Archive of Our Own ^beta

I met a child with split dyed hair.

It wasn’t out of the ordinary to see kids from the local neighbourhood, playing and prancing behind the restaurant that was the orphans’ home.On one sunny afternoon my hands were full of bags and bags of chocolate for the orphans , as I walked back from the store quietly.
Dazai called me, so naturally I let my guard down as I picked up and tried to balance the phone against my shoulder.

‘Hello?—‘
‘Odasaku it’s me!’
I figured as much, I watched this very same conversation about five seconds ago due to my predictive ability.
‘Dazai did you need me?’
‘I saw something really cool odasaku, I gotta tell you about it and I need your help—‘

As Dazai ranted to me I saw a ghost rush by and swiftly steal the bags from underneath both my arms. I watched in disbelief, then experienced it happen a second time. Alas, my ability is ineffective if I’m paralysed due to disbelief. Or was it something else, I felt a weird sensation just now when this kid had brushed past me.

‘Odasaku? Odadaku?’
‘..I’ll call you back.’
I don’t know what’s more shocking; the fact that I ,lowest ranking member of the port mafia, a man who can barely call himself a handy man, had just hung up on the demon prodigy or the fact that there’s a ghost before my eyes, hovering and quivering as it’s hands clutched sweets that were meant to be for the orphans.

I couldn’t tell if this child, this creature even, was fourteen,fifteen years of age of age or perhaps only six or seven. No older than the children that I was taking care of.
Instinctively, my right hand reached for the pistol that was merely collecting dust holstered upon my waist.
‘Who are you?’
What am I doing, why am I holding a gun? It wasn’t loaded anyway, and I slowly put it back.

‘P-please put the g-gun down!’
It begs.

‘What.. are you?’

That’s how I’ve arrived at my current predicament.

He or she had a head of messy,matted hair that was half a light blueish grey colour and half a dark brown colour similar to dazai’s hair. The hair was covering its facial features which is what made its age and gender so hard to guess. It was wearing some kind of greyish,red laboratory coat covered in mud and big slippers that were falling and flopping off both its feet.

‘I’m kyuusaku.’
The kid utters, clinging to a ragged doll ,that was also covered in mud, with a rather odd appearance. Upon further inspection of kyuusaku,I noticed it had pupils that were also out of the ordinary. One was shaped like a star and the other was an ‘O’, just what was this kid? Did it have a special ability? Both its pupils floated in the abyss that was its wide, dark blue eyes.

I figured it was hungry, not only because it had just stolen from me but also cause it looked like it hadn’t eaten in weeks, months even.
‘Do you want food?’
Kyuusaku nodded slowly, then they hesitantly followed me back up to the curry shop.

‘What’ve you got there odasaku?’
I think the man who owned this place must’ve heard the kid’s quiet footsteps and shaky, wobbly breathing.
‘A stray dog,a stray cat?’

‘Don’t tell me you brought back another orphan, we’re running out of space.’
The old, fat man chuckles jokingly.
‘About that..’

***

What in my right mind was I thinking; bringing this scary looking kid back here, if I can even call it a kid. Because I didn’t know what to do, I let kyuusaku hang out with the orphans while I go call back the second scariest kid that i know who might have some idea of what to do.

‘Where are we going mister?’
Kyuusaku’s jagged fingernails had tight hold of my tan coat sleeve.
‘I’m going to call a friend who might be able to help you, is that ok?’
I murmur.
It was still clinging to the food it had stolen off me, while also clinging to my coat and its weird looking doll with the other hand. I led kyuusaku up the stairs then ushered them into the room.
‘You stay here, I’ll be back shortly.’
It hesitates and grabs me tighter.
‘Is that ok?’
Nodding, Kyuusaku went ahead of me and I shut the door as I went to call Dazai.

‘Hello?’
One of the kids who was sprawled out on his bed , looked down to try find the owner of that high pitch voice, to be greeted by a face followed by their weird head of unusually coloured hair. He gestured to another orphan.
‘Hey did someone come in here just now, I heard a sound?’
‘Yeah some kid just-‘
It’d disappeared into the shadows behind the creaky door.
‘Where’d it go?’
‘HEY EVERYONE I JUST SAW A GHOST!’
Says a girl.
All of the kids started panicking.
‘Hey I’m not a ghost.’
Whispers kyuusaku, stamping their foot as they reappear clenching their fists.

All the orphans looked at kyuusaku.
‘I’m sorry.’
Mumbles the youngest child.
‘Are you a girl or a boy?’
‘I’m a boy.’
Huffs kyuusaku.
‘Why do people always ask that, it’s pretty obvious I’m a boy.’
He sulks.
The youngest of the kids ,who was also the only girl, offered kyuusaku a hair tie before sloppily trying to put it in his hair.

‘Maybe people will be able to tell if there’s not so much hair in your face.’
‘Hey!’
Complains kyuusaku.
‘How old are you?’
Asks another kid who came from beneath the bed.
‘I-I’m seven and a half-!’
He replied in a muffled voice.
‘Why are you here? What’s your name?’

‘My names- yumeno kyuusaku, a man with red hair brought me here-‘
‘Man with red hair?’
One of the children asks, the oldest boy interrupted him loudly.
‘He’s talking about oda dummy!’
‘Oh-dah?’
Asked kyuusaku.
‘Sure! You don’t gotta worry about him, he’s really nice and he brings us sweets sometimes.’
The kid who’s still talking throws his arm around yumeno.
‘Names kosuke-‘
Kyuusaku held up the bags of food he’d stolen from Sakunoske earlier, he beams happily.
‘Oda give me these!’
‘HEY YOU GOTTA SHARE!’
Says one of the kids
‘WILL YOU SHARE,PLEASE?’
‘Haha’
He laughs, nodding.

A little over twenty minutes later I wandered into the room and found all the kids ,including kyuusaku, fast asleep. I smile, and then sigh. One of them woke up ,he must’ve heard me come in and when I asked him what had happened here I found out that the kid’s full name was ‘Yumeno kyuusaku’. He was a boy actually and apparently he was no older than eight, still I didn’t know what to do with him so I had asked Dazai if he and I could meet up and talk about it later at our favourite bar.

‘Kyuusaku.’
I shook him by the shoulder.
‘Yumeno.’
He doesn’t wake up as I tap his other shoulder, we had to leave now since I wanted to get him in cleaner clothes before we visited Dazai.

‘Yumeno—‘
He sits up.
‘I’m taking you to see my friend , we need to get you some clothes first.’
‘Kay oda.’
One of the kids must’ve told him my name.

***

I’m bankrupt. I already existed on a miserably low salary but after I took kyuusaku shopping for new clothes, I obtained less than 500 yen to my name. Wearing shoes and classy,gothic clothes that are no longer falling down, and a weird fancy hat I took him to the bar.

Was it right to have a child in a place such as this one I thought, leading kyuusaku down the narrow stair case ahead of me and into the bar. The bar has to serve orange juice or something right, besides I needed dazai’s help and fast. Yumeno excitedly skipped ahead of me and started pestering a cat rested upon one of the stools. Dazai wasn’t here yet so it was only us two.

‘Hey mister!’
He pet the cat and let out giggles.
‘What’s your cats name?!?’
‘He isn’t my cat.’
I say.
‘Dosent he look so cool and smart!!’
Laughs kyuusaku excitedly, he clapped his hands and jumped up and down.

‘Hey I’ve been saying that for forever.’
A slender boy all dressed in black descends the narrow stair case and takes a seat between me and kyuusaku.
‘Hey Dazai.’
‘Huh?’
He looked up at Dazai.
‘You came.’
I murmur.
‘You said you needed my help, is this the kid you told me about?’
‘Yeah.’
‘Oda, who’s this man?’
Tugs Yumeno on my coat.
I can see why he thought Dazai was a ‘man’; he was tall and lanky, but in all actuality Dazai was merely 16. He shouldn’t have been in this bar any more than kyuusaku, much less drinking.

‘Odasaku, what’s her name?’
Dazai grimaces, pointing at kyuusaku and murmuring in a hushed voice.
‘HEY IM A BOY!’
‘His names yumeno kyuusaku, didn’t I tell you over the phone?’
Dazai calls the bartender then shortly after receives his beverage, I clear my throat then ask him hesitantly.
‘Dazai, could you pay for both our drinks this evening?’
‘Sure I can.’
He let out a quiet chuckle.
‘Are you low on cash?’
‘I’ll say.’
I sigh.
‘You look tired.’

As Dazai reached for his wallet and the two of us were talking, the kid looked at him resentfully then jumped up out of his seat to offer me a single red button from out his navy blue coat pocket.
‘Here take this oda! Take this I can pay!’
He grins and giggles.
‘Haha that’s very kind of you Yumeno.’
He glares at Dazai,Dazai scowls back. Were they both arguing for my attention just now..?

He quietened down, drinking apple juice that Dazai had paid for and pulling on the calico cat’s tail as he kicked his legs happily. I don’t think Yumeno liked Dazai very much.
‘What are you gonna do with him?’
I glance at the kid and glance into my drink.
‘I don’t know, he got along with the orphans well enough so if he doesn’t have a family I could—‘
‘Odasaku.’

I knew what Dazai was gonna say and I knew as-well that kyuusaku was probably a lot of trouble, as-well as a cheerful, outgoing child.
‘I asked mori if he knew anything after we got off the phone, about a young child with split dyed hair.’
This couldn’t be good.
‘And?’
Dazai goes on talking , his voice turns to a secretive whisper and his gaze darkens.
‘Yumeno kyuusaku is a dangerous ability user, a mind controller who’s taken countless lifes.’
‘That can’t be the same kid I know..’

Now that Dazai mentions it I recall the time when kyuusaku had left me completely frozen and defenceless earlier, after he’d stolen from me and touched my shoulder. was I unable to move and react because he was a gifted?
Dazai goes on and brings up that doll he carried around aswell.
‘They call it Q’s curse, Q short for kyuusaku.—‘
‘You told mori about him?’
‘He said he’ll retrieve Q from you and have him taken care of, I trust you’ll do the right thing odasaku.’
I say nothing.

‘Odaaa.’
Kyuusaku pulls on my trouser leg. Dazai and I both glanced down, I hope kyuusaku didn’t hear us just now.
‘I’m tired.’
‘Dazai we’re leaving.’
I sigh.
I’ll let kyuusaku stay with the orphans for tonight.
‘Thanks for the drinks.’

***

‘Will you read us a story!’
Asked one of the kids when I had gone back to the house to drop off kyuusaku for the night.
‘Not tonight.’
I say.
‘I have to head home..’
‘Will he what?’
I heard kyuusaku ask the boy he was lied next to tiredly.
‘Your parents have never read you stories to go to sleep?’
‘No, never.’
Yawned kyuusaku drowsily.

I had a lot of work to catch up on for the port mafia, since I’d spent all day chasing after kyuusaku but postponing that an extra half hour surely wasn’t gonna hurt.
‘Okay okay, everyone sit down and I’ll read you a story.’
I sigh.
‘YAY!!’
The kids all cheered.
‘I can’t stay long, I’ve got stuff to do.’

Claiming that I didn’t have a bit of sympathy for yumeno’s situation would be un-true. Still there’s nothing to be done; Tommorow I’ll probably have to take him to the headquarters of the boss, where he’ll be experimented on and god knows all because he had the misfortune of bumping into me.

The kids were fast asleep,so I got up out of my chair to return home.
‘Night—‘
‘Oda.’
Who was still awake I thought, it was almost midnight and usually the kids had all gone to sleep by eight pm.
‘Yeah?’
I turned on my heals and saw the boy with split dyed hair, sat upon a pillow hugging his eerie doll and rocking back and forth.

‘Did you need something?’
I say, he just stares at me directly then cocks his head to the side a little, before giving me a mischievous smile.
‘Night!’
Surely this isn’t the kid who’s taken countless lifes, who Dazai had spoke of. If that’s the case maybe he won’t have to go be with mori at all, maybe Dazai was wrong. I smile.
‘Night.’

The next morning, I woke up precisely ten minutes after my alarm had gone off, Upon reaching for my phone on the bedside table to turn it off and start my day, I saw five missed calls from Dazai, that couldn’t be good.
‘Dazai?’
I called him back quicker than I’d ever done anything in my life before finally sitting up, stretching my arms and yawning.
‘Morning odasaku, you ok?’
‘Yeah? You called me— is everything ok?’

I heard Dazai sigh, he sounded remorseful or perhaps like there was something he needed to share with me, something he was prolonging.
‘Dazai?’
‘Oh, right.’
He sighs.
‘Mori called. He said you are to deliver Q to him before twelve o’clock.’
‘Are you sure?’
I blurt out.
Dazai says nothing.
‘All I mean is.. are you sure we’re both talking about the same kid? The kid I know doesn’t have a special ability , I doubt he’s hurt anyone—‘
I lie and stammer.

‘You know it isn’t wise to keep him waiting Sakunoske.’
‘You’re right.’

***

I walk with kyuusaku to the boss’s headquarters.
‘Oda, where are we going?’
He asks brightly, holding my hand and his disheveled doll.

‘what were you doing before I picked you up yesterday?’
I hesitate.
‘I escaped a man with one of these.’
He whispers, holding up his own scarf.
‘It was red.’
My heart skipped a beat and a sour taste spread across my mouth, I felt awful.

‘That man, did he hurt you?’
I say.
‘He did a little.’
‘He’d mostly get me to use my ability.. oh! and he had a knife like a—‘
We kept going until we reached two vast doors that were made from thick,stained glass.

‘Where are we going oda?’
Two men in formal black suits stopped
us in our tracks before we reached the elevator.
‘Oda..’
A deep look of despair and betrayal flooded Yumeno’s huge eyes that only yesterday were full of hope and childishness.
‘Oda?’
‘I’m sorry kid.’
I whisper.

Both the men, whose faces were covered, took a shoulder of kyuusaku’s each as they started leading him away. Another person showed up and took away his doll.
‘HEY NOT THAT!!’
He cries.
‘PLEASE!’
I stood and did nothing. Frozen.
‘GIVE IT BACK!!LET ME GO!!’
This was for the best, this was definitely for the best. Q had harmed a lot of people and to defy mori would be suicide. No if I defied mori then the kids would be in danger, this was for the best right? Should I do something?

He escaped the three men, he pushed and shoved them then rushed to my side and hugged my legs tightly.
‘ODA I DONT WANNA GO I WANNA STAY WITH YOU!’
‘You can’t.’
I mutter.
‘I wish you could but you can’t.’
I say detachedly.
‘Why not?’
He sniffs.
‘You’ve got to stay here.’
‘But I don’t wanna! I don’t like it here!’
‘You’ll make it out.’
I whisper tacitly.
‘You escaped before didn’t you?’

Kyuusaku ceased struggling , the three men dragged him away and he looked dead into my eyes. I knew that I’d regret this but oh well..

Unfortunately, comforting people had always been one of those few things that even I could not manage sufficiently. In short it had always been my weak point.
I sit down by odasaku’s side after he had arrived at the bar this evening, I had to approach this like he a sad child. Imagine a child who yesterday found a stray cat with no collar, the child grew attached to the cat in no time then the cat had an owner so he had to give it up.The only differences are the child is a man in his early twenties and the stray cat is a dangerous ability user who’s probably bound to be tortured and killed now.
‘Odasaku, you ok?’
I cock my head, flicking the ice that floated in his glass with the tip of my long fingernail.
‘Yeah, why do you ask?’
He sips his drink, the same blank expression remained on his face as always.
‘No reason.’
I utter, the bar was deafeningly silent today and the cat hadn’t shown up.
I could arrange for odasaku to visit Q at any time, but I don’t think he wanted that.

‘Come on let’s get outta here!’
Exclaims Dazai suddenly, his hand found its way to my shoulder and he helped me off my stool.
‘Hey—‘
I was trying to light a cigarette but he slapped it out of my hand and on to the cold floor.
‘Come on we’re going some place fun to do something, I’ll tell you about that thing from yesterday morning.’
‘Haha, ok.’

Just then Dazai got a call, he picked up his phone and I watched as the colour left his cheeks.
‘Q got away..’
Sorry Dazai. I knew I’d regret giving kyuusaku that paper clip from my back pocket to help with his escape. Had I done the right thing, I still can’t tell.