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It was a blustery day in Yokohama. Akuji Takao, the temporary leader of the Sheep while Chuuya was out on business, watched impassively from afar as a scrawny child managed to turn two gangs against each other, calmly walking away from the fight without a single scratch.
“Impressive,” he said to himself.
“Akuji?” one of the Council members questioned.
“Recruit him.” Akuji turned away from the skirmish with a wave, content to let the rival groups destroy each other.
“The boy? Shouldn’t we discuss this?” another Council member protested.
“Oh, right. My bad. Any opposition to securing the loyalty of the ruthless little mastermind before he decides we’re a target?” Akuji scanned the group with an innocent face, but the daring glint in his eyes was missed by no one. “Good. Jiko, Yaku, Mazui: go collect him.”
The three Council members nodded and set off after the child who had just managed to outmaneuver two of the most vicious gangs this side of Yokohama.
The Sheep had been alerted to this face off because of their history of rescuing down-and-out teens from just this sort of thing. Upon arriving, however, they witnessed a kid who had no need of their help.
The young boy was clad in what looked like a grimy, too-big prison uniform. He was wrapped in bandages from the neck down, one arm in a sling and a metal brace on his foot. His cheek was covered in gauze, as well. Apparently, he had swindled a member from one gang, and tried to pin the blame on the other gang, leading him to be confronted by both bloodthirsty mobs.
The Sheep had observed, waiting to jump in and assist what would inevitably be a future member, who was obviously incapable of defending himself.
They couldn’t have been more wrong.
Somehow, in less than a minute, the boy had succeeded in getting the mobs to forget his presence entirely and attack each other. The thin child walked off toward the back alleys of the city where delinquents like themselves resided.
The three Sheep caught up to him just before he disappeared into a dark alleyway.
“Hey, kid,” Mazui called out. The boy stopped but did not turn around. “We wanna talk to ya.”
“If you’ve come to get this back, I’m afraid you won’t be walking away from here alive.” The boy held up a switchblade he had apparently stolen off of one of the gang members.
The three teens looked at each other warily.
“We just want to talk to you,” Jiko said carefully, like he was placating a wild animal.
The boy was silent for a second before sighing. “I see. You wish to recruit me to your hoodlum fraternity. Well, don’t bother asking. I’m not interested.” He started walking away.
“At least come talk to Akuji. He said he found you impressive. His praise is hard to come by,” Yaku wheedled.
At this, the boy finally turned around. He looked utterly bored. “Flattery will get you no where. I will go, but only because today has been such a drag.” With that, the sack-of-skin-and-bones set off past the Sheep, as if he was the one leading them. The teens hurried after him, not eager to be showed up by a little brat.
:::
“There you are! I was starting to think you’d slaughtered my friends and made off with their clothes.” Akuji smirked from his seat atop a junk pile.
“I only resort to violence when provoked,” the boy sighed, looking yearningly in the direction he had come from. “If you wouldn’t mind getting to the point, I have plans to drown myself today that I just can’t miss.”
Even Akuji was shocked by that statement. “Why would you want to do a thing like that?
“Because life is so boring!” the child whined, finally showing some emotion.
“What’s your name, kid?”
“Dazai Osamu.”
“Well Dazai, I’ve got something better than death to offer you.”
“Not likely,” Dazai muttered.
Undeterred, the older teen continued. “I’m offering you a place in the Sheep.”
“Pass.”
“-and not just as a member, but a position on the Council.”
Gasps and indignant murmurs rang out from the twelve Council members around them until Akuji silenced them with a snap of his fingers. Dazai rolled his eyes.
“So, what do you say, Dazai? It’s a mutually beneficial partnership. We’re a family here, and, quite frankly, you need us.”
“Oh?” Dazai quirked a brow as a brief flash of amusement crossed his face.
“What with your physical…limitations-“ Akuji gestured at the bandages, “-and I’m assuming you don’t have shelter or clothes or food. Not to mention the protection we provide.”
“Mhm,” Dazai was yawning now.
“Here’s the bottom line, Dazai.” Akuji leaned forward humorlessly. “We take care of our own. And I believe you would be a great asset to us, as well.”
The silence after that statement was tense. Akuji and Dazai stared each other down as the Council shifted uncomfortably around them. Finally, Dazai sighed.
This kid sure sighs a lot, Akuji thought.
“Well, you’re right about one thing,” Dazai said mournfully, but when he met Akuji’s eyes they were bitterly empty. “I would be a great asset to you.”
Akuji smiled slowly, a strange excitement filling his chest. With this boy, we’d surely be able to fight back against the Port Mafia.
“However, you’re wrong about the rest.”
Akuji’s smile dropped.
“And I simply cannot bear the thought of working alongside such an arrogant dimwit, so I must refuse.”
One could hear a pin drop.
Akuji schooled his face patronizingly. “We can blame rampaging teenage hormones for your blatant disrespect.” His voice hardened. “However, I won’t be so forgiving if you cross me again. This offer will never be available again, should you refu-“
“My, he’s even dumber than I thought!” Dazai feigned surprise before turning to leave. He took one step before a sharp whistle rang out and Dazai was surrounded by weapons.
Akuji sauntered over, a murderous expression on his face. “Ah, what a shame. Now we’ll have to kill you.”
“Oh, good, I was hoping you’d say that!” Dazai smiled sweetly— the genuine expression a disturbing juxtaposition to his usual dead look.
The Sheep lowered their weapons slightly, hesitating in apprehension. Akuji marched up to Dazai and punched the smile off of his face.
Dazai must’ve been weaker than he looked because he fell to his knees on the ground, groaning.
“You misunderstood me, brat.” Akuji crouched down, grabbing Dazai by the hair and yanking him forward so that they were nose to nose. “We’ll have to kill you…eventually. But first, I’m gonna make you suffer.” He smiled sinisterly. “‘Lay a finger on us, and we pay back double,’ as our leader says.” He threw Dazai’s head away from him and stood. “Restrain him— well.”
:::
Akuji approached a blindfolded and bound Dazai. His arms were stretched out behind above him, his injured right arm straightened painfully. His legs were chained and he was gagged.
Akuji gestured and the blindfold was ripped off. Dazai stared darkly back at him, the sweat on his face the only thing giving away his fear.
Akuji laughed, motioning for Mazui to bring him something. Dazai noticed the light glint off of the object, and when Mazui stepped away, he saw that it was a pair of brass knuckles.
Akuji tore the gag from Dazai’s mouth. “Got any last words?”
“I hate pain,” Dazai said coolly.
“Great.” Akuji’s smile was the last thing Dazai saw before the impact. His vision completely whited out. His awareness slowly faded back in as his ears rang, but there was something wrong. He still couldn’t see out of his left eye, where the blow had landed.
“Akuji!” Dazai heard someone yell. Jiko, his mind sluggishly supplied.
“Oh, looks like I found a weak spot,” came the cheerful voice.
Dazai finally registered something warm dripping down his cheek. The smell of iron hit him a second later. He gritted his teeth in annoyance. His left eye was weaker, ever since the incident that had almost left him blind. Well, this is off to a great star-
Another swing hit him, cutting off his thoughts, this time on the right side. Another strike under his chin quickly followed and Dazai’s head snapped back against the brick wall.
He breathed heavily, trying to get his left eye to cooperate. He looked up just in time to see Akuji swing at his ribs. Unlike with his face, these hits rained swiftly down on him, and he couldn’t help but moan breathlessly.
Akuji cackled manically and snapped his fingers, taking off the brass knuckles and picking up the knife Yaku had brought him.
“Now, let’s see just what you’re hiding under those bandages, shall we?” Akuji sliced down the front of Dazai’s shirt, opening the shirt and Dazai’s chest with it. Just as he was about to cut the bandages off of his torso, a shout rang out.
“Akuji!”
The man in question gritted his teeth. “What is it, Shirase? I’m a little busy here.”
“One of the gangs from earlier…they’re here and demanding the kid!” Shirase yelled.
Akuji stabbed the blade into the dirt next to Dazai’s hurt foot, straightened, and squeezed Dazai’s injured arm in an iron grip. Dazai couldn’t help but cry out at the pain, biting his lip and blinking watery eyes.
“I’ll be right back. Don’t go anywhere,” Akuji singsonged mockingly as he followed the grey-haired Council member.
Dazai blinked owlishly, trying to gather his composure through the pain that was radiating throughout his whole body. The three teens left to watch over their captive gathered to mutter to each other; about what, Dazai did not care. He only cared that by the time they turned back towards him, he would be gone.
:::
A mile away from their base is all Dazai made it before he collapsed against the wall of an empty alleyway. He let his body slide down the wall until he was curled up in a ball on the ground. He panted as his ribs and head protested, cataloguing his injuries.
He was fairly sure he had at least two cracked ribs; certain he had a concussion, as if the spinning didn’t make that clear; and a gash down his chest that probably would not need stitches. Not that it made a difference either way. What he was worried about, however, was his eye.
It was considered a “medical miracle” that he had gotten sight back in it at all after the incident. Dazai reached up to tentatively touch it and winced. Oh, well, he thought. It doesn’t matter much anyway. I’ll be dead soon enough.
He knew there was no way he’d be able to make it all the way to the river today, though. He used the wall to leverage himself upright, staggering as the pain and lightheadedness hit him. He swiped a hand across his sweating brow.
I hate the Sheep.
As if they had been summoned, Dazai heard outraged shouting in the distance. He pushed himself off of the wall and stumbled off towards his makeshift home in an empty shipping container.
There’s always tomorrow.