Four years since you'd met those cold, lacklustre eyes. Heard that sullen, empty voice.
Four years was a long time.
Enough time for you to forget the past. Forget the damage you'd inflicted to everyone around you. Forge a new identity - a new life.
But not enough to forget him.
The faint ruffle of a coat caught your attention, shortly accompanied by the faint click of shoes against the stone. Your stomach fluttered nervously, trepidation grinding in your bones.
A shadow emerged in the small square of light pooling at the base of the steps, silent, unmoving.
Was he going to kill you?
"What a twisted turn of fate."
His voice was light, like the flutter of a breeze, and yet dangerous at the same time. It spoke of power, of rage, of unholy deeds. Of pain and suffering, of loneliness and regret.
Ryūnosuke Akutagawa.
The silent, rabid dog.
Stepping out of the shadows was a young man, with coarse raven hair and chalky skin. His eyes were deep-set and soulless. Black pebbles. With a dark coat ruffling around his waist, he glided smoothly toward you, eyes unwavering.
Your throat seemed to close up, your tongue hanging heavy, making it difficult to choke out his name. "Aku-"
He fluttered a hand to his mouth, letting out a quiet cough. You fixed a scowl on your face as you regarded the sickly sheen coating his skin - he still hadn't overcome his illness?
"Why did you leave?" The question was brusque, forceful. Nothing more, nothing less. That's all he was here for. "Why?" He was close now, close enough for you to see the ice in his eyes. Thin ice.
Why did he harbour so much anger toward you?
You tore your gaze away, letting it drop to his feet.
"I... can't..." you breathed, voice trembling. Why did you have to falter before him? Why did you have to be so weak?
His coat whipped forward with a sharp hiss, extending into black threads that snaked around your neck, pinning you against the wall with a crushing pressure around your throat. It was impossible to breathe. Akutagawa watched, listlessly, as the veins in your forehead began to bulge, your tongue heavy in your mouth as you fought for breath.
As your vision began to deteriorate, fuzzing around the edges, the pressure around your neck lessened, and Akutagawa took slow steps towards you until he was mere inches away from your face, burning your skin with his icy breath. His eyes dropped -fleetingly- to your bloodied dress, moving his lips beside your ear. "You look better in black."
Releasing your throat completely, he took a step back and coughed into his hand again. "Why are you here, [L/N]?"
You slumped against the wall, gripped once again with light-headedness as you strived to feed air to your lungs. It still felt like you were suffocating - like those black jaws were still wrapped around your throat.
"It's been four years. Why are you here now?" He persisted, his voice laced with an eerie calmness.
"I... don't know."
His lips curled into a snarl. "Pathetic. Just like you always were."
You sighed shakily, unable to meet his hostile glare. He hated you. Completely despised you.
Why did it hurt?
"Ryu... I'm sorry."
Holding a hand to his mouth again, he suppressed a short cough and turned on his heel, coat fluttering behind him like a wild beast, ready to devour anything that stood in its path. Then he walked away without another word.
You whistled out a breath you didn't realise you were holding, an ache settling in your chest.
Ryu... I didn't want to. I promise, I didn't want to leave you.
You fell back against the wall, exhausted, crippled with pain, too weak to raise your head at the approaching footfalls.
"Oh, you're still alive," Chuuya mocked, his coat swishing about his legs as he crossed the room.
"What are you planning... to do with me?"
He chuckled wryly, trailing a thumb over your bruised face. "You know secrets of the Mafia. I'm afraid we can't allow you to live."
Your face blanched, heart stopping dead in its tracks.
You'd only been an associate of the Mafia for two years, but this time had seen you through a lot of pain and violence. You knew what these dogs were capable.
"Chuuya, please-"
"Don't worry, we'll make it as painful as we possibly can," he informed you, before a punch tore through your skull and red flashed before your eyes.
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