dabi,” the villain said, eyeing him mistrustfully. “Now run back home before I decide to change my mind and kill you.”
Ah, he must’ve thought that his flame missed. He hadn’t seen Dazai’s Ability in action.
“But I’m just a poor little orphan, Dabi-san!” he said in a fake high-pitched voice, clasping his hands together. “You wouldn’t kill helpless little old me, would you?”
The man clicked his tongue, stepping closer to Dazai. The staples running across his body glinted in the pale moonlight, and his skin stretched as he grabbed Dazai’s frail neck and slammed him against the brick wall. He squeezed, but Dazai continued to smile. “I have killed children before. I was offering you a chance to run, but it seems that you were too stupid to take it.”
Dazai clicked his tongue, and the hand tightened. “Have you ever thought that I was more curious in what organization you seemed to be in?’
The grip loosened ever so slightly. “What do you mean?”
So this little group hadn’t made their official debut yet. Good to know. “There’s only so many dark haired pyromaniacs with blue fire. And there’s been rumors about a new villain group containing such a member.”
Dabi’s expression darkened. “Looks like I’ll have to kill you right here and now, then. I’ll be merciful and let you say your last words.”
“I want in,” Dazai said, dropping the grin. His cold eyes met Dabi’s, making the man raise an eyebrow. “I’m an immensely useful pawn, y’know.”
Dazai was the one running the Port Mafia behind the scenes, and with how efficient it had become, other gangs in Yokohama had noticed. They all wanted Dazai by their side, so he wasn’t even lying to Dabi.
Dabi snorted. “Right, kid.”
“I’m going to be a hero student. I can give you any and all of the inside knowledge that you need. Wouldn’t that be nice to have?”
But Dabi didn’t look swayed. Instead a hint of something passed through his eyes, and Dazai analyzed it instantly.
He made his eyes wide. “Huh. Unless…you already have a spy, don’t you?”
Dabi tensed slightly. “You don’t know anything.”
Dazai grinned and leaned forward against the hand pressing against his trachea. “Oh, but I do. I know all about this little group of yours, and how you’re related to All for One. I know that your goal is to create a new world order, and get rid of the heroes. I’m down for it, and if you kill me, you’d lose a lot more than just information.”
If Dazai died to these guys, Chuuya would come and kill them all painfully for taking away his kill. That he was sure of, because of Chuuya’s doggy-like behaviors.
Dabi remained silent, instead observing him with cool blue eyes. The information he presented wasn’t uncommon in the right hands, so Dazai kept on talking. “So, I’m assuming that this spy you have is going to infiltrate a hero class. They’re going to feed you information, either because they owe All for One a debt for giving them a quirk or because they genuinely believe in your cause. My bet is on the former. So, wouldn’t it be better to have a spy fully committed? Plus, I’m a great actor~”
The man clicked his tongue, and released Dazai’s neck, proving his theory right. “So, you want to join and take that spy’s place.”
“Correct!”
“And what’s your quirk?”
Dazai smiled. “Nullification.”
He could see the thoughts going through Dabi’s head. Nullification was a rare power, and arguably one of the best in a world where powers reigned supreme. To have someone on their side who could nullify quirks would be an immense plus for the group.
It seemed to be a turning point too, in Dabi’s consideration of him. “Fine. I’ll consider letting you join if you fulfill three conditions,” he said, stuffing his hands into his coat pockets. “One, get into UA’s hero course. Two, find the traitor. And three, kill him. If you do that, then I’m sure our leader will be satisfied enough with your loyalty to the cause.”
Dazai sent him a salute. “Yes, sir!”
“You have two weeks. If you manage it, I'll find you.” With that, the villain walked away, turning his back on Dazai.
Something that no one ever did because of Dazai’s reputation and nature.
For a moment, he was tempted to pull out his gun and shoot, before remembering that it wasn’t a good idea to shoot his link to the villain group and that he didn’t even have his gun on him.
Dazai dropped the cheerful act. The smell of burnt flesh began to fill his nostrils again, and he looked over at the melted bodies with a disdainful look. They stared back with eyeballs hanging to the sockets with only a thin strand of pink muscle keeping them to the skull.
The terrified looks that were filled with despair seared into his mind. It wasn’t his first time seeing bodies like this, so it didn’t affect him at all.
Instead, he began walking in the opposite direction. A hero was bound to show up soon, especially with how obvious these deaths had been.
This was going to be a pain.