||Lungs of roses|| Hanihaki Au | Shin Soukoku | Bungou Stray Dogs

The Order (16)

KNOCK! KNOCK!

"Mr.Akutagawa?"

Akutagawa heard Higuchi from outside the door. He didn't respond. His voice was too weak. He tried speaking a few times but his voice was quiet and 'broken'. He wasn't going to display his weakness to Higuchi. Anyone but her.

"Are you there?" Higuchi waited a few moments before speaking again. "I'm coming in." She warned before she slowly opened the door. To her surprise, Akutagawa was peacefully reading a book. He was never caught not working before. This was new.

Akutagawa glanced over to Higuchi.

Higuchi slowly walked farther into the room. "Gin told me why you're here. I... I didn't know about your disease..." Akutagawa put down his book. He wasn't sure what exactly Gin told Higuchi.

'What did she tell you?' Akutagawa wrote. Higuchi did not understand why he was writing instead of speaking but she didn't question it.

"Actually, she told Ms.Kouyou before me. Kouyou told me that you're here for your lung disease."

'Did she specify?'

"No, she didn't." Akutagawa was relieved. "If I may ask... Uhm... Why are you not speaking verbally?" Higuchi jumped when Akutagawa gave her a hostile glare. "Eek! I'm sorry! I shouldn't have been so nosy! That was rude of me!" She kept apologizing.

Akutagawa swiftly and quietly wrote.

'I lost my voice'

That was not something that Higuchi expected from Akutagawa. Higuchi quickly calmed down. "How? Or- y-you don't have to answer." She bit her tongue before she could say something idiotic.

Akutagawa thought for a second before he wrote something simple. 'I don't know,' He writes.

Higuchi Just tilted her head. "Don't know?" Akutagawa shook his head.

Just then, Higuchi's phone pings.

She pulled out her phone, which was provided by the Mafia with its own special features, to check it. Her eyes widened as she read the text. It was anonymous. The Port Mafia often did this, so she knew this was an order. The anonymous text read, "Kill Akutagawa Ryuunosuke."

She had come with no weapons, she was unable to kill him. It wasn't like she wanted to.

She wasn't the only one that got the message. Most of the main Port Mafia assassins got the message. Gin was among those who got the order.

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

"Gin Akutagawa, I have business with the boss." Gin said to the guards that were posted outside of Mori's office. The two guards lowered they're guns. She knocked on the door. "May I come in?" She asked, to which Mori replied.

"Please, do come in!" He said almost innocently. Gin pushed open the heavy doors. "Oh, Gin. You must have gotten my message."

"Yes, I just wanted to know the reason for it."

"The reason that he needs to be killed? He's useless to the Mafia now that he is bed-bound. We don't want our secrets getting out, do we? That would ruin us!"

"He's already dying, can't you give him a few more days? He wouldn't say anything!"

"Sorry, we shouldn't take chances." Mori held up his index finger, signaling Gin to quiet.

"Do the Executives know?" Gin asked

"That's private information"

Everything is private information when you work for the mafia...

Gin nodded slightly before she turned to leave. Mori opened his mouth again.

"Don't try to save your brother or you'll join him as well." Gin could feel his almost red eyes piercing her back. She nodded and continued to walk out the doors.

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Chuuya had been trying to get a hold of Dazai for about half an hour. He had just attended a meeting that discussed the assassination of Akutagawa. He tried everything he could to protect Akutagawa but every point he brought up was immediately put down.

"Pick up the goddamn phone, bastard!" Chuuya yelled at the ringing phone. "Agh!"

"Chuuya, what are you doing? If you interfere you'll die too." Kouyou reminded Chuuya.

"Well, I have to try... Akutagawa is already dying and Boss wants to kill him instead of just letting him. He has a sister for crying out loud!" Once the ringing on his phone stopped, Chuuya immediately began speaking. "Dazai! This is the first and last time I ask you for a favor!" Chuuya made it clear that he wasn't asking because he wanted to.

"So... What could Chuuya possibly want me to do for you?" Dazai's tone was calmer and more laid back compared to Chuuya's yelling panic. To Chuuya, this was infuriating.

"It's not from you..! It's from the Agency. I need them to protect Akutagawa. They plan on killing him." Chuuya seemed to have calmed a bit since Dazai had answered.

"Oh, Chuuya, I even remember the rules of interfering with assassination. It ends in death." Dazai's tone turned serious in his last sentence.

"If this was Atsushi's situation you would've done the same." Chuuya growled.

"Oh my! You really are desperate! Poor, desperate Chuuya really asked me, his ex-partner-in-crime to hel-"

"SHUT UP, OSAMU!!" Chuuya yelled into the phone. "YOU'RE PISSING ME OFF!"

Dazai quieted at the sound of his first name being used.

"CAN YOU TAKE SOMETHING SERIOUSLY FOR ONCE IN YOUR FUCKING LIFE!" Chuuya was basically screaming at the top of his lungs. Even Kouyou, who was still in the same room, jumped when Chuuya raised his voice.

Chuuya could hear Dazai's deep sigh on the other side of the phone. "Fine, I'll talk to the Boss. He'll treat this as an official mission."

"I'll pay whatever, I just need the Agency to do this." Chuuya was resisting the urge to crush his phone and shut Dazai up. "This is immediate. This can not wait."

"Yeah, yeah... I'll call when I've talked to him." Just then, the call ended. Chuuya really hated the idea of Dazai calling again, but it was a sacrifice for Akutagawa.