Push and Pull | Chuuya Nakahara

CHAPTER 3

Sakura had never seen a more opulent bedroom in all her life.

When Mori had told her he'd have someone escort her to her quarters, she would never have imagined any of this.

Apparently, the someone that Mori had been referring to was none other than Ryunosuke Akutagawa, one of the Port Mafia's most elite and powerful members. Much like Sakura herself, his reputation preceded him.

Among the streets in the dark side of town where Sakura lived, there were rumors about a monster dressed in black born only for slaughter. People feared him, and very rightfully so. The rumors about this bloodthirsty man were frightening, each more than the last, and she was fairly surprised to see that Akutagawa himself lived up to them.

His face adorned an apathetic expression and it was framed by strands of black hair with frosted tips. His features were harsh and his gray eyes had looked into Sakura's green ones with an unprecedented scrutinizing intensity.

Their interaction had been very brief. Mori had called him into his office and he had introduced them very nonchalantly. Akutagawa had barely spared her a glance when he motioned for her to follow him. They passed a disgruntled Chuuya on the way out, who was waving the gun in his hand in Sakura's face— almost like a warning, she supposed.

Once they were out of the office, Sakura dared to speak. "What? No honorary guards this time?"

"There's no need for them" Akutagawa replied curtly, still walking a good few paces ahead of her.

"Really? How come there was need for them when the little midget was escorting me?" She questioned haughtily. Akutagawa knew who she was referring to, of course.

"Because Executive Chuuya—" He emphasized his actual name, "Is all bark and no bite"

"And you aren't?" Sakura asked, raising a single eyebrow at him.

That seemed to have done it for Akutagawa. He turned around faster than Sakura's eyes could perceive and with him, so did his Rashoumon.

Rashoumon was Akutagawa's ability and Sakura prided herself in knowing quite some things about what it actually did. Rashoumon used cloth to transform into an omnivorous, shadow-like beast. So, it was more or less limited to whatever garment Akutagawa wore. It was best used in mid-range fighting but Sakura didn't doubt that the man had found many more uses for it in the long run.

Now, his Rashoumon was wrapped around Sakura's waist and applying pressure: not enough to leave any more wounds but just the right amount to take her breath away.

"Do you know who I am?" The man seethed. He looked like a rabid dog as he fixed Sakura with his stare.

"Ryunosuke Akutagawa. You and your Rashoumon are legends in the streets. Carnivorous beasts that slaughter everything on their path" She elaborated, looking straight back at him. "Now do you know who I am?"

Akutagawa didn't reply. He knew she was someone important, or else she wouldn't be anywhere near the vicinity of the Mafia Headquarters. He also knew she was someone dangerous, or else she wouldn't have needed such high-ranked escorts, such as himself and Chuuya. He knew her name was Sakura Saito, but only because the Boss had introduced her to him, but he didn't know what to make of any of this.

"Akutagawa Ryunosuke, let me offer you a piece of wisdom, just like I did your Boss" The woman suddenly offered, relaxing in Rashoumon's hold. "Never pick a fight with someone you don't know"

And with that, something, though Akutagawa couldn't tell what, sliced through his Rashoumon in a matter of seconds. He could have sworn he saw something shine beneath the light shining through the window but it had moved so fast that he couldn't tell what it was if he wanted to.