Twisted Fate | Akutagawa Ryūnosuke ✓

08 | Street Rats

Every room in your apartment was completely trashed.

Drawers had been pulled from their brackets, laying smashed to pieces on the floor, documents and household objects scattered along them. The sofa had been swept off its legs, pillows bleeding white feathers amongst the chaos of the room.

Stifling a cry of distress, you raced to your bedroom, catching yourself on the doorway as you surveyed the chaos your room now lay in.

Those bastards.

They'd stolen your phone, and your purse. Completely ransacked your belongings, leaving you no hope of contacting anyone, or being able to afford a decent well-being.

You were back to square-one.

You had nothing.

What now?

Hanging around in your apartment was foolish; as soon as they realised you were missing, they'd hunt you down. And your former home would be the first place to look.

Raking a hand through your [h/c] hair, tugging slightly at the roots, you grabbed a bag from the peg on your door and took to the fridge, throwing open the door.

Fuck. Where had all the food gone? They took that too?

The bastards. They were determined to let you suffer one way or another.

You screamed in frustration, slamming your heel against the door of the fridge and pitching the bag halfway across the room.

What had you done to deserve this?

Why was life so fucking cruel?

Giving your cheeks a prompt slap, you forced yourself to focus on the situation at hand. You had no time to waste searching what little they had left for you; you had to go before they stormed the place.

With one final glance at your livelihood, you fled the apartment.

❖

"I have nothing."

Your reply was swift, bitter. "You were born with nothing."

The new boy shrunk back with watery eyes, his lower lip trembling. "All of us were. We come into this world with nothing but blood in our veins, skin on our bones and breath in our lungs. The rest, we earn ourselves. We have to work for it. We have to make sacrifices. We have to push ourselves to the limit. That's the only way to survive."

The boy's amber eyes widened, fixed on you for a long few seconds, before he dug his heel into the ground, almost as if pledging his loyalty. "You're right," he huffed, dragging a hand through his matted brown hair. "She's right," he informed the others, now staring at you with mingling admiration and uncertainty.

What would it take for them to trust you?

Akutagawa watched you with pebble eyes, unmoving.

"I promise I'll do my best to earn my keep, and stay alive."

Nodding, you shot your silent companion a glance and flicked your chin to the side. "We're going to head out and see what we can find. The rest of you stay put."