Where Loyalty Lies // Mori Ougai x Reader

Chapter 6: Take What You Want

Dazai glanced towards the entrance of the room and stood up with an unamused expression.

"Where is she?" Dazai said.

Mori expected as much from this little meeting. The timing was too perfect and he was thrilled to see Dazai so desperate, even if the latter never admitted it.

"Far from you it seems," Mori said, grinning. Dazai narrowed his eyes and let out a heavy sigh.

"I don't have time for your games, Mori. Y/n is not suited for the Port Mafia. If you don't send her back to the Agency, regret is all that will be waiting for you."

"Is that concern I hear? Surely it's not for my sake. How cute. Have you finally found yourself a weakness in this pyrokinetic little girl?"

"Quit getting involved. She's not like Chuuya. Blood and violence are not in her nature. I won't allow you to use her for your own ends," Dazai said.

"I'm well aware that some people don't have a natural aptitude for this kind of profession, but Y/n is not one of them. You've seen her in action, so shouldn't that be obvious to you? Besides, she seems to be quite eager to obey me—but when it comes to you, I would say that she has forgotten all about you," Mori said.

Dazai glared at him. He was always so capable at predicting what people might do next, but with Y/n, her choice to follow Mori had completely blind-sided him. And Dazai didn't know why this predicament had made him so angry in the first place. Why couldn't he just let her go? It was Y/n's choice after all.

"I have seen what she can do, and I can also say that I'm the one who knows her best," Dazai said. "No matter how you seek to influence her, she will come back to me regardless. She's just experimenting right now. Young people tend to do that. She'll find her true self again, and once she does, she'll realize it's not with you."

"It's entirely possible that Y/n will change her mind—I'm prepared for that—but I wouldn't be too certain that she hasn't already abandoned you," Mori said. "The thing is, Dazai, your heart is sullied in mafia black. In fact, it might be even more twisted than mine is. It might be why Y/n left you. It's a pity you can't accept that. You're simply the worst thing for her—and you always will be," Mori said, smirking.

"She didn't leave because of anything I did. She left because you've put ideas in her head, like you always do. Once she realizes that you're just controlling her, she'll cut her strings and be free from you. How does it feel, to know that this farce of yours will soon come to an end?"

"I'll admit, despite how gifted Y/n is, she's not the brightest. Unlike you, she doesn't consider how others might be manipulating her. Right now, she only cares about impressing me, not you. And in regards to her leaving me some day, that won't happen. I don't mind telling you my plan. Care to hear it?"

There was not a hint of pleasure in Dazai's expression. He knew what Mori was going to do. He was going to toy with Y/n's heart and give her half-hearted promises. He was going to exploit the most vulnerable parts of her mind and convince her that she was irreplaceable to him, that she was worth more to him than just a tool. Dazai knew that Mori only saw people as mere objects made flesh.

"We'll see how long you can keep that up. Even if you plan to fool her for now, Y/n's not as clueless as you think," Dazai said. "Also, let me be kind enough to remind you, Mori—when I want something, I always get it in the end."

"And I always take those most precious away from you in one way or another, yes?" Mori said.

"Send my regards to Y/n. That is—if you dare," he said with a sinister smirk before walking out of the building.

Afterwards, Mori pulled out his phone and texted Y/n before heading back to the car: "Come to my office later. I want to show you something."

When Mori got back to headquarters, he went up to his office and sat in his chair, looking out at the dazzling city lights of Yokohama. He was thinking about something and decided to pick up the bottle of red wine that was sitting on the table next to him, but paused briefly before setting it back down. He let out a deep sigh. Then, a knock was heard at the door.

"Boss, what do you need?" Y/n said.

Mori stood up, smiling, and walked over to his desk. He pulled out a file from the drawer and placed it in front of Y/n. "Have a look," he said.

Y/n examined its contents and found an in-depth history of the past twenty years of her life, starting from the day of her birth. It even included the details regarding her parents' death.

Her eyes widened before she proceeded to glare at him. "What the hell is this?"

"This is my gift to you—the truth. Don't you want to know what happened to your parents?"

"I do know," Y/n said, raising her voice. "They died—in a fire—in an accident. This file is fake. There's no way they were murdered."

Mori walked up to her and put his hand on her shoulder. Y/n's heart beat faster from the frustration and anguish she was feeling in that moment. This can't be true. If I wasn't the one who killed them, then who did? Why must everything be taken from me? She thought.

Mori's gaze was fixated on Y/n as she looked down at the floor with her tears threatening to break through. Seeing her like that, so shaken and helpless, he suddenly didn't know what to say. Why would he bother consoling her? Why should her tears mean anything to him? He was planning to input his agenda once she had displayed her weakness to him, but what was the logical choice seemed to escape him in that moment.

"You don't need to cry, Y/n," Mori said, crouching down on one knee with a firm expression. "I heard that you were there when they both died. Given your ability, I'm sure you've been blaming yourself for what happened. However, none of this was ever your fault. Whoever did this simply wanted you to think that—and I promise you—they will be sorry."

Y/n looked up at him slightly, and for what seemed like the first time in his life, Mori felt a pang of guilt rush through him. She was crying. Those beautiful e/c eyes of hers were trickling tears down her cheeks. Mori was at a loss for words again. His chest felt like it was being squeezed and he couldn't bear to look her in the eyes any longer. Did I do this? He thought. All he had wanted to do was use Y/n's abilities to eliminate this mysterious enemy. When he first read her file on the day she was brought into the organization, he knew that getting her involved would be an easy way to avoid bringing the rest of the Port Mafia into this mess. Mori knew that this foe was a formidable one, so he was prepared to wipe his hands clean of Y/n in case she ended up being a casualty. It's why he sent her on the Haitaro case in the first place. He needed more information on this 'angel,' as it's possible that they were the same people involved in the death of Y/n's parents. However, Mori was beginning to rethink what he had dragged her into. He didn't know why, but the idea of Y/n ending up as collateral damage seemed unthinkable to him now. Was what Dazai said true? Am I going to regret this? Mori thought.

Shortly after, Y/n dried her face and rubbed the crevices of her eyes with her fingertips. Her face returned to a stoic disposition and she walked over to the window and stared down at Yokohama. The moon was tinted in a shade of crimson and the rest of the city seemed to be painted in black. Her eyes went completely vacant and she put her hands into her coat pockets. She then turned her head towards Mori and smiled.

"It'll all be over soon, boss."

Thanks a bunch for reading!!  :)   ///   To be continued... 🧡