Choices & Chains

Getting Along

 " A Ramen Restaurant! Your secret passage is located in a Ramen Restaurant!" Kath exclaimed.

" It's not me who decides," Akutagawa stated plainly as he kicked the door open. " Plus, your reaction proves it's quite the perfect place. Unexpected, as it should be."

He ran in, went behind the bar, and grabbed a knife in his wake before rearing it, almost cutting Atsushi's throat, then jabbing it inside a slit on some metal door frame. The double door pulled open.

" You did that on purpose." A snort was the only answer she got.

A clutter sounded behind them. Kyouka jumped over the bar, knocking utensils and plates in her wake before joining them in the small cubicle. The doors slammed closed before Demon Snow could reach them.

✦ -─────────- ✦

It was utterly dark before a faint whirring could be heard, and then the light came to life as though breathing out, casting a yellow tint on all of them. Metallic claws clasped together, fastening the door in place before the small cubicle jerked downward. Kath took in the elevator. " Um, Ryuu, where does this thing go?"

" All the way down," Akutagawa answered, not bothering to even meet her eyes. " This emergency passage was made in case of a gifted attack. The fog won't reach us here. Same applies for rogue abilities."

" What's that fog?" Atsushi asked for all of them.

" It's the dragon breath."

" Dragon?" Both Kath and Atsushi questioned, but no answer came, for Akutagawa shifted his attention to Kyouka who made a point of not looking in his direction, as if ignoring his existence.

" Kyouka, with neither of us having our abilities, you could kill me with your assassin skills." Kath thought it was the first time that Akutagawa was ever ignored that way. " What's wrong? Didn't you have a score to settle with me?"

Now that you mention it... Kath's eyes trailed over to Kyouka, whose demeanor was unfazed. If she ever bore any grudge or hostility, the girl hid it well.

Kath looked around again in time to find Akutagawa and Atsushi at each other's throats. " Want to end this while we don't have our abilities?" That rang a bell.

" You know how to get our abilities back?"

" I know of a way."

" What?!"

" Spill it out Ryuu!"

" Defeat the ability, and it'll return to its owner. Are you that uninformed?" He mocked.

Kath placed a hand on her chin, flipping the pages of the report given to her earlier that day. Nothing about a way of retrieving one's ability was ever mentioned. " Ryuu, where did you get that information from?"

Akutagawa looked back at her. " Our request came from the Special Operation Division, and I find it hard that they forgot to include that part, which means..."

" Those fools would not know," Akutagawa gave a snort. " No one but those who came close to the fog and survived would know of that fact."

" True. Those people would never dream of setting foot in it." Kath agreed.

" What's your plan?" By the look of it, Atsushi could never bring himself to trust in the other man. Well, considering their agenda, it was understandable.

The answer was simple, not even Kath needed to hear it. Shibusawa Tatsuhiko was the target here. Both for them and Akutagawa. After all, the Port Mafia wouldn't have let him walk around freely.