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He’s done it.
He’s passed the test. He’s now on the side that saves people.
Dazai silently muses over this as he steps into the cemetery. It’s been two years since he last visited. The sound of waves chases after his feet, the only thing that remains unchanged no matter how much time passes by. No matter what has been lost.
He wonders if Odasaku has missed him.
He wonders if Odasaku is proud of him for taking this first step, wherever his friend is right now.
Dazai wonders a lot of things. His questions mostly remain unanswered, these days. The silence is not unwelcome – there is hardly anything from his stalwart friend that he would not accept with open arms. But sometimes the loneliness gets a little too much to bear when he cannot fool himself into thinking there is an afterlife, that Oda is watching over him still.
As he nears the grave, however, he finds that he is not alone.
“Sensei?”
The one Dazai calls Sensei is not, in fact, a human being.
The calico cat, often seen at Bar Lupin and warming Oda’s seat for him once upon a time, is currently curling up on top of the headstone, basking in the last rays of the afternoon sun. It almost looks like the cat is using the headstone as replacement for Oda’s shoulder. Dazai has thought it was just a random cat until it raises its head, eyes twinkling with a kind of awareness far above its fellow felines and looking straight at him. There is no mistaking that glimpse of intelligence anywhere.
As soon as Dazai crouches down, setting his offerings – a pack of cigarettes, a small box of curry – in front of Oda’s grave, Sensei jumps down from its spot and sniffs at the food.
“Hey, that’s for Odasaku.” Dazai picks up the cat, expecting to be scratched but only getting a slightly offended grunt. Sensei eventually settles on his lap, strangely obedient and trusting, like it’s also recognized him even after two years. Like it still sees him as an old friend.
For some reason, it makes Dazai want to weep. He doesn’t, but holds Sensei a little closer to his chest. The cat softly purrs in his arms, its furry head nuzzling slightly against the spot upon his heart.
“You must miss him too, huh.”
Sensei gives him a small, sad meow, and turns its head to look at Oda’s grave.
As Dazai recounts his stories to Odasaku, with an occasional input from Sensei, he distantly thinks that perhaps he should bring some cat treat with him next time. Just in case.