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“Is it really alright?”
Dazai watched as Sigma wrung his hands nervously as he processed what he had seen. Out of everything he could have expected Fyodor to do in this twisted sort of game that wretched clown made the two analytical geniuses play, he didn’t think he would somehow also get a physical asset to aid him in his escape. He couldn’t help but feel a bit amused though, obviously, Fyodor thought that seeing his old partner would rattle Dazai. That it might make him hesitate to continue with whatever he had formulated. Fyodor had been wrong though, it didn’t bother him at all. He was more disappointed that he felt nothing when he caught sight of the fiery-haired demon hissing at him as if he had finally accepted his true self as a rabid animal. Dazai was certain that even if he hadn't been placed under the control of the vampire's ability he would've been greeted like that regardless.
Maybe if he possessed more empathy for such things he would have felt bad for dragging the boy Sigma into this game between him and Fyodor. Since he never owned such a thing though, he just smiled as Sigma stated his nerves about the bet. It was clear as day since the moment he saw him that Sigma never wanted any part of this, that he hated being used for his ability. It would’ve been boring though if Dazai had simply picked one of the generic inanimate objects that had been offered to him back then, so the boy will have to deal with his games a bit longer.
“Our enemy is ‘Gravity Manipulator’ Nakahara Chuuya.” Sigma turned to Dazai, a face filled with distress. “No matter how smart you are, his combat abilities way overwhelm ours. We’re in a situation that’s like trying to escape from a meat grinder.”
Dazai shrugged, it wasn’t like he was renowned for his combat abilities whether inside or out of the mafia. Sigma had a point, no matter how good Dazai was fighting to get what he wanted, Chuuya was better at fighting ability-wise. It didn’t worry him at all, he had known Chuuya longer than anyone and therefore his fighting styles. Even then he didn’t need to know how he fought to be able to beat him time and time again.
“Oh it’s fine, every day for the past seven years I’ve been formulating different ways to kill Chuuya. Also-” Dazai tapped his temple with his index finger. ”An angel will be coming to save us.”
Sigma furrowed his lavender brows, his forehead crinkling slightly as he attempted to recall something Dazai had said prior. “An angel…I wanted to say this just now, but before you said the same thing.’An angel whispered it to me.”
Sigma looked up and faced Dazai. “Don’t tell me what you mean is you have intel from the outside?”
Dazai looked at the boy in surprise, and just as quickly concealed his shock. He hasn't expected him to figure it out so quickly, maybe he had underestimated the kid a bit. He was less naive than he initially seemed.
“...You're pretty sharp for someone who's three years old.”
Sigma didn't respond to the comment on his age. If he wanted to know how Dazai knew he didn't ask. He stood facing the older man, waiting expectantly for him to explain how he had managed to receive such intel in the first place.
“Indeed, I am in contact with Ango. I convert my messages into numerical form.” Dazai put his hand on the left side of his chest. “And translated these numbers into my heartbeat. This is picked up by the sensors inside my body and Ango, who is on the outside, receives these numbers and translates them.”
“You’re lying.”
Dazai stopped talking and looked at the kid again. No one has taught him manners, or he would have at least let him finish his explanation. He could have at the very least looked at him in awe, that would have been nice. Instead, he glares at him like he was forced to be there against his will (to be fair he was) and then accuses him of lying. It was a bit rude, he should be nicer to his elders.
“At most, only half of that can be true. That method has a flaw, it would only allow you to send out messages. It’s a one-way channel, how do you receive messages from the outside?”
“Good point.” To others, it wouldn’t have made sense how he was able to exchange messages to the outside without getting caught. It like looked impossible, and it was. It didn’t stop him from pulling it off.
“Of course, I have a way. An impregnable method of receiving information that can deceive even Dostoevsky.”
He smiled mischievously and jokingly waved to Sigma. “Wanna guess? If you can figure it out, it means you're smarter than Dostoevsky."
Sigma jumped and looked at him shocked as if the idea of him being smarter than anyone was surprising. He was very diffident, he reminded him a lot of Atsushi in that way. Part of him wondered how the tiger was dong. He knew at most that he was alive, but that was the extent of what he knew. He could handle himself, for now, he had grown significantly in these last few months.
He watched in amusement as Sigma struggled to figure out how he had been communicating with the outside.No matter how many times he did it, it was always fun for him to watch as people stared at him in bewilderment and try to decipher his intricate plots and plans only to fail and crumble in confusion.
Sigma caught his entertained smirk and stamped his heeled shoes in frustration “This isn’t the time to be enjoying a Quiz tournament! We don’t have time to spit it out? If we don’t get out of this prison before Dostoyevsky-”
“I won’t be leaving this prison.”
Sigma stopped midway through his yelling and stared at Dazai with dumbfounded confusion.
“What are you talking about? Have you finally lost your mind? If you don’t escape then how are you going to win?”
Dazai’s smug expression stayed unchanging, his expression beyond that was unreadable. He never planned on escaping, even in the beginning, He didn’t plan on proving to Fyodor he was better by simply escaping either. That was much too boring, if he had to prove he was truly smarter in this physical game of chess, he needed to get the most important player off the board entirely.
“It’s simple. Before the game ends, we’ll kill Dostov.”
Dazai walked down the hallway with Sigma scrambling to catch up, his heels slowing him down as they clacked loudly against the smooth tiled floor. At the end of the hallways, Dazai stopped before an industrial metal door about 10 feet tall that looked as if not even a military-grade rocket could break them open. Dazai Knocked on the door, his knuckles making a harsh sound as they banged against the metal. No sound was heard from the other side, making no indication that someone would even make a move to open it.
“Mersaults walls are made of a Metal that withstands abilities. There are mechanisms set everywhere which absorb abilities themselves. Even Chuuya cannot break them.”
Dazai paused to process his statement. He knew that Chuuya wouldn't be able to get out of there, even if he managed to somehow break them and create an escape it would be too late and by the time he managed to find a way to get out he'd be long dead. Maybe Dazai could figure out a way to get him out, but he didn’t prepare for that option. Was Dazai ready to let him die just like that, he wasn't sure. If he somehow managed to succeed in finding an escape then good for him, he would, unfortunately, live another day to annoy Dazai with his existence. But if he didn’t…well it shouldn't be Dazais problem. Right?
“...indeed Chuuya is strong, that’s why I’ll defeat them from here.”
Next to the doors was a keyboard panel that opened them when the code was typed. Dazai looked down at the nine keys lined in threes on the board. Carefully he punched in the four number code and his hand hovered over the enter key that confirmed the command to let them inside.
“A barrier that’s been sealed once will never open again and there's no way to stop the flooding. The world's best prison isn’t just for show.”
“What are you doing!” Sigma rushed forward to where Dazai stood and attempted to pull his hand away from the confirm command button “Don’t open that door! The security room behind that door is the heart of Mersault, are you trying to get yourself killed? Stop it!”
Dazai pulled his hand away from Sigma’s weak grasp and pressed the confirm button, His greasy hair falling into his face as he smiled at Sigma with fake innocence.
“Oops, I already opened it”
A loud buzz sounded, and the doors slowly slid open. Sigma wheeled back in anticipation of dozens of guards rushing out to kill them both, but after a few moments, no guards had come out. Dazai had made no move from the door, knowing that they wouldn't have been ambushed upon entry. Sigma cautiously stepped forward to where Dazai was standing again and looked past him through the door in confusion. Sigma stared in disbelief at the sight before him, the security room freshly painted with red. Dozens of motionless bodies strewn throughout the room, and the overwhelming smell of blood hung in the air.
"You're kidding." Sigma looked around the room for a sign of any survivors, but the guards were all dead "All of them have been defeated."
He looked at Dazai warily "Did you do this? You just walked through the door! How on earth did you-"
"Well," Dazai put his finger to his lips as if he was sharing a secret. "I stopped time."
Sigma stood and watched him in confusion as Dazai continued to walk further into the security room, stepping over the lifeless bodies with ease coating his bare feet with their blood. The younger boy followed him, not as careful with his previously pristine shoes being stained with the red colour as he struggled not to slip and fall onto the tainted tile.
"Hold on Dazai," Sigma called as he tried to keep himself upright and not accidentally step on the masses below him. "What do you mean you 'stopped time'? that's impossible, your ability is nullification."
Dazai moved on forward, not answering his questions. He looked around the wide room looking for something in particular. Sigma tripped over the last body he had not seen and managed to keep himself from falling. He stepped in front of Dazai, blocking his line of sight.
"Don't avoid the question, answer me!"
"This Mersault is a trade fair for dangerous ability users." Dazai stepped around him and looked back, "All kinds of abilities are gathered here, and among them is the world's number one thief. Her ability is interesting, Within a few seconds she can stop time for everything except herself. It's effective within a several kilometre radius, Ango made a negotiation with her, that she would receive a shorter prison sentence with the agreement that every morning she would stop time with the exact amount of length and frequency I instructed Ango."
Sigma stood in confusion, unsure what to think about the explanation Dazai had given him.
“...What is this about?”
Dazai waited for Sigma to finally piece it together, Surveying the screens before him for the certain one in particular that he was looking for. It took a while, as the prison was massive and there were hundreds of screens displaying many different rooms ranging from empty hallways to cells holding bored criminals inside. One screen in the centre caught his eye just when Sigma caught on.
“Hold on…Your ability nullification.”
“Exactly, I am the only one who can move while time is stopped.” Dazai walked towards the Security board that controlled the keys and looked for the one that would do what he wanted.”So, while the time was paused I overtook the security room. Taking out a bunch of security guards who can't move is easier than defeating a monkey that’s asleep.”
Sigma watched the man open-mouthed as Dazai fiddled with the delicate buttons on the panel, Turning the screens that did not hold any of his interest off one by one.
“Now then, with this, I’ve also revealed the answer to the homework from just now.”
Sigma’s face contorted into one of confusion, then lit up in understanding “I see, the method to receiving messages from the outside.”
“Indeed,” Dazai nodded in confirmation. “The frequency and length of the time-stopping every morning have now become signals. With this method, it’s impossible for anyone else to read these signals.”
Only one screen was left turned on out of the hundreds mounted on the wall. On the screen displayed Fyodor Dostoyevsky and Chuuya Nakahara, trapped in the room they had attempted and failed to escape from. The room was completely sealed off, and already halfway filled with water. From where the camera was positioned, Dazai could see Fyodor standing in the water looking like a soaked wet rat. His hair clung to his face like a helmet, the wet prison uniform sticking onto his frame showing his skin through the translucent fabric.
Next to him was Chuuya, the water well above his shoulders compared to the other man. He was struggling to keep himself upright, his smaller frame bobbing up and down like a life board as his reddish-brown hair floated in the water. His hat still somehow stayed on his head despite him barely even being able to keep his head above. Dazai watched through the screen as his ex-partner growled at the water like it was his mortal enemy, his newly acquired fangs almost snapping at the water the higher it got. No sound was coming through the screen, Dazai located the button on the panel and immediately the previously silent room was filled with the sound of splashing and growls. Dazai leaned towards the mic that stood before him and bent it toward his lips. He tapped it twice to ensure it was working before he spoke.
“Can you hear me, Dostoevsky?”
Fyodor turned to the source of the sound, his face not quite looking at the room’s camera. He didn’t seem to be alarmed to hear the sound of Dazai’s voice through the room’s speaker. Maybe he expected it, it didn’t matter now anyway.
“How does it feel to be drowning soon?”
Fyodor stared blankly back at him through the camera, no sign of defeat on his face. “You can’t kill me.”
“What a great response,” Dazai responded sarcastically “But what how will you escape? Even if you want to escape with an ability, it’s impossible to break the walls. Chuuya’s ability only works on things he touches, so powders and liquids are an issue.”
Chuuya showed no sign of response to his name. He hadn’t even looked up when Dazai started speaking. Dazai wondered if he was even aware of the situation he was currently in, or if whatever had trapped him caused him to be closed off from everything around him except the one giving him orders. Dazai frowned in disappointment, he wished Chuuya would at least give him a half-baked insult of some sort for even uttering his name in his presence. That would at least give him some sort of satisfaction if he was going to watch him die a painful death.
“Then how about your ability?” Dazai cocked his head in mock curiosity, knowing Fyodor couldn’t see him “ That would be very interesting. But from observation, your ability can't get you out of this situation. That’s precisely why I chose this trap.”
The water was almost near the top of the room, Fyodor placed one of his arms on the ceiling to keep himself steady as he glared fiercely at the camera, acknowledging that he lost this round of their never-ending game. Dazai hoped if he played it right, Fyodor would drown, and their game would end right then and there.
But Chuuya had never been a part of this plan to win. He wasn’t supposed to be anywhere near them at all. Dazai didn’t know how Fyodor managed to get to him, much less subdue him. It was too late, Chuuya was trapped in the room with him and there was no way in hell he was going to open it just to save the dog of the mafia. That was all he was to him now, that was how it had been since he left. But even though that’s all it should have been, something pulled him to the back of his mind. It felt strange, he hadn’t felt something like that in a while and he didn’t like the feeling at all.
“Chuuya, this is also my farewell to you.” Dazai watched the minuscule demon through the camera, trying to catch at least a glimpse of the annoying boy’s face before it was completely submerged in the water for good. His teeth were clenched in concentration, putting all his energy into keeping himself above the water but to no avail. It was hard to say whether it was beads of sweat streaming down his face or the weighted water droplets splashing around as he tried to prevent it from filling his lungs.
“It’s unfortunate that it has come to this.” Dazai looked away from the screen so he didn’t have to see him get completely covered in the water.
“From the seven years we met all we’ve done was quarrel with each other.” He laughed at that, remembering all the pranks they had pulled with each other. When he would do everything in his power to piss him off on purpose. He wouldn’t say it out loud, but those times with him almost made him want to live. Almost.
“But…There were moments when our hearts reached out to each other. Like-”
Dazai paused, not sure of what to say. He could give many examples, despite how closed off they both were, especially him, he trusted Chuuya more than anyone else in the world. It was insufferable but true. Chuuya didn’t question him as others did, nor did he ever doubt any of his decisions. He trusted him, which was truly a mistake on his part. Dazai wasn't one to be trusted, everyone knew that. He had to keep even Chuuya on his toes every once in a while or he might lose his touch.
Every time he turned on his ability, he knew that he could die. Yet he trusted Dazai would stop him in time before his body crumbled to dust. When they fought Lovecraft, Chuuya trusted he would stop him before he pushed himself to his limit, and he did. When Dazai trapped himself in the ability dragon, trusting Chuuya would come after him and wake him up, he did. Dazai still remembered how it felt turning off his ability that time, holding his soft skin in his hand as they were suspended in the air. Back then he said it was beautiful, he didn't only mean him, but that he trusted him so much to come after him.
Now here he was, trapped in a room of the world's most secure prison, drowning in a room while Dazai watched. Dazai had tried to drown before, if Atsushi hadn’t pulled him out that time it would've worked. He knew what it felt like when your brain began to shut down and you struggled to breathe, gasping for air but only getting water. At some point you stop fighting, lungs filled with the liquid and no energy left to try and keep yourself alive. It was even worse here, the water was specially modified to be heavier than regular water in return. They could barely swim in it, much less have a fighting chance. Dazai wished he could drown again, even more, he wished he was in that room with Chuuya instead of Fyodor, drowning with him.
Maybe if he had even a modicum of human compassion, he'd at least feel despair that this man he'd known for so long, who knew him better than anybody he'd ever met, may choke and drown silently in the weighted water of this impenetrable prison as a result of him being someone he somewhat cared for.
But then again, he barely even considered himself human.
“Sorry, there weren’t really any. Well then, goodbye!”
Dazai and Sigma stood there watching as both men vanished, the water filling the room. As the last of the bubbles from below fizzled out, Chuuya's hat floated lightly on top, useless without its owner.