Twisted Hearts▪︎Akutagawa Ryuunosuke

八°• Time and Truth

Wherever he went, death trailed closely behind.

Akutagawa Ryuunosuke was no stranger to death, it's acrid fragrance, so bitter it was almost sweet. It lingered behind in his shadows, threatening, for even a single misstep could result in the Grim Reaper getting her sharp claws on him.

Akutagawa was no novice to killing either, to blood that splattered on the papered walls when Rashoumon attacked, hearing the tear of flesh and shatter of bones, at last followed by screams of despair and agony afterwards. Instead, he would've said that he was quite the expert in such matters.

He was a child of the deepest slums of Yokohama. There would be no mercy there. It was a desolate and lawless place where the weak and the foolish are quickly devoured. It was a dark, dreary and dangerous place, the air was always filled with strong despair and desperation. People willing to fight over just some scraps of food, mothers selling their bodies to feed their children. It was the birth place of many criminal organizations, and the spawn of gangsterism and illegal activities. The atmosphere was always thick with the smell of blood, crime and violence.

There are no rules, just a fight for survival, and the choice was to either sink or swim.

And that where Akutagawa grew up in.

He did not have time to have feelings, his thoughts were only focused on survival. He had to be strong, cold and ruthless to stay alive. He fought and killed anyone who stood in his way, any interference in between him and his goal to survive had to be eliminated completely. There was no mercy he could give, as giving it could result in his own death from revenge by those he offended.

Akutagawa learnt quickly, to be cold-blooded, ruthless and unafraid to get what he wanted. There were no room for emotions, to pity nor to give his sympathy.

Love was a foreign word within the walls of the Port Mafia. It rivets and courses through the veins of lovesick men and made them fuzzy-eyed fools. To love meant to be weak, and terribly so at that, because one who has surrendered themselves to love is one whom is blinded by the burning light, to hope and to wish.

Akutagawa knew better than to fall into such foolish traps.

But then why is it, that he was now trapped in a cargo box with a girl, no less?

Cold, grey clouds polluted the sky, blanketing Yokohama in a veil of darkness. The clouds swirled and moved at a rampaging speed. The first few tears of water fell, then the rest followed in a blazen of rivers and streams.

Akutagawa and Hanabi were taking a ride on a moving ship. Both of them were standing, facing each other alone in a shipping container.

He did not look her in the eye, perhaps afraid of the trance he might fall into if he did. Instead, he directed his attention to the splatter of raindrops outside.

Atsushi had been locked in another cargo, right next to theirs. The last time they checked, he was still unconscious.

Hanabi sighed; as much as she loved the rain, this was most definately not a suitable time for it. She fiddled around the hem of her shirt, counting the seconds as minutes passed in silence.

"Why?"

Hanabi raised her head to see Akutagawa watching her. Raising an eyebrow, she tilted her head in confusion and hummed in response.

"Why did you leave?"

Not this question, Hanabi stressed.