Chapter Text
Yokohama 4:00PM the slums.
It's a usual afternoon in the slums dirty streets, cramped houses, the unsettling smell of garbage everywhere you go. Nothing special it's always been like this in the slums.
Only the slowly setting sun looks pretty as its purple, red, and yellow colors dance in the sky. Not far in the distance a little 10 year old white haired malnourished boy dressed in torn clothes and rags walks all alone the gray alleyways.
While he is walking he sees a more older looking boy with black hair and frosted white tips wearing ragged dirty clothes leaning against a pole. He doesn't really pay attention to him but his face is awfully familiar like he has met him somewhere
As hes was walking away the person suddenly yelled:
"Hey you!"
He stop in his tracks wondering if the person was yelling at him.
The person yells again
"You over there with the white hair!"
Now he's sure that he was calling him he turns around looking at the person still leaning against the pole but this time looking at him your face confused signaling him "What?" as you think about this person randomly calling you.
"Yes you, come here."
The white haired boy confused and skeptical at this sudden order from this person thinking about whether he should come over or not, of course since he isn't really familiar with this person.
"And why should I?"
"Just come over here."
He sighs nervously knowing he doesn't have much of a choice and he should just go over there so it would end quicker. He approaches the person not think about if this guy is going to hurt him or not.
"So.?"
"Tell me your name."
"Huh!? Why should I tell you?"
Confused he slightly backs away getting nervous with this person's intentions.
"You look familiar I just need to know if your that one boy I met a few days ago."
"Okay but...Tell me yours first.."
R.A:"Ryunosuke Akutagawa."
As he hears the name Akutagawa he starts to remember something its was the same name of the person that helped him while he was getting bullied by other kids in the slums. You start to regret yelling at him a few minutes ago and started to think about your first actual conversation with him was you yelling at him and not a thank you.
R.A:"Uhm Earth to white haired kid you there?"
A.N:"Oh sorry im Atsushi Nakajima.."
R.A:"Oh so your that kid I helped a few days ago?"
A.N:"Yes....I didn't get to say thank you that day I apologize."
R.A:"No need, and stop apologizing it's not really a big deal. "
A.N:"Oh Alright."
A.N:"Your actually the only other kid I have met that wasn't mean to me."
R.A:"Eh? But why you seem alright."
A.N:"It's about my ability.."
R.A:"And what is your ability?"
Atsushi hesitates to tell him about his ability since he might be unsettled of the idea and become like the other kids mean and hateful. But he felt something telling him that this time it would be different so he decided to just tell him.
A.N:"Uhm...Its called Beast beneath the moonlight..I turn into a white tiger at night and I don't know how to control it..So the other kids think i'm a freak since I sometimes cause havoc when i'm in that state."
R.A:"Oh so you were that kid, hm."
A.N:"Huh? What do you mean by that?"
R.A"You have been talked about by a few neighbors of yours."
A.N:"Oh...Is that so?"
R.A:"Yeah just ignore them they aren't any better, those fuckers at night sound like a dying cat."
When Atsushi heard Akutagawa say this he found it quite funny at giggled about the joke.
R.A:"Huh is it that funny?"
A.N:"Sure it is quite funny.."
Atsushi says still while laughing but much more slightly.
Akutagawa smiles at the fact that Atsushi laughed at his joke when he thought it wasn't really that big of a deal. But as he was staring at him he felt something he has never felt before he felt calm? relaxed? he didn't know how to explain the so called feeling he felt when he saw Atsushi laugh softly at the joke he made.
R.A:"Hey, your kind of cute you know?"
Atsushi turns red of embarrassment of Akutagawa calling him cute even if he felt embarrassed he also felt like butterflies were in his stomach.
A.N:"E-eh, what do you mean by that??"
R.A:"Nothing I just think your cute. Hey how about we become friends?"
Atsushi jumps in surprise "Him a guy like him wants to be friends with me!?" he thinks to himself deciding to accept his offer or if it was just another cold hearted prank like the other kids did to him when they first met. Once again he feels the same feeling before he told Akutagawa about his ability a gut feeling but not in a negative way but in a positive way telling him to accept the request and its different this time. So he trusted his gut.
A.N:"Sure but why me? Are you sure your not playing pranks on me?"
R.A:"Huh? Why would I mess with making friends? Take the offer or go on your day this is the only time i'm willing to make friends by my own decisions. And why you? Your cute, you also have an ability, and we look close to age thats why."
A.N:"You also have an ability?"
R.A:Yes I do it's called Rashoumon I am willing to tell you about it later."
A.N:"Oh that's cool but...Now you have mentioned age earlier I forgot to ask your age earlier."
R.A:"Im 12 years old, you?"
A.N:"10 years old."
R.A:"2 year age gap? meh."
A.N:"What? What about it?"
R.A:"I thought you were older but ok."
A.N:"Excuse me?"
R.A:"Nothing, nothing let's stop bickering before it gets too out of hand."
Atsushi nods in agreement to Akutagawa's statement but still overwhelmed that somebody or someone wanted to be friends with a freak like him. He tries not to over think about the situation and just trust his gut feeling to just accept him as a new part of his life.
R.A:"Hey wanna go to that cliff over there? Its my favorite place."
A.N:"Yeah sure!"
Akutagawa takes Atsushi's hand as they run to the direction of the cliff fading as the sunset glistens off their skin.