Fyodor was sitting on a stool as he played the cello to a dramatic tune that made it seem like he was leading an orchestra of death with every string. The room she had been transported to was apparently on an upper floor of the building they were in. She had no clue where it was located.
Now that Y/n realized it, her phone was missing from her pocket as well, so even if she wanted to call for help, that would be impossible. However, she refused to give up on that idea entirely, as she learned from a certain someone that there was always an optimal solution, no matter how dire one's predicament. She just needed to play her cards right, and finally exploit Fyodor when the timing was right.
Y/n expected Nikolai to give Fyodor a more flamboyant introduction, but instead blind-sided her by saying, "I have some things I must tend to, Y/n, so you may chat with our esteemed leader until I return." He held her hand and bowed, while she took in his gesture with a tense expression. Is he really just going to leave her here? What a scam, she thought. Nikolai noticed this, and grinned. "Don't have too much fun without me, though," he said, winking at her. Moments later, he vanished.
Y/n turned her gaze back towards Fyodor as he was still enthralled by his own instrument. Did he even notice she was here? She refused to say anything until he did so himself, as she felt there was value in letting him make the first impression. She was curious what the first words of a kidnapper would be.
He stopped playing, and opened his eyes. "I hope you've been well, Y/n." She dispassionately stared at him as he smirked at her. "There's no need to be so on guard, is there? I've been dying to finally meet you, as we have many things to discuss about your future," he said.
"Can you just get to the point? Nikolai was no help in that regard."
Fyodor stood up from his seat, and set his instrument down, proceeding to walk over to her. She slightly shifted her stance backwards, intensifying her glare towards him. It was strange how Nikolai was probably just as dangerous as this man, and yet she didn't entirely feel uncomfortable in his presence as she did with Fyodor. Just looking at Fyodor made her look like a feral animal on the street. She had no problem biting his fingers off if provoked. Though, the thought of having to do so disgusted her.
To be honest, this wasn't the first time that Y/n had heard mention of this man. In the years she spent with Dazai, the latter briefly mentioned the unholy reputation of a man with a sickly complexion, and a mind so rotten that he spoiled the goodness of everything around him. However, he never spoke his name, so it didn't click with her until just now. The fact that Fyodor was responsible for the childrens' kidnapping soured her opinion of him even more. She clenched her fists. How dare he have the gall to even smile in her presence.
Fyodor was quick to notice that what was lying beneath Y/n's shifty eyes was also a tiny spark that he could eventually ignite into a cataclysmic fire. He needed her.
"You know, Y/n, did you ever consider that I may serve as your key to the answers you've been searching for all this time?" He said.
"Like how you killed my parents?"
Fyodor raised his eyebrows, but then relaxed his gaze. "What gave you that impression?"
"I'm not stupid enough to assume your intentions are pure just because Nikolai approves of you."
"I see you're quick to trust him. Is that not what you've been seeking? If you join us, then I'm sure your doubts about my intentions will subside eventually," Fyodor said.
"Aren't you trying to get rid of ability users all for the sake of your grand vision? Even if you're telling the truth, you're a hypocrite at the very least."
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."
His mind games seemed to have no end in sight. Y/n had originally intended to take this mission for the sake of the Port Mafia and the benefits they would receive if she was successful in her pursuit. However, Y/n knew that she needed more than brawn to overcome a foe that not even the Agency could catch, so she decided to use herself as bait. She didn't expect that one of the culprits was actually Nikolai, but she didn't entirely rule it out either. The methods of the childrens' kidnappings had made her skeptical ever since she first heard of it, as it seemed too deliberate of a ploy for the culprit to leave behind clues that hinted at a transportation ability, like the one Nikolai possessed when she first saw him in the alleyway.
As for Chuuya, she knew that slowing her pace while they walked through those woods would prevent him from getting captured too. If he managed to avoid capture, then she could also hope that some kind of reinforcement was already on the way.
At that moment, though, Y/n was unprepared for just how ruthless Fyodor would be in order to get what what he was striving for. Maybe she had gotten soft, and had grown too comfortable dancing with the heart of a fake devil, that when a real one appeared, she was quite helpless to resist it.
"Angel of death? Isn't that what you are?" She said. There are other things I could call you, though, she thought.
"It is, in fact, the being you will become. You're already halfway there, my dear. I figure that it's time to establish a new order, don't you agree?" Fyodor grinned with bloodthirsty eyes. He couldn't get more despicable. "I will not kill those children. That, I can absolutely promise you."
"Then what—"
"You will."
The pit in her stomach plummeted, and her eyes froze like stone, fixated on every word he just uttered. She would never agree to that, so why was he so confident that she would comply? Her breathing was quiet, but it got heavier the more he spoke.
"If you want the Port Mafia to survive that is," Fyodor said.
—
It was two days ago, after Y/n and Chuuya had left for their mission, that Mori had rallied the Black Lizard together to accompany him on a meeting, or more so, a negotiation. Although he wanted to have faith in Y/n's ability to handle this mission herself, he didn't want to take any chances. He promised that he was going to allow her to be independent, but he still wanted an insurance policy to make sure things went smoothly. To do this, he got in contact with the person who would be most willing to help, but less likely to inconveniently die on him—Dazai.
When Mori told Dazai to set up a meeting between their two organizations, the latter was already prepared for a scenario where he would need to track Y/n down. He never told her, but he had always kept a tracker on her phone in case of emergencies, as well as the fact that the girl had no sense of direction, so he often had to collect her up on the days she ventured too far from the Agency. And after she joined the Port Mafia, he was even more unwilling to reveal how he still chose to invade her privacy for her sake. He was willing to be the bad guy if it meant her survival, but she didn't need to know that.
The sun had already fallen when Mori received a call from Chuuya. Mori had been patiently waiting for Y/n's call, and even expected her to have returned by then, so when he saw Chuuya's name plastered on his screen, his eyes narrowed.
"I'm sorry, boss. They got her," Chuuya said.
Mori gripped his phone, wanting to smash it to pieces. "Explain to me what happened. Now."
His tone made Chuuya even more uneasy. He felt that it was his fault for losing track of Y/n, and for not noticing she had disappeared when he was right next to her, but no one felt more desperate in that moment than Mori himself. No one was more livid than him either. He couldn't fault Chuuya for this, nor Y/n, as it was the job of a leader to bear the risk that comes with letting your subordinate take on such a dangerous role.
Although the obvious choice should have been for him to turn this into a search and rescue mission, Mori hesitated. If the enemy was strong enough to mislead both the Armed Detective Agency and the Port Mafia, then this wasn't going to be as easy as immediately dropping everything and running to her side.
He was torn. He had an obligation to Y/n, but he also had an obligation to his organization. If he put more of his subordinates in danger just to rescue one, then it could spell the end of the Port Mafia. He gritted his teeth, but his eyes also became melancholic. He knew that his 'insurance policy' would come in handy at that moment, but how could he still call himself a leader, and yet subject his fellow members to ruin, all for the sake of a love for one girl?
"Boss," Chuuya said as Mori had been stunted by his deliberation, "aren't you going to give the order?"
Mori's expression loosened. "You do realize what you're saying, don't you, Chuuya?"
Chuuya looked at the ground, holding back his solemn tone. "Before we left, you told me to keep Y/n safe. I can't really do that at the moment, can I?" He said with a half-hearted grin. "So go ahead with that plan of yours. Even if I have to work with that shitty Dazai, I'll do what it takes to get her back. We won't lose her. That's an oath I will mark with my blood."
"And you think putting the stability of this organization in danger is a worthwhile endeavor?" Mori said. He wanted Y/n to return to his arms, safe once again. He still wanted to keep her by his side everywhere he went, even though he knew that she would stubbornly refuse that notion which limited her freedom, but this time, it couldn't be his decision to start a war. He did it once before, but he couldn't do it again. This was for Y/n, after all.
"She is one of us, boss. And I'd say that her absence would only further shake the foundation of the Port Mafia if we let this be. It would be a bigger risk to lose her of all people, and you know that." Chuuya wasn't one to speak out against Mori, as he had a great deal of respect for the man, but he needed to understand that certain risks were worth taking.
Mori sighed, gently smiling at his response. You really do unravel me, don't you, Y/n?
He regained his resolve. "Chuuya, tell everyone to be ready by tomorrow. We leave at daybreak."
Meanwhile, back at the Agency, Dazai was trying to pinpoint Y/n's location, but not solely because Mori had requested it. He knew that only one person would actually have the nerve or even the ability to abduct Y/n, despite knowing that she was affiliated with both the Port Mafia and the Armed Detective Agency. No one in the entire underworld of Yokohama would dare make an attempt at angering either organizations, so Dazai already knew what kind of beast he was dealing with.
Once the tracker had pinpointed the location of Y/n's phone, a purple, mouse-shaped avatar with soulless eyes popped up on his screen. Dazai's gaze narrowed. So they know, do they? He thought, smirking to himself. Challenge accepted.
The end is nigh, my angels ;) /// To be continued... 🧡