Shin Soukoku Soulmate AU ~ Chapter 2

Akutagawa has never seen love. Sure he'd witnessed his fair share of couples on the streets, or families with their children, or even heard those famous three

words as two young people sat in a cafe together. If you were to ask, most people would describe love in something of that manner. But Akutagawa saw all of this as

background noise, just another thing he had to avoid. Akutagawa thought the whole idea of love was ridiculous. You get so attached to someone, it creates weakness,

makes it easier for someone to have control over you. So the fact that the world just chose someone that Akutagawa was expected to love, it angered him beyond belief.

But he had never really thought much about it. He was twenty, meaning his soulmate has been determined for two years already, and there was no sign of meeting them.

So he pushed it to the back of his mind. But now that he knows who his soulmate is, the thought has been messing with his head for days since the encounter.

"Sir, we have to go." Akutagawa shook his head. Once again he was caught thinking.

"Of course. Thank you Higuchi." He got up to follow her. She would often glance back at him, he seemed to be out of it all the time now, like he no longer

cared about his duty as a Port Mafia member.

"Sir, I'm sorry to ask, but are you alright? You've been acting rather strange since the encounter with Dazai and the weretiger." He flinched.

"I'm fine, just keep walking." The rest of the trip was in silence. He usually enjoyed the late night missions, but now he longed for when he could return

home to his familiar silence.

Atsushi lay awake in bed, he just couldn't fall asleep. His thoughts kept roaming to Akutagawa. How his soulmate wanted him dead, was he destined to be

unhappy his whole life? Was this some kind of curse or karma? He hasn't done anything wrong though. Not that he could remember.

"Atsushiiii?" A knock at the door. He groaned. Only one idiot would be awake this late to bother him.

"What do you want Dazai?" Atsushi tried to sound as if he was just woken up.

"Can I come in?" Atushi knew there was no getting out of it when Dazai wanted something.

"Sure." The door opened painfully slow and Dazai peeked his head in.

"Hi Atsushi." Atsushi stared him down.

"It's like three in the morning what are you doing?"

"I was just wondering if you wanted to know more about your soulmate?" He wiggled his eyebrows at the last word. Atsushi overlooked that. Of course he did.

"Sure Dazai, honestly I can't fall asleep anyway." Dazai smiled brightly and sat across from Atsushi on the bed.

"Well you know that I used to be in the Port Mafia correct?" Atsushi nodded.

"Well Akutagawa was my subordinate. I taught him everything he knows." Dazai said, head held high in pride. Atsushi rolled his eyes at him.

"Okay, so now he wants me dead. What's with that?" Dazai slumped back down.

"Atsushi, he's still with the Port Mafia, so naturally he'd be our enemy now. He probably has orders to kill you." Atsushi was shocked that he could say that

without a second thought.

"Dazai. This man is supposed to be my soulmate. How am I supposed to manage that?" Dazai simply shrugged.

"That's for the two of you to figure out on your own. I can't mess with it." Atsushi was a little thrown off with how Dazai was acting. Usually he'd be trying

to mess with the system at any possible point. But now he seemed so... serious.

"What about you?" Atsushi asked curiously.

"What about me?" Dazai shifted from where he sat, a habit of nerves he's had for as long as he could remember.

"You're older than me. So you've had your soulmate for a while already. Who is it? Do I know them?" Atsushi got more excited the more he questioned.

"It's pretty late. I think you should get some sleep Atsushi. Maybe it will help with your situation." Dazai smiled before getting up and ignoring a protesting

Atsushi as he left the room. He wouldn't be able to hide it forever, he knew that. He looked at his arms, how his wrists were always covered, concealing his past,

while at the same time being a terrible reminder.

Atsushi eventually gave up on calling after Dazai, he'd ask him in the morning, it was pretty late. So he decided to try sleeping again, laying down and

burying himself in the blanket.

"Flawless." Dazai read. What a nice ability name. It sounded familiar somehow.

"Oh hey Dazai, did you get your soulmate yet? I know today is your eighteenth birthday." Oda had approached him in their meeting place at the bar. Dazai's eyes

lit up.

"Oda, what's the name of your ability again?" Dazai studied his friend's face.

"Flawless. Why?" Dazai smiled warmly and showed Oda his wrist.

"So your ability name is no longer human? I'd been embarrassed that I didn't know so I never asked." Oda hugged him and laughed.

"It is. We're soulmates Oda." The two laughed at each other's cheesiness. Two mafia members, destined to be together.

Dazai smiled to himself in the dark of his room. It wasn't like his usual smiles though. He used to be so happy and carefree, even at 18. His smile faded as

the memories continued, only a year later.

"Odasaku, what should I do?" Dazai held onto Oda, his eyes threatening to spill tears as he choked out his words.

"Be on the side that saves people. If neither good or evil means anything to you, then become a good man. That will at least make your world a bit more

beautiful." Oda's words were quiet, his last breaths coming shallowly.

"How could you know that?" Dazai pressed further.

"Because... I know you better than anyone." Oda breathed out as his hand fell from Dazai's head, pulling off the bandages over his eye.

Dazai unwrapped the bandage on his right wrist, looking at the blank spot there, tracing over the veins and picturing the word "flawless" still showing

brightly the way it used to. The day when it had fully disappeared was one of the worst days he ever had. Every day since Oda died, the word would fade a little bit

more. But one day, about two weeks after, Dazai woke up to find the word completely gone from his wrist. He had cried, really let it out, for the first time in years.

He continued to wear his bandages on his arms, but now he pulled them over his wrists so he would never have to look at them again.