Trigger warning: physical/psychological violence

"Not good, (Y/n). Not good. In this state you can never be of help to the Mafia, on the contrary. You would only be in the way."

(Y/n) didn't even try to get up from the ground.

Whether she got up and tried to fight again or threw in the towel her magnanimous mentor would not spare himself and would still kick her, bruise her to the point of unconsciousness.

This was the procedure Akutagawa Ryuunosuke had subjected her to since she had been entrusted to his sweet and loving care.

She had always known that mafiosi were heartless and unscrupulous people, but she had never expected such inhuman training.

Still, she had hoped that there might be room for some humanity and understanding, but she had deluded herself far too much.

At least with Akutagawa.

The only thing oozing from his eyes were the depths of Hell.

The devil himself might have been more forgiving than that mobster.

Still the girl had learned to live with the effects the boy's ability caused on her body: blows, bruises, scratches, cuts, blood, broken bones. Nothing was missing from the list.

She had suffered all kinds of physical injuries from that monster.

And, whenever she was on the ground injured and without strength, Akutagawa never forgot to remind her how ridiculous and pathetic she was.

How she was worthless and how she could never be worth anything in her life.

He always threw her to the ground.

Whether he attacked her physically or verbally mattered little.

The result was always the same.

She, without strength, on the ground.

Feeling sorry for herself, wondering why she couldn't do anything right there.

Why was she so weak and incapable?

Couldn't she also be as strong as Akutagawa?

She never received any words of encouragement from him.

Nor any advice on how she could improve herself.

None of that.

But there were times when even just trying to speak managed to unleash Akutagawa's most baleful wrath.

(Y/n) would have loved to understand what Akutagawa's motivations for being so violent could be, but there didn't seem to be any definite pattern.

Akutagawa was always reminding her of all her flaws and imperfections.

How weak and useless she was.

How she would never make a career within the Mafia.

As if (Y/n) didn't already know all this.

Each time she left the training room with her head down, trying not to get too overwhelmed by that so absurd and surreal situation to which fate had assigned her.

Aware that never in her life would she be able to impress the implacable Akutagawa Ryuunoske.

It was an impossible feat.

But (Y/n) desperately wanted to feel something again. To return to life.

She had also tried to gather information about her mentor, but what little she had managed to learn had not been at all comforting.

It seemed that Akutagawa's impossible attitude stemmed from one of the former Mafia executives, a certain Dazai Osamu.

Apparently, Akutagawa had also been brutally trained by this individual and (Y/n) had no doubt about it.

This was clear from the way Akutagawa was directing his training.

A one-way trip to Hell would have been more pleasant.

But things would not have ended like that for her either.

They simply could not end like that.

That vicious circle had to stop.

Some time later (Y/n) managed to break free from that Hell and she too got to meet that mysterious Dazai Osamu in an unusual place.

In that Armed Detective Agency that had shown her a new path after her wanderings within the Mafia.

Under the guidance of their leader, Fukuzawa Yukichi, she had discovered what her qualities were and put them to good use.

She had become a better person and had finally returned to life.

But her affair with Akutagawa was not yet over.

Soon, their paths crossed again when a new member of the Agency was set on saving a young girl from the Mafia.

It had made her heart clench to see the poor creature interacting with Akutagawa.

She had seen herself again struggling with that monster.

That monster who hadn't changed at all.

He had remained the same, a relentless and merciless mentor.

But now things had changed.

She was no longer that weak and helpless little girl who could barely dodge Rashomon's blows.

Now she had become strong too.

Now Akutagawa's blows could no longer scratch her.

Not even touch her.

For now she too was strong, so strong that she could not only stand up to him, but even beat him.

(Y/n) smiled as she saw the astonishment in Akutagawa's eyes.

"Then you are no longer that weak and helpless young woman from back then."

His tone was calm and quiet, but, a second later, it changed completely.

"Why? Why?" He began to shout. "Why couldn't I make you like that?"

The fight between the two continued, but (Y/n) had the situation in hand.

She would never allow Akutagawa to even touch her again.

Not even by accident.

"Because you are a mean being destined to be alone like a dog! That's why!!!"

11/08/2023

At the end I got the inspiration for this song XD

Which isn't so much inspiration since (Y/n) could easily be overlapped to Kyouka, but given the tone of the song, it seemed like the most appropriate choice to make; so, for once maybe I wrote a character close enough to the canon lol

See you next week with The Story of Us <3