It's evening as Dazai, Atsushi, and I sit on some crates, waiting for the tiger to show up. We moved to the district 13 warehouse to catch the beast.
I was sitting next to Atsushi while resting my head on his shoulder. Dazai sat on a crate by himself while reading a red book titled "The Perfect Guide To Suicide".
I wish to know how he's reading in the dark like this.
Atsushi looks over at him from the corner of his eye.
"What are you reading, Dazai-san?"
"A good book." he simply answers.
"I'm surprised you can read in the dark like this."
So he was thinking the same thing I was?
"I've got good eyes. And besides, I read this book before. I can remember every page."
"In that case, why are you reading it?"
"Because a good book is a good book, no matter how many times you read it."
"I see... Do you think the tiger is really going to appear here?"
"It will."
This worried Atsushi.
"Don't worry." Dazai reassures him.
"Huh?"
"This tiger isn't anything I can't handle. Despite how I may appear, I'm a member of the Armed Detected Agency for good reason."
"...You sure are confident. You and Shiori both are. I envy you two."
Dazai and I eye each other before looking back at Atsushi.
"I was always told I was worthless, even at the orphanage... I don't know where I'm going to sleep, or if I'm going to eat tomorrow..."
Overcome with the sense of depression, Atsushi hugs his knees to his chest and buries his face. I sit up and rub his back in comfort.
I've only been at that orphanage for the last four years. Truth is, we were separated at birth and abandon. So for 14 years, I have no idea how they treated him. But from what I've seen, I'll go back and kill each and every one of them. Because before I went to the orphanage, I was trained by a dark organization.
"...I suppose if I did curl up and die in a ditch somewhere no one would care... Actually, getting eaten by the tiger might for the best..."
"..."
Dazai and I just stared at my brother from the corner of our eyes.
I feel super guilty for not protecting him for 14 years of my life. We're 18 now, and I'm just now starting to protect him. I hate myself for it.
After a brief moment, Dazai looks up at the skylight. The clouds in the sky part, revealing a full blue moon. Light from the moon soon fills the warehouse.
"Any minute now..." he says to himself.
Suddenly, the sound of something hitting the floor echoes through the warehouse, causing Atsushi to freak a bit.
"A-A sound just came from the back!"
"It sure did."
"It's here, Dazai-san!"
"I'm pretty sure it was just the wind..."
Atsushi jumps to his feet while having a full-blown panic attack.
"I-It's the man-eating tiger! It's going to eat us, Shiori!"
I just calmly stand and walk over to stand next to Dazai. He closes his book and stands as well.
YOU ARE READING
Our Existence
Fanfiction[First Book] Atsushi and Shiori are abandoned orphans who are living on the streets. They've gone a week without food and are about to die as a result. But one afternoon they save a stranger from having a near death experience himself. This stranger...
