Where Loyalty Lies // Mori Ougai x Reader

Chapter 18: Angels

He smirked. "I make exceptions to those who are proven useful. I would never punish my angels, only sinners."

Y/n's face flinched at his sense of entitlement. Was she supposed to be a sinner if she refused his offer? The more he talked, the more she wanted to kick his ass. She was starting to miss the Port Mafia. At least when she was there, she never got the feeling that they pretended to act like murder was a noble cause. She was getting nauseated from trying to be civil with him.

"I'm not aiding a man who puts children in danger. You're lucky your brain isn't mush right now," Y/n said, removing her mask of diplomacy.

Fyodor's eyes went dull from her reaction to his proposal. He sighed. "Those children aren't in any danger, for now at least. I suggest not being so impulsive. That kind of behavior won't end well for them, or you."

"I've waited long enough, so tell me where they are."

"Don't you think it would be better if we both compromised? I believe I've been quite generous towards you. It would be smart for you to comply."

Y/n could tell that it was a threat. "I make the compromises, not you."

As she continued to resist, Fyodor grew more cautious about giving her too much leverage over the situation. He lightly smiled. "I have to say, ever since Nikolai first told me about you, my interest was peaked in the way you choose to use your god given ability. You're trying to save these children, even though you have no obligation to do so. It's quite the conundrum, I must say."

"It's my job to." Y/n knew what Fyodor was trying to pull her into. At least one thing Dazai had been good for was warning her about the tactics this 'demon' used. He was attempting to disrupt her sense of reality on purpose, but she wasn't going to let him. "I'm not going to be an accomplice to your crimes. Besides, what have those children ever done to you, but simply be born as ability users? Who are you to judge them?"

"Maybe not now, but their future selves will be a threat. Consider it a holy cleansing sent from the heavens," he replied. "I am merely guiding them to their rightful place of sanctity."

Y/n clenched her jaw. "That's—not fair." She despised how he was putting people's lives at risk, and justifying it like some arbiter.

"Isn't it? Their deaths will bring new life into this world. I'm saving them from the eventual ridicule and despair for being what they are. You may not be able to see the significance in that kind of outcome, but it is a worthwhile one."

"Or maybe you're just scared of what they may become if you're not the one in control of it," Y/n said. His words sounded so empty to her. She almost pitied him. Almost.

"The most effective poison is administered at the root. The source of this evil we call 'abilities' starts at the bottom. Ridding the world of these tainted children first is a means to an end," Fyodor said, standing firm with a grin.

The tension in Y/n's face dropped. She realized something. Why would he be talking about children being the source of special abilities? It's not like they were the ones responsible for it, she thought. "Do you not have the—" She smirked at her epiphany. He doesn't have the Book.

Fyodor's eyes narrowed. He no longer had the chance to do this the easy way. "You seem to be enjoying yourself," he said.

Y/n smiled further as she watched his irritated demeanor. "If you wanted me to find something in particular for you, you could try to be less troubling," she said, taunting him. "I won't help you, but it was a decent try. Your goal won't be realized until you've seized it, so I guess you lose this one, Fyodor."

He closed his eyes, while smirking at her ignorance. "You think that the Book is the only reason I lured you here? I still have great plans for you, little creature of fire. You are to be my magnificent angel of death once this is over."