Warning! Slightly rushed!
"Do you have to stay another week?" You whine into the phone and you could hear Chuuya sigh from the other side of the call.
"I know this is the longest I've been away but I have no choice. This mission requires more time than Boss and I thought it would." He explains and you pout, rolling over onto your stomach on your bed.
"But you've been gone for two weeks already! Kouyou has put me in so many kimonos and yukatas that they're not comfortable anymore." You complain into the phone and hear Chuuya chuckle as you once again roll back over to face the ceiling, splaying out your arm the didn't hold your phone.
"I have no choice, Shadow." He pauses and the line goes silent before you practically hear him smile through the phone. "Tell you what, why don't you stay with the Akutagawa's tomorrow night? I'm sure Gin would love to see you." You had been staying with Kouyou, Hirotsu and Elise-chan the past few weeks so the emos (Dazai taught you that word) would be a nice change of pace.
"Fine! But only if it's for the whole week or I'm staying home alone." Elise taught you this one. You think she called it black mail? Which she said was just another word for threat. Chuuya could tell you were being dead serious about it as well.
"Alright, I'll ask them." He sighs in defeat and you smile at your victory. Chuuya was having a rough time with you ever since your confidence around the mafia went up. Hell, you were even interested in learning about his missions. Though he still was a bit iffy on letting you actually watch one of his information gathering sessions.
You spent the next ten minutes just talking to Chuuya until he had to go. You wished him a goodbye and waited for the notification that Aku and Gin were going to be picking you up. Soon enough, five minutes later your phone made a familiar noise and you quickly flipped it open, happily drinking in the message.
You would be staying with the Akutagawa's for the next week.
~~~
You had a great time with the Akutagawas'. You had played Uno like always, had started to learn new games and you had gone on a few official missions with the siblings!
You had started a game of monopoly but you and Gin were evenly matched (Aku had long since gone bankrupt when you and Gin had bought out basically half the board each) but it was getting late so Aku was putting you to bed on the futon on Gin's bedroom floor.
"So Chuuya should be getting back tomorrow." Aku says as you tuck yourself tightly under the blanket you smile up at him and nod excitedly. "But you have to go to sleep now." He says sternly and you frown before sighing.
"Fineee." You whine quietly as you close your eyes.
"Sleep well." Aku whispers as he flips off the light and you slowly fall asleep with a smile on your face.
~~~
When you awoke you immediately felt like something was wrong. You looked around for Shiro on impulse but you couldn't see him. You jolt up right and rush up to Gin's bed but find it empty, as if she had just disappeared.
You grab your bag, digging through it until you find Dave and flick it open before leaving the room. You run to Aku's room, throwing the door open.
"Aku, something's wrong. I can't find Gin or Shiro." You say and your eyes widen as you realise Aku's guardian was also missing.
"[Y/n]?" He grumbles as he wakes up, somehow sounding grumpier then usual. "Are you okay?"
You tug at his arms and as he sits up you run to the window, throwing the curtain open and revealing a thick layer of fog over the city. Akutagawa seems to wake up a little more after that. He jumps out of his bed and moves to his closest, throwing a file on his bed as he does so.
"Go get dressed, it doesn't seem safe to stay here. Read that while you're doing so." He says as he pulls out his usual outfit. You nod, following his instructions and changing into your outfit, slinging your bag over your shoulder before moving back into the lounge.
"Okay lets g-" He gets cut off by his guardian smashing through the window and tackling him.
"AKU!" You yell, throat hurting from the volume. He rolls out from underneath his guardian and gets to his feet, sprinting to you and grabbing your hand, pulling you to the window. You were glad he didn't live too high in the apartment complex as he jumps out the window, pulling you on top of him as he crashes into the bushes below.
You groan, feeling small scratches forming on your skin. You quickly move off Aku and look him over but he doesn't seem to be too badly injured as he was already getting up and grabbing your hand again, pulling you down the street.
"Is that what you see when you look at me and Gin?" Akutagawa asks as he pulls you through the streets. You nod silently, focusing on your breath as you run.
"What is the fog?" You ask and he explains about the ability as you run, struggling to keep up with him as he pulls you along. You look down a side street before coming to an abrupt stop, almost tripping over as Akutagawa continues his motion forward. He turns back to you. "Are you okay?"
You keep your head turned to the side street with a frown. "Shinobu?" You ask out loud, voice sounding normal in the quiet streets. A few seconds later the familiar shape of Shinobu steps out of the alley.
"[Y/n] that's not him." Aku whispers and you nod.
"I know," You mutter, but find yourself unable to move as your guardian turns to you. Shiro looked the same if not for the large red gem in his cheek. He floats towards you slowly for a second before gaining speed.
"We need to go!" Aku rushes, pulling you in the other direction of your guardian and you stumble trying to keep your head on him as he gains speed.
"Shiro." You mutter as you're pulled around a corner only to come face to face with Akutagawa's guardian. You back against him as Shinobu rounds the other corner, effectively sandwiching you between two dangers.
"I'm going to run through it." Aku mutters to you, letting go of your hand so you grip Dave tighter. He gives a nod and turns to his guardian, taking a breath and sprinting towards it, tackling it to the ground. You run after him, running past the two and waiting a few steps away.
"Run! I'll catch up!" He says as his guardian tries to stab him with the sharp fabric. You hesitate before running, forgetting about Shiro as you make it to the main road.
"The safety!" You recognise that voice and your eyes widen at the scene in front of you.
"Hurry!" Kyouka yells, her guardian pushing its sword against her knife. It draws its katana back and goes to bring it down but something goes flying past you and into the guardian.
"Damn..." Akutagawa curses and you rush over to him to help him up. "Hey you..." He practically growls in Sushi's direction as he spots the weretiger.
"You- Akutagawa!?" He shouts, his eyes flicking to you. "[Y/n]!?"
You wave to Atsushi shyly and hide behind Aku as Sushi raises the gun at him. "[Y/n] get away from him."
"What a pathetic weapon," Aku says with a sigh, uncaring as he turns in the direction you came in. "After all, that kind of pea shooter won't land one scratch on her."
"Rashoumon..." Atsushi mutters and you let out a squeak and grip onto Aku's shirt tighter as Shiro appears in a puff of smoke down another street. "Who...?"
"Shinobu..." You mumble unsure if Sushi even heard you but all of you turn your heads at the growl of a tiger and the klang of Demon Snow's sword.
Rashoumon jumps at Akutagawa but the Tiger pounces on him and Aku smirks. "Interesting... Let's see which is stronger."
"Now's not the time for that!" Sushi yells and you spin around as Kyouka does, she blocks Demons Snow's sword and you flinch from the sound of metal on metal.
"There should be a secret passage meant for the higher ups nearby." Kyouka glances back at Aku who 'tsks' and grabs your hand, pulling you into him as Shiro lunges at you.
"Come on Weretiger." He yells as he pulls you along, you glance back at Sushi and Kyouka but turn back around as Aku drags you into a house, Sushi entering not long after.
Aku grabs a knife as you round the corner and spins around, the blade barely missing Sushi's neck before embedding itself into the small slit in the wall. You jolt around as the door slams open, Kyouka launching herself over the bench.
"Kyouka-chan!" Atsushi yells as the doors of the elevator opens, Akutagawa pulling you in as Demon Snow bursts in. Kyouka barely makes it in as the door closes, her guardian going into the door with a thud as the elevator begins to move down.
"This emergency passage was built in case of an attack launched by ability uses," Aku breaks the silence, the three of you continue to look at the door. "Even the fog shouldn't be able to reach this place."
"What on earth is that fog?" Sushi questions, clearly suspicious that Aku knew what it was.
"The Dragon's Breath." He answers but that does nothing but confuse you and Sushi more.
"Kyouka," Aku turns his head to the ex assassin and you follow his line of sight, still gripping tightly onto his hand. "With both of us stripped of our abilities right now, you could use your assassin skills to kill me."
She stays silent and you frown at Aku who tries to provoke her further. "What's stopping you? Shouldn't you get back at me?"
You hit him gently and he looks down at you with his usual expression and you give him a stern look as Sushi defends Kyouka. Aku doesn't seem to take that in though and merely looks at him unimpressed.
"Do you want to settle this now while we still don't have our abilities?" Aku offers, his face blank and you hide behind him, not liking the energy created between Atsushi and Aku.
"Do you know how to get our abilities back?" Kyouka asks suddenly and Aku nods, stuffing his free hand in his pocket.
"I know a method." He nods and Sushi takes a step back in shock.
"What!?"
"An ability will return to its owner once it's been defeated." He explains and looks unamused at Sushi. "Are you that uninformed?"
"What are you after?" Sushi asks, eyes flicking to you but Kyouka finally steps forward.
"His goal is probably the same as ours." She says and he looks between Aku and Kyouka for a few seconds before his eyes widen.
"Shibusawa?!" He exclaims and Aku just shrugs.
"I'll shred his organs and end his life. Do you know any other way of saving Yokohama?" He points out and Sushi grits his teeth.
"We won't kill!" He states strongly. "The ADA doesn't do things that way."
"That's laughable Weretiger." Aku says with a completely dead look and not laughing at all.
"Wat?"
"Kyouka understands this job," He continues, nodding his head in her direction, "She used to be in the Port Mafia afterall. Hell, the shadow here probably knows as well."
You give Aku a blank look but nod nonetheless. The ability could only stop with Dazai or killing the ability user. Kyouka explains her reasoning and Aku sighs.
"If this fog had happened before Dazai-san joined the enemy, this could have all been stopped with his nullification ability." Akutagawa sighs frustratedly as Sushi looks at him as if he had personally insulted him.
"WHAT!? Dazai-san is with the enemy!?" He yells and you flinch at the volume, hiding behind Aku before Atsushi deflates at the glare from the man.
"That person joined on his own violation." Aku says, letting go of your hand to rub soft circles on your back as he hugs you into him.
"He would never do something like that." Sushi defends and Aku just rolls his eyes.
"We're talking about the man who betrayed the Port Mafia once." He fires back and turns back to the elevator door. "I'll be the one to kill Dazai-san." You glare up at Aku at his words. You may have only met Dazai briefly but he had helped you out a few times and had been nice to you.
"You think you can kill Dazai-san?"
"If he's going to fall in the enemy's hands, I'd rather kill him myself."
CLINK
You move in front of Aku instinctively despite not being about to cover his vitals at all as Sushi raises the gun at him. You stare at him with a serious look before Aku puts a hand on your shoulder.
"I won't let you kill Dazai-san." He continues to look at Aku, glancing at you briefly in shock.
"Come on [Y/n]." Aku says with a glare at Atsushi as the door opens, you quickly walk after him, grabbing onto his hand again. You can hear Kyoka and Atsushi follow behind and begin talking to one another but you just hold onto your brother figure's hand tightly.
Soon you reach a grate and emerge, Aku helping you out. "When it comes to things we've done together. My ability reads me like an open book. It's no wonder she can sense my presence." He says looking up at a nearby water storage thing. You grip onto Aku's hand tighter and hide behind him slightly and he looks down at you.
"Shinobu isn't here yet. Hide and I'll help you when I have my ability back." He instructs and you open your mouth to object but he was already walking into the smoke. You hear Atsushi's ability before you see it so you run in the one direction you could and run into a building. Glancing around quickly you spot stacks of crates and choose that as your hiding place, hiding behind them like you had done many times in training with Hirotsu.
You look up at the roof. You hoped that Hirotsu was okay. And the rest of the your family. You let out a strangled gasp as Shiro appears in front of you from the shadows, only appearing because of the way the smoke moved, showing that something was there. You scramble to your feet.
"Shiro! Please come back to me!" You yell as you dodge him lunging at you, diving out of the way but he was too quick. He pounces on you and pins you to the ground. His hands wrap around your neck and apply pressure. You gasp for breath as it becomes increasingly harder to get air into your lungs. You move from trying desperately to push off his weight to moving your hands around the floor, trying to find something, anything, to grab onto. Tears pour down your cheek before your fingers finally clutch around something heavy and you pull it up smashing it into Shiro's cheek, the red gem smashing into pieces.
Your ability disappears in smoke and you inhale sharply, coughing and hacking up air that irritates your throat.
"[Y/n]!?" A familiar voice calls out and you go to call out but just cough again. You finally catch your breath as the man bends down in front of you. "That's right, just breathe. You're alright."
You exhale loudly and look up at him and blink in surprise at the red head. "Tachihara?" You ask, your voice low to not irritate your throat. His guardian had already returned behind him but the man himself looked different. The bandaid was no longer over his nose and instead of the coat with fur-lining on the hood he now wore a long black and red one with a weird hat.
"I was sent to protect you but I see you've already defeated your ability." He says and you nod, looking up at Shiro who had returned to behind your shoulders, red gem gone.
"How did you defeat yours? It's strong." You ask, looking to his guardian which was no longer hiding behind him. It was similar to Dazai's in that it had metal chains around it but it was a dull grey with red and a reflection of Tachihara's figure.
"I have my ways." He winks before he stands. "Do you want me to carry you?" He offers but you shake your head only to correct yourself and nod when you wobble on your feet.
"But Aku doesn't know about your ability?" You point out and he chuckles.
"It's fine, I'll drop you off and then dip." He says as he picks you up swiftly, clearly finding it easier than he makes it out to seem when he's around the other members of the Black Lizard. At first the walk back to the weretiger was silent but soon you tap gently on Tachihara's chest.
"Why do you hide your ability? It's really strong and you could get higher in the Mafia if you showed it." You say, glad that the eerie silence of the area made your voice seem louder than it was.
"I have my reasons kid," He smiles down at you before looking back up at the pathway. "One being I don't want to go higher, I'm happy with the position I have... I also have personal reasons." He hesitates before revealing that. You look up at his guardian who didn't reveal anything about him lying so you nod, dropping the subject. "So how did you beat Shiro?"
"You can't call him that, you have to call him Shinobu." You scold and he sweat drops, immediately correcting himself. You explain how you managed to crack the gem through pure luck of the gem being on his cheek. You said that you were glad for the training because you wouldn't have had the strength to lift the object and smash the gem otherwise.
Just as you finish thanking him he puts you down.
"Just around the corner is the weretiger and the ex-assassin. They should be able to keep you safe and will be joined by Akutagawa soon." Tachihara says as he bends down to your level and places a hand on your shoulder. "You'll be fine."
You smile at his encouragement and nod running out to join the injured tiger.
~~~
Chuuya beats his way through the stupid guards and finally kicks open the door.
"You have some nerve, calling me here like some errand boy." He growls at Ango who dismisses the other workers in the room. Chuuya ignores them as they run past him.
"This is a government facility," Ango says blankly, continuing to stand completely still. "Do you really think you'll get away with this?"
"I'm the one who will be deciding that not you." A shadow falls over Chuuya's features as Ango counters him.
"You have a debt to me."
"The only one with a debt here is you." Chuuya states and frowns as Ango questions it. He bashes a fist against the wall, cracking from the pressure and leaving a huge dent. "This is why I didn't want to deal with you!"
"Did you really think I wouldn't find out!" Chuuya yells, gritting his teeth. "You government workers sent that shit head into the Dragon's head conflict 6 years ago."
Ango doesn't respond and Chuuya swears his teeth were going to break if he grinded them any harder, blood was already dripping down his palms from his nails breaking skin.
"By the time I reached his hideout my friends were already dead, forced to commit suicide by his ability." He explains, glad his gloves were soaking up any blood that dripped out of the wounds.
"You attempted to stop the conflict that was involving all of Yokohama. But you didn't even think about disciplining him, you just made the pile of corpses bigger." Chuuya takes a step forward. "The only reason you kept protecting him was because he is a gifted who can combat a nation wide ability-user take over. That's why, no matter what he did overseas, you not even turn a blind eye, but you also would rid the evidence of the murders."
Ango remains silent for a second before speaking. "All this is for the safety of this country."
Chuuya's eyes widen and he dashes forward, hand wrapping around Ango's neck and slamming him against the wall.
"Careful with your words Professor glasses," He warns, face full of anger. "If you hadn't brought him here my six friends wouldn't be dead. And I wouldn't be scared for the safety of my kid."
The government dog once again remains silent for a second. "Are you going to kill me? I won't mind." He gasps out, feet struggling to find the ground. "I prepared for this moment the moment I contacted you."
Chuuya sneers and grabs the side of Ango's head, throwing him by the hair to the side. "I'll take your request," He answers, staring down Ango like he was hunting prey, pure hatred filling his face. "The price is your head."
~~~
Your dad had beat the ability dragon. You know because you'd recognise that red aura anywhere but you knew that it was dangerous for him to merge with his ability, you needed to find him before-
The unconscious Atsushi groans and you snap your head back to the wounded boy who the tiger refused to heal.
"Come on. Not even just the basic wounds?" You ask yet again as you wrap another bandage around an injury to stop it from bleeding but your eyes widen in surprise when the tiger takes a step forward, merging with Atsushi. The boy turns into the tiger who bites the back of your coat and throws you onto his back and leaping towards where the red fog was now stemming from. You grip onto its fur tightly, surprised at the sudden shift in personality from Sushi's guardian.
As the tiger lands it pushes the guy back from Kyouka and Atsushi turns into his half tiger form, you clinging to his back as he lowers you down. "Stay safe and hidden." He instructs but you do no such thing.
"Shiro," You call as you hide behind some debris. "Help them!"
He shoots off, helping misdirect some of the enemy's blows by covering the others' true attacks. It wasn't long until Atsushi crushes the ability and Shiro returns to your side.
"It's over." You smile and rush to Aku's side. "Bye Sushi, bye Kyouka!" You wave a goodbye to them as you once again get led away by Aku.
"What are you doing here?" A very familiar voice calls out as Aku helps you down some debris. "Shitty Dazai is safe and gone."
Aku tenses and gives a quick bow to Chuuya who you quickly run to, picking up his hat and coat on the way (which were suspiciously folded in a nice pile). You give him a tight hug and he flinches in pain but wraps a protective arm around you nonetheless. "Oi. Give me your shoulder." Chuuya instructs before Aku could walk away.
You smile as he begrudgingly walks back over to your dad who gratefully accepts the help as you wear his hat and put his coat over your shoulders, it is big enough to almost reach your ankles and cover the coat you were already wearing. Shiro taps you on your shoulder and points up to a nearby destroyed building where you saw a figure standing on it. Your eyes narrow at the flapping cape and smile, waving a hand. The man hesitantly waves back before he's joined by others wearing similar outfits. You tilt your head in confusion.
"[Y/n]? Are you coming?" Chuuya calls and you turn your head to nod, running to catch up to the two mafiosos. You turn your head again towards where Tachihara was standing earlier but he and the people standing with him were gone. You frown in confusion but shake it off as you feel a reassuring squeeze from Chuuya, although it was a lot weaker than he usually does. His guardian looked a lot paler than the usual bright red as well.
"You need to rest. You're weak right now." You point out and with Chuuya's surprised face toward you he misses the most shocked face Aku sends you.
"I-" The red head begins before shaking his head. "Okay I'll rest."
Aku's shocked face turns to Chuuya now, surprised that the man with anger issues didn't comment on the insult.