White Lily (Dazai Osamu x gn! Reader)

Jake

"You want me to recount it? Okay. I'll tell you then."

"Ms. Hanajima..."

"This story starts with a young child..."

A young girl took a seat at the dinner table. It was a frigid evening in the middle of January.

All alone, she put her palms together in humble prayer before picking up the silvery spoon she had. A cold bowl of soup lay in front of this girl.

Slowly, she took a bite of it. The temperature of it shook her and she shivered as a result. With each bite, her stomach was filled. With each bite, she felt rejuvenated enough to live another day. With each and every single bite, however, she was left with this subtle feeling that there was something more to be desired.

"If only..." She thought. "If only I could do more."

After eating, the little girl got up to clean her dish. The cutlery clattered softly as they were soaped and scrubbed. Upon drying the dishes, the lonely girl went to open up a withered book of hers.

She laid in bed and opened up the first page, mesmerized. For just an hour, she'd forget how cold and lonely she was.

And so it would go on. For the next decade of her life, each and every day would go like this.

Slowly, the prayers would stop. Then, at some point, she'd find herself too numb from the cold too often to recognize its presence anymore. And one day, she'd find she'd outgrown that same old, withered storybook.

But nonetheless, each day went quite the same.

That was until, by the work of her own hands, she got into the college she'd thought only to dream of. And when she found a job to pay for it, her joy doubled. It was like a fairy tale. For it was there where she would meet a certain someone.

And lonely was she no more.

Or so she'd believed at least.

A young man with scraggly blonde locks smiled brightly when he looked at the one who shared his company.

"Kaori-chan, have you ever solved a Rubik's cube before?"

The young woman shook her head in response.

"Then, I'll show you. Let's do it together."

The young man sat behind the lady in question, hugging her from behind. He spun the colorful squares of the cube round and round as he explained each and every action.

The once young girl, now grown, leaned into him, merely enjoying the pleasure of having his company.

"Ms. Hanajima, may I ask where Fujiwara comes into this?" You interrupted her story, getting a little lost in the details.

"Him? He's the one who'd hired me when I started college."

"What did he hire you for?"

"Assassination."

"Oh."

The young woman learned the way of the gun. For once in her life, her Gifted ability was useful to someone.

So she shot. She stabbed. She killed. She wasn't that strong, but her bloodlust always lurked silently in the shadows, unable to be detected by even the gods themselves.

Now she had a purpose to serve. A job. Her life had reason every time she walked into work. And she even had a person to live for now too. When she got home from a long day of labor and school, a person she loved very much waited for her, eagerly awaiting the moment he would welcome her back.

To lose it all and go back to nothing in the blink of an eye...She awoke from the dream she'd been living with a harsh start.

"Kill him, Kaori."

"WHAT?! FUJIWARA WHY?!!"

"He found out about your work for me. I can't let him spill our company's secrets. Especially not about our dealings with the Port Mafia."

"Fujiwara," she yelled, "Just give me some time- I'll explain to him. He'll understand...I SWEAR ON MY LIFE HE WIL-"

"Go kill him. Right. Now."

Fujiwara walked away silently, abruptly ending the conversation; He left no room for argument.

"But you didn't kill him, did you, Ms. Hanajima. He...meant too much to you." You chimed in.

You stared solemnly at the ground. Your hold on Ms. Hanajima loosened, but she made no effort to get back up.

Ms. Hanajima clenched her fist that laid on the ground. A stream of silent tears rolled down her face.

"I-I couldn't do it. Of course not. But that damn-that damn F-Fujiwara." Her voice started to brake. Ms. Hanajima's speaking became very hoarse and shaky."That damned fool. He sent backup without telling me. A-And when he did, Jake...He misunderstood my intentions...I've never seen such a hostile expression on his face. And that's when he attacked me...Self defense of course, but...it's why I'm here in the hospital now."

"Is Jake the name of your lover?"

"Yeah..."

"Is it okay if I ask how he did this?"

Ms. Hanajima pauses for a moment. Despite her hesitation though, she decides to tell you.

"I guess you could say he stopped time for me, and in that time, I'm susceptible to all kinds of attacks. If I'd moved any slower to make time move again, I'd have been dead."

You clench your fist tightly and divert your gaze to the floor.

"I see. I'm sorry...Ms. Hanajima, I'm so incredibly sorry to hear that...I'm just-"

"That's enough please, (Y/n.)"

You were overwhelmed with sympathy for her. A twist in your own stomach formed. You had to hold back your own urge to tear up.

The two of you stayed motionless and silent. Time seemed to stretch endlessly without moving an inch. Spite and sorrow swirled through the room like the steady waters of an age-old stream.

"The work I did for him...Killing people...I realize now how messed up it was. It's all my fault. I even ended up killing children...Children that looked exactly like me, (Y/n). Those children were just like me: fractured."

"Even children..." You closed your eyes, allowing this man's actions to sink in.

"I'll ask you again, (Y/n). Please just kill me. I'm done with all this. I'm beyond saving."

"Ms. Hanajima, I-"

"I don't mean it as a request."

"My hands...they're dirty too though...You don't want these ones to be what end your life."

"..."

"..."

"I guess it can't be helped then..."

In seemingly slow motion, two shots rang out. You tried to move quickly, but it was to no avail.

The first shot extinguished Fujiwara's flame.

The second extinguished Hanajima Kaori's.

"Good riddance to the both of you."

A man with a Rubik's cube in hand and blonde hair appeared through the door.

What?! What the hell?!!

"Hi there. So you're (L/n) (Y/n). It's nice to finally meet you."

"Who the hell are you?!"

"My name is Jake Madison. I'll cut to the chase. I've heard you're looking for a way out of the Port Mafia?"