The End Of It All | Akutagawa Ryunosuke x Any! Reader

{Chapter 6}

Traumatic. That was one word which could sum up Y/N's life pretty well. Those cold, damp nights living on the streets of Yokohama. Parted from the privileges of most children their age. Running away at the age of thirteen. How pathetic. Why would you run away at a vital time in your life? If you think that, ask yourself. How come this child wasn't found? There, my friend, is the location of your answer. 

Dastardly smells leaped out at the young child as they rushed their way through the streets. Three men were chasing them with homicide written across their hungry faces. Y/N knocked over barrels which lined up the narrow streets which they were so accustomed to. Money was what controlled everything in this world and my word did that child need it. Lengths further than any could imagine were taken to acquire this money. Even if it meant pickpocketing a member of the Port Mafia. Sure they had their skill, but one slight slip of the hand could reanimate that person. At that age, they hadn't quite grasped the talent needed to control their skill, causing a slight shock to release it. Reanimation was a scary thing when pickpocketing, especially when that person could easily kill you. Only one thing left to do, hope to outrun them. 

Gunfire soon began, making it far more difficult to navigate the streets due to the constant evading. Every turn they met, they took, trying to shake the mafia off their tail. Even once they were sure that they had lost them, they continued running, laughing as they turned back to see they had disappeared, holding the wallet close to their chest. Now, as most of you very likely know, running with your head turned isn't the smartest of ideas. This is the exact cause of the following events which are about to ensue. Changing their fate for better or for worse? Who knows the true answer to that? 

An obstacle was in the trajectory of the young delinquent, causing them to mindlessly run into it and fall onto the cobbled pathway below them. Looking up, they came face to face with a young boy barely two years older than them who's face had multiple gauzes on and he had bandages wrapped around his neck. 

"I think you have something of my friend's." A voice so cold for a boy of his age. So strangely juxtaposing with the stereotypes of teenage dreams. The boy knelt down and snatched the wallet out of Y/N's hand. 

"Hey!" They protested but they knew it was no use. 

"You have a skill, don't you? You used it back there." Their head slowly nodded in response to his question. "I can help you with that. I can also remove this little blot from your record book." He waved the wallet which was in his hand before putting it in his pocket. The true owner was most likely never getting that back. 

"How?" They were interested to say the least. Perfection was what they desired. To be unstoppable with their skill. Did this boy really have what they needed. 

"Come with me, I'll show you everything you need to know." Placing a hand on the young child's back, the boy lead them back through the streets he had come through and bringing them to their new life. 

"Y/N!" Sudden shouts brought them out of their memories, bringing them back to the setting in which their body was located. During that time, they were sat in their partner's kitchen, staring at them. 

"Sorry. I was just out of it." Excuses. They'd made that one many times before. 

"You need to get Dazai out of your head. You've been like this for five days now." 

"He treated us like shit, Ryu." Now that was true. But you could clearly see how much Y/N's flashbacks were affecting Akutagawa's stress levels. He'd never admit it, but he was scared for them. Scared that someone would take them away again. Scared that Dazai would send them into a spiral from which they would never return. 

"I know that, but you are missing deadlines and losing sleep because of it and I need a fully functional partner."

"And why is that?"

"You've met Mori. He has high expectations for us and we can not risk losing that." Fear was a very strange emotion in Akutagawa. He experienced it often, but it often came out as anger. No way to hide nor supress it, causing whoever was nearest to feel the brunt of it. This person just so happened to be Y/N. 

"You went through this too. I'm sorry that I am not dealing with it well at the moment but you need to at least try and empathise." In all honesty, he was. He knew exactly what Y/N was feeling. But, as I have explained before, fear is very different in that man. 

Y/N left the apartment and went across the corridor to their own, leaving Akutagawa alone. Guilt rushed through him, he wanted to run to them and apologise, but he couldn't. He didn't have the courage to show his vulnerable side to them. Anyone in fact. Not even his own sister had that privilege. Isolated was his existence. Unable to connect with the world. His throat began to burn with a familiar yet uncomfortable feeling. One of which indicates the tears to come. But they never arrived. The feeling in his throat persisted but that was as far as it ever went. Not even the coughing which he was also accustomed to got rid of it. It just stayed, reminding him of his guilt towards the one person which he had any amount of care for. 

Oh how he wished to be able to comfort them.