A Mentor's Hand (文豪ストレイドッグス)

2

(Kiyo)

Black stars danced in front of my head. For a while, I watched them, enjoying the bliss of nothing. Slowly, I became aware of noises around me: ticking, whispering and shuffles. I swatted the stars aside, opening my eyes to see a hospital room. I was vaguely aware of tubes pumping stuff into my body, but the lights were bright and I was too drowsy to see anything else. A soft headache was swimming around my head, so I closed my eyes once more.

When I woke up again, I felt much better; no drowsiness. The room was darker, so I looked around. There was no one by. I took the breather off, and everything else that was attached to me. I got out of the bed, a little unsteady and quite sore, but that was normal.

Across from me there was a door, and when I got to it, it was unlocked. My lucky day of escape? Maybe those guys had been stupid and left the door unlocked. Not bothering to think about it too much, I stepped out and debated which way I should try first. I decided the left.

The hallways were dim, but surprisingly clean. Suddenly, a man was behind me. I hadn't noticed him. I pushed at the floor, leaping away and towards the wall, turning to get a full look of him.

He looked like a depressed bag, except for the glint in his eyes, Beside him stood a small blond headed girl dressed in a red dress, like the man's scarf.

"Kiyo-chan, glad you have awoken," the man exclaimed, as if I was some friend. The little girl said nothing. "Who are you-" I coughed a little blood, a tight pain in my chest. When I looked back up, the man was crouching by me, an expression of worry painted to his face.

"Oh dear, you still haven't quite recovered. " He offered a hand, which I took, not wanting to anger him. "I am Mori Ougai, you can just call me Mori, though," he explained. I nodded.

"Mori-san, where am I?" I asked, not hesitating to jump in.
"This is the port mafia, Kiyo-chan"
Ah... "But I thought...."
"We've recruited you, Kiyo-chan. Or rather, I have."
"You?"
"Well, I am the boss, after all."
Ah.

Half an hour later, I knew how I got here. Mori-San said I could join if I so chose. My gift would be put to good use, without being my only weapon, he said. I don't particularly care what they do with my gift, however.

Sure, the mafia has some dark places, like any illegal organizion, and it wasn't completely safe for "a kid like me," but that's why I would be trained to survive here. Mori-san handed me off to one of his subordinates. As a parting word, he told me that the person who got me out was Nakarhara Chuuya. Well obviously, I'm going to have to find him.