Chapter Text
“I’m glad they took it well.” Atsushi said, looking up at the ceiling with his hands clasped at his chest. “The truth. No one even got punched this time.”
The sun had long since fallen at that point, a cold navy light filtering through the window of the house the two Grace Field children had claimed as theirs. It wasn’t hard to find a house that was unoccupied, even if everyone in Goldy Pond slept separately Atsushi bet that they had more than enough houses to accommodate that. The interiors of the houses were simple, but they were cozy. After learning of Goldy Pond’s original purpose, Atsushi couldn’t help but see the detail that Mr. Takutou must have put into making a home for the children.
By “they”, Atsushi of course meant the other Goldy Pond children, which Piano Man and Doc has just revealed the whole truth too. No more veils, no more sidestepped details, none of it.
“Well, technically, they were telling the truth.” Dazai shrugged, sitting on his bed across the room. “It’s just a world away. Plus, they’re excited. They finally get to end this place.”
That was right. They decided. They were going to end Goldy Pond at the next hunt. In just two days.
“It’s because they trust them too. Doc and Piano Man.” Atsushi looked out the window, where he was able to see the windmill. “Even if they did lie, they’ve all been through so much together. And I’m sure they know all about...about what Piano Man was saying. About...”
Atsushi decided to not finish the sentence. He couldn’t stop himself from shooting Dazai a quick half guilty half saddened look.
He hadn’t had time to stop and really think about it. That didn’t stop it from invading his mind though.
It hadn’t even been two weeks since that night. And Atsushi could still smell the lighter fuel.
“The kids committing suicide?”
“Huh?” Atsushi’s head snapped over to look at the brunette in surprise at the sudden words.
“What Piano Man was saying. That’s what you meant, right?” Dazai was looking straight at him.”
Atsushi nodded cautiously.
“...Yeah.”
They sat in an uncomfortable silence for a while.
“You really were worried that night.” Dazai spoke again, now leaning against the wall next to his bed.
“Is it that surprising?” Atsushi gave a dry, almost nervous laugh. “W-We had a plan. I was ready to catch the match. But still, if I missed, if I wasn’t able to get to you in time...it would’ve been over. Of course I was worried.”
“No, no that’s not what I...” Dazai shook his head hurriedly. “I just...I’m sorry that I made you that worried. And I’m sorry you’re still this worried.”
“Dazai...” Atsushi’s face set into a frown. “Don’t apologize for stupid stuff.”
“But I am sorry. I’m not going to do that to you again Atsushi.”
“I know that. I know that you mean that. And I trust you. I mean that.” Atsushi’s fingers tightened in the blanket. “But...But now, I don’t know what to do sometimes.”
Atsushi sat up, looking Dazai in the eye.
“Even if you want to live with us, those feelings from before didn’t just disappear, right?”
Dazai froze.
It would be so easy to lie. To reassure Atsushi and focus back on Goldy Pond. To keep everything where it had been.
Dazai had always lied. It was just another breath. It was a game, and Dazai had been winning at it for years.
But for the first time in his life, Dazai truly couldn’t lie.
So instead, the truth say heavily on the tip of his tongue. It felt like the walls were about to break, like the house was going to collapse down on them. Turns out, he couldn’t bring himself to say anything at all.
Dazai looked away, giving a small nod.
The room was dead silent. He didn’t dare look over at the other, staring intently at the wall. Every second the silence stretched on, the more Dazai was sure that he’d messed up, that it was wrong to let the truth out so blatantly, that it was ungrateful and inconsiderate.
But Atsushi always had a way of surprising him.
“Thank you.”
Finally, Dazai looked back to the younger. A small smile was on his face, even as the brunette could see the shine of tears in the corners of Atsushi’s eyes. He wasn’t shaking, instead sitting steadily. There was only one thing Dazai could think to ask.
“Why?”
“...The thing that scared me most about that night, actually no, when I first read Ranpo’s letter, was that I’d had no idea.” Atsushi slowly brought his knees up to his chest. “I mean, looking back on it I know you couldn’t have told us before, but even after we knew about the truth and you being a spy you didn’t say anything. I think, other than Father, Ranpo was the only one who knew, even before he found the...cans. It terrified me that you could be so hurt, and I wouldn’t know until it was too late. I don’t know how I can make things better, if what I’m doing is right or not. But I want to help. I think talking to someone about everything would help, so if it really does- please, talk to one of us.”
Oh.
“Your injuries. The ones that...the ones that you gave to yourself. We don’t live in the House anymore. I know Father treated them sometimes...but he’s not here. I just wanted to ask-“
Despite everything, they all cared.
It wasn’t a surprise. Dazai had known. Known from the moment Atsushi slapped him across the face and told him they were going to escape whether he liked it or not.
No, it wasn’t a surprise. But still, the thought brought a warm feeling to Dazai’s chest.
He realized his response was a moment overdue, scrambling to form words. But what exactly could Dazai say? Could he promise that he’d be able to tell them? Could he bring himself to burden them with that?
No matter what, he’d say yes. Whether he actually followed up on it would be a different story. So what would he say now? What promises could he afford to break?
And suddenly, he remembered.
”You think to much.” Oda said simply.
A cool autumn breeze blew through the forest of Grace Field House. Leaves now in a colorful mosaic of warm hues laid on the path ahead of the two.
“What?” Dazai tilted his head at the other.
“When you talk.”
“That’s how you do it, Odasaku. If I didn’t think when I talked, I’d end up like Katai.”
“That’s not what I meant.” Oda shook his head. “You know you can say what’s on your mind sometimes, right? You don’t have to always choose what to hide. That’s the stuff you want to say, so won’t you regret it if you don’t? It might help.”
Dazai paused for another moment, taking a breath. What was on his mind. Through the clutter, through everything, what he was really thinking.
“I will. I will talk to someone, if it gets bad.”
Truthfully, he felt uneasy about the idea. About telling other people about how he felt. He’d prefer to keep it to himself.
But look at where that’d gotten him last time, a suspiciously Ranpo-sounding voice chimed in his head.
And part of him, part of him really did want to try. To reach out. To get himself somewhere better, even if it was never perfect.
Maybe that part of him was motivated by Atsushi. After everything he’d put him through that night, he deserved at least this.
But Dazai wasn’t done.
“I should be thanking you, Atsushi. This means a lot to me. But don’t be too hard on yourself. Already, you’ve done more than you know.” A soft smile formed on Dazai’s face. “I’ve never told you, but if it weren’t for you, I don’t think I would’ve even made it that far. In the months after Odasaku and Ango left, I wanted to start my plan then, just out of spite. But instead, you were there, trying to help even though you had no idea what was wrong. That meant a lot to me too. So thanks, Atsushi.”
Dazai turned to fully face the other, putting his back against the cold window behind him.
“I’m going to go to the human world with you. I promise. Let’s get out of this hunting ground, okay?”
Things would never truly be “fixed”. They didn’t need to be. But they would get better.
Atsushi smiled back.
“Yeah. I can’t wait to see everyone at the bunker again.”
After a few more small comments were exchanged, they both laid down again. The days ahead would be the real test.
In the morning, it’d be time to figure out what they were really working with.
——————————
Atsushi stretched awake, blinking at the morning light filtering in through the window. He looked around, briefly recounting his surroundings.
Right. Day two in Goldy Pond.
He glanced over to where Dazai was still asleep on his bed, rolled into a blanket lump with only his hair sticking out. Atsushi walked over to him, nudging the boy awake.
Dazai, predictably, didn’t budge. Even here it was a pain to wake him up.
“Dazai, we gotta wake up.”
Nothing.
“Dazai.”
He shook him a little harder.
Nothing.
Atsushi was startled by the sound of a bell ringing outside, loudly echoing through the walls of the houses. He rushed over to unlatch the window and peak outside. From where they were, Atsushi couldn’t see the bell’s source. However, he did watch as others drew back the curtains from their windows, or if they hadn’t drawn them that night, he faintly watched them stand up, shrugging off blankets. It must’ve been a morning bell.
At least his job was done. He looked over to Dazai.
Still nothing.
Atsushi sighed. This required desperate measures. He walked up to Dazai’s bed, stretching his arms.
He promptly rolled Dazai off the bed, watching him hit the floor with a yelp.
“Good morning, Dazai.”
Atsushi couldn’t say he wasn’t at least a little smug.
Dazai groaned, rubbing his head as he looked up at Atsushi.
“Really?” Dazai huffed. “You’re worse than Kunikida!”
“You could just wake up when you’re supposed to.” Atsushi shrugged. “Come on, we’ve got a lot of stuff to do today.”
——————————
Like B06-32, Goldy Pond also had stored clothing for any inhabitants. Atsushi and Dazai had been provided some the night before, trading out their white, dirt-stained travel coats for black ones, along with other things. Atsushi wore his zipped up all the way, while Dazai let it stay open, revealing his white button up shirt underneath.
After getting dressed they found their way to the square, which sure enough, appeared to be the center for morning activities. Tables were set up in the middle, with trays of eggs, potatoes, and bread on them. Atsushi recognized Lucy standing with a pitcher of tea, filling up the other’s cups. He watched Chuuya walk over, carrying another warm tray of eggs to set down.
They approached the tables, grabbing one of the dishes that sat on the table, already filled with food, like the other children had. Seeing them walk over, Chuuya pointedly gave a nod to Atsushi, ignoring Dazai entirely. Dazai gave a small huff in false offense.
“Rude.”
“Maybe he’d be nicer to you if you hadn’t picked on him the whole time yesterday.” Atsushi rolled his eyes, dragging Dazai back towards the house they’d been sitting in, where most others seemed to go for breakfast.
“It was fair.” Dazai plopped down on the doorstep. “He did it back. And wasn’t it entertaining?”
Atsushi shook his head, sitting beside him. He took a bite of the food.
“Hey, it’s pretty good.”
Dazai did similarly, curious.
“You’re right. It’s almost as good as the food at the House.” Dazai hummed, taking another bite.
“...At least they still have that.” Atsushi glanced around to the other children he could see trudging through the village, heads cast downwards.
——————————
“The most important thing to know is the enemies we’re up against.” Piano Man stood at the head of the table. “That, and the materials we have with us.”
After breakfast had finished, Higuchi had come to bring the two of them back to the windmill. The others had already gathered, congregated around the table.
“There’s five man-eaters at Goldy Pond, not counting their subordinates.” The man continued. “Twain, Mitchel, Hawthorne, Melville, and Fitzgerald. Unfortunately for us, it isn’t enough to just shoot them in the face. Explain, Kaiji.”
“Mhm.” The older boy began, seemingly excited. “They’re intelligent monsters, so of course they wouldn’t leave a spot like that exposed. It’d only take one bullet to kill them. Going into the hunting ground, they’d take some extra protection. The key is, their masks are made of a certain material that is impenetrable to normal bullets. Well, at least with the guns we have here. We don’t posses the magnitude of force needed to break their masks. All that’s to say, they’re well fortified-“
“Get to the point, man.” Tachihara rolled his eyes with a small snort.
“Yes, yes.” Kaiji continued, undeterred. “In any case, we needed a solution. So I-we developed one. Using different machine parts, anything we could find, we were able to make a special weapon that we believe will be able to break the monster’s masks. It is limited, however. With the time we had, we were only able to make three special guns, and five special bullets.”
“We’ll have to use them carefully.” Lippman summarized with a nod.
“Good thing is, that’s not all we got.” Albatross grinned. “Flash bangs and regular guns can do a hell of a lot if you use them right.”
“We have traps we can set up in the forest too.” Higuchi added.
“As for the man-eaters themselves, we’ve spent the last years analyzing them. How they fight, their capabilities, everything we’ve been able to see.” Doc listed off, changing the topic.
“First off, Twain. He hunts with his two subordinates, calls them Finn and Sawyer.” Tachihara started, leaning back in his chair. “Unless you know where he is, keep your guard up. Twain can hit a target miles away with a javelin. He has his two subordinates track kids down and retrieve his weapon.”
“The one you two ran into first yesterday.” Chuuya added helpfully, looking over to the Grace Field children.
“He does have a weakness though.” Tachihara let his chair fall back into place on the floor. “Even with all his aim, physically, he’s weak. He can’t fight in close combat. That’s what he uses his subordinates for. But, if we get rid of them, he’s as good as dead.”
“Next is Mitchel and Hawthorne.” Lippman continued. “Ideally, we’d like to separate each of the monsters, but that’s going to be impossible for those two. They’ve been hunting together for years. They’re both quick. Hawthorne has the red mask. He fights with a saber, using one hand. Between the two of them, he tends to stay back more. Mitchel wears the flower mask. She uses one sword as well, but it’s segmented. Even though it looks solid, it moves like a whip. Both of them can fight at a distance and up close. But the thing is, weapons like that take space to use. So for them, we should focus on limiting their movements.”
“Then there’s the owner, Melville. Usually own his own, except for his two attendants.” Albatross started next, leaning an arm on the back of his chair. “He’s strong. Probably the second most experienced here. He fights with a harpoon, so again, long and short range. Melville isn’t as fast as Mitchel or Hawthorne though, so we can try to use that to our advantage.”
“Finally...Fitzgerald. Speed, strength, skill, he’s got all of it.” Piano Man spoke seriously. “He doesn’t even fight with a weapon. Doesn’t need to. He uses his own bare hands. We’ll have to use everything we have.”
“We should try and keep him in the town.” Lippman nodded. It offers plenty of hiding spaces, and it’s the best way we’ll be able to control him.”
“Five bullets, three guns. Does that mean a bullet per demon?” Dazai tilted his head. “What about their attendants? Can their masks be broken with normal guns?”
“Not quite. We’ll explain in a moment.” Doc shook his head. “The attendants masks are made out of the same material as the hunters, so they can’t be broken head on. However, there still is a way to break them.”
“Right.” Piano Man nodded. “We’ll take out the others separately in groups, then have those people meet back in the center of the town to fight Fitzgerald. But most of that will be done within the first fifteen minutes of the hunt. Now, we’ll plan the specifics.”
——————————
Almost all of the morning was spent over planning, discussing resources, pouring over maps, it almost seemed endless. In the end, it was worth it.
They had their plan.
Grabbing a bowl of the day’s lunch, a stew, Atsushi couldn’t be happier. Of course, now that they had their plan, there was a lot they needed to do. Both his and Dazai’s afternoons were filled.
Preparing to return back to the doorstep they’d eaten on this morning, Atsushi was stopped by a tap on his shoulder. Albatross was standing behind him, a wide grin on his face.
“Hey, where are you going? We haven’t had the chance to properly talk yet.”
“About what?” Atsushi gave the boy a confused look.
“Normal things, you know.” The blond waved a hand. “All we’ve talked about is the monsters and the hunting ground. But we barely know you guys.”
Oh, so that’s what he was getting it. Honestly, Atsushi was glad for the opportunity. He glanced over at Dazai for his input, receiving a small nod in response.
“Sure.” Atsushi smiled back. “Where are we going?”
The answer to the boy’s question appeared to be a house not far from the windmill. The windows on the first floor were open, revealing a table filled with people. Five spots were left open at the table, scattered about. Albatross kicked open the door, disregarding any concern for the poor hinges.
“I brought them!”
“Good.” Lippman looked over at them, a welcoming smile on his face. “Come on, sit down.”
They didn’t hesitate to do as they asked, Dazai sitting on Lippman’s right, Atsushi sitting next to him, and Albatross next in line, with an empty seat to his right.
There was a definite mood shift from the previous two times Atsushi had met the Goldy Pond children. The tension from the morning appeared to take a backseat. What was the very image of a hardcore rebellion before now just looked like a group of friends spending time with each other. And that was probably the truth, wasn’t it? They’d all lived here together for so long, of course they’d be close. There had to be something between the loss and fear from the hunting ground. Honestly, it put Atsushi at ease already.
“So, you’re escapees, huh?” Tachihara asked first, shooting them a curious glance. “From Grace Field too? How’d you pull that off?”
Atsushi smiled sheepishly, putting a hand to the back of his head.
“It’s complicated-“
“A bunch of spare bed sheets, a broken leg, a candy tin, and some gasoline.” Dazai said simply, cutting Atsushi off.
A bit of disbelief passed over the others faces, before Albatross broke out laughing.
“Really, that’s all it took?”
“Even though it’s a summary, it sounds so simple.” Tachihara shook his head.
“I wish it was.” Atsushi sighed.
“Well, it had to have been hard.” Poe glanced up from his bowl, and while Atsushi couldn’t see his expression, the older boy looked nervous. “S-Since it’s only the two of you that made it out.”
“Oh, no, it’s not just us.” A smile came to Atsushi face at the reminder of his siblings. “We brought others too. They’re waiting back at a shelter. Everyone five and older.”
“Really?” Higuchi gaped, dropping her spoon. “Isn’t that...a lot? How many kids is that?”
While most of the others eyes were already own them, but in particular Atsushi noticed something odd about Ryuunosuke’s expression. The boy was looking solely at him now, with a frown and the slightest bit of a glare. If Ryuunosuke had some sort of issue, he wasn’t deciding to voice it then. At then point, he seemed to notice Atsushi staring back at him, causing the other to quickly glance away.
“Fourteen.” Dazai answered, taking a sip of the stew. “It’s not a lot compared to the amount of kids here.”
“That’s...amazing, actually.” Even Lippman, as composed as he always appeared to be, was staring at them wide eyed.
“Oh hey, you brought them too.” The conversation was interrupted as Lucy entered.
“Hi Lucy.” Albatross tipped back in his chair with a small wave. “We were just getting the escape story. Where’s Chuuya?”
“Finishing up.” She nodded, rounding the table to take a seat next to Poe. “He’ll be here in a second.”
“Alright, alright.” Albatross nodded, before suddenly leaning over to look at Atsushi and Dazai. “Hold on, forgot to ask, but what do you guys think of the food?”
“It’s great!” Atsushi smiled cheerfully.
“That’s good.” Kaiji hummed. “We don’t have much hear. I mean we have the fields, the mill, and the stuff the monsters leave here.”
“You’re doing good with what you have. It really is good.” Dazai smiled. “Who’s the one cooking all this?”
“Me.”
The children turned around to see Chuuya, standing in the doorway. Dazai made a distasteful look.
“Oh.”
“Welcome back, Chuuya.” Lippman gave him a nod.
“There you are.” Albatross kicked out the empty chair next to him. “Come on, let’s eat. I want to hear more about this escape.”
——————————
The rest of their lunch discussion was filled with a retelling of their escape from Grace Field. A few details were left out, most prominently the exact circumstances of the fire started at the House.
After that, however, the two had to go separate ways.
“The range is just this way.” Lucy pointed ahead as they walked.
The redhead had been asked to help guide Atsushi to the children’s makeshift shooting range and show him the basics. They’d collectively decided that the bow and arrow Atsushi had brought wouldn’t cut it, and his pistol was only useful in certain circumstances. Now that they weren’t worried about carrying too much, it’d be good to learn. Goldy Pond has plenty of supplies.
Atsushi nodded, holding the gun they’d provided to him tightly. As they walked, he couldn’t help but be curious about Lucy. She was one of the younger children, and like the others, hadn’t spoke much during the meetings before.
“So...you came from Glory Bell, right?” Atsushi started, looking over at her. “What was it like?”
“You mean living there?” She put a finger to her chin thoughtfully. “...Is it really that different? I don’t know how it was at Grace Field, but apparently things there were pretty similar to Grand Valley. Glory Bell was smaller though, I think. We lived in the different houses, and the instructors watched over us.”
“Different houses?” Atsushi tilted his head.
“Yeah. There were three different ones, and that’s how we were separated.”
“That’s a bit different. At Grace Field, we all lived in the same house. For the most part, we only had one person, Father, watching us.”
“So it was even smaller?” Lucy hummed. “It was...more like a family?”
“Yeah. And for Glory Bell, it sounds more like a community.” Atsushi gave a small smile. “Exactly like it is here.”
“Obviously not.” Lucy gave him a small glare. “Kids lived a lot longer.”
“That’s not what I meant!” Atsushi waved his hands frantically. “Sorry, I didn’t mean-“
“You’re fine.” Lucy cut him off with a sigh. “You took tests too, right?”
“Hm? Yeah, every day.” Atsushi answered, relieved that he hadn’t truly upset her.
“According to Piano Man, the kids at Grace Field are supposed to be really smart.” Lucy looked at him skeptically.
Atsushi squinted back at her. What was that supposed to mean?
“I guess so.”
Atsushi’s eyes caught on the area in front of them. A few, hole-ridden homemade targets were hanging in various positions from trees. Others were set up on easels in a line. The clearing was entirely empty. Atsushi couldn’t hear a thing.
“This is it, right?” Atsushi walked over to the targets. “So what-“
The boy was cut off as he was promptly dragged back by the hood of his coat. He tumbled backwards falling to the ground. Dazed, he whipped his head around to look at his attacker, Lucy.
“Are you an idiot?” She hissed, looking at him in disbelief.
Atsushi, for his part, was very very confused.
“Huh-“
And that was about three seconds before Atsushi felt his soul leave his body as he heard the loud bang of a bullet making contact with something several feet behind him. Jumping up to turn around, Atsushi only saw a swinging target with a newly dig hole in it.
So that was why.
But...nobody was there. Where did the bullet come from?
“And just when I was saying Grace Field kids were supposed to be smart!” Lucy yelled, pointing an accusatory finger at him. “What kind of complete moron walks in front of a shooting range? Did the monsters get your brains already?”
“Huh- I-“ Atsushi’s head whipped back and forth between her and the range. “But there’s no one-“
“Just because there’s no one standing like three feet away doesn’t mean the range is being used! You’re gonna get your brains blown out!” Lucy crossed her arms.
“Then...who-“ Atsushi slowly stood, looking around the area. “Who hit that?”
“Our sniper. But the point is, watch where you’re going. And that means don’t just go behind the targets either, that’s still dangerous! We have to go around.”
“Hold on.” Atsushi gave her a small frown. “If you knew that we would have to go around the range...why’d you take us here?”
Lucy opened her mouth to respond, but paused. A moment passed. Another moment. Atsushi was getting a bit worried.
“Lucy-“
“Shut up!” The girl groaned, digging her palms into her temples. “Damn, I was thinking of the wrong place!”
Atsushi let out a small, reassuring laugh.
“Don’t worry about it-“
“Is everyone alright?!”
Atsushi turned to watch Poe break into the clearing, frantic, with a large rifle hanging over his shoulder on a strap.
“I heard the shot hit, and then screaming. Are you both okay?” He looked nervously between the two, seemingly scanning for injuries.
“No, we’re both fine.” Lucy took a breath, calming down.
“H-Hey, you probably don’t want to stand there.” Atsushi slowly pointed to the range behind him, a dazed expression on his face. “You might get shot in the head. And die.”
“...Are you sure he’s alright?” Poe gave the boy a concerned look, glancing to Lucy, before shaking his head, turning back to Atsushi. “B-But for what you said...I don’t think that’s going to happen.”
“What do you mean?” Atsushi hummed, confused.
“He means that he’s our sniper.” Lucy answered. “So he’s not going to get shot in the sniper’s range if he’s the one doing it.”
“Oh!” Atsushi snapped his fingers. “That makes sense.”
“I am sorry for almost hitting you. If that’s what happened.” Poe crossed his arms. “But you shouldn’t walk in front of this range, okay?”
“Yeah.” Atsushi sighed, hanging his head. “I know. I’m sorry for worrying you.”
“You’re going to the normal range right?” Poe frowned, looking to Lucy. “Then what are you doing over here?”
“Long story.” The red haired girl grumbled.
“Well, you two can just cut across here now.” Poe nodded to the range. “That way it would be easier. If you want to.”
“Thanks, Poe.” Lucy nodded to the older boy before grabbing Atsushi by the hood, dragging him away as he waved half heartedly at the sniper.
The other range wasn’t too far away, and thankfully wasn’t one that Atsushi would mistake for empty again. The other younger children were there, Higuchi, Gin, and Ryuunosuke. While Atsushi had become accustomed to Lucy after being scolded and dragged around for the whole walk to the range, suddenly he felt intimidated all over again.
“Sorry if we’re late.” Lucy nodded to the others.
“You’re fine.” Higuchi, lowered her gun from where it was previously pointed at a target.
“You’ve never used a gun before, right?” Atsushi almost missed Gin’s voice at first, she was quiet enough, and the face mask she wore wasn’t helping either.
The boy shook his head.
“Looks like we’ve got a lot of work to do then.” Lucy sighed.
——————————
“For not ever shooting before, you’re pretty good.” Higuchi almost seemed amazed.
Out of the three of them, Atsushi was pretty sure Higuchi was the furthest from his initial judgements. Sure, she still was serious, at first, but a few minutes into her instruction, it was easy enough for Atsushi to see that she knew just about as much of professionalism as he did.
Gin also seemed pleased, although she hadn’t commented much. She seemed to be someone short on words, and Atsushi didn’t mind. The girl stood back with Lucy, who threw in her own opinion or piece of advice every now and then.
The only one who hadn’t said anything at all by now was Ryuunosuke. And the only thing that Atsushi learned about him was that he could hold an intense stare for an indefinite amount of time.
“Thanks.” Atsushi smiled gratefully. “And thank you for helping too. You’re really good at this.”
He glanced to some of the holes that’d resulted from Higuchi’s examples before, perfectly lined up at the target’s center.
“It’s taken a lot.” Higuchi answered humbly, before directing her attention back to the instruction. “Just make sure you steady yourself so the recoil doesn’t knock you off balance. With the monsters, they aren’t going to stay still, and you probably won’t get to do that either, so try and find a way to steady your shots then too.”
“Got it.” Atsushi nodded firmly, raising his gun up to aim at the target, taking Higuchi’s advice and focusing on keeping himself steady.
He pulled the trigger, greeted by success as it pierced the center of the target.
“Nice job.” Gin commended with a small nod.
“And to think, all of that talent would’ve been wasted if I hadn’t been able to pull you back quick enough earlier.” Lucy teased.
“I guess that counts as a compliment.” Atsushi mumbled, looking at Lucy.
“Quick question, Atsushi.” Higuchi drew his attention back. “Is this about how well Dazai’s doing with aim? He’s supposed to practice with the others later, but if he needs more work we can work in another time to practice.”
“Well, he used a gun for the journey here. He’s better of than I am, that’s for sure.” Atsushi tilted his head, thinking. “If you think one of these lessons a day is good enough for me, then it’ll be more than enough for Dazai.”
“Didn’t you say that journey was just three days?” Lucy crossed her arms. “You Grace Field kids really are weird, he wasn’t lying “
“Hopefully it makes things easier.” Atsushi grinned. “I don’t think all of them should learn, obviously, since a lot of them are really young, but the older ones would be able to figure it out too. Especially Kunikida. He’s amazing. I can’t wait for you guys to meet him once we get back to the shelter.”
“...Really?” There was a drop of hesitation in Higuchi’s voice, so small that Atsushi thought he’d misheard it.
“Mhm. I bet he’s a nervous wreck right now though. We’re getting a real lecture when we get back.” Atsushi sighed. “Oh, there’s Yosano too, I think you’ll like her! She’s my older sister. She came with us on the way here, but we got separated when Dazai and I were captured. She’s with Piano Man’s friend right now. But...she’s gonna be mad too, probably.”
“They sound...aggressive.” Higuchi noted.
“Not really. Just protective.” Atsushi smiled fondly. “They’re both really nice, I promise. You’ll see when you meet them.”
“Why are you saying stuff like that?”
Atsushi was surprised by the voice entering their conversation. Honestly, at this point he’d almost forgotten Ryuunosuke was there. He frowned, tilting his head.
“What do you mean, Ryuu-“
“Akutagawa.” The boy cut him off with a cold look.
“Akutagawa.” Atsushi repeated, both a bit confused and a bit nervous.
“I meant why are you saying that we’ll all meet your family?” Ryuunosuke, or rather, Akutagawa, glared. “It’s annoying.”
“Oh. Sorry for bringing them up too much, I guess.” Atsushi gave a small frown, confused.
“That’s not what I meant.” Akutagawa’s glare deepened. “You don’t know that we’re all going to make it out of here. So stop saying stuff like that.”
That’s what he was mad about?
Lucy opened her mouth, about to say something back, but Atsushi beat her to it.
“Well, you don’t know if we all won’t make it out of here either.”
Clearly, to Akutagawa, this was the wrong thing to say.
“You piss me off. Ever since you got here, you’ve been so focused on saving every single person, on the idea that if you just want things to happen, they’ll happen. It makes me sick.” Akutagawa stepped closer to him. “Even now I can tell, you’re the type to keep spouting optimistic nonsense no matter what. Despite the fact that you’ve already failed.”
Immediately, Ranpo and James’s faces flashed through Atsushi’s head.
“I don’t care how much planning you did.” Akutagawa continued, not missing a beat. “The only reason you were able to make it to that bunker with all those children is luck.”
And for a moment, it stung. Because in a way, it was luck. Luck that Fyodor and Nikolai had helped them then, luck that they’d found a guide at B06-32. Hell, luck was the reason they’d gotten their pen in the first place.
But that wasn’t it.
“Maybe you’re right.” Atsushi’s hands tightened into fists. “But even if we were lucky at some points, we all worked to survive. We found a way to keep living.”
“You think the same thing will happen here, at Goldy Pond, don’t you?” Akutagawa gave him an accusatory look. “You’re wrong. Give it up already.”
And he could be. Atsushi could be horribly, horribly wrong. But he wouldn’t stop.
“I know it’s unlikely. I know the odds are against us.” Atsushi stood confidently, a determined expression on his face. “But just because it seems impossible doesn’t mean I’m going to give up on hoping for it! We’re all going to escape Goldy Pond. That’s the future I want. What’s the point if I give it up halfway?”
Akutagawa seemed taken aback, expression breaking for just a second, right before settling back into a glare just as quickly.
“Then die an idiot.” The boy’s voice was dripping with contempt.
With that, he turned away, stalking off from the shooting range. Despite how intimidated he’d been by him earlier, Atsushi held his head high even after Akutagawa disappeared into the forest. Atsushi blinked, suddenly noticing the other three children still standing there, gaping in surprise.
“Sorry.” Atsushi ducked his head sheepishly.
“You don’t need to apologize.” Lucy shook her head. “Ryuunosuke is just...like that sometimes.”
“If anything, I’m sorry for my brother.” Gin lightly raised her hand. “If it helps.”
“Brother?” Atsushi raised his eyebrows in surprise. If Grand Valley was more like a community than a family, did that mean-
“Yes. We’re related.” Gin nodded. “At least, according to Mr. Hirotsu, our teacher.”
“Siblings related by blood...we never had anything like that in Grace Field.” Atsushi shook his head. “I feel bad. I didn’t mean to upset him.”
“It’s really not your fault.” Higuchi gave him a grim look. “This is just what happens to people in Goldy Pond.”
An hour or so later, Lucy was leading Atsushi back through the forest, this time away from the shooting range. While it was still enjoyable to talk to the others, Akutagawa’s outburst had undoubtedly put a cloud over all of them. Atsushi just hoped he wouldn’t be as hostile the next time he ran into him.
“Hey.”
Lucy’s voice almost startled him. Atsushi turned his head to look at her.
“Hm? What is it?”
“Do you really mean what you said earlier? To Akutagawa. Do you believe that?”
She’d stopped walking, face straight ahead, her expression hidden from Atsushi.
“I do.”
There wasn’t a question about it.
“I see.”
Lucy almost started walking again, but suddenly, Atsushi had to ask-
“What about you? What do you believe?”
She was silent. Slowly, Lucy turned to face him. Her small, defeated frown and tired blue eyes were already an answer.
But maybe, just maybe, a glimmer of fragile hope had been planted in those eyes.
——————————
“Sounds good to me.” Dazai mused, looking over Kaiji’s plans for a trap.
Dazai, Kaiji, and Tachihara stood together in the forest. They’d been waiting. Not for long, but for enough to warrant sitting down and relaxing for a bit. Though, at this point, it wouldn’t be long before they were back.
As if on cue, a small door in the tree next to them, almost invisible if you weren’t looking closely, opened up. Albatross and Chuuya stepped through, beginning to haul various crates up the ladder the door led to. At their arrival, Tachihara moved over to help. It didn’t take long until everything they’d brought was on the surface. Chuuya was the last to emerge, carrying a large barrel over his shoulder, with only one arm.
“Alright.” Albatross clapped his hands together. “We have a lot to do today. So let’s start with number one.”
He nodded to the barrel Chuuya was holding.
“What marks the beginning of this hunt.”
——————————
“You’re such a brute, Chuuya.” Dazai commented, watching the redhead set down a large log that he was certain would crush him if he’d even attempted to pick it up.
“Y’know, this would go a lot quicker if you actually helped.” Chuuya shot him an annoyed look.
“Chuuya’s doing just fine. This is the kind of work you’re suited for.” Dazai waved a hand. “As someone with real brains, I’ll stick to the planning.”
“You’re so lazy.” Chuuya elbowed him, just hard enough to have Dazai curl away from him. “Of course out of anyone, they paired you up with me.”
“Honestly, you should consider yourself lucky.” Dazai rolled his eyes. “I’m the one stuck with you, after all. How horrible.”
“Fuck you.”
“You’re so vulgar too. I’m sure you’ve already poisoned Atsushi’s innocence because of yesterday too.”
Chuuya scoffed.
“You say that like you’re a good role model.”
“I am. I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Chuuya elbowed him, pointedly a bit harder.
“Do you always have to be so violent?” Dazai rubbed his arm.
“Do you always have to be so annoying?” Chuuya didn’t skip a beat, tying a rope to finish their preparations in the area.
Dazai prepared to answer, only to be suddenly interrupted by a young voice behind him.
“Is that for the monsters?”
To Dazai’s surprise, a young boy was standing behind them. His hair was split, half of it white and half of it brown. He couldn’t be older than six, standing there wearing a large patchy coat. He held a small doll, although it wasn’t a pleasant sight, with missing scraps of hair and worn, stained felt making up its skin. Chuuya seemed surprised for a moment, before a look of recognition passed over his face.
“Q-“
Suddenly, the boy’s eyes lit up
“Who’s that?” The boy thought for a moment, tilting his head. “Why does he have a number on his neck? Is he from somewhere else, a new farm? Wait, sorry.”
The boy frowned, eyes flicking to Chuuya frantically. The redhead sighed, giving the younger a small pat on the head.
“No, it’s fine. He already knows.”
“Oh, okay. That makes sense.” The boy smiled. “Since he’s with you.”
Dazai watched silently. Why did this boy know? It didn’t make sense.
“Hey, my name’s Kyuusaku Yumeno.” The older’s thoughts were interrupted as the young boy stuck out his hand. “What’s yours?”
Dazai put on a smile, light shaking Kyuusaku’s hand.
“My name’s Osamu Dazai. It’s nice to meet you.”
Kyuusaku seemed please enough, smile widening.
“Q, you should go back to the others. We’ve got work to do.” Chuuya chided, a gentle tone to his voice.
“Whatever you’re doing is important, right?” Q’s smile dropped as he glanced to what the two had been setting up.
“Yeah. It is.” Chuuya nodded.
The young boy paused for a moment, before he smiled again.
“Okay. I’ll see you later. Bye Chuuya! Bye Dazai!”
With a wave, the boy wandered off, disappearing into the trees. As soon as the boy dropped out of sight, Dazai turned to Chuuya, a confused expression on his face.
“I thought you and the others at the windmill were the only people who knew.”
“That’s...mostly true.” An expression that could almost be described as pain flashed over Chuuya’s face. “He’s the only exception. Because...it wasn’t Piano Man who told him the truth.”
“Did someone else do it?” Noticing no change in Chuuya’s expression, he tried again. “Or did he learn before he even came to Goldy Pond?”
Chuuya put a hand to the back of his head, shoulders slightly dropping.
“From...what I’ve heard, back at Grand Valley, he...saw something...he wasn’t supposed to see. And when his teacher found out...they just sent him here.” Chuuya let his hand drop. “Whatever it was...obviously messed him up a bit. If he ever starts acting strange, just...get one of us, okay?”
Oh. Q hadn’t even gotten to enjoy a fake happiness.
“It must’ve been hard for him.” Dazai’s voice was a bit quieter than usual. “Even if he only stayed at the farm a little while afterwards.”
“...Yeah.” Chuuya looked away.
Something about it was almost odd. But before Dazai could ask, the other changed the subject.
“Anyway, let’s get this finished up. We don’t have all day.”
Interesting.
——————————
“That’s everything, right?” Tachihara looked to the others for confirmation.
“Yep.” Albatross gave him a nod. “Everything’s ready. We can start heading to the range now.”
Finished with their preparations, Kaiji led the group through the forest. He seemed to know the way well. Dazai thought he looked a bit older, so he’d probably been here for a while.
“Hey, Kaiji, if you don’t mind me asking, how old are you?” Dazai decided to investigate.
“Sixteen.” Kaiji answered, glancing back to the other brunette. “Any reason why?”
“Just wondering. Back when we were in the windmill, I was wondering, are you the oldest?”
“You’re right. Not by much, though.” Kaiji grinned. “Lippman’s sixteen, just a few months younger.”
“I’m not far behind either. Fifteen.” Albatross elbowed Chuuya next to him. “He’s only thirteen.”
“If everyone’s sharing, I’m also thirteen.” Tachihara raised a hand.
“Your birthday is in a few months though.” Chuuya glanced over to him.
“Yeah.” Tachihara looked up. “Either way, I won’t be here for it.”
“Another question.” Dazai looked between them. “Who’s been here the longest?”
“Hm.” Albatross tapped a finger to his chin. “That’s a tough one. Was it Lippman or you, Chuuya.”
“Lippman.” The other answered shortly.
“Right, right.” Albatross nodded as the group finally approached the range hidden in the forest. “Lippman’s been here for a little more than six years.”
“...I see.” A serious expression passed over Dazai’s face. “Even in the thirteen years that Piano Man and Doc have been here, no one’s been able to even make it half that time.”
“That’s how things are here.” Chuuya stuck his hands into the pockets of his jacket. “It’s not fucking easy to survive monsters like that.”
“Honestly, you came here at a bad time.” Tachihara sighed, leaning against the rickety fence surrounding the range. “I think it’s been a week since then, but we lost some of our older members. We’re down on...a lot actually.”
“At least it’s gonna be over soon.” A rare serious tone settled in Albatross’s voice. “After everything they took.”
“There’s only so many of the others we were able to save without losing our own.” Kaiji took a deep breath.
“Hello.” Lippman suddenly entered the clearing, making his way over to the group. “How’s everything going?”
“Hi Lippman.” Albatross gave a short wave. “We finished with the preparations. How are things on your end?”
“Good.” He nodded to the range. “Do you mind if I join you?”
“Course not.” Tachihara stepped off the fence. “Feel free.”
“You don’t have an issue with it either?” Lippman turned to Dazai.
“No, it’s fine.” Dazai shook his head.
It was clear why Lippman was the leader of the group. If not for his age and the time he’d been here, even his demeanor was encouraging. He seemed to be someone who could keep calm. In a way, the ability he had to use his words as he did reminded Dazai of himself.
“It’s getting late.” Chuuya commented suddenly, looking up at the sky. “I’m going to go start dinner. Bye.”
Oh. It was getting late, wasn’t it? The time had just flown by.
He’d see Atsushi again soon. He had a lot to tell him.