Atsushi was not having a good day, on the contrary Dazai was having an excellent day so far. Dazai was currently dangling from the side of a building, a gleeful smile on his face. As long as he got enough velocity he should hit the pavement with enough force to kill him. He would die quickly and only have to worry about the time he spent falling.
Atsushi was currently trying to keep that from happening.
"Dazai-San! Please for goodness sake get up from there." Atsushi yelled cupping his hands together around his mouth to reach the man.
"But it's my birthday Atsushi, the perfect day to die!" It would all come full circle, death date and birth date on June 19th, wouldn't that be something. Or at least Dazai thought it would be poetic.
"Dazai-San!" Atsushi really didn't know how to respond to this information and over all he really didn't want to be in charge of this. Why couldn't Kunkidia-San talk the brunette off the ledge instead of him.
"How about you just let the traitor fall so I can snipe in peace, hm, Sushi-San." Keomi was entering the rooftop from the stairs entrance, her hair falling down from its usual bun trimming around her face with her winter hat.
"Key-o-mi-Chan! Hi, Hi!" Dazai spoke from his spot on the ledge looking up at the girl that they had seen significantly more of recently.
Keomi, to her utter dismay, always found herself near the traitor and his protege. It annoyed her to no end watching Sushi-San, her nickname for the puppy dog of the agency, try to save the traitor from his latest suicide attempt. They had encountered each other nearing ten times this month, each time when she was on a solo sniping mission. It was suspicious but Keomi never dwelled on it, it was their business on how they choose to spend there time. So long as they didn't interfere with her work.
"Shizuka-San, please stop calling me that." Atsushi spoke watching her like he had done the other ten times he had seen her. Each and every time it seemed like more of the light he had seen in her the first time they had met was fading more.
Atsushi had asked Dazai if they should alert the President or try to capture her. Dazai always shook his head and told his protege not to worry because everything would turn out as it was supposed to.
"Never Sushi-San." Keomi activated her ability and pale purple crystals surrounded her power radiating off of her.
"Key-o-mi-Chan! I'm here to!" Dazai spoke trying to draw the girls attention to him, she ignored him just shaking her head and muttering, 'Obnoxious.'
"I heard that Keomi-Chan! Come now is that the way to talk to someone whose about to die!" Dazai shouted but Keomi ignored the pair, knowing that Sushi-San was trying to coax Dazai back onto the roof once more.
She looked for her target using the .
She had made a crystal projectile, around the size of a bullet, to stump the police in the area. It look would look like a gun shot, but they would never find the bullet. They would never find a gun to match it to.
She breathed in once, exhaling while her eyes zigzagged violently until finally they landed on there target. An elderly man, a leader of a small drug ring that was making problems for the mafia. She didn't have to even throw the bullets, all she had to do was imagine the bullet flying through the air.
It was that simple. All in her mind. But she made quick work of it. Creating the bullet and then sending it into the air right into the man's chest. Into his heart. As quick as a snap of one's fingers. She deactivated her ability making the bullet disappear and watched the madness that ensued below them.
"Shizuka-San!" Atsushi protested noticing what the girl had done, but it was too late.
Keomi turned and began to walk away from the pair but stopped for a moment. She turned her neck enough that Sushi-San could see her face. Then she spoke, "Hurry up and die traitor so no one has to deal with you anymore."
"Awh Keomi-Chan you don't really mean that." Dazai's head popped up from the ledge and then the rest of his body as he climbed back up to the roof, "Besides I have to wait until you agree to die with me, milady."
"Really, Dazai-San." Sushi-San sighed watching Dazai with exasperation. Why was this man like this?
"No, I really do traitor because-" Keomi swung around to look at the man but stopped in her tracks, then she lied, "you make me sick every time I look at you."
Though it wasn't a full lie, more like a half one. Both Dazai and Sushi-San made her sick to her stomach whenever she saw them because the agency had taken them in. They had provided them with everything they would ever need to thrive and she had been left on her own. Until Akutagawa-Kun had found her, on Mori-san's orders of course. Still, they took her in while the agency just stood aside.
She didn't know if they had known about her or not. So maybe it was unfair. But Sushi-San reminded her so much of herself, of what she could've been.
But she refused to be another Dazai Osamu. She wasn't going to be another traitor. She couldn't do that to Aku-Kun. Not to her only friend, shortie didn't count, in this forsaken city.
"Shizuka-San..." Sushi-San trailed off looking at her with some sort of pity, her ability activated before she could stop herself. The next moment she was in front of him a crystal dagger pricking his nose.
A drip of blood went down his face, his eyes widening in shock. She whisked away the glove and placed her thumb on his nose. Coating her thumb, which had no glove on, with blood. She stared at him dead on and lifted her thumb to her mouth. Pressing the red against her tongue.
It was bitter and metallic, it was disgusting. She was disgusting. But she continued to stare at the boy watching his eyes quake in fear.
"Next time you pity me boy remember which side I fight for." Keomi deactivated her ability still staring at the boys eyes, her own eyes dull and emotionless. Maybe just a heat of anger, if there was anything.
"Key-o-mi-Chan! Please refrain from making my protege bleed," Dazai was pushing her back from the boy within seconds, "Otherwise you'll find that ability of yours really does no good in a fight against me."
Keomi remained unfazed, taking her thumb out of her mouth and spitting out the blood at Dazai's feet. She smoothed the remaining blood on her middle and pointer fingertips.
"You'll find that I'm harder to kill than I look, Dah-zai-kun!" She drew out his name just like he had hers many times before, a permanent smirk on her face as she did so. Aku-Kun would find amusement in this later, she was sure.
Dazai stood up straight feeling the cold winds that hit his face, as if she had even Mother Nature on her side. Each time they had seen each other this month she had grown more and more. More calculating, more emotionless, and it seemed that she was getting over her fear of bloodshed.
Or maybe she was just particularly good at hiding it.
Either way, he knew eventually she would find her way to the agency just like the president wanted. Even if they had been ordered to bring her there the next time they saw her... Dazai continued to ignore it.
He needed to see just how far the little bird could fly before she fell.
"Bye Sushi-San." It wasn't necessary for her to bid the young boy a farewell and yet she always did. Even after what she had done to him today, effectively breaking his image of her. She still always told the boy good-bye.
Maybe it's because he reminded her of her brother.
Dazai and Atsushi watched her leave with completely separate looks on their faces. Atsushi of both a mix of pure horror and yet some of the pity remained on his face. Dazai on the other hand was watching her with a newfound interest, impressed almost with how much she had grown under Akutagawa's care.
It was bizarre. To see someone trained by his ex-protege and one who seems, or at least pretends, to be thriving.
Keomi continued to rub her thumb with her index and middle finger. Spreading the blood from Atsushi's nose to were it lightly coated each of the three fingers. She wondered if that would finally scare off the boy that way she could finally work in peace. But Keomi suspected it was Dazai who she was running into more then Sushi-San.
Somehow Dazai knew of her targets before she did and knew where she would be making her move.
That was worrisome. She would need to tell Akutagawa-Kun.
Keomi did not want to return to the port mafia right away. No, on the contrary, she would rather do anything else. Because once she was there she would have to go up to Mori's office and let him know she had successfully murdered her target. He would smile at her, the smile that made her stomach swirl in disgust, and then he would ruffle her hair. Saying that she had done a good job.
She wanted to avoid her boss at all cost and simply walk the streets that she terrorized on a daily basis. If people knew who they were walking besides many would freak out. Especially if they were also ability users, then they would know the true extent of her power.
Keomi let a small sigh slip past her lips as she straightened her back. She cracked her knuckles and finally slipped back on the glove Akutagawa
"NO! I won't let you have her! I won't!" Shouts came from the right of her about a block away. A woman screaming although Keomi couldn't figure out why. She should continue to walk instead of turning towards the screams, it wasn't any of her business.
Yet.
What if Mori and Akutagawa had thought that about her instead of getting her from the streets. She would still be stuck there, with no way to find her family and no idea of the power the resided in her. Just in reach of her fingertips always ready for her to tap into.
Which is why she turned running down the street towards the screams as quickly as she possibly could. She didn't use her ability, because that would draw in too much attention. But she still had trained her body well so she made quick work of the block and came to a sad scene.
"Momma wake up, Momma-" Akutagawa stood facing a man who was trying to protect his daughter and freshly dead wife. Keomi grimanced. The daughter must be an ability user, even though she was so young. Probably only five or six.
"You dare face me after witnessing what I did to your wife?" Akutagawa spoke cold and lifeless, chilling Keomi to the bone. She had never seen him like this, on the other side of things.
Keomi turned invisible knowing that if Aku-Kun even saw her here then he would suspect. Because he knew that she had told Mori that she refused to take in any more ability user children. Claimed it reminded her too much of herself and it pissed her off. Mori seemed to have no complaints as long as she killed anyone else he asked her to.
She rushed towards the child while under the cover of her ability and scooped the child up. Stretching her invisibility armor thinner so that it went over the girl to. By the time Akutagawa realized the girl was gone there would be no trace of the two.
The girl went to scream but Keomi cupped her hand around the girl's mouth. She would explain everything and apologize when they were farther away from her superior. She ran using her ability to move quicker, her mind going a million miles per minute trying to figure out where she could take the girl.
There was only one answer.
"Oh for fuck's sake." Keomi cussed softly knowing exactly where she would have to take the girl in order for her to be safe. Truly Safe.
Which is how, for the first time in her life, Keomi found herself directly in front of the lion's den. The agency. While she had met Sushi-San and the traitor, she hadn't met any of the other members. Nor did she want to. But she cared more about the child's safety right now then herself.
She stayed invisible until she entered the building making sure that no cameras could pick her up with her entering the agency. This was an incredibly bad idea, and if Aku-Kun ever found out he would be furious.
Keomi dropped the armor and looked towards the child, "I'm taking you somewhere safe, that way the bad men can't get you."
"What about Momma and Dad?" The child looked up at Keomi with such innocent eyes and it broke her heart to have to tell her what happened. But she couldn't lie.
"They're gone, but it's cause they loved you so much and wanted to protect you." Keomi kept her fingers on the child's face, pinching her cheeks.
"Momma's gone?" The child asked her and Keomi simply nodded not speaking again.
"Dah-zai-Kun! Sushi-San!" Keomi threw open the door of the agency making everyone in the room jump up ready for battle. Atsushi, oblivious of the child in her arms, was froze with shock that she had come to there base.
Dazai was the first one to notice the child in her arms, "Key-o-mi-Chan! I see you've finally decided-"
"Shut up." Keomi materialized a crystal behind his head, so the child couldn't see, and let it smash against his head. Even though it evaporated into dust at the contact.
"Shizuka-San why are you here?" Sushi-San looked at the young girl in Keomi's arms tilting his head in confusion, "Whose kid is that?"
"I will be leaving her in your care, she needs-"
"NO! I want to stay with you!" The child screamed latching onto Keomi with as much might as she could muster. Green rings surrounded the girl and her grip strengthened tremendously.
"Super strength?" Keomi muttered quietly realizing what the girl's ability was. No wonder the boss wanted her.
"I"M NOT LETTING YOU LEAVE! NOT LIKE MOMMA AND DAD!" The girl's screams only got worse as her strength continued to grow, her grip tightening on Keomi. Almost painfully so.
"Kid." The girl looked up at Keomi only realizing now that she had never told her savior her name.
"My name's Yukimi." Yukimi spoke softly still gripping onto Keomi's arms for dear life. Keomi could almost imagine the bruises forming from the ability. But she wouldn't hurt the girl.
"Yukimi, you need to let me go." Keomi ruffled the girl's hair fondly, "I'm not someone you want to stay with."
"What does that mean? Of course I want to stay with you!" Yukimi's grip began to crush Keomi's arm causing her to grimace slightly as she tried not to let the child see the pain that she had caused. Still just about everyone in the room, who had been watching the pair closely, noticed the small look of pain that passed through her face.
It was gone in half a moment, barely even noticeable to the naked eye, and yet everyone watched as the apparent mafia member did nothing. Instead, allowing the child to crush her arm in wild abandonment trying desperately to try to get her to stay. Atsushi watched in awe, she had made him bleed mere hours before. Licked his blood off of her fingers like a blood sucking beast and yet here she was protecting a child.
"You wanna know a secret?" Keomi bent down placing the girl's feet onto the group while she continued to grip Keomi for dear life.
"Yeah?" Yukimi said unsure looking up at Keomi with those big brown eyes. Filled with not only curiosity but fear from what she had seen and trust that Keomi would protect her as she had before.
"You remind me a lot of my little sister." Keomi smiled faintly though it was more genuine than Atsushi or Dazai had ever seen the girl. Even when she had smiled at Akutagawa, this one was...different. Yes she cared for him like he was family, but she still had to hide things from him.
"Really? What's she like?" Yukimi asked a smile adorning her face her eyes sparkling and ignoring everyone else in the room.
"She's one of the smartest and craftiest people I know. I always would find her out in the barn reading even after we were supposed to be in bed." Keomi had always sat with her younger sister not wanting her out on her own. She had started to do that when she was only ten years old. Eventually their brother joined them and every night they would sneak in and out of the house to go into the barn.
"What does she do now that she's older?" Yukimi's head tilted with curiosity shining in her eyes as she watched Keomi's face fall. It wasn't for long and Keomi fixed herself quickly. However, Yukimi along with everyone else noticed the change.
"Is she still?" Yukimi asked her eyes widening at the thought, Keomi quickly nipped it at the bud.
"She's still alive, you don't have to worry." Keomi tilted her head with a tight-lipped smile watching the young girls fearful face turn into a softer one.
"I'd like to meet her one day then." Yukimi spoke softly looking down at her shoes and twisting her fingers in her shirt. Keomi placed her hand on her head. She hated seeing children in pain.
"I promise you one day that you will, but only if you stay with these people for now." Keomi stuck out her pinkie knowing that Yukimi would understand what she wanted her to do.
"As long as you promise then I guess-" Yukimi slowly put up her pinkie finger cautiously to Keomi's allowing her to wrap her own finger around hers. Keomi gave her a soft smile of reassuring and petted the girl on her head with her other hand.
"I promise. With everything I am. With everything I will be. One day I will bring her to you and you can meet her." The child looked up at Keomi not understanding why she would use such words for such a small promise.
She had said her sister was alive! That's a good thing!
The child didn't understand that just because someone was alive... it didn't mean that they were always fine.
"Then I'll stay until you show me. But no take backs now!" Yukimi looked over at all the people who were watching them in awe.
"Whose nice one's?" Yukimi turned back to Keomi with a tilted of her head.
Keomi stood picking up the small child and bringing her into her arms. It was an easy question. Who was the best one she could possibly leave this child in the care of?
She stood in front of that person now letting the girl and the person look at each other.
"This is Atsushi, although I like to call him Sushi-kun-"
"Sushi-Kun! My Dad loves Sushi!" Yukimi cried out in joy looking at the boy with newfound interest. No one in the room corrected her...
Her father... loved Sushi.
"He is the nicest person I know and he will make sure nothing happens to you. Okay?" She might have phrased the words like she was talking to Yukimi. But every single word was pointed at the boy.
This girl lives. That's what she was telling him. Atsushi's eyes met Keomi's and then he nodded. She'll be okay.
"Just don't forget to come back, okay?" Yukimi spoke as Keomi passed her to the awaiting boy. A child holding a child.
"Don't worry Kimi. We're friends now, and friends never break promises." Keomi ruffled the girl's hair fondly.
"Kimi?" Yukimi muttered her her nose sniffling, "Momma used to-"
Yukimi began to sniffle more, her eyes welling up in unspilt tears. Her powers gripping onto Atsushi causing him to yip in pain.
Yukimi stopped her eyes widening where her fingers were indenting into Atsushi.
"I hurt you?" Then she froze seeming to realize what that meant.
"Did I- Did I hurt you?" Yukimi's eyes began to spill over as she looked at Keomi.
"Nope! I'm tougher than I look." Keomi smirked at the child, who seemed to not believe her at all.
"Prove it." Yukimi's eyes, tears and all, looked so determined then. Yes. Keomi had no regrets of saving this child. She would be a powerful woman someday.
Keomi was glad that the child didn't realize much about her ability because while she took off her coat. The coat Mori had given her. She used her ability to make the wound invisible. Instead showing perfect skin.
"See? I told you," Keomi smiled at the child in reassurance, "I'm tougher than I look."
"And, you know, your Momma is watching you from the sky right now. She always will watch over you." Keomi spoke remembering what the child had originally been about to cry about.
"I have no family left." Kimi looked down sniffling more than before after being reminded of her fallen parents, "I have no one who loves me."
"Hey, hey, hey. That's absolutely not true." Keomi spoke quickly as Atsushi sat the child down so Keomi could comfort her.
"Yes it is." Kimi yelled back at Keomi her eyebrows tugging together. It wasn't fair. Why was that crazy man after her? Why did he kill her family? Why couldn't she stay with the woman who saved her?
"I wouldn't mind having another little sister... do you know somewhere I might find one?" Keomi pondered tapping her chin lightly with a mock serious look on her face.
"Really?" Kimi leaned forward closer to Keomi, her face hopeful and happy.
"Yeah! I love having little siblings and I think my other sister would be happy to not be the baby of the family anymore." Keomi spoke taking the girl's hand with a soft smile on her face.
"Your my family?"
"If you want me to be." Keomi responded waiting for the young girl to make her decision. Not that it was a hard one for her.
"YES!" Kimi jumped towards Keomi wrapping her tiny arms around her neck and holding her tightly, "I always wanted a big sis!"
Keomi felt the phone vibrating in her pocket, the Boss or Akutagawa probably calling her. The only other person who had her number was Chuuya and she somehow doubted that the short red head would be calling her right now. The Boss would probably try to get her and Aku to hunt down Kimi. Keomi would refuse, naturally, and say once more that she didn't do cases with children.
Because children were disgusting.
Keomi flipped out her phone, putting her finger to her lips for the child, "Don't make a peep, okay?"
The child didn't know why she wasn't allowed to talk. But who was she to question her big sister? So when Keomi finally hit the answer button, and the Boss's voice can through, everything was silent in the room. Only Keomi's dull voice, her blank expression, held everyone's attention.
As she changed from a warm woman who cared for a little child. To the port mafioso that she truly was. And all of it happened as fast as a hummingbirds wings. A moment.
"Yes?" Keomi rose to her full height, her stance changing to be more firm. She didn't even greet the boss, instead she just questioned what he wanted.
"I don't care what your doing, get to headquarters immediately. Apparently, someone's trying to mess with our operations now." Mori's voice came through the phone tense and rage lacing together. Like a braided cord.
"Do you have a job for me? Otherwise I'd rather not." Keomi sighed letting the Boss know of her annoyance, "I don't particularly want to deal with anyone particularly annoying. I still owe Chuuya fifty bucks from our last wager."
"I DON'T GIVE A DAMN ABOUT YOUR BET WITH CHUUYA!" Mori yelled through the phone and Atsushi quickly bent down to cover the young child's ears. Even though the phone wasn't on speaker everyone in the room could hear the roar from the phone. Dazai continued to watch Keomi's body language to see how she reacted to the Boss.
"What's the job, if it isn't-" She was going to say that it if it wasn't an assassination then she didn't want it. However, Mori never gave her the chance to continue.
"We need you to find two people, a child and its kidnapper." The Boss's voice was a bit calmer now, though he still spoke over her interrupting her previous words, "Come to headquarters for more information."
"You know I don't work with kids, let me know if you need someone killed." Keomi took her ear away from the phone and everyone could hear as Mori called her name. Still, Keomi hit the end button silencing the boss, at least momentarily.
"Well now that that's dealt with." Keomi shut her phone with a nod and placed it back into her pocket. Mori would be furious, but he knew her feelings about the subject already.
Atsushi slowly uncovered the child's ears and Keomi bent down once more as Kyouka spoke, "C-can you really talk to the Boss of the port mafia like that?"
Keomi looked at the young girl in interest, Akutagawa had mentioned her before. Called her a traitor. But as Keomi looked at her, she could see all the pain the young girl carried. She wasn't a traitor like Dazai-San. She is what Yukimi would become if Akutagawa had gotten his hands on her.
"I don't fear Mori. Every King in history has fallen and every King now will fall just the same." Keomi spoke normally not letting much emotion through, "I don't mind becoming the King if that's what will achieve my goals."
The first bit of her rational made sense. Kings will fall eventually whether its old age or other causes. But the second part is what caused the temperature in the room go down several degrees.
"With that I shall take my leave." Keomi crouched down to Kimi once more and allowed the child to give her a big ole hug. A smile on both of their faces.
"I'll see you later Kimi." Keomi raised up and began to walk out of the office however Dazai was the one to stop her. He had been standing at his desk near the door the entire time. Mainly observing her behavior and deciding if he should step in.
"He's stronger than you." Dazai's voice was resolute and serious, uncharacteristically for the usually playful and teasing man. Keomi took a stepped towards him.
"You can think whatever you want of me Dazai. You can believe I am on a path of destruction. You can believe that Akutagawa is unfit. But I will tell you right now, I don't give a fuck what you think of any of it. I will not allow your words to sway me or mess with me." Keomi spoke her words powerful and laced with anger. She took another step towards him. Now there was only a few inches between them.
"I will burn this world to the ground if I have to. I will kill who I must. I will do whatever it takes to get the power I need to get my family back and when I find out." Keomi's eyes glowed red her ability spawning of its own accord due to her anger.
"When I find out whoever took them I will burn everything they hold dear to them. Because no one messes with my family." Keomi stepped back from Dazai's blank face that stared at her intently. She turned towards the door again not seeing the looks of pity that some of the members of the agency were sending her.
Instead she slammed the door behind her and turning invisible to head back to her home. The port mafia. Right now she had so much power right at her fingertips... and yet everything she desired was just out of reach.
Atsushi was the one to break the silence looking towards Dazai who seemed to normally have all of the answers, "What happened to her family?"