Twisted Hearts▪︎Akutagawa Ryuunosuke

二 °• The Weretiger

Fresh air made their way into Hanabi's lungs. The smell of freshly-baked pastries from bakeries was a stark contrast to the lingering scent of cigarettes and alcohol the Port Mafia had grown accustomed to.

She observed people going by normal daily activities. Some were carrying heavy bags of groceries and new clothes. Some were going out with their families and children. Some were just taking a walk themselves.

Yokohama had never looked more lively.

Hanabi felt an indescribable nervousness. She suddenly felt uncomfortable in her own skin, as if she was an outcast. Part of her wished that she could blend in with the crowd and live a normal live, do normal things and have a normal family.

Trying her best to ignore these thoughts, her gaze landed on a bookstore. Suddenly feeling excited, she hurried in.

The store seemed to emit a calm atmosphere. Hanabi ran her fingers through the rows and rows of shelves filled with books, quickly reading each title and observing the cover of the book, looking for something appealing. Finally, she left the shop with a mystery book in her hand, already starting to read the first page.

She walked while being engulfed in the book, surprisingly not bumping into anyone along the way. At last, she halted her steps in front of a park, just where she was looking for. She closed her book and held it in her right hand.

Her eyes roamed the park, observing every movement of people chatting and some walking their dogs, until she finally found a certain silver-haired boy. The boy, looking no older than eighteen, had his face framed with snow white hair. His eyes were absolutely beautiful, dark yellow fading into a thick purple The corners of her lips tilted upwards as she made her way to the bench he was sitting on, seemingly staring at something.

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Nakajima Atsushi had his eyes locked on a short, dark-haired girl, who was standing in front of an ice-cream truck. She had insisted to buy ice-cream, and so Atsushi had given her his wallet and told her to buy one for him as well.

Watching her, he felt a sharp pain in his heart, the kind of which you would feel when getting a splinter. Kyouka Izumi did not deserve to be used like a puppet. She was a living and breathing human being- she had her own emotions and the right to choose her own path. He had promised himself that he would do anything to help her.

Lost in his own head, Atsushi did not realize someone sitting down next to him.

"She's so pretty, isn't she?"

His eyes widened and he whipped his head to see a girl. The first thing he noticed about her was her beguiling silver hair, almost the same shade as his own. He scanned the girl up and down, taking note of every single detail of her.

"I'm sorry, who... who are you?"

"You can call me Hana," she answered. "What about you?"

He hesitated to exchange names with a stranger, but he then decided that she seemed harmless enough.

"Nakajima Atsushi."

She only hummed in response, looking at Kyouka.

"Yokohama is a beautiful city. I'm glad I came back."

"Came back?"

She just smiled and turned her head to him. His eyes met with hers. He wasn't suspicious of her in any way, as she looked quite innocent. Otherwise, he also didn't sense any murderous or harmful intent from her. One thing he could not deny at all however, was that this girl was definately beautiful. Atsushi didn't think he had seen any girl as beautiful as her in his whole life, up untill now. Her smile only seemed to charm him even more.

"Say, is your mentor looking after you properly?" she avoided his question, at the same time snapping him back into reality. A teasing grin tugged at the corner of her lips, knowing full well Atsushi was checking her out.

Atsushi's eyes widened, his ears turning pink. He averted his eyes, and then only he realized what she had said. He was suddenly on guard, preparing to use his ability in case she tried to attack.

How does she know about Dazai?

"Oh! Your friend is coming back, I better go now," the girl said, standing up swiftly as she saw Kyouka turning back.

"I'll see you soon, Atsushi!"

The young boy didn't know what to answer as he watched her silhouette disappear into the crowd. Who is she?

"She..."

Kyouka's voice awakened him from his trance. Her expression confused him when glanced at her.

It was one full of shock and dismay. A gasp left her and her eyes were widened, her mought hanging slightly agape. In that moment, Atsushi knew that something was definately wrong with the girl whom had just left.

He stood up frantically, but he could see spot Hana anywhere at all.

Oh no...