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"Dazai-san please let me come with you!"Ryunosuke asked, eyes filled with a determination his body couldn't afford to have.
"I have no use for you in the battle field." Dazai didn't spare him even a glance as he spoke, focusing his attention to the paperworks sprawled across his desk instead.
"I can fight with my ability-" A loud gunfire echoed in the basement, followed by a pained cry. Blood soaking the child's black coat.
"If you can't even protect yourself from a measly bullet like this, then you're nowhere ready to fight at the front," Dazai spat and turned to leave without hesitation.
Gin rushed to her brother, trembling hands wrapped around his wound as she fought the tears in her eyes.
Being in the mafia was no easy task, everyone knew that, the siblings were no exception. From the beginning Dazai had warned them about the cruel mafia life and its sick way of training. Yet they still foolishly followed him, searching for a chance at life in the darkest pit of hell.
"Brother, must you be his desciple? Could you not be one of their errands people?" The little girl asked as she helped him walk to the infirmary office, leaving a trail of blood behind them.
"No, this is the only way for me to find my reason to live." His answer was sharp, not leaving any room for discussion. It mimicked their saviour far too much for her taste. If she could even describe him so, that is.
This new life wasn't much better than living on the streets, though atleast they didn't have to worry about starving to death. For the mafia is cruel, there would always be food on their plates. Not scraps, not rotten, but a fresh decent meal one could only dream of in a slum.
Was it worth the pain? Probably not. Did they have a choice? Not really. Either choice was just as bad for them. In the end of the day, it was only a matter of surviving.
Despite her objection, Gin couldn't bring herself to go against her brother's wish. She trailed after him, hiding under his protection as guilt consumed her. Was there really nothing she could do to ease her brother's burden?
As though he could hear her thought, Ryunosuke gave her shaky hands a gentle squeeze. A silent reassurance that everything will be okay. That he'd protect her like he always had all their life.
Gin averted her gaze from the stiches and bandages, forcing herself to ignore her brother's muffled groan of pain. Hand still holding onto his uninjured ones, she returned the silent gesture between them.
That night Gin did what she would have never expected herself to do: She willingly left the safety of her brother's embrace and seeked for their saviour's opinion.
Was it stupid to sneak around the mafia's basement in the middle of the night with no protection whatsoever? Yes, yes it was.
Did she have any plan on how to find their mentor that always seemed to come and go as he pleases? No, she didn't.
With only her rising anxiety and her wish to be of any help to her brother to accompany her, Gin quietly crossed through the halls. Careful not to attract any unnecessary attention.
'Where could he be?' It hadn't been that long since they moved into one of the mafia's building, neither did she had any chance to explore and memorize the place to know where she was heading to. Usually she'd stay locked up in their small room or stand silently in the corner of the training hall, watching her brother be beaten half to death in the excuse of 'training'.
"Oi kid, what are you doing here?" Sharp blue and brown eyes stared down at her, arms folded in suspicion. His red curls spilled untamed around his face, catching the basement's dim light. Chuuya, one of the mafia's main combatant if she had remembered correctly, now stood before her.
As newcommer without any rank, Gin naturally had a limited knowledge about the port mafia's member. The only reason she knew about his identity was because their mentor would often mutter complains about the said redhead. A friend or maybe work partner of his she assumed.
She flinched, coming to an abrupt stop as she scrambled her thoughts to form a proper answer. "Um- I'm searching for Dazai-san.."
The latter frowned in annoyance. "Tch, that bastard is in the torture chamber."
Torture chamber. Gin forced herself not to react as much as she would like to have, because even when she knew their saviour was no kind angel, hearing about his evil doings still disturbed her greatly.
Noticing her reaction, Chuuya's gaze softened just a little. "Go back to your room, it's late. Besides, you're not allowed to be in this corner in the first place."
"O-oh, I'm sorry..!" Gin quickly bowed, fearing to be punished.
Chuuya waved his right hand in the air. "Rookie mistake, don't worry about it. It's that mackerel fault for not informing you anyways."
He placed one hand on his hip, watching the frail little girl nervously fidget with her hands. "Did you need something from him?"
"Um, I wanted to talk with Dazai-san about something.."Her voice came out in a small whisper, hesitant and afraid.
"I'll let him know," Chuuya spoke up which earned a relieved, almost hopeful look from the girl. "Now go."
"Okay..!" She stumbled her way back to where she came from while Chuuya let out a sigh.
"Stupid Dazai, he should've told them beforehand where they could and could not go. She's lucky I'm the one who found her." He turned and walked into the opposite direction. "What did I expect, it's Dazai we're talking about. He never tells people everything. Tch."
—————
"Ouch! Bad dog! How could you struck your owner like that!" Dazai whined dramatically, much so like Chuuya had stabbed him when all he did was to whack him on the head.
"Stop calling me a dog!" Chuuya exclaimed, fists clenched and ready to hit him before he decided otherwise. "Your student wants to talk with you."
"Ryunosuke?" Dazai tilted his head in genuine confusion. A rare sight if Chuuya may say.
"No, the girl. Gin was it?"
Dazai stared for a second too long and Chuuya could already feel another one of his partner's antics coming. "Chibi knows my students name? Have you been stalking my files??"
"Shut up! No, I haven't!" Chuuya snapped, regretting his earlier choice not to punch him further. "The boss just mentioned them during one of my reports or whatever."
That last sentence of his killed the glint of mischieve in Dazai's eyes, returning them to their usual dark, empty orbs. Only this time they were laced with another layer of darkness which Chuuya didn't like.
"What did he say?"
Chuuya frowned, confused by his sudden curiousity though he turned a blind eye to it. "Just that the boy's ability would be useful if trained properly and-" A bitter taste filled his mouth at the next part. "that the girl had a pretty face. Something about Elise and her being friends."
"I see." A quick silence followed before Dazai returned to his insufferable demeanor. "Welp, can't deny that! My students sure are one of a kind!"
"Ugh, your sarcasm disgust me," Chuuya grimaced.
"You wound me Chuuya!" Dazai placed a theatrical hand on his chest where his heart lays. "Can't a mentor just appreciate his students?"
Chuuya didn't buy his act one bit. There wasn't a hint of truth to his words. Atleast not fully, afterall Dazai had a twisted way of viewing those around him. "I pity them for having to deal with your bullshit."
The latter gasped in horror. "How rude!"
—————
When the next day arrived, Dazai pulled the little girl for the conversation she had requested. "I heard you wanted to talk with me?"
Gin nodded hesitantly, eyes glued to the ground as though afraid to meet his gaze. "I was wandering if I could join my brother in training."
"You don't have the needed requirement to be at the same level as your brother." The harsh truth, direct and a matter of fact.
She knew that of course. Unlike her brother, Gin had no special ability that could make her be useful in battles. There was no reason for Dazai to waste his time training her when she had no potential from the beginning.
Still, it hurt for it to be confirmed without even a chance of proving herself otherwise. Dazai wasn't so kind to let them hope.
"Then," Gin gathered all of her confident to face him directly. "Is there no other way I could make myself useful in the port mafia?"
She was ready for a rejection, to be mocked for overestimating herself, to realize how foolish she was to believe otherwise. But it never came. Instead, Dazai actually took a moment to think about it.
'He's considering it!' A small smile curled on her lips. Dazai was always quick to disregard them, afterall they were no more than a pair of weak children. A burden he willingly tolarated. So she was a little happy that he'd atleast consider it, even when she would be rejected regardless.
"I suppose you do have a talent for stealth." Dazai looked her up and down, examining her worth and capability. "I'll have you trained to be an assassin."
Gin bit her lips to ground herself from the excitement, but also fear of her upcoming training. Would it be as cruel as her brother's? Would she be able to survive as an assassin? She didn't know, but she was willing to give it her all if it could ease her brother's burden, even if just a little.
"What?" Ryunosuke looked at his sister like she had lost her mind, then turned back to his mentor. "Dazai-san I object! Gin isn't suited to be an assassin!"
"Brother-" The tight squeeze on her hands silenced her protest immediately.
"She doesn't even know how to wield a knife!" His heartbeat quickened with worry. He had succeeded in keeping Dazai's attention solely to himself, just so his sister wouldn't have to endure the same pain as he did. So why now? Right when he thought everything was going to plan!
"That's what the training is for."
"But-"
"Don't you have faith in your sister?" Dazai asked, a dangerous, testing glint flickered in his eyes. "I'm sure Gin can handle herself just fine."
"..." He pressed his lips into a thin line. It's not whether she could or not, it's that he didn't want her to suffer like him. That had always been his goal and he didn't have any plan on changing it anytime soon.
"I have the perfect teacher for her, she will be in good hands," Dazai added.
"You won't be the one to teach her?" That rang the alarm bells in his head. Afterall, Dazai was the only high ranking port mafia member he knew. He couldn't trust anyone else to be with his sister, especially not when they wouldn't be in each other's near.
"I will be there to assist in her training, but someone else will take over the main thing." Dazai shifted his gaze to Gin. "You don't mind, do you Gin?"
"No, Dazai-san."
"Good, then your training will start tomorrow."
With that, Dazai left them alone in their small personal space. Letting the information sink into their little heads.
"You requested it from him?" Ryunosuke asked, voice low in a mere whisper.
"I'll be fine, I promise!" Gin tried to reassure her brother.
"Why?" Her brother asked. Did he not provide enough for her?
Gin's gaze faltered into a guilt streaked one. "I don't want to be a burden to you." She squeezed his hands before he could speak. "If I train and secure myself a spot, even if it's just a low rank position, you won't have to worry about me as much! I'll learn how to protect myself! We can earn more money for food with two combined earnings!"
Ryunosuke was clearly against it, but turning back wasn't a choice now that Dazai was already planning everything. He could only hope nothing bad would happen to his sister.
"Fine.." He let out a deep sigh. "Just- be careful, okay?"
She smiled and nodded obediently. "I promise."
—————
"Um, Dazai-san," Gin carefully called. "What are these clotches for?"
"It's your work uniform from now on," Dazai revealed, pointing at the black coat and white face mask. "Always wear them when you're on your duty." He thought for a moment before adding. "And tie your hair up, the messier and shorter it looks, the better."
"Understood.."
From then on, the two siblings spent less and less time together as training took most of their time. Each session shaping them further into the tool that the mafia desired.
An assassin and a weapon. Both trained differently, though ending in similiar results. No longer were there any sign of the frail children they once were, replaced by a merciless and obedient pawn of the mafia.
"How is your training going?"Ryunosuke asked absentmindedly as he took care of his wounds.
"It's going well, Dazai-san said that he will place me in a different group soon," Gin answered truthfully.
Unlike her brother, her training was less cruel, thus much more bearable. There were times it overwhelmed her, but never to a point that it was hell. She even got used to the boyish look Dazai insists her on keeping as it protected her from the judgemental look one would get as a young female teen in the mafia. Though she still prefers to embrace her feminity outside of work.
"Good, let me know which group he assigns you."
"Will do." Her gaze landed on her brother's wound and she couldn't help but be angry at the man who harmed him.
Training was inevitable, there was no escaping it. Still, with every brutal session and every new injury carved into her brother's already scarred body, resentment twisted deeper in her chest. She hated what it did to him. She hated that he allowed it. And yet, no matter how hard she tried, hatred never quite took hold.
"Brother, couldn't you take it easy for a while? Your injuries are getting worse."
"I can't waste my limited time by taking it easy. I have to earn Dazai-san's approval before my time runs out."
Gin could only sigh at her brother's stubbornness. If he wasn't so impatient, so reckless, then Dazai wouldn't have to inflict such pain on him. In a twisted way, this was his attempt to stop Ryunosuke from overworking himself. Forcing him to rest with injuries, fully aware he'd never comply otherwise.
"If you insist." She helped him wrap bandages around his back, careful not to hurt him in the process. "Please don't overwork yourself."
"Mhm."
The next day arrived and Dazai finally announced the big news. Their new team and an unofficial raise in ranks within an executive's reign.
"You're both going to work with the black lizard!" Dazai said in a voice far too cheerful for the mafia. Something Gin had learned not to question over time. "Akutagawa, I trust that you won't dissappoint me?"
"I'll be sure to meet your expectation, Dazai-san." Ryunosuke bowed respectfully which Gin followed.
"Good." He gestured to the group of people behind them. "Then I'll put them under your care."
Ryunosuke beamed with excitement, happy to have gained even a sliver of trust from his mentor. Gin smiled softly under her mask, watching as Dazai left the room.
If there was something she appreciated Dazai for, then it's the fact he never truly seperated them. Different schedule, same breaks. Duo missions if Akutagawa didn't insist on more tasks which resulted in more solo missions for him. And now they are officially working in the same group.
It's hard to hate someone who always watched over them. Even if it's in a twisted kind of way.
"You placed the Akutagawa in the same group?" Chuuya asked, amused.
"I'm really starting to think that chibi is secretely stalking me!"Dazai's face morphed into a fake mix of fear and disgust, dramatically gasping and holding his chest to add effects to it.
Chuuya rolled his eyes. "Don't flatter yourself, I have no desire to hear anything from you except for our missions."
"And yet you somehow always know what I do," Dazai eyed him with suspicion.
The latter scoffed. "Not easy to miss when all you do is cause a headache for the boss."
Dazai shrugged his shoulders with a knowing smile. "Not my fault that old man is fun to mess with."
"You really have a death wish.." Chuuya mumbled.
"Of course! Dying is the best gift I could ever ask for!" Dazai replied with a concerning glee.
"Yea, yea," Chuuya shifted his attention back to their mission. "So, what's the plan?"
"You'll see!" Dazai skillfully dodged a flying kick and stuck out his tounge at the culprit. "A dog should blindly follow their master's order, you know!"
"Well good thing I'm not a dog!" Chuuya hissed, resisting the urge to kill this partner of his. "Atleast tell me how long it's going to take."
"A month? Maybe two." Dazai shrugged. "The longer the better."
"Better my ass! You just want to let your work pile up and dump it to me!" Chuuya fumed, remembering the last time Dazai intentionally dragged out a mission for entertainment sake.
"Exactly! That's perfect for me." He dodged another punch and grinned.
"Not for me!"
"Sounds like a you problem to me."
"Why you-!"
And so, Chuuya ended up with double the work once more, cursing Dazai with each passing second added to his normal work day.
"Damn you shitty Dazai, just you wait. I'm going to get you back for this!" Chuuya muttered under his breath, fingers cramped after writing so much.
He glanced over at the newly added wine bottle to his collection, a soft smile curling on the corner of his lips as his anger faded just slightly.
"Bastard, couldn't even say happy birthday properly." Chuuya scoffed, remembering the day Dazai handed him the bottle during their mission with no explaination whatsoever.
Of course he would never admit he'd enjoyed their ridiculously long missions. Otherwise that bandaged idiot is going to use it as an excuse to do it more frequently, thus increasing his workload.