─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───
CHAPTER FIVE:
Let the games begin.
─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Aki woke to the disturbing sound of a default iPhone alarm. Which at first, seemed strange, since she was more than aware that she didn't have her phone. The moment she jolted awake and spotted the phone beside her beside table, she hit the snooze button over and over again, at first, planning on going straight back to sleep. But then she noticed that she had one unopened message displayed on the default wallpaper.

Groaning, she took the phone in her hand and opened the message. The phone didn't have a passcode.

                 Mori.

Good morning, Akira. I hope you slept well. This phone is your gift from the Port Mafia, along with the present in the gift bag by your bed. We are scheduled for a meeting at 9am in the dining room. We hope to see you there.

"We hope to see you there," Aki mimicked in a childish voice. "Yeah right, asshole. Like I have a choice." She grumbled, putting the phone back on the dresser and sliding out of bed.

She slipped her feet into the slippers by her bed, enjoying the feeling of the fuzzy material between her toes. After all the running around she had been doing in her bare feet, it felt great to have something so comforting against her skin.

Upon standing, she noticed the gift bag Mori had mentioned in his text sitting on the bottom of her bed. Her interest piqued, snooping in the gift bag was the first thing she did. She happened to notice that the bag itself was bright and cheerful, with 'Welcome' written across it in a bubbly font. It certainly wasn't her idea of a gift from a terrifying Mafia Boss. But nevertheless, she reached into the bag, feeling around for this gift she had received.

There was a small box at the bottom of the bag that she pulled out. Opening it, the first thing she seen was a piece of paper with a handwritten note on it. The handwriting reminded her that of a doctors—hard to read and Italic.

Welcome to the Port Mafia, Akira. We are ecstatic to have you with us. Please accept this gift on our behalf. — The Port Mafia.

Aki scrunched up her nose. With all of the gift giving, she felt like a child—a spoilt child at that. Sighing, she removed the note to see what was beneath. And suddenly, I don't feel so spoiled, she thought to herself. Inside the box, was a red silk ribbon. The colour itself was the colour of blood, a deep shade of crimson. It was pretty, to say the least, but what exactly did Mori expect her to do with it? Wear it in her hair like a fucking child?

Placing the box down, Aki approached her vanity before sitting down. She brushed her hair out before trying out different styles with the ribbon. In the end, she hated them all. She had never been girly enough to do much with her hair. It was always left poker-straight, free to fly around at her shoulders in a breeze—and besides, she wasn't really sure how to do her hair. Everything looked messy and unkempt. It was silly, how hard she was trying to make the ribbon work. But what the fuck else was she supposed to do? She had to accept the offering. She needed to fit in as soon as possible for her plan to work. She needed Mori to trust her.

In the end, Aki had decided not to put the ribbon in her hair, but instead, tie it around her neck in a criss-cross and then complete it with a bow. It looked good enough adorning her neck, making it no longer look bare. She actually kind of liked it.

Getting ready for the meeting didn't take long. Aki basked in the fact that she was naturally pretty and only really wore mascara and some blush, because she wasn't exactly the best at makeup either way. She would always have to use a Q-Tip to clean up the excess mascara she ended up smudging with the stick on her upper eyelids. As for clothes, everything Kouyou had picked out for her was perfect—which did surprise Aki, considering how traditional the woman dressed. But it seemed that the woman wanted Aki to be as comfortable as possible, and therefore, picked things that suited her.

Aki had chosen a simple white, long-sleeved blouse, a leather corset belt, a black mini skirt, like her own ones with sewn in shorts, black knee high socks and black shiny boots with red bottoms. She made sure to leave the first few buttons of her shirt undone and then rolled her sleeves up to her elbows. Tucking one side of her hair behind her ear, she grabbed her phone and left the room.

She had absolutely no fucking clue where she was going. Like, couldn't Mori have sent her a map or something? Literally anything to help her out. The Port Mafia building was like a maze with endless hallways that all looked the same. It was actually making her dizzy. She still had ten minutes before the meeting was to begin, so she wasn't in too much of a rush and instead, focused on her surroundings so that she could better understand the building. She had been instructed to memorise the building, so that once Mori was assassinated, the Double A could infiltrate with ease and eliminate the rest of the Port Mafia from inside.

When she came to a hallway where there was an elevator, she stared at it for a few moments before deciding to press the button. She waited for a few seconds, watching as the number above the elevator changed with each passing floor. After a moment, the elevator dinged as it opened. Aki took a step forward, moments before her face fell at the sight of the person standing in the elevator. Chuuya Nakahara, in all his small but glorious glory.

At the sour look on her face, Chuuya let out a scoff, leaning his back against the rail, "Please, contain your excitement." He said with a sarcastic tone and roll of his eyes. The little bitch actually rolled his eyes at her.

Aki stuck her nose in the air as she stepped into the elevator, "Bite me, Nakahara." She mumbled under her breath. It was far too early for a spitting match with the Gravity User.

"Eat me, Kitagawa." He responded without skipping a beat.

"No thanks. I'm trying to bulk up." She said, giving a flex of her arm, a bored expression on her face.

Chuuya's entire body swivelled to face her, his hand immediately making a fist in the air, "Why you—"

Aki held her hand up, "It's too early for your yelling, pipsqueak—"

"Who you calling a pipsqueak, huh? You're hardly a giant yourself. You're like what, four foot fucking nothing?" He hissed at her, teeth bared and all. Oh, how worked up he got when it came to pretty women insulting him.

This time, Aki's eyes narrowed as she turned to face him. It turned out, her height was also a sensitive subject, "I'm five foot, you arrogant bastard—"

"Wow, five foot," He gushed in a mocking voice, giving his head a shake. "Didn't realise I was in the presence of the not-so-friendly green giant." With the tone he was taking up, it was crazy to believe that he was a twenty-two year old man with an extreme death count—nowhere near as high as Aki's, but still pretty impressive. However, the childish tone to his voice would never have shown it.

Aki took a step closer to him, "And I didn't realise I was in the presence of an egotistical jackass—oh, wait, I did!" She exclaimed, throwing her hands up, eyes narrowed.

The pair stood there, practically growling like wolves at the other. What was it about them that neither of them could stand? Why did they bug each other so much? There were many reasons, they supposed, but yet, there weren't a lot of people who could get under their skins in such a short time like they could. They had barely spent an hour in each others presence, and already they were planning their murders and alibis.

Chuuya took his palm to his face, letting out a low groan, "Man, I can't believe the Boss really took you on," He complained, pressing his back to the glass. He reached up, his finger stroking the brim of his hat before pushing it down a notch. "You're gonna be a serious pain in my ass." He mumbled without looking at her, as if he was talking more so to himself.

Aki let out a loud 'ha!', "You're not exactly sunshine and rainbows yourself, Nakahara." She said, just as the elevator doors pinged open. Chuuya attempted to walk out first, but Aki roughly shoved by him, wearing a shit eating grin on her lips when she nudged him into the the elevator doors, making him momentarily trapped.

Chuuya sighed, reaching up to bring his finger along the rim of his hat, "Like I said, a pain in my ass." He mumbled to himself, stepping out of the elevator to follow after Aki who was confidently pretending as though she knew where she was going.

She was practically skipping down the hallway when Chuuya's voice stopped her, "You're going the wrong way, you know," Aki came to a halt. She turned her head, looking at him from over her shoulder. He was standing down the other end of the hall, his hip jutted outwards whilst pointing his thumb in the opposite direction. Jeez, Aki thought, I didn't realise it was the sassy man apocalypse.

Sticking her nose in the air, Aki tucked her hands behind her back and strolled towards Chuuya, and then straight by him. Chuuya briefly noticed her scent—like a mixture of cherries and honey. She smelled good, intoxicating even. Which was all the more frustrating. She couldn't just be drop dead gorgeous and smell bad?

Aki could feel Chuuya's presence walking behind her, telling her she was still heading in the right direction. After an agonising minute of silence, she reached an open set of French doors. She immediately knew it was the dining room—she could smell the freshly cooked food coming from inside the room. It smelled as though someone had opened a fucking bakery inside the Port Mafia. The smell alone made her stomach growl loudly which reminded her she hadn't ate since the day prior. She was absolutely fucking starving; bordering hangry.

There was a long table in the centre of the room, making it look like some kind of medieval banquette. There was an assortment of food piled up on the table draped in a rich red cloth—bagels, fruits, pastries, bacon, the works. It had Aki foaming at the mouth. She took a step forward, but this time, Chuuya barged by her, knocking her into the door. In retaliation, Aki kicked out her foot, tripping Chuuya up by a few paces. The man turned to look at her with wide, irritated eyes, earning a smug smirk on her behalf. Two can play at that game, asshole.

"Ah, Akira, Chuuya—I'm glad you two decided to join us." Mori called out in greeting, sitting at the head of the table. He looked as sick and twisted as ever, a passive smile spread across his lips. There was a little blonde girl sitting on his knee, scribbling on a colouring book with crayons. Many seats at the dining table were taken up by his most loyal companions. Aki held back a smirk. Let the games begin.

Chuuya hurriedly moved to sit down in a seat Aki assumed to be his assigned one, "Sorry, Boss. I got caught up with some paperwork. Has the meeting started?" Chuuya apologised as he slid into his seat, crossing one leg over the other. Aki watched him, despite the fact he was only a few inches taller than her, his legs were still quite long—he looked taller. But perhaps that was because she knew who he was, or rather, what he was. A man who was the vessel of a God. It could never make him small, not with that presence inside of him.

Mori folded his hands and brought them to rest his chin on, "No, we were waiting for the lovely Akira to join us." At his words, Aki took a moment to look around the table. There was a few seats to spare, but there was a large number in the room—a group of eyes staring at her curiously. They had all been wondering about the woman Mori had told them about. At first glance, she was strikingly beautiful, at second glance, there was something haunting about her. Until she offered a wide, childish grin.

She spread her arms out like a bird about to take flight, "Well, the guest of honour is here." She mocked a bow, making Chuuya roll his eyes from across the room.

"Akira, please, take a seat and let us begin." Aki did as she was instructed. She looked around the room first though, trying to decide which open seat to take. In the end, she sat opposite Chuuya with a smug smile and beside a man with black hair and frosted tips who seemed uninterested by her presence.

"I'd like to introduce you to everyone before we begin. You've already met one of my executives, Chuuya Nakahara," At his words, Aki blew the ginger a kiss, which made him squirm with a grimace on his face. "And I've been informed that you met my right hand woman, Kouyou last night." The red headed woman who sat closest to Mori gave Aki a closed smile. Aki and Kouyou had talked quite a bit the night before, about this and that, nothing really important. But Aki found that she liked the woman. Which was a rare feeling.

    Mori then went around the room, introducing his most trusted members, proud to brag about them to their latest comrade.

                   Akutagawa, the man that sat beside her with black hair and frosted tips that framed his pale face. He sat with what seemed to be a neutral expression on his face, his arms crossed at his chest. He reminded Aki of a sickly Victorian child, but yet, there was something mesmerising about him. She was told his ability Rashomon, allowed him to use his black cloak as a weapon. She didn't quite understand the details, but apparently, his ability was sharp enough to cut through anything—which was rather intimidating. And pretty fucking cool.

Higuchi, a woman with blonde hair tied back into a neat bun, with face-framing layers left out. It made her appear slightly older than her age, how well put together she was in her pantsuit, but Aki assumed she was around her age. She had no special ability, simply a Mafioso, but to be sitting there in that room, Aki knew that she must have been trusted and appreciated enough. She had smiled slightly at Aki when they were being introduced, but the raven haired women couldn't help but notice the nervous glances she was giving between her and Akutagawa. Putting two and two together, she concluded she had a little crush on the ability user. Aki couldn't really blame her.

Gin, the younger sister of Akutagawa who was wrapped up as a mystery. She wore a mask on the lower half of her face, hiding her looks. But Aki could tell she was beautiful—she held herself in the certain way only a stunning woman would, with sharp eyes that was always darting around her surroundings. She also had no ability, but yet, was a member of the Black Lizard group—one of the deadliest groups within the entire mafia. Apparently, she was highly efficient with weapons and served as an assassin. Aki felt like out of all the people in the room, she probably had the most in common with the younger girl.

Tachihara, a taller redhead, with spiky hair and a bandaid across his nose. He had a certain boyish charm to him, Aki could see it in the grin he shot her whilst he was being introduced. He was also a member of the Black Lizard who knew his way around a gun and highly skilled in hand-to-hand combat. He had winked at Aki, making her raise her brows at him in amusement.

Hirotsu. He was the older man with the grey hair and monocle who had been in the room with Chuuya when Aki was first brought into the Port Mafia and the leader of the Black Lizards. He had a lit cigarette dangling from his lips and a content expression on his face. His ability, Falling Camellia, was a close range ability. By touching anything with his palm, he could expel it away from him with high force, whilst also being able to break through the strongest of metals and bones. Aki supposed it was quite similar to her own ability, as she too could do those things if she wanted to. And she had. She'd shattered peoples skulls from inside their heads without ever even touching them.

Kajii. He was a funny looking man, with a chestnut bowl cut and goggles covering his eyes. At first glance, he seemed neurotic and all he was doing was sitting there, smiling wickedly to himself. His ability, Lemon, was one of the strangest she had heard as of yet. It allowed him to create bombs in the shape and colour of lemons, which could be of no harm to him which allowed him to be a different breed of bomber. He could blow up an entire building and be unharmed by his own explosions. It was actually pretty impressive.

Elise. Mori didn't say much about her, except for introducing her by name with a adoring expression on his face. She was a small girl, perhaps only ten-years-old, with long blonde hair that was almost larger than her body adorned by a big red bow on the top of her head. She wore an enthusiastic smile as she announced she and Aki were going to be best friends. Aki assumed she was his surrogate daughter or something; in truth, she didn't really care.

                   Kouyou. Aki had been informed of the woman's ability. Golden Demon, a sword-wielding phantom that would kill on her command. It wasn't too surprising, giving the larger then life presence the women held—but it hadn't exactly been what Aki was expecting. But it made her respect the woman.

"And now that we're all caught up to speed, the meeting can officially begin," Mori said with a pleased nod. Everyone straightened out. Except for Aki, who was drizzling a serious amount of Maple Syrup on top of her pancakes and bacon. American food was so disgusting it was delicious. Mori's lightning eyes danced around the room. "Our meeting topic of the day, is the Double A."

AUTHORS NOTE.

i forgot to mention, but since this book kinda lives in its own au land, everyone is aware of the fact gin's a girl and that chuuya's a vessel. no real reason why, i just wanted it to be that way🤷🏻‍♀️ hope y'all enjoyed this chapter!

— taylor xx