Dictator

4. Beast Beneath the Moonlight

High buildings were one of Tomie's favorite places to be when she felt the need to escape reality momentarily. She could look down at the world beneath her feet, feeling like she could bend it at her will. But the dangers of it all was what kept her going. One wrong step and it would've all ended, easy as that. Or at least, she wished it was that easy. Tomie loved heights because she felt she could reach her hand out to the sky, grab the stars and feel the soft clouds at her fingertips.

Though right now, neither of those were the case as her eyes followed Higuchi leading three people —who seemed to be members of the Agency— into a dark alleyway from above. Tomie detested the area. Worn out, mossy cobblestone walls, trash thrown all over the ground. It smelt horrible, and the view from on top wasn't nice, either. Tomie watched the scene before her eyes unfold; from Higuchi aiming her gun at the Agency members, to the black-haired girl —who was clinging onto an orange-haired boy not too long ago— falling onto her knees as blood gushed out of her wounds as a result of protecting the younger man.

In a moment of rage, the ginger boy activated his ability, and green particles resembling snowflakes emerge from him until he disappeared completely. In a state of panic, Higuchi started firing rapidly whilst spinning around. Suddenly, two hands emerged from thin air behind her and grabbed her throat tightly as he slowly revealed himself again.

An illusion Ability. Quite a frightening skill. Tomie observed as she smirked to herself. But...

It didn't take long before Akutagawa swooped into the fight and stabbed the ginger boy with his Ability.

Rashomon.

Akutagawa's Ability transformed his overcoat into a dark monster capable of slicing through anything, even space itself. It resembled an angry dragon, or a wolf, Tomie couldn't quite tell. All she knew was that, Rushomon was one hell of an aggressive Ability, and it was always thirsty for blood. Akutagawq can also use his Ability with other clothing. The black coat that he was currently wearing was special to the boy since it was given to him by a previous mentor. Someone he both admired and hated with every fiber of his being.

Yet when Tomie watched the man dressed in black slap Higuchi across the face, she couldn't help but notice how much he reminded him of that person they both detested.

Tomie's eyes darted to the white-haired boy— the Weretiger. Dodging an attack from Akutagawa, the boy grabbed ahold of Higuchi's gun and started firing at Akutagawa. Unfortunately for him, it was a futile attempt. Akutagawa's Rashomon acted as a shield, eating away at the bullets. There was a certain coldness in Akutagawa's expression and nonchalant behavior that sent shivers down the Weretiger's spine. Although to be fair, he was quite short-tempered and easy to tamper with if one knew which buttons to push exactly.

A long shriek of pain echoed through the entire neighborhood. Akutagawa sent an attack, engulfing the white-haired boy's leg entirely. Blood gushed from his painful wound as he wailed on the ground. Tomie had to stop herself from jumping down to the scene and stop this fight, it was physically painful to watch. She tightly clenched her gloved fists, nails digging through the fabric and creating half-moon shapes on her palms. Ironically, for someone who practically lived and breathed bloodshed and has taken the lives of hundreds of people, she felt pure dread enter her lungs hearing Atsushi's cries for help. She clenched her teeth and blocked her ears, hoping to reduce at least a little bit of the agony Atsushi was going through.

Almost out of his control, the white-haired boy's body started transforming, white fur and black stripes appeared around his body and his claws got bigger and sharper. His missing leg regenerated, almost as if it wasn't completely separated from his body not too long ago.