yokohama hyacinth; fem! oc x bsd [Bungou Stray Dogs]

Opposites Attract

The next morning, I hear sharp knocks at my door. They ricochet throughout my apartment like gunshots, and I try my best to ignore them as I tie my hair up and put on some clothes. After I fretfully raced back into my home last night and barricaded the door, I barely got any sleep. And now, without even having to look out the window, I know that the Port Mafia is at my doorstep.

I gather up a spare pair of clothes, a large flask filled with cold water, and enough food to last me for a week. All my supplies go into a black backpack, and I throw on a jacket, putting the hood up. I take one last look around my apartment, and my eyes fall upon a faded picture.

It's me sitting happily in the arms of my mother and father, before I was taken away from them. I snatch it up and stuff it in my pack.

"Achilles! Achilles, where are you?" I hiss as I exit my room, tiptoeing around the place. He scampers out from the bathroom and into my arms. "You have to be quiet now, Achilles." As carefully as I can, I place him in my pack. He purrs and curls up, clinging to the contents inside.

I take a peek out the window, and chill runs up my spine. It's a teenager, dressed in all black, knocking at my door. He must be gifted, if they only sent him. A sly smile creeps onto my face. At least I know how to deal with him.

Shouldering my bag, I make my way down the stairs. I stop right in front of the door, and take a deep breath. The screams and blood from my home country's battlefield flash through my mind in a split second, and then everything drops to a dangerous blank. All the training they put me through is now resurfacing again. Be the calm before the storm.

I rip the door open.

Dark spikes tinted red fly at me with inhuman speed, but I am faster. I drop to the floor, flat as a piece of paper, and then dash forward, keeping low to the ground. But when I outstretch my hand to touch him, he's suddenly gone; the dark spikes have propelled him out of my reach. Now he floats in the air, hoisted in place by his otherworldly weapon. It seems to come from his back, sprouting into leg-like apparatuses. He's a long-range fighter, the kind that I'm least equipped to deal with.

From inside my pack, Achilles mewls, and I feel him shuffling around. "Achilles, stay still," I whisper, reaching a hand back to comfort him. But as soon as my fingers touch him he starts to wriggle uncontrollably, and I'm too slow to stop him as he breaks free from my pack. He leaps to the ground and scampers off. "Achilles!" I hiss, clenching my fists as I start to panic.

The teenager scoffs. "A pet?" His voice curls with contempt as he stares down at his nails. "You're foolish. I don't know why Dazai-san sent me to capture you."

Dazai-san? He must be a leader within the Port Mafia. "What do you mean capture?" My voice quivers a bit, but I stand my ground. I'll have to take this kid out and then go find Achilles.

"Tch. None of your business, fool. It's a pity I can't kill you, but I must obey Dazai-san."

The dark spikes lash out again at a blinding speed, and I barely have time to dodge to my right. One of the spikes nicks my cheek, splattering my blood on the sidewalk. The wound starts to sting as red stains my face, and I step backwards. The old man's ability is now long gone, which means I need to get in close so I can lay a hand on the teenager, otherwise I'm dead meat.

When the teenager lashes out again, I duck and roll before springing up and tossing my backpack at his face. He's caught off guard, and I leap into the air, whipping my hand out. I get a solid touch on his left ankle before he falls to the ground. His ability flows through my veins. It feels like blood and darkness and the screams of the dead. I turn and face him, ready to defend myself. He is on all fours, coughing and hacking, his tendrils of darkness no where in sight.

Wobbling, he manages to stand. I can see hate and annoyance glittering in his eyes as he glares at me. "Rashōmon!" He bellows. But nothing happens; his dark spikes don't spear me to death or come out of his back. Slowly, the look of contempt drains from his face, replaced with fear. "What did you do?!" He snarls, backing away.

"Leave me alone, and you'll get your ability back. Tell this Dazai-san to stop looking for me. I don't want to get mixed up with the Mafia." To prove my point, I activate my ability. Dark spikes spring from my back, and I command them to lift me in the air, imitating what the teenager did. He looks up at me in complete and utter shock, fear making his face waxy and white.

Someone starts to clap. From around the corner, the man who I ran into last night walks towards us. The same cat's smile is on his face as he continues to clap. He strolls up to me and says, "Well done, well done. A show of your strength wasn't necessary, however. Akutagawa already knows his place."

"Dazai-san!" The boy cries out, dropping to his knees as if he is praying. "I'm sorry. I failed you."

"I'll deal with you later, Akutagawa." He gives me a coquettish look. "My priority is you." Then, he raises a hand and calls out, "Chuuya!"

The air ripples behind me, and I barely have time to bring up a spike to block the chunks of cement that fly at me. The force of the attack blows me back towards the ground, and my spikes bend underneath the momentum. I fling the cement aside, looking around wildly for the attacker. I don't realize my feet have touched the ground until a hand is on my shoulder.

"Ability: No Longer Human!" The man whispers into my ear, and light flares up. One minute, I can feel Rashōmon flowing through me, obeying my every command. The next, it has disappeared, and I am once again powerless.

"You—!" I spin around in a rage, digging my fingernails into the man's arm. I expect his ability to rush through me, but instead I feel nothing at all. He is a void, a vacuum, a paradox. "What are you?!" I shriek, trying to run away.

"You'll find out soon enough." He smirks and something silver flashes in the air. It's a dart. He jams it into my neck, and I fall to the ground. The chemicals are already making me drowsy, but I cling to him with all my might, trying to keep the sleep at bay. But I'm not strong enough, and I lose consciousness, my head lolling backwards as I slump onto the sidewalk.