Lupin || Atsushi Nakajima || W.I.P

Chapter 1 - Lost and Found

                                                                        Chapter 1: Lost and Found

(Atsushi's POV:)

I opened my eyes tiredly and noticed it was bright, cold, and breezy. I was confused about why it was breezy since I was supposed to be in my cell at the orphanage. The realization hit me hard, and I snapped my eyes open. Was I not at the orphanage? As I looked around, I realized that I was actually outside the orphanage. It was dark, but a beam of moonlight shone on me. The moon always looked beautiful, but seeing it outside of the walls of the orphanage made it even more majestic.

I sat up and looked around, trying to make more sense of my surroundings. It was a quiet night, and there was no one else around, not even people or cars. I couldn't remember how I got there or why I was there. All I knew was that I felt lost and alone. As I stood up, I realized that I was in the middle of a large field. The grass was long, and the breeze was chilly. I shivered and rubbed my arms, trying to keep warm. I still wore my orphanage clothes that were ragged and ripped, due to my punishments. 

Yet, the moon continued to shine down on me, casting an otherworldly glow on everything around me. It was almost as if the moon was leading me somewhere, and I felt an inexplicable urge to follow it. Without thinking about it, I started walking, following the moonlight. As I walked, I felt a sense of peace wash over me. The world around me seemed to fade away, leaving me alone with my thoughts.

Then I felt an unanticipated, agonizing pain. I felt it soar through my whole body. It hurt SO much. After what felt like years, I blacked out.

Darkness.

More and more darkness.

"In the midst of darkness, light persists."

"Huh!?" I spoke to myself as I got up abruptly. I got a sense of vertigo at how fast I launched up from where I was seated on the ground. After a few seconds, my vision was normal once more. I notice again that I'm at yet another unfamiliar place. 

Unbeknownst to myself, a hoar man, possibly in his late 50s, came up and perched his hand on my shoulder. I flinched involuntary. Perhaps the vertigo weakened my senses momentarily. As I looked at the man's face, he looked at me in pity. 

"Kiddo, are you alright?" the senior inquired. He seemed to be inspecting my attire. Maybe he'll help me out? I don't want to be a bother to this man. Albeit, I do need money. But I'm very young, I doubt he'll let me work...

My thoughts came to a halt when the man shook my shoulders snapping me back to reality.

"Ah, s-sorry!" I said hesitantly. What did the hoar man want from me? The headmaster said that the outside world is filled with people that are evil and untrustworthy. Yet, I don't know who to choose. The 'evil humans' or the headmaster's teachings...

"Oh! You must be cold. How about I take you into my place and I can ask you some more questions, kid," the man explains, taking his palm waiting for me to take it. "Come on, I don't bite."

"Hmm..." I thought about it. The old man just wants to take me away from the cold breeze. Are people in the outside word really that nice? Maybe I should take his offer to learn more about Yokohama. The book I read a month ago had a map. Hence, this should be Yokohama, Japan. 

The man smiled warm and expectantly. He seems nice but looks can be deceiving sometimes. I should memorize how to get to where the gray-haired man is taking me, just in case. 

I take the grey-haired man's hand. He then walks me along to a road. Now I can see cars. There's only a few of them though. They are all black cars. It seems unusual even though I've got limited knowledge on them. My gaze tears away from the cars and I start to notice we were walking to an alleyway. There's some shops with big titles such as New TORIGIN. 

I then notice a red sign. It showed a picture of a man with a top hat. Below that was the title that read; LUPIN. 

The man led me to the building that had the sign that said LUPIN. It was located in an alleyway, yet, a few people passed by like it was the norm. Perhaps, it is. As the man and I reached the entrance of the LUPIN building, the hoar man let go of my hand and he grabbed some keys that made several loud noises as they clattered onto another key.

Shortly after, the door was unlocked and opened. The gray-haired man grabbed onto my hand and he led me inside. We went down a few set of stairs. As I entered, I felt the environment shift subtly. Outside was freezing cold and breezy. Inside of the building was warm, a feeling that I haven't felt my whole life. The grey-haired man hastily pulled me to follow him. He sat me down on a stool. He told me to wait on the stool for a minute.

Briefly, the grey haired man comes back. He was holding a brown blanket. I only know what it was because I saw the other kids at the orphanage brag about having blankets when I was allowed to go to the cafeteria of the orphanage. That happened seldom. I was regularly starved before, only having a few crumbs of moldy bread. Then—

My thoughts were interrupted once more as the man stood at the other side of the counter I was sitting at. He looked hesitant. Oh. My thoughts started spiraling again. I should probably pay attention to what this old man has to say. It could be imperative for me.

The gray-haired man coughs, clearing his throat. "So, kiddo, what's your name?" I look at his eyes searching for any deception in his question. He seems trustworthy enough to answer at least a few questions. I should probably ask for his name as well.

Well, I should answer. Wait...I forgot my name again. 78- No. useless- definitely not. Monst- Oh, that's right my name is- "Atsushi. Nakajima Atsushi," I respond. 

The man nods approvingly. He places his now, gloved hand on his chin. "Nice to meet you, Atsushi-kun," he pauses to smile. "My name is Inoue. Hayashi Inoue." 

"C-can I call you Ino-san?" I asked, expectantly. He might be able to help me. I should get familiar with him enough to do so. 

The gra—Inoue-san, I remind myself— snickers fondly. "Ah, yes you can, Atsushi-kun." Simultaneously, Inoue goes up to me and lifts his gloved hand above my head. I look at Inoue in shock. He's going hit me!? Just when I started trusting him... 

I flinched. I feel something on my head, it doesn't hurt. On the contrary, it feels warm. An embrace...? I look up to see Inoue rubbing my head gently. It feels nice. I smiled for the first time today.

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Author's Note:

Atsushi is a lost orphan boi 😔 He gets found 😃 He thought of his trauma 😨 He gets comfort☺️

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Basically the plot for the first chapter right there. ;D

How many headcanons did you catch? 😁

(Give me question ideas that Inoue will ask Atsushi ‼️)

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Next Chapter: Interrogations and A Job