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Chuuya walks into the ADA to hand in some paperwork for a case the PM and ADA are working on together. The truce had been going well, not without hickups but better than most expected. Atsushi and Dazai are talking about something to do with their own case or atsushis training. Kunikida is pestering Ranpo for details on a police station murder. Kyouka and Kenji are listening to a newly released song together on his iPod. Chuuya makes his way to his partners desk, he's at their desk when he clocks into their conversation with atsushi, when Dazai says sarcastically 'Well as an old mafia mentor would say: pain is our teacher and pleasure our friend.".
At the same time kyouka's ability appeared ready behind her and Chuuya started glowing red along with everything around him. Everyone in the office freezes. Kenji looking concerned, kunikida suspicious. Chuuya and kyouka are staring at eachother, barely audibly chuuya says "she didn't" and again even more quietly "she promised" he had a sickened terrified look on his face (it didn't suit him). Dazai is standing there (knowing what's happening) and quickly says "hatrack-" only for chuuya to quicker than most could register crashes through the window, scattering glass.
Chuuya flies as quick as fuck to the mafia headquarters, he walks through the front (everyone giving him a wide birth). He walks towards the lift and presses -3 (Kouyou's floor), it's not coming fast enough. He smashes the keypad and whips down the stairs, causing quite a bit of property damage he'll get hell for later but that does not matter.
He meets Kouyou's lavishly engraved ivory doors, pushing through them. Inside Kouyou's 'team' were rushing about but froze and moved to the nearest wall, lowering their heads out respect. Chuuya never particularly saw the need for this but there where bigger issues now.
He walked up to one of Kouyou's secretaries, "Where is Kouyou?" He came of far colder and annoyed than intended, they could tell as the secretary practically shrank a foot.
"Uhh, she..um she's- I-" they stuttered clearly taken back by chuuya's unusual term for his freind and old mentor.
Chuuya raised a questioning eyebrow, and looked about once again to find tainted glowing red all around him, he pulled in a tad but still couldn't completely control the flood of emotions moving through him and out through his power.
"First office." she (another secretary) came to the aid of the other young workers
"Thankyou." he says quickly and with more thought and a scan of what damage has already been done "Apologies." he bows his head.
Chuuya quickly walks around the open layout of Kouyou's floor before coming to her office. He walks in without knocking, this being Kouyou's floor it was definetly not permitted. As he swiftly moved into the room, kouyou slowly raised her head, looking down her nose at him.
"Why have you just barged in here like some delinquent?" She says in one of her sharper tones, she was sitting up so straight she was seemingly pinned to the chair, with her hair up maticulously as ever, looking regal. Chuuya wasn't going to give her an apology nor a explanation and even if he wanted to, he wasn't sure he could speak right now.
So quickly without much thought he pulled his sleeve up to the inner elbow, in a very neat row of 3 circles were small needled pinpricks.
Kouyou having quickly concealed her slight shock, smoothing her face into a passive, well poised expression once again. She spoke in a casual tone, "If you think you can feel any unusual sensation, those are fantom pains, it will not be-" Chuuya interupted deadpan,
"Pain is our teacher and pleasure our freind, we need both".
He was calming somewhat now, well not so much calming as his anger had dissapated being replaced with disgust, dread and terror.
"Chuuya, I do not see why you are bringing this up now, the poison we- I used would only call and slightly adjust pain receptors, it could never actually harm-" Kouyou said exasperated now.
"Kyouka is 14." Chuuya cut in in a fearful tone, hoping and praying this was not what he thought.
They stayed silent, looking at eachother, trying to catch up with the others thoughts and perspective.
Kouyou had now paled considerably, seeing his reasoning.
"You where 15 and handled it fine, you do not know what Mori would have done if I hadn't taken-" she sounded what desperate? No more, explanatory, far to calm and no where near regretful for chuuya's liking, she was treating him like an inexperienced child.
"I did not take it 'well', as you put it, and I was used to pain with the nature of my ability, she lead a very normal life compared to us, she didn't have the necessary-" You could hear his emotions now, the terror and dread where there and Kouyou could tell as she interupted.
"I know all of this, she didnt react any different to you and I gave a her a less potent doses to start w-". Chuuya was stunned, Ane-san was manipulating him, in a way she hadn't for many many years, not since daza-, no don't go down that train of thought, a small whisper in the back of his head, get angry get even. No he thought himself, no he thought as a tear slipped down his cheek, he hardened and sharpened the droplet, sending it zipping straight into ane-san's arm, right where he new she would feel it. She didn't react, not physically but she looked at him and shrunk back, Ane-san shrunk back, she did not do that. "Why?" He whispered thickly. "She needed strength, I didn't know-" Ane-san was pleading now, her mask had slipped, no it was gone, she looked almost distraught.
"That is not an excuse, not an explanation." He said no more volume to his voice but he was firm. Suddenly he turned, swinging through the doors, tainted amplifying and making every physical object around him glow, he needed out, this floor had too many memories.
He didn't move quickly, that would show weakness, this was enemy territory now. He simply walked away, with all of his guilt, fear and sorrow trailing after him in a red haze. He doesn't remember what damage was left, he doesn't care as he takes the stairs in threes and fours.
Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? It was repeating over and over in his head, he couldn't hear the outside, didn't see the flocks of agents around him looking on him in confusion, fear and worry. Didn't see Gin looking at him trying to grab his attention.
He made it out the doors into cleaner air, immediately he jumped catching himself with his ability speeding into the air, faster and faster and faster, until the roaring in his head stopped. And silence, calm, everything gone, nothing. He didn't know how long he stayed up there, didn't know what he thought or remembered.
But when he started to descend, he saw people, first that he noticed where the Agency, standing a few blocks down the street from the mafia building. The second the Black Lizards, grouped together next to headquarters carpark. The third Mori, alone stalk still atop the dark skyscraper he called home.
Chuuya landed in between the ADA and the carpark where the black lizards stood, Black lizards, unable to decide if he could speak to anyone and who if he could. He was dissorianted and tired, so tired. Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? It was chanting again. Suddenly he felt a hand in his, tainted retreated back into him, taking the amplified emotions and anger thought with it.
He looked up to see Dazai, no longer human's blue aura fading now, the colour always did look beautiful. The ADA was a few meters away looking around and on watch. The Black Lizards where running towards him, he felt only a fraction Dazai's hand tighten it's grip under his. This was unusual for them, they weren't really the one for protectiveness.
Gin came first,
"Chuuya what happen-?" Tachihara asked as he arrives.
"Tachihara shut up, not important right now." Gin snapped, they looked sideways at him, with questioning eyes.
"But Chuuya, what is going-?" They spoke back to their usually quiet tone.
Then hirotsu arrived, looking a bit ruffled by the running of his younger subordinates.
"Chuuya." He nods in acknowledgement "Osamu."
Dazai visibly stiffens at their given name, Chuuya gently brushes their finger while stepping on their foot lightly.
"The slug is so rude, even after I disabled him from flattening the PM buildingggg." Dazai whines.
"Shut up, shitty mackerel." Chuuya spat with not so much venom as usual, but bantering with the asshole was always a good distraction.
They went back and forth for a few more minutes, the insults getting more creative by the second until eventually Hirotsu told them all to shut up (gin and tachihara where bickering as well) as he answered a phone call. As Hirotsu listened to the other end, Chuuya started back into his mind, the dread washed over him, he didn't know how this had happened, or where it started but soon Dazai was tugging at his hair.
"Hey tiny slug, can you hear me down there?" Dazai teased, trying to grab his hat.
"What is it shitty assh-" Chuuya started but Hirotsu tapped him on the shoulder.
"Nakahara-san, Mori wants to, eht hem, speak to you. About today's... Incident." Hirotsu said cautiously. Chuuya froze he new this was going happen or logically he did but other things had been occupying him since his stint in Kouyou's floor. Namely stopping himself from destroying the place that took him in and gave him everything when he had nothing at 15.
"I understand." Chuuya spoke steadily bobbing his head at Hirotsu.
"He says you know where he is." Hirotsu stated.
"Yup." Chuuya said shortly and rather childishly.
Dazai tugged on his sleeve,
"What now shitty asshole, I've got to deal-" chuuya answered to Dazai's contact, then he saw something flash slightly in Dazai's eye.
"Look, I'll be fine mackerel, I'm an executive." Dazai just stared at him,
"I've got tainted, which I won't need to use." He explained pointedly. Dazai of course new he could look after himself, that didn't stop the unending fear and horror that chuuya saw for a split second within Dazai when Ougui Mori was mentioned.
"It's going to alright, crabby bandages." He said in a more reasuring tone to Dazai quietly for only them to hear. Dazai just kept staring at him, it was getting slightly unnerving.
Chuuya nodded towards the agency members standing a few meters away, then to the Black Lizards one at time. Then he turned to Dazai nodded at him and brushed his arm on the way past.
Chuuya flew up to the top of the PM building in 3 seconds, that's probably a record for him but he doesn't care much about that right now. He made his way over to the boss and cleared his throat.
"Boss?" Chuuya said in a slightly submitting but clear and questioning voice, he may not be on Dazai level masking and manipulation but he new a thing or two, you had to if you wanted to survive in a world like theirs.
"Chuuya!" He sounded delighted, that was odd and dangerous. Chuuya just stood with his hands behind his back, this is never advised when being addressed by the boss. It either shows your hiding something or in chuuya's case keeping tainted from going rampant by squeezing the everliving shit out of his gloved hands.
"Boss?" Chuuya questioned slightly again. Mori just smiled.
"As I'm sure you've guessed it been informed, I would like to speak to you about the event that happens on lower floor 3 or Kouyou's floor as it's known, 4 hours, 14 minutes and what 35, no. 36 seconds ago." Wow, Chuuya thought, I had been in the sky a while. Not nearly as long as I could've been though, he supposed that's good, not keeping the boss waiting.
"Yes, I was aware." Chuuya spoke keeping his voice calm and polite.
"Chuuya, do you think it is quite appropriate especially for an executive such as yourself, to storm into the mafia building, cause a rather large amount of damage to its property and assault your fellow colleague, who I'm aware you are rather close to, considering she was your mentor." Mori said in an unreadable tone, still wearing that plastic smile as a weapon as sharp as his scalpol.
"Not usually but this was a very particular situation. Boss." Chuuya said not wagering from his position or his polite tone.
"Hmm. I'm sure, but I am not aware of said situation, actually Kouyou didn't even come to me after this event. I had to learn it from one of my secretary's set in Kouyou's workplace." Mori stated plainly, no hint of malice. Of course Mori had his personal set up in places of importance, of course Chuuya should have been careful but of course he didn't care, Mori would have found out anyway and in no world would Chuuya have been more careful or subtle, that just wasn't him. That set Chuuya in stone.
"I apologies for all damage done to the Port Mafias property and will of course pay for it. If Kouyou isn't going to tell you the situation then I'm afraid I cannot either, it was her act that forced me to take part in this event and my responsibility. It would not be fare to either of us to tell you without the other doing so first. I will gladly take whatever punishment you have for me in my stride but I don't regret my actions. Boss." Chuuya calmly continued, this was his plan, stick to it, be respectful.
"Mm. I do see the situation, well I suppose I will issue your punishment now." Mori said widening his smile, his eyes colder than he had seen them in a long while, a red sheen behind his gaze. Chuuya was a bit taken a back by Moria agreement, he had expected a bit more pushing for information. I'd not to say shocked, he is relieved.
"Thankyou Bo-" Chuuya starts to answer gratefully but then he sees it, his newly brought in (by himself) subordinates, his students, being lead blindfolded out onto the roof by no less than Mori's personal guard.
"Chuuya? Hm, I can see by your face you don't quite understand yet. These are your new underlings I'm sure your know. Well they have not yet contributed anything to the mafia, so I have no quarrel in using them as I see fit." Mori stated smiling all the while.
Chuuya was very pale, he had no idea what Mori would do, this all seemed like a very bad dream but then again didn't most things in the mafia. Most 15 year olds biggest problems are with their boyfriends and exams, it all seemed so petty.
"Ah, you still don't understand?" Mori spoke as he ordered one of chuuya's subordinates over to him "Kill this one." It wasn't a question, an order. Chuuya just stared at the kid in front of him, a fearful expression on their face.
"It's a kid, I can't-" Chuuya said disgust slipping into his voice.
"Ah but you must, it's simple. For every 30 seconds you don't slit that one's throat, another will be chucked of this building. Before you even think of saving then with your ability, if you try I will slit that one's throat." He gestured at his other subordinate being held with a knife to the throat by Mori's guard.
Chuuya's mind was doing circuits, how could he save them, they where kids. What should he do? Eventually he understood, this was no test to see how he would win. This was a punishment, Mori's kind. Unlike Kouyou's, this would affect other people, it was not just his burden to bare.
He couldn't kill the kid in front of him, they where the knife expert in their unit, nicknamed buttercup. No, don't think about them as people, that just makes the situation worst. Arahabaki was crawling through his skin, come on do something, do something, it whispered behind his ear. They'll die anyway might aswell you kill them, it goaded.
But Chuuya had learned a long time ago that if you weren't offered a way a out you should not take it, not with people like Mori.
"Counting starts now, Chuuya." Mori grinned, oh so close to Dazai's in their mafia days. He was enjoying this and wanted Chuuya to know it.
Chuuya wouldn't beg, he couldn't show weakness, bearing your neck while fighting for others life's never worked.
So he stood there and watched as every kid but the one he was set up to kill was chucked over the building, some screamed, some sobbed, some stayed quiet. Finally the kid that Mori threatened to kill if he tried to save the others was pushed backwards over the gutter and then came the silence. No more begs or pleas or cries or acceptance just gone, everything gone. Silence. Cold, sticky silence.
"Pain is our teacher, pleasure our freind, I am no freind." Mori bares his teeth and starts over the roof, Chuuya was frozen to the spot, staring at the edge of the roof. Mori's voice entangling in his brain.
"By the way, I would not be concerned for kyouka, she is in good hands at the agency, they will shelter her and misuse her talent but she will always be safe and have a family, that is guaranteed, that is the nature of the Armed Detective Agency. The Port Mafia however, people are always expendable, even myself." Mori was right of course, even while being inhabited by a god he could be thrown away with a decision made in seconds. He was aware of this, always had been. Ever since he was brought into the organisation.
"Hirotsu, call the clean up crew, there are 12 corpses on the west side of the building... Yes all 12 - 18 year olds... No, no families... No, Thankyou Hirotsu." Mori spoke into his phone as he walked to the roof exit.
Once Mori had left, Chuuya was stayed still for around 3 minutes, that was when he realised that there in front of him was a terrified and traumatised kid who had just heard the last dying screams of his only freinds. No, family.
Chuuya new that where there positions reversed he would have despised himself, but he also new the kid would live and that the best thing for them was to be taught how to survive. Not in the way Kouyou or Mori did but in the way Chuuya had, whatever that meant.
So Chuuya slowly knelt down and tentatively said "Hey, you can take of the blindfold if you want." The kid probably couldn't give a shit about it being there but being able to see might help him make a decision. They removed their blindfold, big green eyes widened in fear and anger, stubborn anger. Interesting.
"You know this but I'm Chuuya Nakahara and I'm your squad commander, it is my fault your frein- family are dead, so I understand if you don't even want to be in the same country as me and that you want me dead but that is not possible, before you even fled the building they will have shot you. I'm sorry I can't get you out but I'm not an executive for my genius but my battle skill and reflexes. I can get you positioned in another advance team somewhere else in Japan but you won't get the opportunity to finish your training there and will most likely die. If you stay here I will help you finish up training and position you in a squad called The Black Lizards-" the kids eyes widened at that " and they will actually care about your life and not see you as just another foot soldier. Your good with knives aren't you?"
"Yes, you know that." The kid spoke not without fear and hesitation but force of will was there, that was good, they weren't giving up, not yet at least.
"Of course I do, sorry. Knives are my preferred weapon to but I usually just go for hightening my ability and using martial arts." Chuuya said trying to explain and encourage.
"You shouldn't rely on your ability for everything." The kid stated plainly.
"No your right, I shouldn't." Chuuya agreed.
"I hate you, I wish you killed me, then they would've lived." The kid spoke up, finally, Chuuya saw the hatred in their eyes, the kid was wrong though, killing one kid would not have put Chuuya in his place enough for Mori's taste and Chuuya also just would not have been able to. Mori new that but let the kid thrive on anger and emotion. It wasn't healthy exactly but it worked for him.
"I know and I am sorry they died but I couldn't kill you." Chuuya stated with a half truth, better than none.
"You as good as killed them all with your decision." The kid said but it didn't hold as much malice, they wanted home but they weren't there anymore.
"I know, I'd want me dead to but try and live for them if not with them, kid. Please." He reasoned, Chuuya had no way of knowing if they had the strength or guts for mafia life but he hoped so, maybe with their abilities but maybe not without their family. That wasn't up to him anymore though so Chuuya would direct his attention to other things. For one he would never forgive Mori, his loyalty to the the mafia was stead fast, it was his home after all. Pain was a teacher, yes. But it was also a master, curling around your heart for the killing blow.