Chapter Text
The moment Chizome was brought into Yokohama borders in the black car surrounded by men wearing sunglasses, he first noticed the five black towers in the center of the city.
With the sky so dark, the towers gleamed ominously red, telling him what those buildings were. The Port Mafia . They were towering over the surrounding buildings, making it seem as if they were watching over the expanse of Yokohama. It corresponds with what that Dazai person said about the purpose of the mafia.
Zoned out, he continued looking out the window, watching the buildings pass by and the people- quirkless people- go on with their days without threats of villains appearing. It really is like another world. And he feels like an alien in here.
“We’re here sir,” one of the men said, climbing out to open the door to his side. His injuries were still severe, but he was given some treatment to hold on longer. They were parked in front of the center tower, the tallest building among them all.
Chizome continued onwards, and he was met by a child in front of the doorway. The child was scrawny, face a bit sunken, and had black hair, the tips fading to white. His hair was also messily cut. What unnerved him was the look in the child’s eyes. Dead, hollow eyes filled with disdain and disgust at his appearance. He has never seen a child this bloodthirsty, even in Japan.
“You are Dazai-san’s guest from the outside world,” the child said, nose scrunching in disdain when saying the last two words. It wasn’t a question but a statement.
“Yes,” Chizome said, tensing in anticipation of a possible attack, though it wasn’t likely. He was in no condition to fight right now, but he could still evade and apprehend the child in front of him if need be.
“... Follow me. I’ll take you up to the Boss,” The black-haired child turned, walking inside without stopping to wait for him. Chizome followed along, limping and keeping the grimace off his face. He really should get this treated soon…
The elevator ride up was quiet, the small child obviously not wanting to make small talk. Still, he needed some information to know what he’d be expecting.
“Child, do you know who Dazai is?”
The child side-eyed him, making it clear he didn’t want to interact but answered, “Yes. Dazai-san is my mentor.”
Chizome was surprised- he wasn’t expecting the teen to be teaching a little midget, and one so… not a child.
“What is the boss like?”
“I have never had a personal meeting with the Boss.”
“...How did you join the Port Mafia? You’re a kid.”
With a twitch, the child turns his head to face the adult, glaring murderously. The child looked like he wanted to stab him, but held back. “There are no kids in the slums. I joined the mafia because I was given a purpose to fulfill.”
And that was the end of the conversation, his comment no doubt offending the child.
Ding!
They were finally on the highest floor, where the boss was waiting for him. However, before he stepped out, Chizome asked, “Child, what is your name?”
The child who was holding the open button looked at him in annoyance before answering, “It’s Akutagawa.”
Akutagawa immediately closed the door the moment he got out of the elevator, what a great companion. Turning to the right, he sees two large doors guarded by men in the front. Definitely the doors to the boss’s office. Making his way, he sees the doors opening, revealing a beautiful woman dressed in a kimono with reddish hair up in an intricate hairstyle.
Seeing him in the doorway, she smiles politely, “The Boss is waiting inside for you.” She then passes by him to get to the elevator.
Chizome, a bit embarrassed by his disheveled appearance in front of a beautiful woman bows in appreciation. Going to the doors, he knocks before going in once he hears a faint “ come in.”
The boss’s office was huge, with windows expanding in the back of the office from one end to the other end of the office on the left side. It gave Chizome a beautiful view of Yokohama during the nighttime. The moonlight illuminated the dim office, giving a sense of quiet serenity within the room. In front of him was the boss, busy with reports.
“Rintaro! Dazai’s guest is here!” a young girl’s voice said, shocking Chizome. He looked back and saw a blond child in a red puffy dress drawing with crayons on the floor. He hadn’t noticed her presence, which made him on guard. The children in Yokohama were unlike those in Japan.
“Yes, thank you, Elise-chan," the boss said, looking up from his paperwork and smiling at him. Seeing that smile, Chizome shivered in unease, shifting one foot to another so his wounds weren’t aggravated much. Seeing this, the boss stood up and made his way towards him.
“Oh dear, you’re injured. Hm, from where you’re holding, ribs? It’s pretty close to your lungs, and you’re leaning over- oh my. How strong of you to continue standing up despite the pain. Dazai-kun’s really inconsiderate, not paying attention to your injuries and commanding to send you straight up here.”
The boss, a middle-aged man with middle-length black hair and purple eyes, was assessing his condition, which weirded him out. Seeing this, the boss reassured, “Ah, not to worry, I’m a licensed doctor, it’s my job to see the conditions of my patients, though you’re not one of mine,” Going back to his desk, he takes out a notepad, writing something down before ripping it out and handing it to him. “Take this to the health facility, they’ll take care of your injuries. Now, onto business.”
There was a shift in the air, the lighthearted mood no more. Instead, there was a sharp aura emitting from the man in front of him, eyes no longer analyzing him as a doctor would, but as a boss finding a weakness he could use to exploit. “From what I gathered, you used to go by the name Stendhal- a vigilante who killed Pro Heroes before you were labeled as a villain. Tell me, what use do I have with you in the Port Mafia?”
The purpose of this meeting. Chizome had to answer right, or this boss would kill him here. He didn’t put too much thought into how an isolated city was able to dig up his past. That was for later. Putting his words together, he says, “It is as you said before, I was a vigilante and no stranger to killing. My skills would benefit the mafia in terms of information gathering and assassinations. And my quirk, I hope to use it for the sake of this organization.”
There was a pause, the boss analyzing his response. “Hm, a standard answer,” The boss turned around, heading for the chair in the middle of the room and sitting down. He looks back and gestures for Chizome to sit in the chair beside him, to which he complies. Now facing Yokohama, the boss speaks. “You are an outsider, so you don’t understand what I’m- we’re- protecting. I know that you will do your duties as a member of the Port Mafia, but you won’t last long in this organization just based on that. Dazai-kun told you the purpose of this organization, yes? His response is the general drive- the main drive the members of the mafia fulfill. You are expected to fulfill it to stay in the mafia, but everyone has their personal drive. Whether it’s money or for the sake of family, they are drives to have in a gruesome place to work. It helps keep them sane. So tell me, do you have one?”
Unable to answer, Chizome turns away, for his purpose, his drive, was no more the moment he entered Yokohama. No heroes, no villains, but criminals. He was in the heart of the infamous criminal organization, talking to their boss.
“... You don’t have one, am I right?” The boss smiled at him, but it was empty, a show to him that he didn’t necessarily care. “How about this, I’ll place you in assassination training, though you hardly need it, and in your spare time you’ll be allowed to explore this city. Find something you’re willing to fight for yes?”
“... I have a question,” Chizome said cautiously, continuing on when he was gestured to continue. “People here are quirkless, so wouldn’t I stand out, especially since I might use my quirk?”
“ Fufu, a great question. And my response to that is to not worry about that. Your quirk won’t affect the people in the mafia, we’re used to the supernaturals. Yours won’t make a difference.”
Their chat was done. Chizome was curious about what the boss meant by that, but it seemed like he was done entertaining him. The boss stands up and makes his way back to his desk, calling for someone to escort the guest out. Someone comes in not long after, bowing before assisting Chizome out of the office.
“It was nice meeting you, Akaguro Chizome. Ah, I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Mori Ougai, the Boss of the Port Mafia. I look forward to your services in this organization.”
He didn’t get a chance to respond to the introductions before the doors closed, leaving him with the man sent to escort him to get his injuries treated.
___________________________
Back in the office, Mori sat at his desk for a few moments before deflating and slumping down on his desk. He sighs heavily, Elise laughing at him from her corner.
“Elise-chaaaaannnnnn!!! Let me hug you for a moment!!” He needs to recharge from all that paperwork he had to do to get this man here, how cruel of Dazai-kun!!!
“No!! Rintaro has been ignoring me the entire day! I wanted to eat strawberry cake and you didn’t even hear me!” Elise pouts, stomping on Mori’s foot hard the moment he was close enough to her. Rintaro deserves that!! She stomps away, leaving Mori clutching his foot in pain.
“Aaaahhhhhh my lovely Elise-chan! Don’t be angry, I’ll get you as much cake as you want tomorrow! Come on Elise-channnn!!” Mori sniffles, mourning at his little darling’s refusal to comfort him. He resorts to coaxing her with promises of cakes and a day of doing whatever she wanted to do when they went on their little walks, but his baby still won’t give in!! He’s already risking overspending and facing Dazai’s wrath to appease her, yet she still won’t give him. “Elise-chan doesn’t love me anymore!!” Trump card, unleash!!
“...Hmph!!” Elise bounds back over to Rintaro seeing him melting into a sad puddle. What a burden she’s carrying, keeping Rintaro happy. “I want cakes tomorrow! And new toys!”
Mori immediately comes back into shape, eyes sparkling as Elise comes back over to him. “Elise-chaaaaannnn!!! You really love me!!!” He immediately wraps his arms around her tightly, heart bursting in happiness. Recharge, recharge. His little baby loves him!!
“Stupid Rintaro, you created this mess yourself! Who told you to provoke Dazai?” Elise had her arms crossed and face in a frown, but she let herself be squeezed by this man-child. Maybe she leaned a bit into the hug, but stupid Rintaro didn’t notice. What an oblivious fool.
“Hmmm well,” Mori continues hugging, eyes closed and smiling. He sways Elise a bit, happy that she’s allowing it to happen. “If Chuuya-kun and Dazai-kun both get together, soukoku would be even stronger, another bond tying them together. Can’t you see, Elise-chan? They’re soulmates.”
Elise drops her head onto Mori’s shoulder, looking at the maroon scarf. It’s true. From the moment they first met, there was an invisible link tying them together, no matter how much they claimed to hate each other. Maybe they were in love with each other, or they were simply drawn to the other. “Dazai won’t allow it though, you know how he is. And you’re teasing him, he’s not going to make the first move if you continue with that.”
She remembers when Dazai had, in a state of shock, rambled to Rintaro about this weird “feeling” he felt whenever Chuuya was looking at him. Rintaro had coaxed Dazai into a chair and asked him more about the “symptoms” he had, claiming seriously that it might be some sort of sickness he contracted. Lies , he had just come across shocking information and wanted to know more about it. By the time Dazai realized he gave Rintaro information that was obviously not symptoms of sickness, Mori had already confirmed something- something Dazai now held a continuous grudge against, always retaliating the moment it was brought up. It was too fun to not bring it up though, so Rintaro continued. He doesn’t learn his lesson every single time, foolish Rintaro.
“Then we’ll be counting on Chuuya to make the first move, no?” Mori picks Elise up, carrying her towards the chairs placed in front of the windows. Elise can see Rintaro loosening up once he sits down with her in his lap, the night casting a silver lighting on his face. With his eyes closed, he smiles softly. “Maybe I should call Chuuya next time he reports to hint at it. Or should I let time take its course?”
“If you went with the latter, it won’t happen,” Elise advises, kicking her legs up to keep Rintaro from falling asleep. It doesn’t seem to be working though, because he hasn’t had a lot of sleep for the past few days. “They’re both stubborn and won’t admit it until the other gives in first.”
Mori hums and hugs her even tighter, placing his head on top of hers and eyes drooping. “What would I do without you, Elise-chan? Thank you for always being there for me.” Mori falls asleep, facing the city he loves and sworn to protect. Soukoku’s relationship issue was not his to meddle in, but he will- for the sake of the duo.
Elise, hearing this small confession, stiffens a bit before relaxing, pushing Mori back onto the chair instead of slouching forward. It’s bad for the neck. “Stupid Rintaro, I’m your ability. I’m always going to be here.” Elise snuggles up to Rintaro, arms wrapping around him to keep him warm. She’ll indulge Rintaro today, but there won’t be a next time!
Maybe, because she’s told herself that many times in the past, yet she always breaks it.
to be continued…