Work Text:
Tachihara suddenly awoke in a cold sweat, his eyes frantically searching his dingy apartment the mafia had gave him. There was no one but himself. He lazily stood up, tiredness still clinging to his bones. His steps were random and uncoordinated, but he managed to reach his window overlooking the city. Strangely, a deep charcoal mist coated the earth below him.
He debated whether or not to stay in the sanctuary of his mouldy walls, however as a hunting dog the safety of the people comes first.
Hurriedly he slammed open his closet door, he grabbed his normal disguise, a pair of lightweight denim jeans, a white shirt and a green fur-trimmed hoodie. After all he was still in Yokohama, he couldn’t risk being seen in his hunting dog’s uniform in public in case a port mafia member sees him.
On his way out he grabbed a pistol Gin had gave him and secured it in a holster that was secured tightly around his waist.
He quietly made his way down the staircase of his apartment, the elevator seemingly broken. The lower he got, the more the fog consumed him. The air became heavier in his lungs, making it harder to breathe.
In the distance, a hazy silver glow hung in the mist. Somewhat similar to the light he emitted upon using his ability. A dark figure emerged from the fog, its body shrouded in a deep void like blackness. The thing wore a war uniform of the Great War. It was taller than Tachihara, however the resemblance didn’t go unnoticed by Tachihara.
“Shunzen?” He mutter weakly, bile climbing in his throat. The figure dared not to respond, it just kept approaching him with heavy, calculated movements.
Then it lunged, like a predator catching its prey off course. Metal poles bent to its will, snapping viciously out of the ground and plummeting towards Tachihara. His body immediately switched to autopilot, he dodged its attacks effortlessly. He went to use his ability only to be left fruitless.
“Shit” Tachihara exhaled under his breath. That thing he’s fighting must be his abilty, therefore he can’t use it. The only chance he really had as of now was to either to fight or flee. Realistically Tachihara should’ve attack it, but he couldn’t. It took upon one of the only faces that ever cared for him, he couldn’t harm it. So he ran. Ran until his legs gave in. By the looks of it his ability lost him… for now.
He ended up in an ally, the quietness was off putting. There were not rats scurrying, no birds croaking. Just silence. No words to give him orders.
Then a red light illuminated the opposing end of the alleyway. The familiar scarlet that seeped from Akutagawa’s Rashōmon. He carefully headed out, seeing if he could find Akutagawa.
Luckily after a few minutes of searching, he did find Akutagawa, who was in the process of dumping his ability in lava. For some reason Akutagawa looked genuinely confused to see him, not annoyed but confused.
“Tachihara?” The man approached him.
“Hey emo bastard, any clue why there’s drugs in the air?” He grunts, playing the role of a mafiso perfectly.
“Don’t call me such names, and yes. It appears to be someone’s ability. It’s causing people with abilities to commit suicide.” Akutagawa says, dramatically turning away from him. “Which poses the question of why you’re here.”
“Yeah I would also like to know why I’m here. I woke up and literally no one was around.” Tachihara was purposely acting oblivious, it would be too suspicious if he’d knew why he was here.
“Tsk. Did you perhaps get attacked by something?”
Well no point in hiding it now. “Uh yeah come to think of it.”
“Tachihara, are you aware you have an ability?” Akutagawa questions, eyes narrowing.
“What are you speaking about? Your old age finally getting to you or something? I do not have an abilty I think I would’ve know otherwise.” Tachihara rebuttals. The perfect act, denial.
“Only people with ability’s have been sighted in this fog. Ergo you must have an ability” Tachihara acted shocked at this. But was disrupted by a crashing noise from next to them. Shuzen had caught up.
Metal scraps came flying towards them. Akutagawa grabbed Tachihara by the scruff of his jacket and used rashomon to propel them out of there.
“You fool! What was that?!” Akutagawa questioned, dusting himself off.
“Shunzen.” He said dimly, it felt like a weight was freed from his shoulders.
“Who?”
“My brother.”
“You’ve never mentioned a brother.”
“There’s no use, he’s dead.” Tachihara moved to sit against a nearby wall, Akutagawa still stood over him.
“Did he leave you his ability?”
“Might’ve.”
“No use in grieving him now, might as well fight it.”
Tachihara’s neck snapped up at Akutagawa, struggling to get his words out.
“It’s your ability now isn’t it? No use in hiding it.” Akutagawa states, turning around and walking off.
“That’s weirdly thoughtful. Thanks I guess.” He quickly gets up and follows Akutagawa.
_~^~_Timeskip_~^~_
After the fog had finally lifted, Tachihara got some well deserved rest. Extremely well deserved. He woke up rather late into the afternoon, around one. However he couldn’t care less, his body ached from the fighting. Unfortunately he did have work to do, as a black lizard commander and as a hunting dog. So he forced his sore body to get dressed and slowly, but surely, make its ways down to the mafia base.
The second he entered the building he could already feel the amount of eyes on him, whispers trailed in his wake.
Gin was stood next to Higuchi, who was doing most if not all of the talking. Gin noted his arrival and gave a small wave.
“Hey Gin, hey Higuchi. Any clue why I’m suddenly the talk around town.” He joked around, trying to cover up his actual curiosity.
“No clue Mr Metal.” Gin mocked, her grin hidden by her mask.
“Oh that? Yeah, no that.. makes sense.” Tachihara rubs the grooves on his pistol to calm his nerves.
“So you now have an ability, how does it feel” Higuchi said excitedly. Tachihara knew Higuchi had an ability, but not once has she mentioned or demonstrated it.
“Like normal I guess? I mean I’ve always had it, I just never knew I did”
“I guess, but metal manipulation that’s so much cooler than my ability! Maybe Akutagawa would notice me if I had a stronger ability” She has trailed off, saying the last part to herself.
“Oh right, I’ve been meaning to ask. What is your ability Higuchi?” Gin seemed to be also curious because she nodded along as Tachihara spoke.
“Oh my ability? Oh, urm, well it’s-“
“Oi! Tachihara! The boss wants to see ya, probably something to do with your abilty” Higuchi was interrupted by Chuuya.
Tachihara froze momentarily, before nodding and heading to the elevator. Man, for these past few days Tachihara’s guard has been off. He’s found himself being caught off guard more than he’d liked to admit.
The familiar ding of the elevator forced his mind back into the present. He walked uneasily to the bosses room. Even just being stood outside the door sent chills down his spine, yet he knew if necessary he could easily beat the boss. Since he was a hunting dog and all.
It’s more the question of did he want to. The boss has treated him with nothing but respect since his arrival, even in the mission he’d failed he wouldn’t be penalised just instructed in how to do better. Honestly it wasn’t the behave he expected from a mafia leader, but he’d take it any day over a strict and sinister boss.
Knock knock.
He also shit himself when the door slowly opened with a horrid creak straight out from a horror movie. The room itself was dimly lit, the main light source being that of which was admitted from the obnoxiously over the top chandelier in the hallway. Shockingly the windows at the back were covered from reasons beyond him.
As he approached the dark oak desk he felt a hat being placed on top of his head, alongside a hand digging its nails into his shoulder.
“Dropped something?” Moris vile voice spewed out, venom leaking into his words.
He was ready to die.
Tachihara’s fingers instinctively reached towards the hat, holding it gently, “what’s this boss” play the fool.
“You know what it is Tachihara. I must say that shade of red suits you!”
“No seriously boss, is this like a new uniform for the black lizard?”
“Don’t play me for an idiot Tachihara. I can see through your facade.” Mori’s eyes glared daggers at him.
“My what?”
“I know your a hunting dog”
“No you don’t”
“What- yes I do?”
“No you don’t”
“Stop that-“
“Stop what”
“Are you trying to wound me up?!” Mori exclaimed quickly losing his patience. He sigh deeply before regaining his composure. “Now tell me Tachihara, how would you like your identity revealed?”
“What?” Tachihara’s hand tightly gripped a dog tag around his neck, a source of comfort.
“Well, I’m not going to let a mole go am I?” He scoffed. “You really think I’d let you off Scot-free?”
Tachihara knew Mori was being reasonable, he knew that this was also a risk during his mission. Getting found out. Luckily he’d already planned ahead for that. He knew every exit and one really quick way to get back to the hunting dog’s base. “Why can’t you tell them?”
“Because that’s not nearly as fun now is it? Reap what you sow Tachihara!”
“Fine. And after I tell them?”
“You’ll be killed, you know what happens to traitors.”
“Right…” Tachihara wondered if that might just be the better option instead of having to share his failure with captain. “I’ll tell them.”
“Good.” Mori turns around, expecting Tachihara to follow, to which he did.
“By the way, how did you find out” Tachihara questions while walking next to him.
“I did some deep research on the hunting dogs a while back, I figured that they might try to retaliate at one point. The information I got about the fifth hunting dog was really negligible. So I sent in an agent to infiltrate the government and find out some more information, it was then that I discovered that the fifth hunting dog’s ability was supposedly metal manipulation. I knew a man in the war with an ability of similar capabilities, however It couldn’t have been him since he was long dead. Thanks to my dear Yosano of course. So I dug up information on him, and found out he was your brother. And the dead apple situation solidified my theory after Akutagawa reported your ability to me.” He stated as if it was a matter of fact.
Tachihara only hummed in response, so technically it wasn’t his fault he’d gotten found out, only slightly. The lack of security in the government was to blame instead.
After a very award walk of shame, they’d finally met up with Gin, Higuchi, Hirotsu and Akutagawa. All of them looking back and forth between Mori’s smug face and tachihara flushed red cheeks.
“Go on Tachihara, tell them” Mori spoke down on Tachihara like a child.
“I- uhm jeez I imagined this being a lot more easier.” Tachihara muttered. Gin was surprised to see Tachihara act so, soft?
“Might as well rip off the plaster… both literally and metaphorically” Tachihara says taking off the plaster on his nose, the only mental barrier he had separating his mafiso and hunting dog persona.
“You got a nose job?” Higuchi asked extremely confused. Gin put her thumbs up to tell him it looked good.
“What no! I’m a hunting dog!”
“Oh you’re a furry? I mean I guess I support you!”
“WHAT?! No no no! I’m an elite government agent! Come on you guys have to have heard of the hunting dogs!” His face was bright red.
“What no your working for the mafia?” Tachihara was half tempted to follow in Shuzens steps and hang himself.
Gin steps in, stoping Higuchi from irritating Tachihara anymore. “I think what he’s saying, is that he’s a spy” she spits the last word like it’s poison.
“Thank you gin!” He sighs in relief. Within seconds, gin was behind him, knife to his neck.
Akutagawa’s Rashomon tendril was flying toward him at an alarming rate as well. Welp this is surely an embarrassing way to go out.
“Stand down” Mori commanded, his tone leaving no room for argument.
“How could you-?” Gin growled while retreating her switchblade, though it remained in her hand.
“I was following orders.” Tachihara bluntly admitted. Following orders was truly the only thing he was good at.
“So what do we mean to you?!”
“Nothing.” Gin tensed, Hirtosu mouth tilted downwards, Higuchi was on the verge of terse and Akutagawa was ready to skewer him with Rashomon.
“What do i mean to you?” Gins voice cracked.
Everything.
“Nothing.”
Gin fell into Higuchi. Tachihara had never seen her cry, not once. Guilt clung to his mind, did he really mean that much to her? No, she threatened him on a daily. Well use to. Huh.
“I’m sor-“
“Well sorry to cut this truly devastating moment short, but we have a mole to exterminate.” Mori cut him off. That bastard. “Gin would you please do the honors.”
Oh
That
Bastard.
He was not about to die to Gins hand. He’d rather die to his own!
Suddenly Gins switchblade was ripped from her hand, and stabbed into Mori’s thigh. Mori instinctively let go, his hands moving towards his pocket probably reaching for his scalpels.
Tachihara seized the moment and ran, he was fast, really fast. The hunting dogs enhancement surgery’s and years of training made sure of that, albeit he was rusty. But because of his undercover mission, he hadn’t used his true capabilities in a while. He used his abilty to swiftly open doors, so he had no need to slow down.
He sprinted until he reached the hunting dog’s base, by then his legs were on fire and shaking like mad.
“Hey Tachihara” Teruko said walking past. Before stopping and double checking. “TACHIHARA!” She squealed immediately jumping onto him and wrapping him in a hug. “What are you doing here? I thought your maintenance surgery wasn’t scheduled till next week?”
“Ah about that..” he laughs nervously, allowing Teruko to climb onto his shoulders. “I kinda might’ve slightly been found out..” his words get quicker and quieter as he continues.
“Sorry Tachihara I think I misheard you, I thought you just said you were found out.” Her legs grip on his neck was beginning to tighten.
“That would mean you heard me correct vice captain. However it is mostly not my fault.”
“And how is it not your fault that you failed?” Man she was being passive aggressive as fuck.
“Mori sent a spy into the government. And they found out my abilty and mori happened to have known my brother during the Great War, who had the same ability.”
“AWHH no fun! It wasn’t your fault so I don’t get to torture you! I wanted to watch the blood spill from your wounds!” She whines.
“Yeah, no fun.” Sarcasm etching his voice.
“Well I guess this means you can focus on your duty’s as a hunting dog! Which means you can help persecute people with me!” Teruko was a little too eager for Tachihara likeliness.
“Yay…?”
“Welcome back to the hunting dogs Tachihara!”