Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Chuuya’s expression was unreadable as he moved through the halls of Port Mafia headquarters, a stack of papers in one hand and a dull ache blooming behind his eyes. A sure sign that he’d had too little sleep and too much stress, but there was nothing he could do about that for the time being. It had been one day since the Guild had finally arrived in Yokohama, and three hours since the assassin they’d sent had been caught and Mori had declared war on them. As a result the entire Mafia was busier than usual, as they made preparations for attack.

Chuuya hated to admit it, but he had underestimated the Guild. Though he’d known they were trouble, he just hadn’t expected them to move so quickly, or so boldly, sending an assassin straight into Mafia territory like they owned the place.

He couldn’t even figure out what they had hoped to accomplish with such an action, surely they hadn’t thought that such a haphazard plan would actually manage to kill anyone of importance, or even anyone at all? Chuuya didn’t know, and annoyingly enough the assassin’s ghost hadn’t stuck around. That fact alone frustrated him more than it should have. After all these years, he still didn’t know why some people became ghosts and others didn’t.

Logically he would have thought it had something to do a desire to not die or unfinished business; he’d killed plenty of people who very clearly weren’t in favor of it though, and yet hadn’t become ghosts, and he’d met plenty of ghosts who were well, lifeless, and didn’t have any goal they wanted to achieve. Every time he came up with a theory to explain it, it seemed as if a new ghost turned up who was just different enough to destroy it.

Regardless of why ghosts existed or what the Guild’s intent with sending an assassin had been, the fact remained that their plan to do so had slipped past Chuuya’s notice.

Chuuya had never fooled himself into thinking he was omniscient. Every scrap of intel he got came either from ghosts or his own investigation, and both had limits. It wasn’t like ghosts could just read people’s minds to get information either. They needed to overhear something, catch a glimpse of a document, or follow the right person at the right time. And even that depended on if they were willing to help.

Just because there were plenty of ghosts in the city, didn’t mean they were all willing to aid him. Some were resentful towards the living, not quite filled with enough anger to become a malicious ghost, but unwilling to do anything to help them. Others were more than happy to share any gossip they’d happened to hear, but had no interest in actually seeking out any information.

There were also the ghosts that were perfectly willing to gather information within Yokohama, or wherever their home was, but had no desire to go roaming around elsewhere on their own. Chuuya had never bothered trying to convince any of them otherwise; despite what most people might think, being dead didn’t necessarily mean nothing could hurt you, and he wasn’t going to force anyone to put themselves in danger.

There had been far too many times in his life that his own agency had been taken away, he tried to avoid doing so to anyone else.

As a result of the complications though, Chuuya only had a handful of ghosts who were willing to go anywhere he asked, and even with the ones who were more than happy to roam the city, his resources were currently stretched pretty thin. There were a few left he could still ask, but that totally depended on them showing up on their own. He had no way to summon them.

Despite the fact that he had done his best, it still rankled him that he’d missed something.

He was doing his best to make up for it though, Mori had ordered him to compile a list of all the Guild members and their abilities. Chuuya had spent the last several hours tracking down his ghosts, cross-referencing scraps of intel, and compiling it all into something resembling a coherent report. It wasn’t perfect by any means, there was some information in regards to some of the members abilities that they just didn’t have, but for it was enough. It at least gave them an edge.

Reaching the door to Mori’s office, Chuuya reached out and knocked on it, before entering as soon as he was given permission. The sight that greeted him would be considered a strange one to anyone who wasn’t familiar with Mori’s usual antics, but to Chuuya, it barely registered. The man was sitting behind his desk, a pile of paperwork in front of him, while Elise stuck various colorful clips in his hair.

Compared to some of the ridiculous things he’d seen Mori get up to in the past though, this was pretty normal.

“I’ve brought the list of the Guild’s abilities.” Chuuya told Mori, “With the exception of Lovecraft, we know the origins of all the members and at least some information about their abilities.”

Mori set down the pen he’d been using to sign documents and looked up at Chuuya with a serious expression. “What is the issue in regards to Lovecraft?”

Chuuya’s brow furrowed, “We can’t find any evidence of his existence prior to joining the Guild. It’s like he just crawled out of the ocean or something and started working for Fitzgerald.” Despite those words sounding like a joke, they weren’t entirely one; the ghosts he’d sent to investigate had brought back some worrying news, like how it seemed Lovecraft could see them and how there was something about him that just didn’t feel human.

For all Chuuya knew, he really could have just crawled out of the ocean. It was also possible that he was like Chuuya and Verlaine, but Chuuya’s gut feeling said that wasn’t the case. That hadn’t stopped him from sending a message to Verlaine though, asking if he’d ever heard of the man and if he thought there was any chance he was related to them. Thus far there had been no reply however.

“I see.” Mori looked thoughtful for a moment, “Leave a copy of the list with me, and make sure the Executives get one as well. In the meantime, keep digging into Lovecraft..”

“Yes sir.” Chuuya said, bowing slightly. It was clear from Mori’s tone of voice that he had been dismissed, but Chuuya hesitated for a second, not immediately leaving.

Mori looked up from the paperwork he’d gone back to working on, a frown playing on his lips at the sight of Chuuya still standing there. “Is there something else?”

“You only declared war on the Guild and not the Agency.” It was phrased as a statement and not a question, but nevertheless it was clear from Chuuya’s tone of voice that he wanted to know why Mori had made such a choice.

Mori held up a hand, motioning for Elise to stop playing with his hair, and stood up. Walking around his desk until he came to stand just in front of Chuuya. He leaned back slightly against the edge of the desk, hands folded neatly in front of him.

“It was your plan to use the Agency as a distraction, I simply decided to take it a step further. We’re targeting the Guild, but they’ll be forced to deal with both us and the Agency, which will stretch their forces.” Mori explained. “Once they’ve been dealt with, we can always turn our attention to the Agency if needed.”

The explanation was about what Chuuya had expected, it was too soon after him having spoken to about his plans for it to be just a coincidence. It had actually managed to make him glad that Mori had caught him, the situation was much better then if they’d decided to take on both the Agency and the Guild at once.

“Sir, I have a suggestion.” Chuuya told Mori, “I don’t think you’re going to like it though.”

Mori’s lips pressed into a thin line, his eyes narrowing as he stared at Chuuya in silence. The situation was one that somehow managed to still be intimidating, even with a bunny shaped clip slowly starting to slip out of his bangs. After a moment though, Mori’s expression changed into what could almost be called a pout, and he let out a sigh as he ran a hand across his face.

“You know I hate it when you say things like that, Chuuya.” Mori whined, looking not in the least bit like the feared boss of the Port Mafia. “Even when you’re right, it usually means more work for me.”

Chuuya gave him a look that showed absolutely no sympathy. “I believe that’s called karma.” He quipped, before turning serious. “Sir, what do you think about proposing a temporary alliance with the Agency?”

Mori froze, an expression of shock on his face. It was clear that whatever Mori had been expecting Chuuya to say, it wasn’t that.

“I didn’t think I was old enough to be having hearing problems.” Mori muttered, “I could have sworn you suggested we make an alliance with the Agency.”

Chuuya grimaced. He’d known this would be a hard sell. He had to try though, this was th only was he could think of to obtain the best possible outcome. “Just a temporary alliance, only until the Guild is dealt with. That way, we don’t have to worry about the Agency attacking us while we deal with the Guild.”

Mori crossed his arms, fingers tapping rhythmically against his forearm as he considered the proposal. “I am not overly inclined to trust the Agency that much. If necessarily, simply proposing a temporary truce would fulfill the same purpose, while lessening the risk.”

Chuuya inclined his head slightly in acknowledgement of the truth in Mori’s words. There was a level of trust necessary for making an alliance, and that was in short supply between the Mafia and the Agency. If they really tried though, Chuuya thought some could be found, even if it was solely based on having a shared enemy.

“There’s truth in that, but also less benefits. With an alliance, not only will we be able to coordinate our attacks, but it gives a chance to observe the Agency up close. No matter how much intel I gather on paper, it’ll never compare to seeing them in action.”

Every word Chuuya spoke was true, but it wasn’t the full reason that he wanted the Agency and the Mafia to team up, and he could tell from the expression on Mori’s face that he wasn’t fooling him.

“What is it you’re hiding, Chuuya?” Mori’s tone was soft, but that was what made it seem so threatening.

Unlike earlier, when he’d just been being dramatic, Chuuya knew he actually wasn’t happy with him currently. Most of the time Mori gave him quite a bit of leeway in his actions, he’d long since stopped trying to figure out where Chuuya got his information and let him get away with things others would get in big trouble for, but he still had a limit.

Anything that might bring trouble to the Mafia? That crossed the line.

Still, Chuuya didn’t answer immediately, turning his head slightly to stare out the large windows down at the city below instead. While his eyesight was slightly better than a normal human’s, he was still too far up to be able to see the individual people, but he knew they must be going about their daily lives just as they usually would. He wondered what it was like to lead such a normal life. To have no idea of the things happening in the shadows, or that there was a storm brewing beneath the surface.

In some ways he was a little bit jealous. He knew that even if he hadn’t joined the mafia, the chance for a normal life was never in his reach to begin with. At best he would have spent his time travelling with Verlaine, taking out whatever target they were hired to eliminate.

And even if he could live a normal life… he’d probably be bored out of his mind.

After a few seconds, he turned back to look at Mori and let out a low sigh. “I know what the Guild and their allies are looking for, though I’m not sure it actually exists. But that doesn’t matter, plenty of people have caused destruction chasing myths.” That was the real reason he wanted to push for an alliance with the Agency. For all his confidence in the Mafia’s strength, they weren’t just facing the Guild. There were other organizations backing them.

At least for now, even more might end up showing up for all he knew. Like sharks circling in the water, searching for the source of the blood they smelled.

They had to nip this in the bud, before Yokohama turned into a battlefield. If that happened it would end up making the Dragon’s Head Conflict look like a simple playground conflict between children.

And if anyone actually succeeded in finding the Book? Chuuya didn’t really want to think about what might happen.

Mori pursed his lips, looking at Chuuya with a gaze that gave none of his thoughts away. “You really believe the threat is that serious?” He asked, eyes narrowing in thought. “Just what is it they’re searching for?”

Chuuya hesitated, taking off his hat so he could run a hand through his long hair. He trusted Mori, more than many people would deem wise, but still felt reluctant about revealing the existence of the Book to him. He couldn’t hide it forever though, especially if he wanted Mori’s cooperation. He just had to hope his trust wouldn’t be betrayed.

“Supposedly, there’s an object known as the Book, sealed somewhere in Yokohama,” He began carefully. “There are people who believe that the tiger can lead them to it, though I’m not sure where that idea came from.” He took a deep breath. “Allegedly, the Book has the power to write anything into reality.”

Mori froze, caught completely off guard by the revelation. A heavy silence filled the room for several minutes. Chuuya did nothing to try and break it however, and simply stayed standing where he was, waiting for Mori to speak again.

“You’re worried that I’ll want to go after the Book, and that will put the Mafia, and this city, in danger.” Mori finally said, breaking the silence. “That’s why you haven’t said anything until now.”

There was no sign of anger in his voice thankfully, just thoughtfulness as he considered what Chuuya had said.

Chuuya grimaced, “Despite what some people outside the mafia might think, you’re not a power hungry person, Boss. But you do have your goals. That makes the Book… tempting.”

Mori inclined his head slightly, acknowledging the truth in Chuuya’s statement. “It is a rather attractive prospect,” He admitted, “There’s a lot that could be done with such an item. For the time being however, I can assure you that I have no plans to go after it, and while that may change if it’s confirmed not to be just a rumor, I can assure you that I would not put the mafia at risk just in order to obtain it.”

If it weren’t so inappropriate at the moment, Chuuya might have let out a sigh of relief. Perhaps it was unfair of him to have doubted Mori so much, but he’d met plenty of people, both living and dead, who had suffered because someone fell prey to greed.

“There’s still the matter of other people going after it however.” He pointed out, smoothly moving the topic back to his desire for an alliance. “I still think that it would be better to get the Agency working with us.”

“Hypothetically, let’s say we did, just how much would you propose we tell them?” Mori asked, wandering back around his desk to take a seat once more. “Would you tell them about the Book?”

Chuuya shook his head, “I’d give them the bare minimum of information. Only telling them that there are multiple organizations backing the Guild and that we don’t want them to make a mess of Yokohama. Dazai, of course, would probably know that wasn’t the whole truth, but….”

Chuuya trailed off as a panicked looking ghost floated through the door to Mori’s office and over to where the two of them were talking. He recognized them as Kyoka’s mother, who almost always was found hanging around her daughter, alongside her husband.

“Chuuya, you have to do something, Kouyou is attacking that nice boy from the Agency, and trying to take Kyoka back to the Mafia!”

Chuuya didn’t curse, though it was a close thing, but something in his expression must have changed because Mori gave him a sharp look.

“What is it?” He questioned.

“Kouyou is picking a fight with an Agency member in an attempt to get Kyoka back.” Chuuya informed him, not bothering to hide the situation from Mori.

When he’d first joined the mafia he’d done his best to not do anything that might give himself away. If he shared information, it was always in situations where it wouldn’t seem that unusual that he could know something. But that had changed after a few situations where withholding the information could’ve cost lives. By that point he was comfortable enough in the mafia to be more and more obvious about things, until he’d gotten to where he was now.

Mori had never directly questioned him as to where he got his information, even if it was in the middle of a meeting like now, but he’d definitely hinted at wanting to know. Chuuya had always pretended he didn’t realize it though, and eventually the man had stopped asking. He was sure he had his theories though.

Chuuya doubted any of them were correct.

“Kyoka is a traitor to the mafia,” Mori reminded him, a warning in his voice. “And Kouyou asked for my permission before taking action. Is there a reason she shouldn’t be doing what she is?”

“You mean besides the fact that we don’t need to be antagonizing the Agency right now?” Chuuya asked, voice laced with annoyance.
It was true that technically Kyoka was considered a traitor. She had clearly walked away from the mafia in favor of the Agency. But they had bigger problems to deal with right now.

Besides, that small bit of resentment that still remained somewhere in the back of Chuuya’s mind reminded him that Kyoka was a fourteen year old girl who’d never gotten a say in whether or not she wanted to be in the mafia. And unlike him she’d never come to love it there.

Kouyou wouldn’t drag Kyoka back just to have her executed, she cared about the girl way too much for that. But that didn’t mean her actions wouldn’t make Kyoka suffer.

Kyoka had the skills and temperament to be a great assassin, and her ability was well suited for it as well, but she just didn’t have the heart. Each kill brought too much guilt, and he knew she kept track of them.

“Sir, this really isn’t the time to be causing additional conflicts,” Chuuya said, “And given we haven’t taken much action against Dazai, despite him being a much more high profile traitor, it’s rather ridiculous to be going after a young girl at a time like this.”

Mori just stared at him, leaving Chuuya with the distinct impression that he was well aware Chuuya’s personal feelings were influencing his protests. Chuuya had helped train several of the Port Mafia’s assassins, and it was no secret that he was fond of Kyoka in particular.

“I presume you’d like to go stop her then,” Mori said, apparently deciding he’d humor Chuuya. “Very well, you may do so. Tell Kouyou that my permission has been revoked and that for the time being we’ll leave Kyoka alone. Though that also means that if she’s arrested for the crimes she’s committed, we also will do nothing to aid her.”

What Mori said logically made sense, if she was no longer part of their organization then they had no obligation to help her after all. Still, Chuuya silently decided that if she did end up having a run in with the law, he’d have to find some blackmail on local officials.

“Yes sir, thank you.”

Having accomplished the goals he’d come there for, with the exception of convincing Mori to agree to an alliance, a subject he still hadn’t gotten a definite answer on, Chuuya turned to leave. He’d made it as far as the door, which Mori’s voice calling his name made him turn and look back.

“While you’re there, go ahead and ask the Agency member to tell their boss we would like to arrange a meeting with them. Tell them we’d like to talk about the possibility of an alliance.”

Chuuya stared at him in surprise for a moment, before smiling “Yes sir!”

Chapter Text

It was once again the time of year for cherry blossoms to fall, the soft pink petals gracefully drifting through the air, before reaching their final resting place on the ground. Unfortunately, Atsushi Nakajima had no time to enjoy such a beautiful sight, as the sword of Kouyou Ozaki’s ability pierced through him, pinning him to one of the many pillars which decorate the area.

“Don’t take it too personally.” The Port Mafia member told him, a not in the least bit comforting smile on her face as she grabbed hold of his chin. “I’m merely doing what must be done.”

“Stop!” He heard Kyoka yell, as he spat out a mouthful of blood. “Leave him alone!”

Kouyou let go of Atsushi’s chin, turning slightly to look at Kyoka, this time with a genuine smile on her face. “Ah, you’re so cute, I wish I could do as you ask, but my job is to bring you back to the mafia and he stands in the way. You are a flower of darkness, you can only bloom there.”

Kyoka shook her head, a clear look of anger present on her usually emotionless face. “I’m not going back! I’m not a flower of darkness, the Agency is my home!”

It made Atsushi happy to hear Kyoka had fully accepted the Agency as her home, though he thought he’d probably be a lot happier if the circumstances it was said under were different. Kouyou, on the other hand, did not look the least bit happy about what Kyoka had said, her expression twisting into one of rage as she turned back towards Atsushi.

“It’s because of you!” She growled, placing her sword against Atsushi’s neck. “You’ve poisoned her with your light, and it will destroy her!”

Before she could do anything to harm him, however, a pebble flew through the air, smacking into her sword with great force and knocking it out of her hands. For a second, Kouyou froze, before whirling around in anger to face whoever had interfered in the fight. Her expression soon changed to shock however, as she saw who it was.

“What are you doing Chuuya?” She demanded in a an astonished voice, at the same time that Atsushi heard Kyoka softly utter a surprised

“Chuuya-san?”

Seeing that Kouyou was distracted, Atsushi took a second to move away from Kouyou, before stopping to observe the newcomer. As far as he could remember he’d never seen the man before, and given his short stature and the rather unique way his orange hair was cut, he didn’t seem easy to forget. Unfortunately that also meant Atsushi knew absolutely nothing about him, other than the fact that he was probably from the mafia, given that both Kyoka and Kouyou recognized him.

He had interfered in the fight, so Atsushi was hopeful that meant he wasn’t here to cause trouble, but he didn’t dare let his guard down.

“The Boss has revoked your permission to bring Kyoka back to the mafia, we’re not to cause conflict with the Agency right now.”

Atsushi couldn’t help but let out a sigh of relief upon hearing that, provided that what this Chuuya had said was true, it would make things a lot easier if they weren’t having to watch their backs against the Mafia while dealing with the Guild. Kouyou, on the other hand didn’t look overly thrilled, and Atsushi took advantage of her distraction to motion to Kyoka, getting the girl to move to his side.

The smart move probably would have been for the two of them to take the opportunity to leave, but for some reason both of them couldn’t resist the urge to stay and find out just what was going on.

“And I suppose he decided that all on his own?” There was what sounded like a hint of accusation in Kouyou’s voice when she asked that, but Atsushi didn’t have the energy or motivation to figure out why she seemed to blame Chuuya for the Port Mafia’s bosses choice. He had enough to worry about without trying to figure out the inner dynamics of the Port Mafia.

If Chuuya was all bothered by the way his fellow mafia member was acting though, Atsushi certainly couldn’t tell. He just stared at the woman for a second with a neutral expression, before letting out a sigh.

“Ane-san, this is not the time for the mafia to be fighting a war on two fronts.” He said, softly enough that Atsushi’s not sure he would have heard it if the tiger didn’t grant him enhanced hearing. “There’s more going on than it seems.”

Kouyou stilled upon hearing that, the anger falling from her face as her expression shifted into a more neutral one, only a slight hint of worry in her eyes giving any indication of what exactly Chuuya’s words meant to her. Seeing how serious the both of them seemed, Atsushi was struck with the sudden urge to ask him what he’d meant, just what else was going on behind the scenes.

Before he could muster up the courage needed to ask a question that he likely wouldn’t get an answer to, he noticed Chuuya glancing at the air beside him, and seconds later he heard Kunikida’s voice.

“Atsushi! Are you and Kyoka okay?” Glancing over his shoulder, Atsushi saw Kunikida and Kenji running towards them.

“Kunikida-san! How…?”

“I had Kyoka’s phone set up to send a signal whenever she gets a call.” Kunikida explained absently, most of his attention focused on watching the mafia members standing nearby. “Why is it you always seem to get into trouble?”

Atsushi really wanted to say something in his defense, but he had to admit that he did end up in troublesome situations quite a lot. It wasn’t like he went looking for them though, the universe just seemed to personally have it out for him.

“That…the situation seems to be resolved though…” He pointed out, “The mafia apparently isn’t planning to get in conflict with the Agency right now.”

Kunikida looked doubtful, “They showed up to cause trouble and then just quit?” He narrowed his eyes, glancing over at Chuuya and Kouyou. “Just what are they up to?”

“You do know we can hear you, right?” Chuuya drawled, giving the three Agency members an unimpressed look. He didn’t seem at all bothered by the fact that the he and Kouyou were currently outnumbered by the Agency, though Atsushi wasn't sure that was because the two of them were strong enough they didn’t need to worry, or if there were other mafia members lurking nearby.

“Then perhaps you should explain yourself instead of just standing there.” Kunikida shot back.

Chuuya simply shrugged, “It’s just as your weretiger heard earlier, the mafia has made the decision to not cause any conflict with the Agency until the Guild is dealt with.” He looked as if he wanted to say something else as well but he suddenly paused, looking off slightly into the distance as if there was something there that the rest of them couldn’t be.

“There will likely be Guild members showing up here soon, the rest of their force has probably arrived by now” He suddenly warned, his expression serious.

Atsushi could tell from the look of doubt on Kunikida’s face that he was doubtful of what Chuuya had just said, which was understandable given how they had been enemies until like five minutes ago, not to mention it had come out nowhere. Kyoka was different however, a thoughtful expression appearing on her face.

“If Chuuya-san says there are people coming, then they probably are.” She whispered to Atsushi, who glanced at her with a curious expression. It seemed like she knew Chuuya pretty well, and he wanted to ask about it, but he figured this really wasn’t the time to do so.

Kyoka’s expression of faith in what Chuuya had said was backed up by the look of concern that appeared on Kouyou’s face upon hearing Chuuya’s words.

“How many are there likely to be?” She asked Chuuya in a voice that was only loud enough for him and Atsushi to hear, “Can we deal with them?”

Chuuya hummed thoughtfully, “Not without heavy losses on our side, of course I could use that, but since he’s not here it wouldn’t go well. Best to just retreat for now.”

Atsushi didn’t know who the ‘he’ that was being referred to was, nor what Chuuya meant by ‘that’, but the conversation was making him nervous. Apparently Kunikida felt the same, a frown on his face as he addressed the other three Agency members.

“For the time being, let’s head back to the Agency.”

As the four of them turned to leave, Chuuya’s voice called out to them. “Hey, pass on a message to your boss for us, our boss wants a meeting.”

Kunikida’s eyes narrowed but he nodded in acknowledgement, before herding the Agency members away from the area, keeping an eye over his shoulder as he did so. It was only once they’d traveled several streets away without any sign of an attack that he finally relaxed.

“Do you think the President will meet with them?” Atsushi asked, wondering why the Mafia had even requested such a thing.

“That’s up to him to decide.” Kunikida informed him, though it was clear from his expression that he was wondering the same thing as Atsushi. “Kyoka, did you know those two Mafia members?”

Kyoka nodded. “Kouyou Ozaki and Chuuya Nakahara, they’re both executives.”

“It’s probably true what they said about not causing conflict with the Agency then.” Kunikida admitted, before letting out an annoyed groan. “Ah, I can’t figure out just what it is they’re planning.”

Atsushi didn’t know either, and if Kenji or Kyoka had any ideas they didn’t say, so the four of them fell into silence as they continued back to the Agency. When they walked into the office, Tanizaki was pacing back and forth in worry, though neither Ranpo nor Dazai seemed particularly concerned; one focused on his snacks and the other reading through his suicide book yet again. That was about par for the course with the two of them though, and so Atsushi didn’t really feel offended by it.

“Are you guys okay?” Tanizaki asked, rushing over as soon as he caught sight of them. Kunikida gave a brief nod of his head, before glancing around the room.

“We’re fine, is the President in?”

“He’s in his office.” Ranpo said, not looking up from the bag of chips he was snacking on. Sometimes Atsushi really wondered what it was like to be him, incredibly smart and completely unbothered by most things, but given the price for that seemed to be a lack of competence in day to day life, he’d prefer to stay as he was.

Kunikida nodded in thanks, before heading towards the President's office, leaving behind Kyoka, Kenji and Atsushi to answer any questions the other’s had.

“What happened?” Tanizaki questioned, looking at the various tears and bloodstains on Atsushi’s clothing.

“That…” Atsushi hesitated. Despite having actually been there, truth be told he was a little confused about what exactly had happened, by the end it had been far from the usual kind of interaction they had with the mafia. “This mafia executive Kouyou,” He glanced at Kyoka for a moment to get confirmation that he’d gotten the name right, only continuing once she’d given a small nod. “She showed up to try and take Kyoka back, and we ended up fighting.”

Maybe describing it as fighting was being a little over generous, everything had been rather one sided after all. As embarrassing as it was to admit it, Atsushi knew that a lot of the time he wasn’t very useful in a fight; the tiger gave him plenty of benefits, but without any skill to back it up, he tended to be easily outmaneuvered by someone who actually knew what they were doing.

“So how’d you get away?” Tanizaki asked, apparently not even considering the possibility that Atsushi had simply won the fight. It was a bit hurtful, even if Atsushi had just barely been lamenting his lack of skill in a fight himself.

“It was really weird,” Atsushi recalled, “Another executive showed up and told Kouyou that she wasn’t allowed to go after Kyoka anymore, and that they weren’t to cause conflict with the Agency.”

He saw Dazai’s expression shift slightly upon hearing that, and Atsushi suddenly remembered that Dazai had once been part of the mafia; based on his reaction, he wondered if Dazai knew something about the executives they had run into. There was a part of him that really wanted to ask, but since he didn’t know how many people in the Agency actually knew about Dazai’s past, he figured now wasn’t the best time to do so. He could always bring it up later.

“So they just let you go?” Tanizaki questioned, his voice bewildered. “Just like that?”

“Basically?” Atsushi said, “Like I said, it was weird. We talked for a bit and then Chuuya, the other executive, claimed that there were Guild members coming and so we all left.”

“He claimed there were Guild members coming?” Yosano repeated, coming out of the infirmary. “Who’s to say that he wasn’t the one who called them there?”

“No way!” Kenji protested, speaking up from where he’d flopped onto Dazai’s couch. “He’s a nice guy, I can tell!”

Atsushi didn’t think he’d go so far as to call Chuuya a good guy, he was in the mafia after all, but he did agree that he didn’t think there had been any set up on his part. It didn’t make sense, not with the way that Chuuya had just paused suddenly before warning them, or with how seriously Kouyou had taken what he’d said.

Before he could bring that up however, Kyoka spoke up in Chuuya’s defense.

“Chuuya-san wouldn’t do that.” She said, her voice firm. “Since he said the mafia wasn’t going to cause conflict with the Agency, he wouldn’t try and set us up. And he wouldn’t have warned us if he did.” It was more words then Kyoka usually spoke, a fact that just further enforced what she had said, and though it was clear that Yosano wasn’t fully convinced, she didn’t make any further accusations.

An awkward silence filled the air for several moments after that, with no one really sure what to say. After a moment though, Atsushi remembered something he’d forgotten to mention.

“Oh! Chuuya said the Mafia’s boss wants to meet with the President.” Atsushi said, glancing in the direction of Fukuzawa’s office. He was pretty sure that was probably why Kunikida had been looking for him, and he couldn’t help but feel curious about what kind of conversation they were having.

“A meeting with the mafia?” There was a hint of something in Dazai’s voice that Atsushi couldn’t quite put his finger on, almost as if there was an entire story hidden in the tone in which he spoke. He wondered just what Dazai knew that he wasn’t sharing, but figured that like with most things that involved Dazai, any revelations would happen on his own timetable.

“What do you think they want to meet for?” Tanizaki questioned, looking confused. Atsushi didn’t blame him, he couldn’t figure it out either.

“Probably want to talk about an alliance.” Ranpo interjected, around a mouthful of some kind of snack cake. Everybody in the room turned to look at him, an expression of disgust flitting across their faces due to the sight of Ranpo talking with his mouth full.

“What do you mean by an alliance?” Yosano asked, her voice sharp. She didn’t seem overly thrilled at the prospect of any kind of team up with the mafia.

“Isn’t it obvious? They’ve stopped conflict with the Agency, they warned some of our members about a possible Guild attack and they’ve asked for a meeting, it’s clearly all paving the way to smooth things out for the offer of an alliance.”

It seemed like a bit of a leap of logic to Atsushi, but he’d never known Ranpo to be wrong, so it must be the case. “You think the President will go for it?”

Ranpo shrugged, “Who knows.” He said, before turning his attention back to his snacks. Atsushi didn’t have much time to mentally complain about how unhelpful that was, however, before the door to Fukuzawa’s office opened, and he and Kunikida stepped out.

The president glanced around the room at the assembled Agency members, a serious expression on his face. “We will be agreeing to the mafia’s request for a meeting.” He told them, apparently making the correct assumption that they already had been informed about the request.

Yosano pursed her lips, looking very unhappy about the whole situation, but she remained quiet. No one else protested, and so Fukuzawa turned his attention to Dazai.

“Dazai, can you arrange a meeting for us?”

Kunikda did a double take upon hearing that, looking back and forth between Fukuzawa and Dazai, a look of confusion on his face. “Hold on a minute, why is Dazai setting up the meeting?”

Dazai glanced over at him, an expression of pure innocence on his face. “Oh, I forgot I never told you. I used to be part of the Mafia!”

Chapter Text

“Oooh look, there’s Oda!” Yoshiki called excitedly, his hand passing through Albatross’s head as he eagerly waved at the red haired man. Only the sight shifting of his eyes gave away the fact that Chuuya was trying his best to avoid the sight of it. Although over the years he’d grown rather apathetic towards most of the strangeness that came with being able to see ghosts, there was still something that just felt wrong about the sight of them phasing through living people.

He wasn’t sure if that was because it was a reminder that some of his closest friends were dead, some of them having met less than kind ends, or if it had more to do with himself and the fact that he could see it happen. Although Chuuya was usually grateful for the help being able to see ghosts gave him, it was a constant reminder of how unusual he was. Most people couldn’t see ghosts or even were aware they existed.

That was probably for the best though, while Chuuya had great faith in the capabilities of those close to him, he didn’t think that a lot of them would deal with seeing the things that he regularly did. Not all ghosts had the simple appearance of a slightly transparent human after all. A lot of it came down to how they had died and more importantly, how they felt about it. A ghost which had died in their sleep would probably look just like they had when they were alive, but a ghost who had died brutally, especially one who felt great anger at their death and resented the living for still breathing, they were often more twisted.

Sometimes that simply meant that there was a feeling to them that made you uneasy, other times they were more grotesque in their physical appearance; almost like someone had tried to piece a human back together without knowing what a human was supposed to look like in the first place.

They could be dangerous too, even if you only had one foot in the supernatural world, that was still enough for them to be able to harm you. Of course, even having nothing to do with the supernatural didn’t necessarily mean that you were perfectly safe from the dead, but it did lessen the chances. A ghost had to be pretty powerful to do more than just be a nuisance to anyone who hadn’t opened to their side. It was hard for ghosts like that to hide themselves too, at least from Chuuya, and they were no threat to him.

His existence as Arahabaki alone was often enough to frighten evil ghosts enough that passed on by themselves, and any ghost that was foolish enough to try and take him on soon found themselves in over their heads. While he couldn’t guarantee that he’d be able to keep the city free of every malicious ghost that came into existence, Chuuya tried his best.

“I can’t believe the nerve of that guy, showing his face in front of us!” Albatross grumbled, his gaze fixed slightly to the left of the unseen Oda, where Dazai sat looking incredibly bored. It was as if he was stuck in the middle of some boring meeting, instead of waiting for the Mafia to arrive. “Does he really think we won’t do anything to him?”

“Do you really think he cares? Besides, knowing him he’s probably already figured out that we’re here to talk about an alliance.” Chuuya dryly told Albatross, shooting a warning glance in his direction. Although the existing tension between the Mafia and the Armed Detective Agency meant that there was no guarantee that conflict wouldn’t erupt during these meetings, there was no reason to go looking for it. After a second his expression softened though, and he gave a wry grin. “Not to mention it’s Dazai, he lives to tick people off. He probably knows just how unhappy we are to see him and is enjoying every minute of it.”

In truth, Dazai’s presence didn’t actually bother Chuuya that much, he had expected him to be here after all. Though there was always a probability that would change just as soon as the man opened his mouth. No one had the gift for infuriating people quite like his former partner did.

“What idiot even came up with the idea of this alliance?” Albatross grumbled. “Who’d want to work with them?”

Chuuya, the idiot responsible for the idea, wisely kept his mouth shut.

The group of Mafia members, led by Mori, had moved close enough for Dazai to finally catch sight of them. His expression seemed to flip on a switch, no sign of the lackadaisical attitude he’d previously displayed visible as he stood and made his way towards them. Every part of him seemed serious, or at least as serious as it was possible for Dazai to ever get.

In contrast, the ghost of Oda who was trailing after him seemed much more relaxed. Quite frankly it seemed like he was just happy to be there. As Dazai stopped walking while still a good distance away from the mafia members, Oda continued forward until he stood next to Chuuya and Yoshiki, and reached out a hand to ruffle the younger ghost's hair.

With so many other people around, Chuuya knew better than to try to talk to the two ghosts, so he merely shifted his gaze in Oda’s direction, keeping it there until Oda smiled at him in acknowledgment. He knew that the ghost wouldn’t take any offense at the lack of a better greeting, he would understand.

“Welcome Mori-san,” Dazai greeted, somehow managing to sound both polite and venomous at the same time. For all the skill that Chuuya had in gathering information, Dazai’s hatred towards Mori still confused Chuuya somewhat. It was real, he knew that this was not some charade his former partner was putting on for his own amusement, but he didn’t know how long it had existed. Had it been there from the moment that Mori had brought Dazai into the Mafia, or was it newer, brought about due to Mori’s role in Oda’s death.

“It’s been four years Dazai-san, have you been well?” Mori asked, a gentle smile on his face as he stood in front of his executive now turned traitor. He seemed genuinely happy to see him, an emotion that seemed out of place amidst the tense situation. Chuuya knew that Mori wasn’t putting on an act though, his boss had raised Dazai like his own son, and despite the current divide between them, he knew that feeling hadn’t faded.

The relationship between the two of them was messy and confusing, but that didn’t mean they weren’t family. Quite frankly, if Chuuya hadn’t already had his brother, he thought he might have been a bit jealous of their relationship. He did have Verlaine though, and so while Chuuya was more than happy to continue adding people to the list of those he considered family, there was no gaping hole in his heart to be poked at by Dazai and Mori’s strange relationship.

Dazai returned Mori’s grin, though his couldn’t have looked less sincere. “Oh I’ve been wonderful! Four years, all of them without having to see your face, it was very pleasant. Alas, all good things must come to an end.”

Chuuya rolled his eyes at the answer. Just how truthful Dazai’s words were remained a mystery, but he certainly hadn’t expected any other answer from his former partner. Even if there were moments when Dazai had actually found himself missing Mori, there was no way he would admit it, not even if he was on his death bed.

While the two of them had been talking, Dazai and Mori had been joined by Fukuzawa. Unlike the two of them, who seemed to be enjoying their little game of exchanging barbs and affection, the leader of the Armed Detective Agency seemed tense. Such a contrast in attitudes could have perhaps been amusing in different circumstances, but the stakes felt too high for Chuuya to find entertainment in it at the moment.

They needed this alliance. Sure, the Mafia could fight The Guild on their own, as could perhaps the Armed Detective Agency, but doing so would just drag the fight out, and that wasn’t an option. With the other organizations that stood behind the Guild still waiting in the wings, they couldn’t afford to waste time. Every second counted, they had to nip this in the bud before things got any bigger.

Of course, even once they dealt with the Guild, there was still the Book to deal with. Chuuya didn’t know it really existed, or if it really did what rumors claimed it could; after all, an object that could rewrite reality sounded like something from a fairy tale.

Then again, he was an artificial human fused with an ancient supernatural being. Who was he to judge what was possible?

“So what’s this meeting all about anyway?” Oda asked, as Fukuzawa and Mori awkwardly watched each other.

“We’re here to propose an alliance with the Armed Detective Agency.” Yoshiki informed Oda, taking the role of spokeghost, since he knew that Chuuya couldn’t be seen conversing with them right now. “I don’t know how much the agency is aware of, but there are big things going on behind the scenes. I doubt they even know the half of it.”

Fukuzawa and Mori had moved on to tense greetings, but Chuuya was only listening to them with half an ear, the rest of his attention on Yoshiki and Oda. He didn’t know if Oda would have any new information for them, but it was best to pay attention just in case.

Oda didn’t seem surprised at all by Yoshiki’s words. “Ah, that was about what the agency figured you called this meeting for, though they weren’t sure about it. Quite a few of them suspected this was some trick to assassinate Fukuzawa.”

If it wasn’t that he was trying to avoid drawing attention to himself, Chuuya would have scoffed at that. As if they would need some trick if they really wanted to kill Fukuzawa. If Chuuya was a little annoyed at the idea a trap would be needed to kill Fukuzawa, Yoshiki seemed outright offended.

“Oh please, there would be no need to get that fancy. Chuuya could easily assassinate anyone he wanted with no problem, and even if that failed we always have V.”

Well, he wasn’t wrong there. During the years that he had travelled with Verlaine, his brother had made sure that Chuuya was well versed in all the skills that an assassin would need, and made time to test him on them anytime he came to visit. He wouldn’t dare to say he was as skilled at it as Verlaine was, but he had taken lives before even joining the Sheep, and his ghosts gave him a good advantage over most people.

If he really wanted to kill Fukuzawa, he could figure out a way. Even if that way entailed simply calling in his brother. For the time being though, there was no good reason to consider killing the agency’s head though.

“Yeah, I figured that wasn’t the case.” Oda assured Yoshiki, looking rather amused at the way the younger ghost had puffed up in anger. “But it’s not like I could tell anyone that.” He let out a sigh, “They really were quite worried though, Mori isn’t even talking to real Fukuzawa right now. Just an illusion.”

Huh, that was rather clever. Chuuya was slightly impressed. For a brief moment he wondered if he should perhaps let Mori know, but he quickly decided against it. Although he knew he came up with information out of seemingly nowhere often enough that he was sure Mori would believe him, it was probably for the best that he didn’t speak out of turn during such an important meeting.

He might be an executive, but that didn’t mean it was his place to interrupt a meeting between leaders. Besides, there was no telling how the agency might react if he revealed their ruse.

It wasn’t like he needed to worry much about Fukuzawa being an illusion anyway. He had made sure to investigate each member of the agency, and he knew exactly whose ability it was. Light Snow, as it was named, was purely visual. There were plenty of situations when it could be useful, but actually physically harming someone wasn’t one of them.

“...several people who would be quite frightened to know we were meeting.”

Chuuya turned his full attention back to the conversation between Mori and Fukuzawa just in time to hear his boss being his usual dramatic self. Sometimes he wondered if Mori had some condition that would kill him if he wasn’t regularly a drama queen.

“Just get to the point.” Fukuzawa bluntly told Mori, cutting him off mid-theatrics.. Even though they were from rival organizations, Chuuya couldn’t help but feel a great appreciation for the man at that moment. It was nice to deal with someone who didn’t beat around the bush for once. “What is the purpose of you calling this meeting?”

Mori’s mood changed just as quickly as if he was flipping a page in a book, suddenly changing from dramatic to utterly serious. He stared at Fukuzawa in silence for a moment, before he spoke. “We would like to propose an alliance with the agency. Just a temporary one of course, only until the Guild is defeated.”

Quite frankly the proposal was ridiculous, the Mafia and the Armed Detective Agency had never exactly seen eye to eye on things after all. And yet, Mori said it with such seriousness, it was hard for people to not feel the need to stop and consider it for a moment.

Fukuzawa didn’t seem surprised by Mori’s words, but his eyes did narrow slightly. He was silent for a moment, just watching Mori, as if doing so could help him discover his motives. Finally, he spoke.

“And just what is about the Guild that makes you so afraid. Afraid enough to propose an alliance with us?” It was a valid question in Chuuya’s opinion. Anyone who was even slightly familiar with the two organizations would likely wonder the same. There had to be something very dangerous going on for an alliance to be suggested.

Despite that, the members of the mafia who were present seemed to bristle at the accusation, with Albatross even letting out an annoyed snort. Chuuya knew they didn’t like hearing someone claim that they were afraid, it wasn’t something he was fond of either, but that didn’t mean he could let them cause trouble.

“Enough.” He said, turning to glare at the grumbling members.

Just that one word was enough to silence them. He didn’t shout. He didn’t need to. Chuuya might be the most personable of the executives, but that didn’t mean he was someone who could just be walked over. If he gave an order then it was to be followed, they all knew that.

Once they had quieted down, Mori gave Chuuya a brief glance of acknowledgement before turning his attention back to Fukuzawa.

“Do not misunderstand,” Mori said, with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes, one that warned against voicing another slight against the Mafia. “We do not fear the Guild, they are not that strong. But it will be troublesome if they linger here for too long.”

Chuuya resisted the urge to sigh. He could practically feel Mori enjoying his own cryptic performance. He got a kick out of things like that. It made him wonder if Dazai had picked that from Mori, or if he’d just been born like that. Any enjoyment Mori was receiving from it was quickly squashed by Fukuzawa, as he raised an eyebrow and spoke.

“Are you referring to the groups that are backing the Guild?”

Mori blinked. Once. Twice. And then his eyes slid toward Chuuya.

Right, Chuuya had told Dazai about that. He had forgotten that. He had also apparently forgotten to mention it to Mori, but it seemed his boss had figured it out anyway. He had a feeling he was going to be in trouble later, but he didn’t really regret it. The Agency knowing there were other groups backing the Guild would likely help convince them to accept the alliance.

He was thankful at least that aside from him, and maybe Dazai if he was paying attention, no one else probably picked up on the meaning behind Mori’s glance at him. The fact was that Chuuya often toed the line of what was considered being a traitor to the mafia, and sometimes even outright crossed it; if it weren’t for the fact that Mori had trust in him that his actions were always for the good of the mafia, he would have been dead long ago.

Well maybe, Chuuya wasn’t entirely sure how possible him dying even was. Regardless, most other people wouldn’t look on his actions kindly if they were aware of them, so he’d rather they stayed mostly unknown.

“Ah, so you are aware of them as well.” Mori said, recovering quickly from his surprise. In fact Chuuya doubted anyone else except perhaps Fukuzawa and Dazai had even noticed it. “Then you understand the importance in getting rid of the Guild as soon as possible?”

Beside Chuuya, Albatross frowned. “What are they talking about? What groups backing the Guild?” He asked Chuuya in what he most likely considered a whisper, but wouldn’t be called one by anyone else.

“Later,” Chuuya told him, his voice barely audible. This wasn’t the time or place to explain. He didn’t yet know how much Mori intended to reveal to the rest of the organization, and the last thing they needed was the Agency overhearing details before agreeing to the alliance.

Albatross didn’t seem too happy about having to wait, but he quieted down and didn’t ask again at least. Chuuya was sure he was planning to interrogate him just as soon they were alone though, he might even drag in the other FLAGs to help.

“What would the terms of the alliance be?” Fukuzawa asked, apparently having mostly made up his mind to accept. There was a weight behind the question that said his definite agreement would depend entirely on the answer however.

“Nothing too unreasonable,” Mori assured him. “Merely the sharing of information, cooperation on attacks against the Guild, and naturally, a truce between our organizations until the Guild is defeated”
It really wasn’t anything too unreasonable, quite frankly they could have made some wild demands. Like having Dazai handed over for execution or something equally absurd. Of course that would have been rather stupid to do when they were the ones asking for the alliance in the first place.

Apparently Fukuzawa saw the terms as reasonable as well, because it only took him a moment to nod his head in agreement. “Very well.”

Mori looked delighted, which probably didn’t inspire any confidence in their new allies given it was the kind of delight you were most likely to see on a crazed scientist. Chuuya knew first hand what that looked like. Fukuzawa must have been plenty used to Mori’s eccentrics though, because he didn’t even bat an eye at it. Chuuya wondered what the rest of the Agency members, those who still hadn’t shown their faces but were no doubt lurking nearby with the illusionist and the real Fukuzawa, thought.

At the very least Dazai looked unbothered by the whole thing, so between him and Fukuzawa they would probably be able to convince anyone who was hesitant about the whole thing.

“Excellent!” Mori said. “We’ll keep in touch.” He glanced back at the accompanying mafia members for a moment. “Given this whole thing was his idea, we’ll have Chuuya serve as liaison.”

Albatross gave Chuuya a betrayed look, clearly shocked that it had been him who came up with the idea for an alliance. Chuuya, meanwhile, just stared blankly. He had not signed up for this.

Chapter Text

There was an uneasy air in the office of the Armed Detective Agency as its members gathered around Kunikida’s desk, all except Yosano, who had been holed up in the Director’s office for at least half an hour. She hadn’t been happy when she’d heard about the alliance with the Port Mafia, and Atsushi figured that she must be in there arguing with Fukuzawa.

Or well, maybe not arguing. Atsushi couldn’t quite imagine anyone actually arguing with Fukuzawa, it just felt wrong. But they were definitely having a firm discussion.

He didn’t know why the idea upset her so much, but she wasn’t alone in feeling that way.

The only sound for a while was the quiet tapping of Dazai’s phone as he played some game, seemingly unbothered by everything going on, but then Tanizaki spoke. “Are we really sure this isn’t a trap?” He asked, fingers tapping anxiously on the back of his chair. They’d sent the clerks away just to be safe, – and Kenji was escorting them–so Naomi wasn’t likely to be in any danger, but that didn’t seem to have quelled his nervousness.

“It seems like a lot of work for a trap,” Atsushi pointed out. While he didn’t really have much experience when it came to scheming, setting up a whole alliance just to pull off a betrayal didn’t seem worth the trouble. “If they really wanted to cause us trouble there are surely easier ways.”

Kunikida pushed up his glasses with a finger, looking away from the paperwork he’d unsuccessfully been trying to work on. “That is true, but that doesn’t mean the situation isn’t suspicious” He told the other Agency members. “For the Mafia to suggest this alliance must mean they’re quite worried about the situation, there’s definitely more going on then we know. I’m also worried about that Nakahara fellow.”

His words brought a barely perceivable frown to Kyoka’s face, and Atsushi couldn’t help but feel confused. “Why? What’s the matter with him?” Although he’d only ever met the man once, he seemed decent for a mafioso. At the very least he had stopped Kyoka from being taken.

“Because he was the one who suggested it,” Ranpo piped up from where he was lounging like a cat in a chair, various snacks gathered in front of him. Aside from Dazai, he was the only agency member who seemed unbothered by the whole situation. “What does he know and how much influence does he have over Mori to get him to agree? It’s not like the dislike between our organizations is one-sided,” He said it like a throwaway question, but Atsushi caught the glint in his eye. This wasn’t just idle curiosity.

“What do you think, Kyoka?” Atsushi asked, noticing the frown on her face still hadn’t faded. It seemed pretty obvious that she had thoughts on the situation.

Kyoka didn’t answer immediately. She sat still for a moment, her eyes lowered in thought. “One of Chuuya-san’s main responsibilities is gathering information,” She said after a moment. “He must’ve found something and reported it to the Boss.”

It was a rather vague answer, but without knowing what Chuuya might have learned, Atsushi supposed there wasn’t much more she could say. Judging by Kunikida’s expression, he didn’t seem that satisfied with the lack of specifics, but he did seem to pick up on something else she’d said.

“You said it was one of his responsibilities, what else is he responsible for?” He questioned, eyes sharp with curiosity. Atsushi found himself wanting to know the answer too. If they were going to be working with him as a liaison, it would be good to know more about him.

Out of the corner of his eye, Atsushi saw Dazai seem to perk up in interest slightly, no longer paying full attention to his phone. Was he interested as well?

Once again Kyoka took a moment to think before she replied. “There are quite a few things. He helps out with a lot of day to day running of the organization, and he also helps train the organization's assassins.” She paused for a moment, seemingly trying to decide if there was anything she could think of. Finally though, she shook her head. “He probably does more, but I don’t know the details.”

Atsushi gave her a surprised look, and he wasn’t the only one. “Was he the one who trained you then?” He asked.

Kyoka nodded. “He wasn’t the only one, but he taught me more than most.” Well that explained why Kyoka seemed to know so much about Nakahara, if they had directly worked together of course they would be familiar. Atsushi wondered if that also had something to do with why Nakahara had stepped in to stop Kouyou from taking Kyoka.

Kunikida on the other hand seemed more concerned with a different detail. “Are you saying that Nakahara is an assassin?” He exclaimed, sitting up straighter in alarm. Atsushi thought it was an overreaction, they had already discussed the possibility of it being a trap and decided it was unlikely, he didn’t think the fact that Nakahara was an assassin changed that.

“Is it really a good idea for him to serve as liaison? I mean… he is an assassin. Should we really be trusting him with that kind of responsibility?” Tanizaki asked, and Kyoka glared at him. At first Atsushi thought it was because of her own past as an assassin, but then she spoke.

“Chuuya-san’s not like that!” Her voice was sharp, her eyes blazing with sudden anger. It was more emotion than she usually showed, and it managed to catch everyone off guard. “He’s a good person!”

Atsushi couldn’t help but wonder what Nakahara had done to earn such loyalty. While he was doing his best to withhold judgment on the man until he knew more about him, he would have thought for Kyoka he would at least be considered part of her bad memories.

Tanizaki blinked, clearly unsure how to respond. He opened his mouth, then shut it again, shifting awkwardly in his seat under the weight of Kyoka’s fierce glare.

The silence stretched for a beat too long.

Taking pity on the two of them, Kunikida let out a weary sigh and removed his glasses for a moment, rubbing his eyes tiredly before putting them back on. “He is an active member of the mafia, it doesn’t hurt us to be cautious.”

Kyoka shook her head in disagreement. “Chuuya-san isn’t the type to betray others, he watches out for people.” She fell quiet for a moment, and when she spoke again her voice was quiet. “He told me once when he was training me that he couldn't help me to leave the mafia, but that if I ever escaped on my own he would turn a blind eye to it.”

That was unexpected. Judging by how others reacted to Kyoka leaving the Mafia, it clearly wasn’t something people were usually allowed to do. For an executive like Nakahara to say he would turn a blind eye to it if Kyoka left, just what did that mean? And was that why he had intervened in the fight with Kouyou?

Even Kunikida seemed momentarily stunned by what Kyoka had revealed, any protests he had falling silent.

Ranpo on the other hand seemed entirely unbothered by it. Opening a package of melon bread, he took a bite of it before speaking. “Maybe he’s not as loyal to the mafia as he seems,” He suggested, as he chewed.

“And maybe you should shut your mouth and quit talking about things you know nothing about.” The voice cut through the room like a blade –low, sharp, and laced with irritation–and the members of the agency turned their heads in surprise to see Nakahara leaning against the wall near Dazai’s couch, his arms folded in front of his chest. Although the mafioso’s pose was casual, his expression was clearly annoyed.

Atsushi blinked in surprise, he hadn’t even heard Nakahara arrive. Judging by their stunned expressions, no one else had either.

“How long have you been here?” Tanizaki asked, nearly falling out of his chair in shock. Nakahara smirked, but it didn’t reach his eyes.

“Long enough to know the Agency is full of gossips,” He said, pushing himself off the wall. His movements were fluid, but for just a second, Atsushi thought he saw a hint of weariness in his shoulders, so brief he wasn’t sure he hadn’t imagined it.” Nakahara’s eyes scanned the gathered members, softening as they lingered a moment longer on Kyoka than the rest. It seemed he had definitely heard her defense of him.

Kunikida, who had managed to recover first, leveled him with a disapproving glare. “You’ve been here that long and you didn’t think to announce your presence?” He asked, raising an eyebrow.

Nakahara shrugged, “Dazai noticed I was here,”He said, pointing a thumb over his shoulder at the man, who waved. “It’s not my fault you guys aren’t observant.”

Ranpo let out a snort, “Well if you’re done just eavesdropping, why don’t you tell us why you don’t care about Kyoka leaving the mafia, since you’re so loyal after all.”

The expression Nakahara shot Ranpo was one of pure disgust, “She was a child forced into the mafia against her will, having a problem with that doesn’t conflict with my loyalty. It’s not like the mafia will fall apart with her gone.” His tone of voice seemed to imply that he thought Ranpo was stupid for even asking that question.

Judging by the surprised expression on Ranpo’s face, Atsushi got the feeling that he wasn’t used to being treated so. Though given how often Ranpo was the one treating others that way, maybe it could be considered karma.

What was more interesting than Ranpo’s reaction though, was Dazai’s. The man had at some point put away his phone to focus his full attention on the conversation. After hearing Nakahara’s words, a thoughtful look appeared in his eyes; Atsushi couldn’t help but wonder about it.

Was Dazai just evaluating Nakahara’s words, or was there more to it? After all, Dazai had once been with the Mafia too, though Atsushi didn’t know why he’d left. Maybe he was wondering if Nakahara had been fine with that. But would Dazai even care? Unless… maybe they had known each other.

He didn’t know enough about the time either of them had spent in the mafia to say, but he couldn’t deny he was curious about it. And given Ranpo looked like he was ready to most likely say something that would cause trouble, it might be a good time for a distraction.

“Dazai-san? Do you and Nakahara-san know each other?” Atsuhi asked, glancing between the two men. The more he thought about it the more he felt like that had to be the case. There seemed to be an awareness between them, not the type that you would see when people were wary of each other, but more like that between two people who had a deep understanding of each other.

Dazai made a face upon hearing Atsushi’s question, “Unfortunatly.” He drawled, voice dripping with exaggerated disdain.

Nakahara rolled his eyes like he’d heard it a hundred times before. “We used to be partners.” He informed Atsushi, apparently willing to be more forthcoming about their past then Dazai was. Atsushi noticed that unlike when he addressed Ranpo and Kunikida, there was no bite to his words. It seemed Atsushi hadn’t managed to annoy him yet.

The revelation sent a wave of surprise through the room, despite the fact they knew Dazai had been in the mafia once, no one seemed to have expected that he and Nakahara had once been partners. Kunikida especially, as Dazai’s current partner, seemed caught off guard.

Noticing his expression, Nakahara gave a wry smirk. “I hear you’re having to babysit him now,” He told the man, “My condolences.” His tone was serious, as if he really was commiserating with Kunikida, rather than just mocking him.

Atsushi didn’t think that alone would be enough to make Kunikida suddenly trust Nakahara, but judging by the way the man narrowed his eyes thoughtfully, it looked like he might be reevaluating him; at least a little.

Dazai on the other hand didn’t seem to be that impressed. “Are you implying I was a bad partner, Chuuya?” He asked, letting out an offended gasp and placing a hand over his heart. Given it was Dazai, Atushi really couldn’t tell whether he was being serious or not. “I’m fairly certain it was the other way around, you really have no idea how frustrating it was to work with an angry pipsqueak like you.”

Nakahara’s eye twitched slightly at Dazai’s comment on his height. It seemed like Dazai knew just how to touch a nerve with him. “You were an incredibly annoying fifteen year old Dazai, and I’m certain you will continue to be annoying even when you get old, no one's ever going to believe you were anything but a nuisance.”

Dazai visibly recoiled. “Old?” he repeated, like the word itself offended him. “Please. I have no intention of living that long.”

But Atsushi barely registered the exchange. Nakahara’s words echoed in his head. Fifteen. Dazai had apparently been part of the Mafia at fifteen. And given Nakahara seemed to be a similar age, he had too. Out of the corner of his eye, Atsushi glanced at Kyoka. She was only fourteen. And she’d been in the Mafia for years already. Did they recruit all of them that young? Or was that just a coincidence?

Oblivious to the way the thought of it made Atsushi’s stomach turn, Nakahara turned his attention away from Dazai with one last eyeroll, and focused on the Agency members. “I’m supposed to be filling you in on what we know about the Guild,” He said, tone shifting into something sharper and more businesslike. “And answering any questions you have.”

He paused.

“Well, as long as they’re reasonable.”

Reaching into his jacket, Nakahara pulled out a stack of papers and walked over to drop them on Kunikida’s desk with a thud. Even without reading them, Atsushi could tell that a large amount of work must have gone into putting them together.

“This is all the information we have on the Guild members and their abilities so far.” He told them, sliding his gloved hands into his pockets. “The only person whose ability we don’t know is Lovecraft’s. Quite frankly it’s been a nightmare trying to find anything about him at all, it’s almost like he just crawled out of the ocean or something.”

The flicker of surprise that crossed Dazai’s face at Nakahara’s admission said more than anything Kyoka had told them; it was rare for Nakahara to come up short when it came to gathering intel.

Kunikida picked up the papers and briefly flipped through them, a frown forming on his lips. “What about their cause?” He asked, looking up from them. “Do we know what they want?”

Nakahara pursed his lips. “Not entirely. From what we’ve gathered it’s somehow related to his deceased daughter, but we’re not sure of the specifics.”

Atsushi couldn’t help but admire how quickly Nakahara switched to a more professional attitude. Less than a minute ago he had been bantering with Dazai, but there was no trace of that in his attitude now. It reminded him of how Dazai would do the same, had one of them picked it up from the other?

As Kunikida looked through the files more, Dazai finally got up from his couch and walked over to join the rest of them. Picking up a few of the papers, he scanned through them, before turning his head to glance at Nakahara.

“What of the organizations backing the Guild?” He asked, like Nakahara, not showing a hint of his previous playfulness. “I highly doubt they just want to help a grieving father?”

Nakahara smirked, “Of course not, they’re nothing but circling vultures, waiting for the wolves to finish making a kill.” He turned his gaze towards the papers on Kunikida’s desk. “The question is, what prey have they found?”
No one in the room seemed to know the answer to that question, but Atsushi noticed a suspicious glint in Dazai’s eyes as he watched Nakahara, almost like he suspected his former partner was hiding something. If he had any plans to confront him about it though, they were quickly derailed as the door to Fukuzawa’s office and he and Yosano stepped out.

Yosano’s expression wasn’t good to begin with, and it only darkened as she caught sight of Nakahara. The mafioso didn’t seem at all bothered by her hostility though, merely raising an eyebrow at her behavior.
Fukuzawa on the other hand didn’t seem bothered by Nakahara’s presence, rather it seemed as if he had been expecting him. “Ah, Nakahara, if I could speak to you for a moment?” He requested, gesturing with a hand towards his office.

Nakahara gave a slight nod of his head, leaving Dazai and Kunikida to continue looking at the files he’d brought as he walked towards Fukuzawa’s office. As Nakahara passed by Atsushi, he once again found himself thinking there was a tiredness to the mafioso's shoulders.

As the office closed, Tanizaki looked uncertain. “Should we be worried about him being alone with the President?” He asked, but Dazai shook his head.

“Chuuya wouldn’t do anything, he has his morals.” He told them. But his eyes lingered on the office door.

Chapter Text

Tap. Tap. Tap. The sound of Dazai’s fingers tapping against the desk echoed through the air of the Armed Detective Agency’s office. On a normal day Kunikida would’ve snapped at him, but at the moment the man was far too engrossed in reading over the files that Chuuya had brought.

Dazai’s eyes wandered to the door of Fukuzawa’s office, where Chuuya had disappeared. It was strange, Chuuya’s ability was gravity control, but his shoulders had seemed heavy, as if something was weighing them down. It was worrying, the last time Dazai had seen Chuuya look so tired was during the Dragon’s Head Conflict, but it had not been nearly as obvious then.

Well… maybe not obvious to most. But Dazai knew him well enough that there was no way he could miss it.

He leaned back in his chair, staring up at the ceiling.

While Dazai had done his own digging into the Guild and the organizations backing them, at this point it was likely Chuuya knew far more than him about the situation. Was Chuuya’s tiredness a sign that things were even more dire than it seemed, or was there something else going on?

It had been four years since Dazai had left the mafia and while he’d done his best to keep up with information, he didn’t have access to all the sources he’d used to. If their positions had been reversed, Dazai didn’t think Chuuya would have the same limitations. It was maddening. Even now, he still hadn’t figured out how Chuuya managed to get his hands on certain kinds of intel.

It almost made him wonder if Chuuya had two abilities, but that seemed unlikely. There were a few rare people like Rimbauld whose abilities let them mimic or steal others’. But that clearly wasn’t what was happening here. All he knew for sure was that Chuuya was strange, and it seemed like in the years since Dazai had left the mafia, he’d just gotten stranger.

Dazai had always figured their paths would cross again eventually, there were enough ties between their organizations that it was inevitable, but he’d expected things to go differently. He’d expected anger from Chuuya, a fight, or at the very least, venomous words. Despite the circumstances under which Chuuya had joined, he was fiercely loyal to the organization, even if it was naive of him. That was just the way Chuuya was: he gave his whole heart to people, even when they didn’t deserve it.

With that in mind, Dazai’s status as a traitor should have made Chuuya furious. He should have hated him for betraying the organization, and yet when they’d met again, there was none of that. Sure they’d argued, but it hadn’t been any different then the kind of arguments they’d had when they were still partners

In some ways that actually hurt more than if Chuuya actually hated him, had he been so indifferent to Dazai leaving that he couldn’t even be bothered with anger?

The memory of what Kyoka had said arose in his mind. It had been surprising at first to hear Chuuya say something so traitorous, but the more Dazai thought about it, the more it made sense for Chuuya.

People tended to look at loyalty like Chuuya’s and assume it was blind, that their loyalty trumped any awareness of wrong doing, but that wasn’t the case. Chuuya would stick his hand back out to a dog that had bit him again and again, but he’d never stop trying to train that dog to not bite.

Chuuya wasn’t oblivious to the darkness, nor did he condone all the mafia’s action, but he would rather try to fix what was wrong than turn his back on it. Being willing to turn a blind eye to Kyoka’s defection was just part of that. As far as Chuuya was concerned, the girl should never have been in the mafia to begin with.

Briefly, Dazai found himself wondering if Chuuya’s logic in regards to Kyoka would apply to him as well. He quickly dismissed it however, the circumstances were far too different. Although he was trying to be a good man for Oda’s sake, Dazai knew he had never been out of place in the Mafia. His blood ran too black for that.

Which still left questions about Chuuya’s lack of response to his defection. It wasn’t just the lack of anger that was confusing, there was no satisfaction either, no sign that Chuuya was glad to see him gone. He almost acted as if nothing had changed at all. The way they bantered with each other was the same as ever, full of barbs that stung but never stabbed and references only the two of them could understand. It was as if Chuuya was just picking back up where they left off.

For the umpteenth time, Dazai wished Chuuya was a little less… weird. It made him hard to read. He knew what made Chuuya angry, what he liked, how to predict his moves in a fight and coordinate with him—or dodge his punches if he was on the receiving end.

But sometimes Chuuya was unpredictable. It wasn’t just the way he sometimes seemed to make sudden choices without any clear indication of motive, choices that usually turned out to be right. It was also in the way that Dazai sometimes got the feeling that there were layers to Chuuya that he hadn’t yet managed to peel back.

A glimpse here and there of what remained hidden still was all that Dazai had ever gotten, and he didn’t know how to crack Chuuya’s shell and get a glimpse of what was underneath. In the time that passed since they’d last met though, it seemed like any chance of that had gotten more difficult.

The core understanding between them was still there, if a fight occurred Dazai knew he could trust Chuuya to have his back, but he felt out of practice when it came to reading Chuuya’s personal thoughts.

A frustrated sigh from Yosano interrupted Dazai’s thoughts. By now it was only him, Ranpo, Kunidia and her in the room. Chuuya was still talking to Fukuzawa, and Kyoka, Atsushi and Tanizaki had gone downstairs to the cafe for lunch.

“This is a bad idea, I don’t know what Fukuzawa-sensei is thinking.” Yosano complained, her expression making it clear that she had been stewing over this since she had left Fukuzawa’s office. It seemed whatever conversation she’d had with the director hadn’t cleared her doubts. “Mori can’t be trusted, this alliance is nothing more than an excuse to use the Agency for his own benefit!”

Kunikida looked up from the files, his lips pursed into a tight line. Aside from a quick glimpse, Dazai hadn’t looked at them himself, but he could tell from Kunikida’s expression that he was already trying to work out plans based on what he had read.

“I agree we can’t just blindly trust the mafia, but the threat of the Guild and their backers is real.” He told Yosano, “Besides, at this point it's not like there’s much we can do to change it. We’ll just have to keep an eye on them.”

His reply didn’t seem to satisfy Yosano, who turned her attention to Dazai instead.

“You were in the mafia Dazai, you know what kind of person Mori is.” Out of the corner of his eye Dazai saw Kunikida grimace slightly at the mention of Dazai’s mafia past, it seemed he still hadn’t fully acclimated to the new information. If he found out that Dazai had even been an executive, his mind might explode.

Dazai nodded in agreement to Yosano’s words. “Mori is indeed not trustworthy, he’ll do whatever he thinks will be best for his plans, but…” Dazai continued before Yosano could start looking smug about his agreement. “I don’t think we need to worry about that since Chuuya is involved.”

Dazai despised Mori for his part in Oda’s death. He had been mad at Chuuya at first as well. Not because he had been involved, but because he’d been absent. At the time Chuuya had been abroad in France, taking care of some business deals for the mafia. But if he’d been there, Dazai was sure Chuuya would have been able to give him some warning, that he would have had time to save Oda. It was hard not to feel anger.

But one day Dazai had woken up and realized something. It was Mori that had sent Chuuya on that mission, it had to have been deliberate in order to keep him out of the way. Because if Chuuya had been there, if he had known, he would have interfered. That was the kind of person he was.

Because he was different from Mori.

Yosano blinked in surprise, an expression of confusion on her face. She didn’t seem to understand why Dazai had brought up Chuuya, or why his presence made a difference.

Ranpo perked up from behind his seemingly never ending pile of snacks. Quite frankly if Dazai didn’t know better, he would have thought the detective did have an ability, one that allowed him to produce them. “Ah right, you missed it earlier. Dazai and Nakahara used to be partners.”

A series of emotions flickered across Yosano’s face, before settling on disappointment. “I didn’t think you were the type to let sentimentality influence you.

Dazai gave her a disgusted look. He was not sentimental, especially not when it came to Chuuya. He just knew the kind of person Chuuya was.

“Chuuya might be mafia, but there are still lines he won’t cross.” Dazai explained, his voice more serious than usual. “He despises betrayal, he wouldn’t take part in a plan that involved backstabbing us.”

That was at least partially Dazai’s fault, and he probably should feel guilty about it, but it was hard to when it had helped ensure he could trust Chuuya to watch his back.

Yosano pursed her lips. “Just because he doesn’t want to do something, doesn’t mean Mori will give him a choice.” She said, her voice softening slightly. Dazai could sense the bitterness in her words, the memory of how Mori had made her use her ability over and over again. “He might not even warn him about it ahead of time.”

Dazai shook his head. “I would agree if it was someone else, but Mori has a lot of trust in Chuuya and gives him more leeway than most. If Chuuya refuses to do something, he’s more likely to take a step back and ask Chuuya’s reasons than punish him.”

It had been that way for both of them during their years as Double Black. They weren’t immune to punishment, but they had more freedom to disobey, especially if they could justify their actions.

With Chuuya, since he often was aware of hidden details that others might not know, Mori was willing to take that into consideration. When Chuuya got in trouble, it was usually for withholding information Mori thought he should’ve shared earlier..

“Really,” Dazai said, his voice becoming more cheerful. “It’s no wonder that Chuuya is Mori’s second-in-command!”

His words brought a look of surprise to their faces, save for Ranpo’s, who just smiled smugly, as if Dazai had confirmed a theory. Catching them off guard like that did wonders to improve Dazai’s mood, and he couldn’t help but wonder how much more surprised they would be if they knew Chuuya was also Mori’s chosen heir.

Although Mori had never explicitly said that was the case, it had been clear long before Dazai had left the mafia. Dazai had once been the favored choice, but that started to shift the moment Chuuya joined the Mafia. When it came to being a leader, Chuuya had many traits Dazai lacked. He could inspire loyalty, not just fear.
Being passed over didn’t bother Dazai. He’d never wanted to lead, it had just seemed like the natural outcome, once. The only issue he’d really had was the thought of reporting to Chuuya one day, but that was hardly an issue now.

He did wonder though if Chuuya would be able to handle being leader. In a lot of ways Chuuya’s personality just wasn’t suited for the mafia. He wasn’t ruthless enough.

That didn’t mean he was soft by any means. Chuuya was both capable and willing to use violence. He'd kill people, he’d threaten them, he’d lie, he could even manipulate, but he wasn’t needlessly cruel. At least not to others, the same couldn’t be said for himself though. And maybe that was what made him so dangerous, the way he bore cruelty himself so others didn’t have to.

Sometimes Dazai wondered if Chuuya had ended up with a gravity ability as a way to counter all the weight he took on himself.

Whether that would cause problems in the future was hard to say. Although he had definitely grown from his days in the Sheep, Dazai doubted Chuuya's ability to make the cruel decisions that Mori often did. But maybe that was why he had been chosen, because he would lead the mafia down a different path.

He wondered what Chuuyua thought of that. There was no way that he wasn’t aware of Mori’s thoughts, not if Dazai knew them.

He didn’t know that it mattered though. As long as Mori had settled on Chuuya as his successor, then it was unlikely Chuuya would get any choice in the matter. Not so long as he stayed in the mafia. And Dazai just couldn't see him leaving, for whatever reason, Chuuya saw the place as his family. Unless he were to die, Chuuya’s future as leader of the Port Mafia seemed set in stone.

It was funny really, Chuuya had been forced into the mafia and Dazai had been the one to do it. And yet, it was Dazai who had left while Chuuya stayed loyal. How ironic.

“Why would Mori-san send his second-in-command to serve as liaison?” Kunikida asked, his eyebrows furrowed in thought. If he kept that up, Dazai was sure he’d end up with wrinkles sooner or later. The guy really needed to learn how to relax. “It can’t just be because the alliance was his idea.”

Actually, Dazai could entirely see that being possible. Mori could be petty. He might have agreed to the alliance but if he was annoyed about it he might be subtly punishing Chuuya by putting him in charge. Of course, even if that was part of it, Dazai doubted it was the only reason.

Ranpo hummed thoughtfully as he slowly unwrapped one of the truffles he adamantly refused to share with anyone. “Maybe it's because he places great importance on the alliance?” He popped the unwrapped truffle into his mouth. “But it's probably just because Nakahara and Dazai were partners. He probably thinks it’ll make things easier.”

Dazai really wanted to protest, but he knew Ranpo probably had a point. Mori likely was taking into account their past partnership, but it was out of practicality, not sentimentality. No matter how much they annoyed each other, the fact was the two of them worked well together, almost as if they were a single person.

Of course, that was probably only part of it. The main reason Mori had likely chosen Chuuya was simply that he was the best choice for the job. Despite the fact that he was an annoying pipsqueak, people tended to like Chuuya, someone like him was the best choice if their organizations were to play nice together.

He was one of the more professional members as well. Even if the Agency got on his nerves, which some of them already had, Chuuya wouldn’t do anything to jeopardize the alliance.

“That could be part of it, but Mori probably just picked the person least likely to stab an Agency member,” Dazai said flippantly. Not that Chuuya stabbed people that often to begin with, kicking them in the face was more his type of thing.

There was one more reason, one which Dazai thought it might be better not to mention. Mori probably hoped that Chuuya would come back with plenty of new information about the Agency. Right now the others were already wary enough of Chuuya though, pointing it out would just make it worse.

It wasn’t out of some loyalty to Chuuya that he didn’t want that to happen, it was just common sense. It was clear from Chuuya's behavior thus far that things were serious. The fact that he had been worried enough to suggest an alliance meant that one was probably necessary. Dazai would prefer not to jeopardize it by adding to the distrust.

There was already plenty of that to go around.

Chapter Text

It was quiet in Fukuzawa’s office. Not quite an uncomfortable quiet, but not a relaxing one either. It was the kind of silence that happened when two people were deep in thought. Sitting across from each other, neither of them had said a word since they had entered the room.

This was a conversation that had to be approached diplomatically, Nakahara Chuuya was not one of his subordinates, nor was he a friend. Rather, he was a high-ranking representative of a rival organization—one they were allied with, for now.

Fukuzawa had heard of Chuuya before. Not in great detail, but the name had at least been one he was familiar with even before the alliance. Compared to the other executives, he didn’t keep quite as low a profile. Most of what he’d heard of the younger man painted the picture of someone who was a bit brash, but well respected by his subordinates and colleagues. Between what Dazai had told him and the impression Chuuya left in person, Fukuzawa was beginning to rethink the reports.

When asked, Dazai had admitted to their past as partners, offering just enough detail to seem cooperative. Of course, he didn't believe for a moment that he’d heard everything. Although Dazai’s words had been interspersed with complaints about his former partner, there had been an undertone of fondness when he spoke. Fukuzawa trusted that Dazai wouldn’t withhold anything that would bring harm to the Agency, but whether he realized it or not, he seemed to have chosen to protect Chuuya as well.

Whether that would become a problem in the future remained to be seen.

Still, what he’d learned painted a more nuanced picture than rumor alone ever could. He knew that Chuuya served as the main information gatherer for the mafia, though it sounded like that was less an official job and more a role he’d slipped into over time. Whether his information gathering only benefited the mafia was up for debate though, Dazai hadn’t exactly admitted it, but Fukuzawa felt fairly certain that it was from him Dazai had first learned of the organizations backing the Guild.

Everything he’d learned had still just been the words of others. Fukuzawa had been determined to meet Chuuya before making a definite judgment.

The first impression was different than he had expected. Although Chuuya’s skill at gathering information spoke volumes when it came to his intelligence, most of what else he had heard suggested the man to be impulsive and short tempered. And yet, so far he had seen none of that.

Chuuya’s pose as he sat across from Fukuzawa was hardly casual, but there was no sign of tension or restlessness either. His gaze remained locked on Fukuzawa’s face, without flinching or looking away even as he was stared back at. It was very clear he didn’t find Fukuzawa intimidating, but perhaps that was to be expected when one had to deal with Mori on a regular basis. All in all, he was quite professional.

Perhaps the rumors were inaccurate. Or maybe, in Dazai’s case, they were simply biased. After all Dazai could be… hard to deal with. It would not be surprising for someone who had to work with him frequently to lose their temper. Kunikida was proof enough of that.

Or was it that Chuuya was one of those people whose behavior changed depending on the situation? Those kinds of people could either be dangerous or helpful to have around. With some, you had to be constantly on your guard. You could never know which was the real them, or what might make them drop the act.

And then you had people like Ranpo, most of the time he came off as rather immature, but when it was needed he easily showed himself to be someone you could rely on.

Fukuzawa didn’t know what category Chuuya fell into, but one thing was sure: there was a maturity to him that belied his age. That wasn’t too surprising though, given the responsibilities that rest on his shoulders. Mori wasn’t stupid, he wouldn’t make someone an executive that wasn’t capable.

He did wonder, though, when Chuuya had become an executive. He estimated the mafia member was about the same age as Kunikida, yet seemed to have much more experience. Not that Fukuzawa was in any way disparaging Kunikida’s capabilities; it was simply that the way Chuuya carried himself was different.

Truth be told, Fukuzawa wondered if the difference was simply the weight Chuuya carried on his shoulders. There was a tiredness in Chuuya’s eyes, one that Fukuzawa had sometimes seen in the mirror.

He knew that Chuuya was Mori’s second-in-command, and while Dazai hadn’t mentioned it, Fukuzawa knew Mori well enough to suspect what plans he likely had for Chuuya in the future. He could practically see Mori’s hand grasping Chuuya’s shoulder, grip tight enough to prevent escape as he slowly led his subordinate in the direction he wanted.

Just like Fukuzawa himself was doing his best to guide Kunikida to a place where he would one day be able to take over as leader of the Agency, he suspected Mori was also preparing Chuuya to replace him one day. Perhaps the tiredness Fukuzawa saw was a sign of that, of the responsibilities that had already been placed on Chuuya.

Just watching and theorizing alone wasn’t going to give him the full picture though, and so finally Fukuzawa broke the silence.

“Was the alliance truly your idea?”

His question earned a raised eyebrow from Chuuya. Whatever he had expected Fukuzawa to want to talk about, it clearly hadn’t been that. It was a question that had been weighing on Fukuzawa’s mind however. While it did seem to fit for Chuuya to have come up with it, you could never know when it came to Mori.
It was possible that, for reasons only he might understand, Mori had simply decided to push Chuuya forward as a scapegoat. Or maybe he thought that it would set people at ease if they thought the idea hadn’t come from him. Fukuzawa just found it suspicious that Mori had specifically named Chuuya as the one whose idea it had been.

“That’s right.” Chuuya said, his eyes narrowing as he watched Fukuzawa. It seemed like he was trying to figure out just what the reason for the question was.

Fukuzawa let out a soft hum, giving no indication of his thoughts. It didn’t feel like Chuuya was lying, but he didn’t know the younger man well enough to say that with complete certainty.

If it was true, though, the fact that he’d convinced Mori to agree spoke volumes about the trust between them.

And that, more than anything, gave Fukuzawa another reason to be wary.

Leaning back slightly, Fukuzawa frowned. “Do you really consider the organizations backing the Guild to be that dangerous?” So far, aside from their names, they knew almost nothing about them. The only real reason to suspect they were a threat was the very thing that had sparked this conversation, the fact that the Mafia had asked for an alliance.

There were many who might have taken offense at the question. After all, Fukuzawa was pretty openly implying that he doubted the Mafia’s word. Chuuya, however, just looked thoughtful. He was silent for a moment as he considered his answer, but it wasn’t the silence of someone scrambling desperately for what to say.

No, Fukuzawa got the distinct impression that Chuuya already knew what he wanted to say. He was just taking his time figuring out how to put it into words.

“You don’t trust us.” Chuuya said finally. It wasn’t said in an accusatory manner, just as a statement of fact. “I can’t say I would either in your shoes, but the threat is real.” He drew in a breath, then asked, “Do you remember the Dragon’s Head Conflict?”

Fukuzawa frowned. How could he not? It had been one of the darkest events in Yokohama’s history—eighty-eight days of blood and chaos as rival criminal organizations fought over a sum of money. The destruction hadn’t been limited to the underworld either; countless police officers and innocent civilians had been slaughtered in the crossfire.

And then, just as suddenly as it had begun, it ended.

Rumor had it there had been an organization manipulating things from the shadows, one that was wiped out in a single night, by just two people.

At least, that was the claim. The Mafia had taken credit, of course. Fukuzawa wouldn’t put it past them to exaggerate. Still, there had been other instances that had proven the mafia had some members with incredibly destructive power, so there was probably at least some truth to it.

“The Agency wasn’t really involved in it, but it would be hard not to remember.” He said. “Why?”

“You were lucky then,” Chuuya replied.

He didn’t elaborate, but he didn’t need to. Fukuzawa could read between the lines. Chuuya had been there.

For not the first time, and definitely not the last, Fukuzawa felt a wave of irritation at Mori. If Chuuya was really around the same age as Kunikida and Dazai like he suspected, then that meant he had just been a teenager at the time. That was far too young to be on a battlefield like the one Yokohama had turned into during that time.

He supposed he shouldn’t be surprised. The Mafia had a long history of using children.

Of course, Fukuzawa was not oblivious to the fact that there were also those among the Agencies members who also were not adults, but they were a Detective Agency. They did not engage in the brutal battles that the mafia did.

Chuuya’s expression turned solemn. “If we don’t nip things in the bud, I fear the situation will turn out even worse than it was back then.” There was a quiet gravity to his tone, enough that Fukuzawa didn’t doubt for a second that he meant every word.

Fukuzawa still didn’t fully trust Mori, but Chuuya…

Chuuya he could believe. This didn’t feel like manipulation, didn’t feel like a show. Chuuya truly seemed worried about the city. About their city.

That didn’t mean things would be simple though.

“Just stopping the Guild won’t make the people backing them retreat,” Fukuzawa said quietly. “Not unless you mean to tell me they’re doing all this out of the goodness of their hearts.”

Chuuya scoffed. “As if.” He shifted slightly, arms crossing over his chest. “The Guild’s just a weapon in the hands of other organizations. Better to disarm them before we end up stabbed, but I’m not going to pretend that’ll fix everything.”

Fukuzawa raised an eyebrow. “Is it your intention for this alliance to last past the defeat of the Guild?” He would have a hard time pulling it off if it was. The two organizations were far too different in their morals. They might play nice for a while, but unless the other groups became an immediate threat after the Guild’s defeat, a true alliance seemed unlikely. At best, a fragile truce.

Chuuya shrugged, “That’s not really up to me.”

Fukuzawa fell silent. It was true that the decision was not one that would be up to Chuuya, not even if Mori had chosen him as his successor. At most he might be able to influence his decision somewhat, but in this situation that might not help.

Still, he couldn’t shake the feeling that Chuuya would manage to figure something out.

There was little more to say on the subject for now, so Fukuzawa shifted to another concern.

“I am aware that during his time in the mafia, Dazai and you used to be partners. Will there be trouble with the two of you working together?” He said carefully. He knew Dazai would likely deny any lingering issues if confronted, but it was clear he still held some fondness for his former partner. But that didn’t mean Chuuya would feel the same, after all, by mafia standards, Dazai was a traitor.

If there were going to be issues, Fukuzawa wanted to know ahead of time so he could take precautions.

Chuuya seemed amused by the question. “I can’t promise you that we won’t start arguing with each other, that’s just how we’ve always been. But if you’re worried we’re going to suddenly try to kill each other or something…” He let the silence hang for a moment. “Then no, that shouldn’t be an issue. Dazai had his reason for leaving the mafia, I’m not going to hold it against him.”

After a pause, Chuuya’s eyebrows furrowed. “I’d prefer if you didn’t repeat that to anyone else.”

Fukuzawa could understand why, what Chuuya had just said was at best borderline treasonous. It would do him no favors if those words got out. He didn’t plan to repeat them though, especially when he could sense the same undercurrent of fondness in Chuuya’s tone that had been in Dazai’s.

It was clear that despite now being on opposite sides, there remained a bond between the two of them. Fukuzawa hoped it could stay that way, that they wouldn’t lose that trust and care for each other. Such a connection could only promise a brighter future for both the Agency and the Mafia.

“That’s acceptable,” Fukuzawa said, a small smile tugging at his lips. “We’re already quite used to it from Kunikida and Dazai.” He silently hoped one day Kunikida would stop falling for so many of Dazai’s lies.

Chuuya gave him a pitying look, and then shook his head, letting out a small laugh. “Dazai has always excelled at annoying people. I think it’s probably his favorite hobby.”

Fukuzawa could believe that.

Between their serious discussion and the moment of levity that made Chuuya feel more human, Fukuzawa found himself somewhat reassured about the alliance. He would still remain cautious, though. While he had enough insight into Chuuya’s personality to place some trust in him, Mori was a different matter entirely.

Still, if the day came when Chuuya truly took over the Mafia, matters like alliances would likely become far easier to navigate.

Chapter Text

All eyes in the Armed Detective Agency office turned towards Chuuya as he stepped out of Fukuzawa’s office. He didn’t even bat an eye, after years of dealing with ghosts, he was used to being watched.

Not that it mattered. Most of them looked away soon enough anyway, especially once Fukuzawa stepped out behind him.

Well, most of them.

Akiko-san still seemed determined to glare a hole through his skull. And Dazai was being far too nonchalant, buried behind the pages of his stupid suicide manual. Which, of course, meant he was absolutely watching. Chuuya would bet good money on it.

“I trust you’ll let us know if the Mafia decides to launch an attack on the Guild, Chuuya-san.” Fukuzawa said, hands tucked into his sleeves.

Chuuya didn’t miss the change in how he was being addressed. Earlier, Fukuzawa had called him Nakahara.

He supposed that meant the man had relaxed his guard, at least a little. He was grateful for it; not just because it was a good sign for the alliance, but he also just preferred being called by his first name in general.

Chuuya nodded in agreement. “We’ll let you know.” Even as he spoke, his mind was already partially elsewhere. Near the end of his meeting with Fukuzawa, Ayumi had suddenly shown up. She’d walked right through the office door without even knocking; not that ghosts could knock, but he had a feeling she would’ve skipped it even if they could.

Frankly, he was a little annoyed she hadn’t waited outside. The news she’d brought was rather distracting.

Ayumi was one of what he called his “roaming ghosts”. They were spirits willing to travel on his behalf, gathering intel and passing messages between him and Verlaine. He and his brother had each other's phone numbers, sure, but there were just some things too delicate to communicate that way.

It had been a message from Verlaine that brought Ayumi by.

Previously, Chuuya had sent her to ask if his brother had ever heard of Lovecraft. She’d returned with two pieces of information.

The first: Verlaine had heard of Lovecraft—and no, he wasn’t human. Verlaine wasn’t sure of the specifics, but he did know Lovecraft wasn’t related to the experiments that had created him and Chuuya. That wasn’t the part that had Chuuya distracted, though.

No, that news was simple, but that would cause plenty of complications. According to Ayumi, Verlaine was finishing up a job in Dublin, and then would be heading to Yokohama.

It wasn’t that Chuuya didn’t want to see his brother. He did. It had been too long since they’d last met in person, and it would be a relief to have someone around he didn’t need to lie to.With Verlaine, he could be upfront about everything: what he’d learned, where he’d learned it, even the Book. Verlaine wasn’t fool enough to want it for himself.

Not that it would matter even if he did. He had access to the same sources as Chuuya. Keeping it from him wouldn’t last long.

But for all the benefits that having Verlaine would bring, there were also problems it could cause.

The fact that they were siblings had always been kept secret. To the rest of the world, Paul Verlaine and Nakahara Chuuya had no connection. Not even those closest to Chuuya, at least among the living, were aware he even had a brother, let alone who he was. It was just safer that way.

When Chuuya had escaped from the laboratory that held him, it had been in a blaze of destruction. Nothing had been left except for the dead, and for most people the dead told no tales. Over the years he and Verlaine had done their best to track down and eliminate any traces of information that were left, including Chuuya’s creator N.

Of course, it was entirely possible that the government still had some files on the experiments, but it was highly unlikely there was anything in them that could easily connect the Port Mafia Executive Nakahara Chuuya to Arahabaki. If there was, it would have caused Chuuya issues by now.

Still, if he ever found those files, he’d destroy them without hesitation. Even if the data couldn’t lead back to him, it was better to erase it. Better to stop anyone else from getting ideas.

Verlaine’s situation was different though. When Rimbaud had been sent to eliminate his creator, it had been on the orders of the French government. And while freeing Verlaine had been his choice, that didn’t mean his bosses didn’t know about him. Verlaine had even worked for them as a spy for a while, at least until he’d discovered Chuuya and thrown away even his friendship with Rimbaud to protect him.

His existence and past as an experiment were far more exposed than Chuuya’s. And while he’d done his best over the years to eliminate as much of it as he could, there was still more information out there than was ideal.
As a result, they’d always been careful. Even back when Chuuya was a child and traveled with Verlaine, they'd avoided drawing attention to him. He hadn’t been hidden exactly—Verlaine had taken him all over, involved him in missions, even let him take jobs alone. But they never advertised his presence.

In some ways, Chuuya thought Verlaine had probably been relieved when he’d decided to join the Sheep. While he certainly hadn’t liked Chuuya being out of his sight, at least it meant Chuuya wasn’t easily connected to his past. Of course, Chuuya was sure Verlaine had regretted letting him join after the Sheep had quite literally backstabbed Chuuya.

It had been a headache preventing Verlaine from slaughtering all of them, as well as the mafia, in the aftermath. To this day he still wanted to kill Dazai and Mori.

If Verlaine showed up to help with the Guild situation, there was a chance all their precautions would become useless. It would all depend on how visible his presence was, and whether anyone managed to connect the two of them. If someone did, Chuuya wouldn’t deny it. Verlaine was his brother. Even if it was just a lie, he wasn’t going to reject that. Besides, Verlaine being his brother was far less suspicious than him just randomly knowing the man known as the King of Assassins.

And once they were known to be brothers, all it would take was one person who knew Verlaine’s past, to begin to wonder where this younger brother had come from. And if it had anything to do the mission he’d defected during..

Of course it was also very possible that nothing would come of it. Maybe nobody would notice Verlaine’s presence in Yokohama. Maybe everyone who knew enough about Verlaine to connect the dots had already been eliminated. Maybe people would just assume he was an orphan Verlaine had picked up somewhere.

Chuuya couldn’t know. For now all he could do was wait for Verlaine to arrive so they could discuss it together.

With a final nod of acknowledgement at Fukuzawa, Chuuya began heading towards the exit of the agency’s office, paying little attention to the agency members he passed along the way. Seeing him leaving, Ayumi ceased what was likely a gossip session with Oda and chased after him.

As he made his way down the stairs towards the cafe the office sat over, he passed Kyoka, Atsushi and Tanizaki as they were coming up.

“Are you leaving Chuuya-san?” Kyoka asked, her voice soft but more full of life then he had ever heard during her days in the mafia. He was glad. It seemed she’d found hope again.

Chuuya nodded, then he paused.“Take care of yourself, Kyoka. You’re no longer considered a member of the Mafia. If anyone comes after you for your crimes, we won’t step in.” As he continued down the stairs he gave a small smirk they couldn’t see. “I wouldn’t worry too much, though. If anything happens, there’s plenty of dirt the higher-ups would prefer not to see dug up.”

As he made it further down the stairs, and out of their line of sight, he heard Tanizaki’s baffled voice. “Did he just threaten to blackmail a politician for Kyoka-chan?”

Ayumi let out a laugh as she exited the cafe. “I don’t know how anyone thinks you’re scary, you’re obviously a big softie.”

Chuuya rolled his eyes, the dead were just the only people who would ever say something like that about him. Or at least some of the dead. Chuuya was sure there were plenty who would also call him a monster.

He was about to reply to Ayumi when a sound behind him made him tense up for a moment, before relaxing as he realized what it was. Of course, he should have figured this would happen. Pretending like everything was normal he continued along the street for a while, before finding a nearby alley to duck into.

There he waited, his arms crossed in front of him as he leaned up against a wall. After a moment, Dazai appeared.

“You could at least have the decency to pretend you didn’t notice me.” He whined, looking like a kicked puppy. Ironic, given Dazai’s dislike of dogs.

“Or you could just get better at sneaking around.” Chuuya scoffed. Truth be told, most people probably wouldn’t have noticed Dazai’s presence. But Chuuya wasn't most people. “What do you want, Dazai?”

The pathetic expression on Dazai’s face dropped, replaced by something sharper. “You didn't share everything with us, did you? You’re still holding something back.” His eyes were fixed on Chuuya’s face, as if he could see what he was thinking if he just stared long enough.

Chuuya looked at him with disdain, It was a look no one had been graced with in four years, not since Dazai had left the mafia in fact. “Of course I didn’ t tell them everything,” He said, “And if you expected me to, then you’ve obviously gotten even stupider since leaving the mafia.”

The words were meant to bait Dazai, not into anger, Chuuya knew that wouldn’t work, but into bickering. Dazai’s might not be the short tempered type, but he did love getting the last word. It was a technique Chuuya had used before to try and get Dazai to drop a topic he didn’t want to talk about, but it only worked about half the time.

It seemed like this was not one of those times.

Dazai’s eyes narrowed, “The question is, are the secrets your idea, or are they Mori’s?”

Outwardly Chuuya showed no sign that the question had affected him, but inwardly he couldn’t help but feel annoyed. He was getting really tired of people assuming he was just Mori’s puppet. Was Mori a manipulative bastard a lot of the time? Absolutely. Just because it was usually done with the intention of achieving what he considered the best outcome didn't change that fact.

The problem was that so many people seemed to be under the impression that Chuuya was unaware of that fact. That he was some brainless sycophant who blindly obeyed everything his boss said. He wasn’t though, he knew exactly what kind of person Mori was and willingly let himself be used, just as long as their goals aligned.

Mori knew that as well as he did. He would have thought Dazai did too, and that hurt. Perhaps he had overestimated how observant he was. Or maybe Dazai was so filled with so much hate towards Mori that he just couldn’t comprehend someone knowingly going along with his plans.

Then again it was Dazai, he might just be messing with Chuuya.

“You know as well as I do that sometimes it's better not to share the whole story.” Chuuya told Dazai, not a hint of his internal conflict showing on his face. “I’m not keeping any secrets that will harm the Agency for now. ”

“For now?” Dazai zeroed in on one part of Chuuya’s words. “Then you think it could eventually harm the Agency?”

Chuuya didn’t know how to feel about the concern Dazai showed for the wellbeing of the Agency. Was it even genuine, or was he just playing a role. Back in the mafia he had done his job efficiently, at least the parts he didn’t dump on Chuuya, but it wasn’t like he’d had some great loyalty. Had that changed? It didn’t seem as if Dazai had found a definite reason for living, but had he maybe at least found a place where he belonged?

“It might,” Chuuya conceded. If Dazai really was genuinely concerned about the Agency, if he’d actually found something to care about, then Chuuya couldn’t deny him that much honesty. “But for now it’s safer if less people know.”

It wasn’t that he thought any Agency members would cause harm to the city trying to get the Book for themselves, from what he’d gathered about them, they weren’t the type. But the more people who knew about the Book, the more chances information about it would get leaked, and that would just bring more groups to Yokohama, like sharks sensing blood in the water.

Dazai’s eyes flickered with surprise, like he hadn’t expected Chuuya to admit so readily that the Agency could be in danger. His expression then turned thoughtfully, and Chuuya could practically see his thoughts whirring as he tried to figure out just what Chuuya knew.

There was no way he would guess of course, the existence of Book was just as absurd as some of Chuuya’s other secrets, and Dazai had never managed to figure them out.

Finally Dazai smiled, and that sent a chill down Chuuya’s spine. It was never a good sign when Dazai suddenly went from serious to smiling.

“Some secrets are safer with fewer people,” He said, tone light. “But surely Chuuya would agree one more wouldn’t hurt?”

Sometimes Chuuya really wished that Dazai actually was stupid. That he didn’t know how to read people and pick them apart at the seams until he had their individual parts figured out. That he didn’t know Chuuya’s tells so well. Maybe then he wouldn’t have figure out that Chuuya was hiding something.

Not that he had expected anything less.

It wasn’t like he could just tell Dazai…actually, could he tell Dazai about the Book? Chuuya could feel Dazai’s eyes on him as he thought, his expression smug. It was like the jerk knew that he was wavering and was just waiting to celebrate his victory.

In truth, it would be helpful for Dazai to know. There were a lot of traits that Chuuya had cultivated, that just came naturally to Dazai. Although he’d be a nuisance about it, Dazai’s help with planning things would be invaluable. Of course, Chuuya wouldn't be telling him everything. The ghosts would remain a secret no matter what. And Verlaine... Verlaine would only be mentioned if there was no other option.

They’d worked with worse odds though.

Really the only major worry would be Dazai’s reaction to finding out about the Book. Would he be tempted, Chuuya wondered, to try and bring back Oda with it? Oda’s death had turned Dazai’s life upside, and it was clear that he hadn’t recovered from it, even four years later.

Maybe he never would. Most of Chuuya’s own experiences with loss had been non tangible things, his memories, his freedom, his chance at a normal life. The closest comparison was when the Sheep had turned on him. But that wasn’t the same. They weren’t dead. They just hated him.

It was hard to understand what Dazai was going through, especially when from Chuuya’s end, Oda was still around. He couldn’t properly judge the situation, all he could do was take precautions.

Even if he didn’t know whether or not Dazai would be tempted by the Book, he could at least be assured that he could keep an eye on him. If Dazai were to find the Book’s location, even if he tried to keep it secret, Chuuya would know. And he was sure he could get to it first.

“This isn’t the place to have that conversation,” Chuuya said finally, shaking his head. “Nor do I have the time right now, Mori’s waiting for my report.”And he was definitely leaving this conversation out of that report. “You still know where I live, meet me later.”

Dazai raised an eyebrow, somehow managing to look incredibly smug and suspicious at the same time. “Oh, a meeting on your terms in a private location? Are you going to take the chance to kill me for betraying the mafia?”

Chuuya glared at him, just once could Dazai restrain his need to have the last word. “If I wanted you dead, I wouldn’t have waited this long. You really think I haven’t known exactly where you’ve been these past four years?”

From the entrance of the alleyway, Chuuya saw Oda grimace. “Let’s give them a little privacy.” He murmured, placing a hand on Ayumi’s shoulder.

“What? But I want to see the drama!” Ayumi whined. Her protests fell of deaf ears though, as Oda dragged her away. Chuuya was grateful for his intervention, one of the best but also worst things about being able to see ghosts is that you were hardly ever alone.

Chuuya’s words seemed to catch Dazai off guard, and he just stood there in shock for a moment. For someone so smart, sometimes Dazai was really stupid. Did he really think that he’d flown under the radar? Mori alone had the contacts to be able to find Dazai while he was still in Yokohama, and Chuuya’s reach was much farther. He’d been left untouched though, because neither of them had any intention of punishing him for his defection.

Unfortunately, Dazai was never one to stay silent for longer. Soon enough there was a smile back on his face, but it seemed off. “Why Chuuya, were you worried about me?” He asked in a sugary sweet tone, the kind that grated on the ears. It was obviously intended to make Chuuya mad, so that Dazai could have control back of the situation.

This time though, Chuuya wasn’t falling for it.

The honest answer to Dazai’s question was yes, Chuuya had been worried about him. He’d known Dazai was planning to leave, had just been waiting for him to say something about it, but instead he’d left without a word. For all Chuuya knew at the time, Dazai might’ve turned up dead in a ditch somewhere.

And wouldn’t that be terrible, what if he’d come back as a ghost and Chuuya had been stuck with him forever.

Chuuya wasn’t about to tell Dazai that though. He’d just find a way to use it against him. So instead, he side stepped the question, stabbing back at Dazai instead. “I know you left because of what happened with Oda. Can’t say I wouldn’t have done the same. I’m not going to blame you for it.”

It was a good thing that Dazai was standing still and not walking, or else Chuuya suspected he would have tripped over his own feet, he looked so shocked. Chuuya couldn’t blame him, the two of them didn’t have conversations like this and quite frankly it was really awkward. If it was Verlaine he was talking to, Chuuya would have been fine, but all he could think of was how Dazai would definitely use this against him once he’d calmed down.

So he took a page from Dazai’s book, and changed the subject to something lighter. “I am blaming you for the bomb under my car though what the hell was that! You’re terrible at goodbyes!"

The subject change seemed to work, and Dazai rolled his eyes. “I don’t know what you’re complaining about, it’s not like you died.” He sounded almost disappointed and Chuuya decided he’d had enough of dealing with him for the day.

“You’re a jerk, you know that.” He said, pushing himself off the wall and turning to leave. “Whatever, just don’t forget to meet me later.” He started to walk further down the alley, but paused halfway. “You know,” He said, “Back then, if you’d asked, I would have helped you.”

He didn’t wait to see how Dazai responded, taking advantage of the stunned silence to put some distance between the two of them. As soon as he was around the corner, he used his ability to get up on the rooftops where there was no chance that Dazai could follow him. He was not dealing with the fallout from what he’d just said, not right now.

He didn’t even know why he’d said it, it had just kind of happened. It wasn't a lie though, if Dazai had asked back then, he really would have helped him leave the mafia.

Chuuya took off his hat, running a frustrated hand through his hair. Having to interact with Dazai again was throwing him off. It was strange, somehow it felt like both nothing and everything had changed between them at the same time.

It was easy to slip back into old habits, to banter with each other like they were still partners. He knew Dazai’s habits, knew what to expect from him, but he didn’t know what Dazai thought of him. Not anymore. Then again, maybe he’d never known.

Did Dazai hate him, like he did Mori? Did he blame Chuuya for being gone when Oda died? For staying loyal to the mafia still afterwards? Even if he wasn’t willing to admit it out loud, Chuuya didn’t like the idea of Dazai hating him.

The relationship Chuuya had with Dazai would never be the same as the one he had with Verlaine. He and his brother were bound by not blood, but the same origin. There were ties between them that others could never understand, nor hope to replicate.

But that didn’t mean Dazai hadn’t carved out a place close to that.

What exactly family meant to Chuuya was hard to put into words, it wasn’t like he had a traditional one after all. Technically he supposed his creator N could be considered his father, not that he deserved that title. And he did have a brother; that was a normal part of most families.

But when it came down to it, family wasn’t about blood. It was a feeling.

The people you could rely on when things went wrong, even if they were a nuisance about it. Who you could trust to watch your back even if they were mad at you. The people who knew more about you than anyone else.

Even if sometimes he made Chuuya want to punch him in the face. Dazai fit that. Whether Chuuya liked it or not.

Whether or not Dazai felt the same though, remained a mystery. Chuuya wasn’t even sure if Dazai saw him as a friend. He knew he certainly didn’t hold the same weight in his heart that Oda had.

If he were to die as well, would Dazai even be sad?

Chuuya let out an annoyed huff. Why was he even thinking about it? All that mattered was that they were still capable of working together. There were other things that were important for him to worry about right now, Mori was waiting for his report.

Chapter Text

Mori let out a drawn out sigh, reaching up a hand to rub tiredly at his eyes. Although he’d been working for several hours, it felt like the pile of paperwork on his desk only seemed to grow.

Sitting up straighter, he rolled his shoulders in an attempt to loosen the knots forming there.

“No one understands just how much work goes into running a criminal organization." He complained to Elise, who was drawing on the floor. Her paper was angled just out of his line of sight, but judging by how often she reached for the red crayon, he suspected it featured a generous amount of blood.

Glancing over her shoulder, Elise made a face. “Maybe you should just retire already,” She said, sticking out her tongue at him. “Hand things over to Chuuya-san and get lost.”

She seemed to be ignoring the fact that if he got lost, she would have to go with him.

Her words weren’t entirely unreasonable though, someday Mori did plan to pass leadership of the mafia on to Chuuya, but it was not that time yet. He still had things to complete first. Besides, while Chuuya was both capable and mature, he was still young. There were still things he needed to learn. It was too soon for him to lead.

A knock on his office door spared Mori from having to return to paperwork. “Come in!” He called.

He already knew who it was. Not only was Chuuya expected, there were no other Mafia members whose knock carried quite the same weight.

A frown settled on Mori’s face as Chuuya entered the room. His second in command looked…tired. It wasn’t extremely obvious, and Mori doubted anyone who wasn’t close to Chuuya would notice it. That didn’t mean it wasn’t there though. It was evident in the tenseness of his shoulders, and the slight furrowing on his brow that heralded a headache.

It was a bit concerning, but to be fair he had forced Chuuya to deal with the Agency. They were enough of a headache on the best of days, and that was without even taking into account Dazai’s presence. He had always been an expert at pushing Chuuya’s buttons.

Combined with the gravity Chuuya assigned to the threat posed by the Guild and its backers, it was no wonder he was under stress. Still, Mori had faith in him. He wouldn't have chosen Chuuya as his successor otherwise.

Elise jumped to her feet, abandoning her drawing in favor of running to Chuuya’s side. “Chuuya-san! Thank goodness, you’re here, Rintaro was being a boring old man again!”

Mori let out a sigh. Really, it was his own fault she acted this way. Still, it wasn’t like he was that old, he was only forty.

Chuuya directed a small smile at Elise, one that was tired, but entirely genuine. Despite knowing full well that Elise was a manifestation of Mori’s ability, Chuuya never treated her any differently than he would a real child.
Elise returned his grin before sticking out her hand. With a roll of his eyes, Chuuya reached into his pocket and pulled out a piece of candy.

Mori knew he carried them just for her.

It was strange, the amount of empathy Chuuya had for others, given his profession. Sometimes, Mori wondered if he should try to stamp it out. But he always decided against it. That empathy might hold Chuuya back, but maybe that was a good thing.

Chuuya was powerful. Capable of great destruction even without activating Corruption. He was clever, resourceful, and perfectly willing to manipulate others if he deemed it necessary. If he didn’t have his morals, if he didn’t care, then Mori didn’t know what kind of monster he might have become.

With Elise having successfully obtained her prize, she quickly abandoned Chuuya in favor of returning to drawing, and Chuuya turned his full attention to Mori.

“Boss,” He greeted, and Mori gave him a nod of acknowledgement.

“How did things go with the Agency?” He asked, watching Chuuya as he stood there. It wasn’t the most comfortable thing, standing to give a report, but Mori kept no chairs near his desk, save for his own. Just another reminder of who was in charge.

Chuuya’s lips pressed into a thin line. “They’re definitely still skeptical of our intentions,” He said. “But it seems like they’ll cooperate. At least for now.”

That was about what Mori had expected. There was no way the Agency would whole heartedly trust them, and quite frankly if they acted like they did, he would assume they were up to something.
“Did you learn any new information while you were there?”

Chuuya raised an eyebrow, “You mean besides the fact that their observation skills are abysmal?" He asked, his tone sardonic. “I was eavesdropping for minutes before anyone besides Dazai and maybe Edogawa noticed.”
There was a slight hesitation before he mentioned Dazai’s name that Mori didn’t miss.

Mori let out a sigh. “The Agency members are too soft.” Although it wasn’t like the Agency only took on harmless little cases like affairs, they didn’t have the frequent experience with life and death situations that the members of the Mafia had.

“Are you sure this alliance is a good idea?” He asked Chuuya, even though he knew it was far too late to back out.

“If we want to reduce the damage the Guild’s presence will cause.” Chuuya said, followed by a wry grin, “If all else fails we can use them as a distraction.”

A small chuckle escaped Mori. He would bet the Agency was worried that they might do just that.

Chuuya took a moment to think more, “Yosano-san definitely isn’t happy about the alliance. She was arguing with Fukuzawa-san in his office when I arrived. I don’t think she’ll try anything though, she seems to respect Fukuzawa-san too much.”

That sounded like Yosano alright. Mori could only hope that one day she would understand his actions. That he had had a reason for what he’d done.

“Edogawa seems likely to snoop, but I don’t think he’ll figure anything out. He doesn't have access to the sources I do and I can’t imagine him coming to a reality altering book as a conclusion for what people are searching for. Everyone else seems like they’ll be fine.”

“And what of Fukuzawa? Did he give you any trouble?” The man could be annoyingly uptight at times, Mori was sure he had been overly picky about the details of the alliance.

Chuuya shrugged, “I wouldn’t say he gave me trouble, but he was suspicious. Wanted to know if the alliance was really my idea, and not you using me as a scapegoat.”

Of course he had.

“He just always has to think the worst of me.” Mori complained with a shake of his head. Even before their partnership had fallen apart Fukuzawa had often viewed his actions with disdain. The man just couldn’t seem to properly understand that there were some times when lines had to be crossed for the sake of the bigger picture.

“You convinced him otherwise, I assume?”

“As far as I know.” Chuuya said. “I wouldn’t say he fully trusts us now, but I think he’s convinced the threat is real.”

That was likely as good as they were going to get. The morals of the Mafia and Agency were just too different for there to ever be complete trust between them.

For a moment Mori was silent, the only sound in the room Elises’s humming as she continued to draw. She’d moved enough that he could get a better look at the picture, and those were definitely dead bodies she was working on. Unbothered by his ability’s artistic preferences, Mori decided it was time to move on to a more delicate subject.

“And how was Dazai?”

Chuuya let out a long aggrieved sigh. The sound of it made Mori feel nostalgic in a way. How often had he heard Chuuya make that exact sound during the years that he and Dazai had been partners?

It almost made him feel old, thinking how things had changed. Both of his boys had grown up, finding their place in the world along the way. It was just unfortunate that Dazai’s path had taken him away from the mafia, though Mori would always leave the door open for him to return if he wanted.

Despite it all, Mori couldn’t help but feel a sense of pride in both of them.

“He was as annoying as always.” Chuuya complained, but Mori didn’t think he sounded as annoyed as he was probably trying to. Most of the Mafia might have been fooled by Chuuya’s act of being furious at Dazai’s betrayal, but not Mori.

He’d known the boy too long. Chuuya still cared.

There was no proof, but Mori wouldn’t have been surprised if Chuuya had helped obscure Dazai’s trail in the aftermath.

There would likely be those who would think Mori was being foolish by not trying to sever the bond between them. It wasn't smart to let an operative’s loyalty be split, but Mori couldn’t bring himself to.

Some of it was sentimentality, he would admit, he had watched the two of them grow up together. But there were practical reasons as well. The connection that remained between the two of them would only benefit them during occasions that required cooperation with the Agency. And if there came a time that Chuuya had to choose between Dazai and the Mafia? Mori had faith he would remember the big picture.
“Did Dazai seem suspicious of anything?”

“It’s Dazai.” Chuuya said, with a deadpan expression. He was just about the only one who could get away with being so casual with Mori, though he rarely did so. “He followed me after I left the Agency and wanted to know what we were still hiding.”

Mori narrowed his eyes. “And what did you tell him?”

Chuuya shrugged, “I told him that it's better if some things stay secret for now. I don’t know if it’ll satisfy him for long, but hopefully it’ll give us some time.”

Mori observed Chuuya for a moment, looking for any sign that he wasn’t telling the truth. He didn’t see any sign of lies, but with Chuuya that didn’t necessarily mean anything. Although Mori had great trust in Chuuya, it was sometimes tempered by great frustration.

Over the years, he’d grown used to how Chuuya seemed to acquire new information without explanation. That didn’t mean he didn’t want to know how the man managed it. But it was better to have the information than to risk Chuuya withholding it by pushing too hard.

So Mori allowed him a longer leash than most, giving him room to maneuver. Unfortunately, Chuuya wasn’t always the best at giving him a heads up in regards to some of his actions.

While Mori understood that sometimes it was necessary to keep secrets in order to make a plan work, he’d done so plenty of times, Chuuya often seemed to take that as license to withhold everything. Even from his own boss.
It was hard to punish someone when they got results though.

Besides, Mori wasn’t entirely sure that removing Chuuya from his duties, even just temporarily, wouldn’t cause the whole mafia to fall apart.

It was that wildcard nature of Chuuya’s that made it impossible for Mori to totally rule out the possibility that Chuuya might have told Dazai more than he was admitting.

“You really told him nothing else?” He asked, staring at Chuuya with a stern expression. He was giving him one last chance to fess up to anything he was holding back.

Chuuya shook his head. “All he knows right now is that he doesn’t know everything.”

Mori let out a sigh, it seemed like Chuuya wasn’t going to admit anything. Assuming of course there was anything to admit. If it turned out Chuuya had leaked information, then he was going to have to be stricter than usual. In the middle of an alliance wasn’t the time for Chuuya to be a loose cannon.

For now though, he would let it go.

Steepling his fingers in front of him, Mori leaned forward slightly. “Well then, I suppose it's time we move on to future plans then. We know the location of the Guild's headquarters, so it would only be polite of us to plan a visit.”

Chapter Text

Chuuya couldn’t help but let out a sigh of relief as he reached his front door. It had been a very long day, one made to feel even longer thanks to the constant pounding behind his eyes. He’d taken some over the counter painkillers, far more than he should have, but it had barely taken the edge off.

He really just wanted to crawl into bed. Hopefully, he could get more than a few hours of sleep for once. Unfortunately, his night was far from over. He still had to meet with Dazai.

He regretted ever agreeing to fill Dazai in. When Dazai had pressed for the secret Chuuya was hiding, he should have just told him to shove off. But no, he’d caved. It had been stupid. He was just so tired of carrying everything alone. Having his former partner onboard had been too tempting.

Or at least that's what he assumed his subconscious had been thinking. It was either that or he’d been possessed.

As he pulled out his key to unlock his door, Chuuya quickly realized that the door seemed to already be unlocked. For a moment he froze, trying to think if there was anyone he’d ticked off lately who was still alive to come back for revenge.

He couldn’t think of any.

For once, he didn’t have a ghost with him to scout the place out. All of them were out running errands for him. It had honestly been nice to be alone for a while. He considered the ghosts who regularly helped him to be his family, but never getting time to himself could still get overwhelming.

Still, it would’ve been helpful to have them around right now.

Not that he was particularly worried, there were very few people who could actually manage to harm him. He just liked to know what he was walking into.

Opening his door as if there was no problem, Chuuya entered his apartment like normal, his eyes scanning the surroundings. As he caught sight of the culprit, a sound of disgust escaped his lips.

There, lounging on the couch as if he owned the place, was Dazai. Sitting on his lap, as if oblivious to the fact Dazai was an intruder, was the younger of Chuuya’s cats, Argent. He seemed to have not noticed his owner's presence, too caught up in enjoying the ear scratches that Dazai was giving him.

An orange blur rushing toward his feet let him know at least someone had noticed he was home. As his other cat Kohaku wound between his legs, she let out constant meows; almost as if she were snitching on Argent for siding with the enemy.

Kneeling down, Chuuya gave her a quick ear scratch, allowing her to rub her cheek against his palm.

“Sorry about the intrusion, Chuuya,” Oda apologized, from where he stood, as usual, near Dazai’s side. “There was nothing I could do to stop him.”

Chuuya let out a sigh, giving the smallest shake of his head to let the ghost know he wasn’t upset at him. Really, he should have expected this. What did he think Dazai was going to do, wait outside until he got home?

Straightening up, he shot a glare at Dazai. “You know, you could at least pretend to have some manners.”

Dazai gave a cheerful grin, though it was full of sharp edges. “But Chuuya, you were the one who invited me over~”

Chuuya knew that Dazai wasn’t so stupid as to think that he had meant for him to break into his home, he was just being contrary. He got a kick out of being such a nuisance.

It was no wonder he was never invited to parties.

Ignoring Dazai for a moment, Chuuya took off his jacket and hung it in the cabinet by the door. Sometimes the best course of action when it came to Dazai was to just not acknowledge him or whatever he’d said. Of course it only worked half the time, sometimes it just made Dazai try harder.

“I fed your cats by the way,” Dazai said, sounding irritatingly proud of himself, like he’d done Chuuya some grand favor.

Never mind the fact that both cats had an automatic feeder.

Chuuya was willing to bet that what had actually happened was that Dazai had been snooping around and found some cat treats. Thankfully he didn’t have anything lying around in his house that would be too dangerous for Dazai to find, he kept anything sensitive elsewhere.

“When did you even get cats?” Dazai asked, playing with Argent’s paw pads. “I would have thought you more of a dog person, given what a loyal hound you are.”

Chuuya’s fingers twitched, the leather of his gloves creaking as he curled his hands into fists. They stayed by his side, though not without great difficulty.

He was tired of people treating his loyalty like something to mock, as if it was a flaw to be dealt with. He was no blind sycophant who followed orders without question. His loyalty was a choice he made, but that didn’t mean there weren’t lines he refused to cross. What he considered right and wrong might differ from your average person, but he still had standards.

If there was one thing he deserved criticism for, it was how he spread his loyalty too thin. He was probably a fool for tying himself to so many people and offering them his whole heart, for not taking it back even when it was stomped on.

Chuuya had always been weak to kindness, it was hard for him not to find himself devoted to those who showed him genuine care. Each person just added to the tangled web of loyalties, and one day the strings were going to snap, and not just stretch.

Still, Dazai of all people didn’t have any right to lecture on the topic of loyalty.

As if sensing his anger, Kohaku ceased lounging at Chuuya’s feet and stood. Facing Dazai, she let out a loud hiss, puffing up her entire body in an attempt to look intimidating. Chuuya appreciated the sentiment, but it wasn’t doing his headache any good.

It wasn’t just Kohaku who seemed upset though, there was a look of grave disappointment on Oda’s face as he stared at Dazai. It was a pity that since he was dead and unseen to all but Chuuya, his expression could do nothing to influence Dazai’s behavior.

“Your cat is a menace,” Dazai complained, as if he wasn’t the source of all the troubles. Even Argent finally came to his senses, sinking his teeth into the hand that had been petting him.

Dazai let out a hiss as he yanked his hand out of the cat's mouth. Argent seemed to shoot a smug look at the two little pinprick marks in Dazai’s hand before jumping off the couch and strutting off, his tail raised high in the air.

“Is the mafia raising attack cats now?” He asked, cradling his hand as if it was actually some serious injury.

“They’re usually quite well behaved," Chuuya told him, not even trying to hide his pleasure at Dazai’s misfortune. “So obviously the problem must be you.”

Well, that wasn’t actually entirely true. Most of the time Kohaku and Argent were both well behaved, save for a few incidents involving them figuring out how to open the cabinet he kept treats in, but that changed around certain people.

Mori, in particular, was disdained by Kohaku. On the rare occasions he’d visited Chuuya’s place, she’d given him the cold shoulder, and any attempts to pet her usually ended in scratches. Chuuya was grateful Mori wasn’t as crazy as the previous boss; it would be humiliating to get executed because of his cat’s bad behavior.

Strangely enough, despite her distaste for Mori, Kohaku seemed quite fond of Elise.

He found it a bit ironic. He had found Kohaku a year after Dazai had left, she had just been a small kitten then, half starved and left alone in the rain. He had felt a sense of kinship upon seeing her, and before he’d realized it she had become a regular part of his life.

Argent on the other hand, had been a gift from Verlaine. After learning Chuuya had taken in a cat, he’d only shaken his head and muttered something about how Chuuya needed to stop picking up strays. Still, he showed up a month later with another kitten in hand, claiming cats needed companionship.

According to him, Argent was supposed to be of special lineage, something more than just a normal cat.

“If you’re going to raise a pet,” Verlaine had said, “It might as well be one that can help keep you safe.”

And yet, it was Kohaku would hiss and scratch at anyone who even looked at Chuuya the wrong way, while Argent would trust just about anyone. If it wasn’t for the occasional moments of uncanny intelligence the cat showed, Chuuya would have suspected his brother had been scammed.

Neither of them could protect him from the menace that was Dazai however.

Chuuya really just wanted this to be over with. He’d averaged maybe two hours of sleep per night for the past week, and he needed to get to bed soon if he was going to catch enough rest to do anything about his headache.

“Look, do you want the information or not?” Chuuya asked, his jaw clenched tightly enough he thought he could hear it crack. “Or are you just here to fill your empty life by being a nuisance?”

Dazai’s eyes narrowed, “Why Chuuya,” He said, his tone sanguine. “Of course, I want the information. I do love hearing you betray the mafia.”

Besides him, Oda let out a disappointed sigh. Chuuya wondered how it must feel to be him, to have told Dazai to be a good man, and see him trying but also witnessing him slip into cruelty again and again. It made Chuuya grateful there was no one expecting him to be a good man.

“You’re one to talk.” Chuuya said with a scoff, but his words didn’t stop the soft pang of guilt in his chest. He knew Mori would be furious if he knew what Chuuya was up to. It didn’t matter if they were in alliance with the Agency, or that it was Dazai he was talking to, leaking information was a serious offense.

Of course, Mori hadn’t forbidden him from talking about the Book. But Chuuya wasn’t fool enough to mistake silence for permission.

Chuuya had always made his own decision on what he thought was right though, even when it might get him in trouble.

Still, a bitter thought crept in. He couldn’t help but wonder if Dazai had ever given a single moment’s thought to the risks he was taking. If he had ever considered the danger he so often left in his wake when they’d been partners.

Looking at the way Dazai casually lounged on his couch, as if he didn’t have a care in the world, Chuuya found it hard to believe he had ever thought of the consequences.

Without a word, he walked over and kicked Dazai’s feet off the coffee table, then dropped into the armchair across from him.

“Have you ever heard of something called the Book?” Chuuya asked, not bothering to beat around the bush first.

Dazai tilted his head, looking thoughtful. “I’m guessing you’re not talking about just any old novel.” He stated.

Chuuya shook his head, “If only.” The words hung in the air between them and Dazai’s expression turned even more serious. “Supposedly,” Chuuya finally continued, “There exists a book that can be used to rewrite reality.”

Dazai’s eyes widened, a rare expression of open shock on his face. He hid it quickly, smoothing his expression into nonchalance.

“That’s what the Guild is searching for then? As well as the other organizations?" Though Dazai phrased it like a question, Chuuya knew it wasn’t. Dazai was too smart to have not connected the dots. “Is it actually even real?”

Chuuya shrugged, “Who knows? What matters is they think it is.” Plenty of conflicts had happened simply because people believed something was true, he didn’t see any reason why it would be different in this case.

Dazai let out a dramatic sigh and swung his feet back onto Chuuya’s coffee table. Chuuya didn’t hesitate to kick them off again, earning himself a disgruntled glare.

“Why would you burden me with this knowledge?” Dazai whined.

It was obvious that he had been raised by Mori, neither of them could go long without slipping into theatrics. Grabbing a toy mouse that had left nearby, Chuuya threw it at Dazai in annoyance .

“You were the one who begged me to tell you what secret I was hiding!”

Dazai moved slightly to avoid the toy mouse, and let out an offended gasp. “I don’t beg!”

Then just as quickly as if someone had switched a switch, the serious expression returned to his face. “It could cause a bloodbath if this got out.”

Chuuya snorted, that was an understatement. It could already turn into a bloodbath as things were, if more people found out about the Book, things would only get worse.

“I know.” Chuuya said. “Which is why you’d better keep your mouth shut about it. Don’t even tell your Agency members!”

Dazai eyed Chuuya for a moment, his thoughts unreadable. Based on past experience, Chuuya had a strong feeling he wouldn’t like whatever came next.

“Does Mori know?”

Chuuya had been right, he didn’t like it. Though it wasn’t like the question was totally unexpected. He wasn’t sure how to answer though.

He knew even without Dazai having to say anything, that he didn’t like the idea of Mori being aware of something like the Book. Unfortunately for him, Mori did know. Ideally, Chuuya would have liked to lie and claim otherwise, but he doubted Dazai would buy it.

“He knows,” Chuuya admitted. “It was the only way to get him to agree to the alliance.”

Dazai raised an eyebrow, his expression sharp with disapproval. “So let me get this straight, you insist it’s not safe for me to tell Fukuzawa and the Agency, but you’re fine with Mori, of all people, knowing?” It was rare for Dazai to show actual anger, but Chuuya knew Mori was a sensitive topic for him. “Surely you’re not stupid enough to trust him?”

Any patience Chuuya had for Dazai’s antics vanished instantly. Given what had happened with Oda, Chuuya tried to give Dazai some grace, but he wasn’t putting up with this, not today. He was too tired and in too much pain for this. It wasn't just the headache that was still pounding away behind his eyes, there was a bone deep ache spreading through his body; it always got worse when he was this exhausted.

Despite what people seemed to think, using Corruption didn’t come without lasting consequences.

“You hate Mori. I get it. But don’t treat me like some fool who blindly follows him, not when it’s your hate clouding your judgment!” Chuuya snapped. While it wasn’t unusual for him and Dazai to argue, most of their arguments came about due to annoyance, not genuine anger.

Dazai seemed caught off guard, reeling back slightly. It looked like he wanted to protest, but Chuuya wasn't going to let him interrupt.

“I know what kind of person Mori is. He’s manipulative, he’s ruthless, he has no problem using people, whether they agree to it or not. But he’s not power hungry. His biggest concern is keeping Yokohama safe, he’s not going to do anything that will put it at risk.”

Chuuya paused for a second, just long enough to take a deep breath.

“I don’t know Fukuzawa though, not really. I know of him, I know what his ability is and that he collects damaged people like it's a hobby. But I don’t know him. I can’t trust he won’t be tempted by the Book.”

The words seemed to land harder than Chuuya expected. For once, Dazai didn’t have a quip ready. He was just silent as he stared at Chuuya, seemingly lost in thought. Quite frankly, it was unnerving.

“You don’t trust Fukuzawa,” Dazai said, voice unusually quiet. “But can you trust me, and the fact that I trust him?”

Chuuya blinked. He’d never heard Dazai say anything like that before. Even back when they were partners and Dazai had always taken the lead, he’d never bothered to ask for trust. He just assumed Chuuya would follow. Had expected it.

Was this just another game? Or had the Agency actually changed him?

The truth was, Chuuya did trust Dazai, at least about some things. He trusted him to have his back in battle. He trusted him to stop Corruption. And, more than anything, he trusted Dazai’s pickiness about who he gave his trust to. Dazai had never been the type to hand over his heart freely. If he believed in someone, it meant something.

Of course, he could be lying, but in this situation there was no reason to. Not that that always stopped Dazai, but with this it would just be counterproductive.

Letting out an annoyed growl, Chuuya glared at Dazai, “Why do you have to be like this?” He muttered, “Ugh, fine! But!” He pointed a finger at Dazai, “You tell no one but Fukuzawa. If you tell anyone else…”
Chuuya thought for a moment, trying to think of a threat that would actually scare Dazai. “I’ll send your address to every woman you've ever made cry.”

Dazai let out a scoff, before seeming to consider what Chuuya had said. “...Could you not do that?”

Honestly, Chuuya wasn’t sure if he’d actually follow through. Not out of pity, of course. He just figured that if Dazai did tell anyone beyond Fukuzawa, word would get back to Mori eventually… and then Chuuya would have bigger things to worry about.

…He was definitely an idiot for this.

Chuuya let out a sigh. “Since you’re already passing things to Fukuzawa, tell him we’ll be attacking the Guild’s headquarters tomorrow afternoon. If the Agency’s sending anyone to help, they’d better decide fast.”
At least this would save him a trip to the Agency. He had enough things to do tomorrow.

He wouldn’t be taking part in the attack himself—Mori had decided it would be a waste—but he’d still be busy coordinating the operation. That, and taking care of a few self-assigned tasks.

“I’m sure Fukuzawa will appreciate the last minute warning.” Dazai said.

The sarcasm was back in his voice, sharp and familiar, and Chuuya almost felt relieved. There was something unsettling about a Dazai who wasn’t being a pest.

“Blame Mori.” Chuuya deadpanned. He agreed with taking the Guild out quickly, but half a day’s notice was pushing it, at least for an alliance. If it were just the Mafia, it wouldn’t have been a problem.

“I always do!” Dazai said cheerfully. “So, who’s the Mafia sending?”

Chuuya shrugged, “Probably Kouyou and her subordinates. We would have sent Akutagawa but…” He trailed off, there was no need to finish the sentence. They both knew what Akutagawa was like, it was Dazai’s fault he was that way after all. Pairing him up with the Agency for this fight would do nothing but cause trouble.

Dazai let out a thoughtful hum. "You're not going?”

“Mori is of the opinion that my presence would be an overkill, given there will only be a skeleton crew there. I’ll be helping with logistics and standing by to make sure only the enemy gets killed.” There was no trace of dissatisfaction in Chuuya’s tone, he didn’t particularly mind that he was being held back from the fight.

He was only one person, he couldn’t be involved in every battle. Though he might be the strongest fighter in the Mafia, he wasn’t the only one who was capable. Sometimes, it was fine to leave things to others.
And on the off chance that something went wrong, he would be nearby.

If Dazai had any objections to Chuuya sitting out the fight, he buried them beneath his usual veneer of indifference. Slowly, his fingers began to tap against his leg, a quiet, deliberate rhythm that hinted at deeper thoughts. It lasted for a few seconds before he finally spoke.

“You said there’s only a skeleton crew at the Guild’s headquarters, are there any ability users among them?”

Although Chuuya knew the final choice for who to send from the Agency would lie in Fukuzawa’s hands, he could tell that Dazai was already planning out a roster in his head. It felt strange seeing him do so for the Agency, instead of the Mafia.

Leaning back slightly in his chair, Chuuya stifled a yawn. “As long as nothing changes overnight, there should be two. Margaret Mitchell and Nathaniel Hawthorn.”

The two of them made an interesting combination, though not one that Chuuya personally would have chosen to pair together. Hawthorn’s ability to manipulate his own blood was a versatile ability, but Mitchell’s didn’t seem to compliment it well. Of course, a lot of the time it was the way you used an ability that determined how strong it actually was, it all depended how creative you were.

It was possible that there was more to her ability than Chuuya knew though, it wasn’t like he was omniscient, after all.

He wondered which Agency members Dazai would suggest Fukuzawa send. Chuuya could see a couple of possibilities, as well as some that would be just stupid to send.

Kyoka was a definite no. Not only was she not trained to deal with large groups of enemies, it would be foolish to have her work with the mafia so soon.

Tanizaki probably wouldn’t be much help either; his illusions were purely visual and better suited for sneak attacks or quick escapes.

Yosano seemed decent in a fight despite her ability not being combat-focused, but like Kyoka, she was someone best kept far from the Mafia.

The weretiger could be useful were it not for the fact he seemed woefully undertrained. Normally Chuuya could forgive that given the boy was quite new to using his ability, but right now it was a nuisance. Sending him to the fight could also backfire on them, given the Guild was after him.

And of course Edogawa would be absolutely useless in a fight.

That only left a few choices.

Miyazawa seemed like he might be a good choice. Sometimes brute force was the best answer in a fight.

Kunikida was another good option. He seemed level- headed enough, at least when Dazai wasn't pushing his buttons, that he would probably be able to cooperate well enough to not cause problems.

As for Dazai, Chuuya wasn’t even going to consider him as an option. If he joined in someone would end up trying to stab him, and it wouldn’t be the enemy.

He couldn’t say for sure if Dazai had come to the same conclusions. Dazai knew the Agency far better, had dealt with them day in and day out, while Chuuya mostly had scraps of information and secondhand reports. Reading about someone’s ability or background was one thing; actually working with them, seeing how they handled real fights, that was another. There were plenty of things Chuuya didn’t know; how they worked together, their quirks, the little habits that made or broke a team. He wasn’t foolish enough to think he had the full picture.

Thankfully it wasn’t up to him to figure out those details, he just had to make sure things went smoothly with whoever was picked. Which was easier said than done.

On second thought, he would gladly change jobs with Fukuzawa and Dazai right now.

“Any more questions?” Chuuya asked Dazai, resisting the urge to rub at his eyes. He didn’t want Dazai to realize just how exhausted he was.

Dazai paused, tapping a finger thoughtfully against his chin, and Chuuya was willing to bet that it wasn’t just serious questions he was considering. After a moment, Dazai shook his head with a sly smile. “That’s all for now, don’t worry I’ll drop by again if I think of anything else.”

Chuuya’s jaw clenched tightly, his fingers twitching at his sides in irritation. He knew Dazai wasn’t joking.

“Good,” through gritted teeth, forcing himself to keep his voice steady.. “Now get out of my house.”

Chapter Text

The sound of waves hitting the dock felt like a strangely fitting backdrop for the storm ready to break.

Leaning up against a large crate, Chuuya’s eyes lingered on the S.S Zelda at the far  end of the dock. While the mafia members who were preparing for the attack had settled far enough away that they wouldn’t be spotted, Chuuya’s eyesight was sharper than any human's. He couldn’t make out faces at this distance. But he could read enough from their shapes and clothing.

There were only two of them, and from what Chuuya could see of their clothes, he was willing to bet it was the two ability users who were their targets. Margaret Mitchell and Nathaniel Hawthorn. 

So far there was no sign that the two of them knew they were being watched, but Chuuya wasn’t going to let his guard down just yet. He had sent a ghost to go check things out, but they weren’t back yet. 

“This is so unfair,” 

A loud sigh seemed to echo right next to his ear. Chuuya rubbed at it with a faint wince before flicking an annoyed glance upward at the subordinate sprawled across the crate behind him. Yata Hinata had been with him for years, but the lazy slouch of his posture could have fooled anyone into thinking he was a newbie. 

 “Why do we have to stay back while everyone else gets to fight?” Yata complained, dangling one leg like a bored teenager. In one hand he twirled a knife around his finger, clearly itching for the chance to use it.  

It was the way Yata had been for as long as Chuuya had known him, he practically lived for the thrill of the fight and got antsy whenever he was denied it. Even so, he could follow orders and avoided needless recklessness in battle, traits that had convinced Chuuya to recruit him to his strike team in the first place.

“There will be other fights,” Chuuya assured him. This was only the start of the war against the Guild, it was far from being over. “There’s no point in going all out when more than half the Guild’s members aren’t even here.”

“Ahhhh I hate that you’re right.” Yata complained, brushing his dark hair out of his eyes. With a quick flick of his wrist he launched his knife into a box several feet away.

Chuuya clicked his tongue in annoyance at Yata’s action. Straightening up, he walked over and pulled the knife free. It left behind a large crack in the box, and Chuuya found himself grateful that it wasn't the Port Mafia’s property. He could leave it to be someone else's problem.

“Don’t go recklessly tossing your weapon around.” Chuuya scolded him, spinning the knife in his hand once before returning it to Yata. “Right now is not the time to be unarmed.”

Yata rolled his eyes, “Ah lighten up Chuuya, I’ve got plenty of other knives. Besides, you and Ember are here. If we get attacked I’ll just hide behind you.”

Yata was a good head taller than Chuuya, so it wasn’t like hiding behind him would do much good. That was not something Chuuya was ever going to admit out loud, however. It wasn’t his fault his ability had stunted his growth.

At least that was his excuse for his lack of height and he was sticking with it, no matter how many times Verlaine pointed out his height hadn’t been affected. 

Ember, the other subordinate who had accompanied Chuuya, gave Yata a disgusted look. “No way am I saving you. You get to suffer for your bad life choices.” She then let out an exaggerated sigh, folding her arms over her chest. “You know you should really be more appreciative of getting a break, some of us have been working nonstop.”

Chuuya grimaced, her words seeming to reawaken the headache that had only just faded to a dull ache after his first semi-decent night’s sleep in… what, a week? Maybe longer. He’d stopped keeping track.

Unlike Yata, Ember’s work didn’t end with the strike team. She had her hands in the quieter, less visible side of the Mafia’s operations, the kind of jobs that didn’t make it onto official reports. The Guild’s arrival had kept her busier than usual, even if she wasn’t running herself ragged the way Chuuya was.

“Ugh, I need a vacation.” Ember complained, flopping down onto her back on a crate. The box groaned beneath her and Chuuya caught sight of a faded ‘fragile’ sticker peeking from one corner.

Ah well, so long as Ember didn’t break the box and impale herself on the splinters, it wasn’t his problem.

Quite frankly it was nice to see her so spirited, back when he’d first met her five years ago that hadn’t been the case. Not that he could blame her given the circumstances. There were far too many criminal organizations out there that engaged in human trafficking, if Chuuya could he would wipe them all out.

There had been no home for her to return to once she was freed, and so Chuuya had ended up recruiting her. In the beginning she had been quiet and withdrawn, but now she was among the most sociable of Chuuya’s subordinates. 

Jumping off the crate he’d been resting on, Yata rolled his eyes. “You’ll get your vacation soon enough, it won’t take us long to wipe out the Guild. They’re so weak.” Crossing his arms behind his head, he let out a smug smile. “We don’t even need the Agency to help. It’s stupid to work with them.”

Ember shot up, glaring at Yata. “Are you questioning Chuuya’s judgment?"

Chuuya missed whatever Yata said next as movement in the corner of his eye caught his attention. Tilting his head slightly, he found himself face to face with what most would consider a terrifying ghost. Her skin was pale to the point of translucence, and half her face had been ripped away, revealing a gruesome tangle of blood and muscle beneath.

She stared at him silently.

Chuuya merely raised an eyebrow.

She continued to stare for a moment before her mouth opened and closed a few times, struggling to make sound. Finally though she succeeded, her voice coming out in a wet gurgle as if she spoke from underwater. 

“Those two don’t seem  to have any idea you’re here. They’re busy bickering with each other.” 

She looked to the side at Yata and Ember as if to say ‘just like them’.  Chuuya followed her gaze, wondering if it was too late to pretend he didn’t know either of his subordinates. 

“Well, I suppose I can’t blame you too much,” Ember said with a shrug. “It’s not your fault you were born a brainless fighting addict.”

Okay that was enough, Chuuya figured it was probably time for him to step in. He held up a finger to the ghost, a silent signal to wait, before walking toward his subordinates, his expression stern.

“As much as I hate to interrupt a good argument, may I remind you of the reason we’re here.” He said, arms folded in front of him. “You can continue fighting later in one of the training rooms.”

A good physical fight could do wonders to clear up a disagreement. He and Dazai had always seemed to calm down a bit after they tried to kill each other. At least temporarily. 

Yata and Ember quieted down, looking a bit embarrassed at being scolded by Chuuya. Though apparently not embarrassed enough to stop Ember from sticking her tongue out at Yata in one last taunt. Chuuya let out a sigh, rubbing at his temples. 

Why was it that despite the both of them being older than him, he was clearly the more mature one here? Why did almost always seem to be the case? He was kind of tired of it. 

He wondered if this was what Mori had felt like, dealing with him and Dazai. 

He quickly dismissed the thought. Ember and Yata didn’t actually fight all that much, there were just certain topics that got them riled up. He and Dazai on the other hand? They had been much worse. Just about anything could turn into an argument with them. 

Quite frankly it was surprising they hadn’t turned Mori’s hair grey. Unless of course he was secretly dyeing it.

With the disagreement between Yata and Ember settled, at least for the time being, the two of them returned to their previous positions. Chuuya then turned his attention back to the ghost, though much more subtly now that his subordinates were no longer distracted. 

The ghost gave Chuuya an amused look. He was glad at least someone was enjoying the situation. 

He tilted his head slightly, silently prompting her to continue her report.

“There don’t seem to be any other ability users on the boat, but they do have more than a few dozen men with guns.”

Chuuya had expected as much. Between Kouyou and her team, plus whoever the Agency sent, handling them shouldn’t be a problem. Even if the Agency turned out to be useless, the Port Mafia could manage.

He was confident enough that he could take them all on himself if it came to that.

He gave a small nod in acknowledgment and raised an eyebrow, a silent question about any additional information. She wasn’t one of the ghosts who followed him around, preferring to stay at the docks where her corpse rested beneath the waves, so he didn’t catch up with her as often. 

The ghost tilted her head, her expression thoughtful, but before she could speak, the crunch of footsteps interrupted them.

Chuuya’s head snapped toward the dock entrance, his reaction sharp enough to put Ember and Yata instantly on alert. They probably hadn’t heard the footsteps yet, but they trusted Chuuya’s instincts well enough to respond immediately.

For a moment there was no sign of movement, but then those responsible for the noise turned the corner and Chuuya relaxed slightly. It was only the Agency. 

As Chuuya had suspected would be the case, Kunikida and Miyazawa were there, but to his surprise they were also accompanied by Dazai and Fukuzawa himself. Chuuya’s eyes narrowed at the sight. Dazai’s presence could be easily explained by the fact that he enjoyed causing chaos, but Fukuzawa…

Chuuya doubted he was here just to help out with the operation, there must be more to it than that. 

The moment Yata spotted the Agency members, the last traces of ease drained from his posture. He sprang to his feet, rage twisting his expression.

“You’ve got some nerve showing your face here, you traitor!” He snapped at Dazai, jabbing an accusatory finger in his direction. “You think you’ll just get to walk away after this?”

His sentiment was one that Chuuya knew was echoed by many in the mafia, even if Chuuya didn’t share it himself. But this wasn’t the time or place for old grudges.

“Stand down Yata,” Chuuya ordered, his tone firm as he caught his subordinate’s arm and drew him back. “We’re not to do anything to him.”

Out of the corner of his eye, Chuuya noticed Ember watching him, obviously trying to gauge his reaction. He knew she would follow his lead in whatever way he treated Dazai and the rest of the Agency. The fact was that her loyalty had always been to him first, rather than the mafia. 

It worried him a little bit, to be honest. Although he was the same in that he gave his loyalty to people and not places, he had much more of a safety net to fall back on. His usefulness, and the fact that he got things done, outweighed any doubts about his loyalty to the organization as a whole.

And if he were ever declared a traitor, well… his brother would make sure anyone who tried to touch him ended up dead.

Ember didn’t have that kind of protection. As cruel as it was to admit, she didn’t hold the same value to the Mafia. If the day ever came when he was gone, or branded a traitor, her loyalty to him would turn into a liability. And by then, it would already be too late to save her.

He could only hope that day never came. Chuuya wasn’t all that concerned about his own fate, but the thought of dragging someone else down with him sat badly.

There was little point in worrying over things that weren’t likely to happen though. Especially when there were much bigger things to deal with. 

“You guys are cutting it close.” Chuuya told the Agency members. The operation was supposed to start at any moment, and they were just now arriving. The fact they were almost late wasn’t the end of the world, but every moment longer that they had to wait for the operation to start, was another chance for the Guild to realize they were there.

Not that it would actually help the Guild if they did. But it was the principle of the thing.

Kunikida adjusted his glasses, shooting Chuuya a faintly irritated look. “May I remind you that we were given a very last minute notice.”

The whole plan had been last minute, Chuuya knew that, but he still thought a whole morning was enough heads up for them to be on time. 

Yata let out a loud huff, not hiding a hint of his disdain. “If it’s such a hassle for you guys, then you could have just not come. It’s not like we need your help.”

“Yata!” Chuuya snapped. “Go let Kouyou know the Agency is here.” He didn’t need Yata antagonizing their allies, and Kouyou did need to be informed anyway.

Yata let out a low nonsensical grumble, but he did as he was told, shooting one last bitter look towards the Agency as he walked away. As soon as he was out of earshot, Ember gave the Agency a bright smile. 

“Don’t take it personally,” She cheerfully told them. “He just hates you.”

“Why?” Miyazawa asked, staring at her wide eyed. “We haven’t done anything to him.” He sounded so innocent, as if it never even occurred to him that maybe Yata just hated the Agency because their organizations were enemies. 

Not that that was the reason in this case.

Chuuya let out a sigh. “You guys got his older brother arrested a couple years ago, he’s got a bit of a grudge.” 

From what Chuuya knew, Yata’s brother was still in prison and would be for a few years more. He was pretty sure it had been Edogawa who had actually caught him, but Yata extended his hatred to the whole organization. 

Dazai frowned slightly, as if trying to recall who Yata’s brother was. Chuuya doubted he was familiar with him though, while Yata had already been working for him before Dazai had left, Yata’s brother hadn’t been part of the mafia. 

And since it had happened in between Dazai leaving the Mafia and joining the Agency, he wasn’t likely to have heard anything about the case. 

Miyazawa tilted his head, processing what Chuuya had said. “Oh... he must really miss his brother.”

Chuuya blinked, caught off guard by the unexpected sympathy. That wasn’t the kind of response he’d been expecting.

After a brief pause, he cleared his throat. “Just try to ignore him. He knows better than to cause trouble when it counts.”

Before anyone could respond, footsteps echoed from behind Chuuya.

“How nice of you to join us.” All heads turned as Kouyou stepped into view, her presence instantly commanding attention. Behind her both Albatross and Yata trailed, neither looking particularly happy. Yata’s unhappiness clearly came from the Agency as a whole, but Albatrosses eyes were solely on Dazai, eyeing him like a threat.

Strictly speaking, Albatross shouldn't have been part of the mission. He wasn’t part of Chuuya or Kouyou’s teams after all, but he had volunteered to come along. When Chuuya had asked him about it, he’d declared that someone needed to help keep an eye on the Agency. He seemed to believe that any place which accepted Dazai could not be trusted. 

Though most of the Mafia held grudges against Dazai for his betrayal, Chuuya’s friends were especially resentful. They’d had a front row seat to his and Dazai’s complicated relationship over the years, and Dazai deciding to abandon the mafia after forcing Chuuya into it had been the final straw for them. 

Their protectiveness was touching, but also rather annoying. 

It wasn’t that Chuuya didn’t understand where they were coming from. Over the years Dazai had hurt him again and again, sometimes on purpose and sometimes out of ignorance. Despite it all, Chuuya had still seen him as a friend.

Besides, there were much bigger monsters out there. The way Dazai had treated him was nothing compared to some of the things Chuuya had survived.

“Well then!” Dazai clapped his hands loudly, a bright grin on his face. Besides him, Kunikida looked exasperated. “Since we’re all here, shall we begin?”

Kouyou’s expression was pinched, but she kept her mouth shut. Although she was older than Chuuya, and had been in the mafia longer, he outranked her. Normally that didn’t matter much between them, but in a situation like this, she was more than happy to let him handle coordinating between the organizations.

How kind of her.

Fukuzawa’s gaze locked onto Chuuya, arms folded tightly across his chest. It was as if he was trying to peer into the depths of Chuuya’s soul, searching for something hidden beneath the surface. Chuuya met his stare without flinching, but inwardly he wondered what exactly was Fukuzawa’s purpose in showing up.

Had Dazai already told him about the Book? Was that why he was here, or was there some other reason?

“I need to know the Mafia’s plans for the Guild members on that ship,” Fukuzawa said, voice low but firm. “I won’t have my people part of a massacre.” 

The difference in methods when it came to dealing with things was one of the aspects of this alliance that Mori and Chuuya had known would be most difficult to reconcile between the Mafia and Agency. Under Mori’s lead the Mafia might not have been the bloodthirsty place the previous Boss had made it, but they still hardly shied away from killing people.

Normally in a situation like this the Mafia’s course of action would be to entirely eliminate the enemy, a responsibility that had often fallen on Chuuya and Dazai’s shoulders in the past. It sent a message that the Mafia was not to be messed with. There was no way the Agency would be on board with that though, so they’d had to make some adjustments. 

Chuuya knew this alliance was precarious at best. The Agency wouldn’t throw their full weight behind a plan that seemed too brutal. Their presence was a leash, a way to pull back if the Mafia’s hunger for destruction got out of control. And while he welcomed the help, he also understood the silent judgment behind Fukuzawa’s words.

Out of the corner of his eye, Chuuya caught Yata shifting like he was about to speak. Chuuya cut him off with a look before turning back to Fukuzawa.

“It’s not our intention to turn this into a slaughter,” He told Fukuzawa. “Our main goal is to capture the Guild’s ability users and send a message.”

He folded his arms in front of his chest. “There will be deaths though, it's inevitable. If the Agency can’t stomach that, you can stay out of the fight and guard the escape routes. Or…” His eyes narrowed slightly, “You can go home.”

He didn’t bother to sugarcoat his words. This wasn’t the kind of thing you could dress up all pretty and it had never been his style to do so anyway.

Fukuzawa was silent for a moment, his eyes never leaving Chuuya’s. Beside him, the Agency members were silent as they waited for their leader to come to a decision. 

Then he gave a short nod.

“Then the Agency will take the escape routes,” He said evenly. “We’ll make sure none of your targets slip away.”  His gaze seemed to sharpen for a moment. “I’ll trust your word that this won’t be a slaughter.” 

There was a weight to the words that even Chuuya’s gravity manipulation couldn’t lighten. Fukuzawa’s words weren’t a threat, nor a request. They were an expectation placed firmly on Chuuya’s shoulders. 

Chuuya couldn’t shake the feeling that those words weren’t meant for just any Mafia member. Fukuzawa was testing him personally.

Had Dazai said something to him? Chuuya glanced at his former partner out of the corner of his eye, but there was nothing in his expression that gave anything away. He just looked smug as he watched the annoyed expressions of the mafia members. 

Clenching his jaw tightly, Chuuya nodded. “Understood.” He didn’t know why Fukuzawa would be testing him, but he’d never been one to back down from a challenge. 

Turning his head slightly, Chuuya glanced at Kouyou, raising a single question  about whether she’d want his help in the fight since the Agency wouldn’t be joining in. He knew she could probably handle it on her own, but it would be quicker with help. 

It’d be easier for him to ensure his promise to Fukuzawa wasn’t broken if he was actively taking part in the fight.

Kouyou gave a small nod. 

Well, it looked like he and his team wouldn’t be sitting this fight out after all. 

Chapter Text

The distant sounds of battle drifted from the far end of the dock, where the S.S. Zelda lay moored in the water. On the other end of the dock, guarding the only exit unless one wished to sail away or jump into the sea, the Agency members were in varying states of alertness. 

Both Fukuzawa and Kunikida had their eyes fixed firmly ahead, at the parts of the ship that they could see over the various shipping containers and crates that littered the dock. In contrast, both Kenji and Dazai seemed much more relaxed.

Kenji seemed mostly curious about his surroundings. Peering around at the docks and occasionally asking questions of Kunikida, who answered absently. 

Dazai on the other hand was perched comfortably atop a crate, looking at something on his phone. It was as if he was relaxing at home, instead of in close proximity to a fight. 

Fukuzawa knew better than to be fooled by how he seemed oblivious to the world. Dazai might play the fool at times, but beneath the act he was frighteningly cunning. Fukuzawa was sure he was well aware of everything that was going on around him.  

“Sir, we can handle things here if you want to return to the Agency,” Kunikida said, expression serious. Although it was unlikely any fighting would reach them, he had his notebook held tightly in his hand in preparation. 

Fukuzawa shook his head, eyes never leaving the distant hull. “I want to see how this plays out.”

It was rare for him to be in the field unless the situation was dire, but this time he’d wanted to witness the Mafia’s actions with his own eyes.

Or rather, Chuuya’s.

He had been concerned about allowing his people to take part in the attack without first knowing the Mafia’s full plan. Yet beneath that concern was another motive: to test Chuuya himself, and see if the man was really the kind of man Fukuzawa suspected him to be. 

Dazai could be thanked for a lot of that. He had shown up at the Agency in the early hours of the morning, far earlier than he ever arrived for work, with a tale to tell Fukuzawa.

Fukuzawa had already been aware, of course, that Dazai had slipped out to follow Chuuya when he’d left the Agency’s office, and he had suspected the motive was more than mere nostalgia to catch up with an old partner. Still, what Dazai had found out was not something Fukuzawa had ever expected.

The Book. An item capable of changing the very fabric of reality. It was the first that Fukuzawa had ever heard of something like that, but the very idea of it filled him with trepidation. 

An object capable of altering reality presented a serious threat. Even without definitive proof of the Book’s existence, the rumor alone would attract opportunists willing to commit unspeakable acts. Fukuzawa had observed the corrupting influence of power during the war, and he feared its shadow stretching once more over Yokohama.

Now, he understood why Chuuya had pushed for the alliance.

There was something else that Dazai had said, or rather not said, that had caught Fukuzawa’s attention. He’d danced around actually outright admitting it, but it had been clear from subtle hints he’d dropped, from the request to not tell the rest of the Agency for the time being, that Chuuya had not had Mori’s permission to share the information. 

Perhaps Dazai had nudged him, whether through manipulation or an appeal to their shared history.  Yet the fact remained: Chuuya had gone ahead regardless. Within the Mafia, such an act could be considered treason, and treason was not looked upon kindly.

He knew very well what the Mafia’s punishment for traitors was. A shattered jaw and three bullets in the chest. For an executive, it might be even worse.

Perhaps Chuuya’s worth to the organization would shield him if it was discovered, but that was no guarantee. Even so, he had taken that risk. And while the consequences concerned Fukuzawa, they also reassured him.

A man who could defy Mori when necessity demanded was not a blind follower. That, in turn, made him far easier to trust. He was someone who could be trusted to make the right judgment calls, even if it went against his orders. 

His impression had only improved after questioning Chuuya about the Mafia’s intentions toward the Guild members they were about to face. Killing one’s enemies was routine for the Mafia; it had been bold for Fukuzawa to make the Agency’s cooperation conditional on avoiding a slaughter.

And yet Chuuya had met the demand without anger. He had explained the Mafia’s plans plainly, given the Agency a choice, and shown that the matter had been considered beforehand. Mori’s hand was likely in that decision, yet Fukuzawa credited Chuuya for the clear and measured presentation. Blunt, yet disciplined.

Fukuzawa respected that levelheadedness. Yet it baffled him in equal measure.

Chuuya was an enigma. His position and the respect he commanded showed he had excelled in the Mafia, yet parts of his personality seemed at odds with the role.

He was too earnest. Fukuzawa wasn’t yet ready to place blind trust in him, but he had the distinct sense that Chuuya wasn’t the type to backstab others. There was no concrete proof though, only instinct.

Based on what he had heard about the relationship between Kyoka and Chuuya, it was clear that he also had a good deal of empathy for others. Neither of those were traits that one usually associated with a mafia member. 

He was a strange amalgamation of contradictions, but every interaction left Fukuzawa more confident that this fragile alliance could work.

Dazai shifted slightly, letting out a soft, lazy sigh as his eyes skimmed the glowing screen of his phone. The movement drew the attention of everyone nearby. Kunikida’s lips pressed into a thin line, his irritation obvious as his jaw tightened slightly. 

“Why are you even here?” He asked, “Shouldn’t you be trying to avoid the mafia’s attention?” 

His expression soured slightly as he said ‘Mafia’ Fukuzawa thought he still hadn’t fully adjusted to the revelation that Dazai had once been part of the organization. Despite that, it was clear he was somewhat concerned about Dazai’s wellbeing.

Dazai waved a hand dismissively, “There’s no need to worry. They wouldn’t dare do anything, not with the alliance in place. Besides,” He gave a cheerful grin, “If they really wanted to kill me, it’s not like they don’t know where to find me.”

Fukuzawa had a feeling it wasn’t merely the alliance that gave Dazai such confidence. He was fairly sure the Mafia had known Dazai’s location long before the alliance had even been proposed, and yet they had done nothing to him.

Clearly, something was protecting Dazai from retaliation, though Fukuzawa could not say for certain what it was. Perhaps it was connected to whoever had scrubbed Dazai’s records clean, or perhaps there was someone within the Mafia who was quietly shielding him.

Fukuzawa trusted his subordinate enough not to pry. Dazai had his secrets, more than Fukuzawa probably even suspected, but as long as they didn’t endanger the Agency, they could stay his.

“Hey Dazai-san? Is it true you and Chuuya-san used to be partners?” Kenji asked, staring up at Dazai with bright eyes. He seemed very curious about the mafioso. 

Dazai’s grin faltered, replaced by a grimace. “Unfortunately.”

Kenji didn’t seem to notice his displeasure, or perhaps in his innocence he could see through it. “Does he have an ability?” 

Kunikida perked up slightly at Kenji’s question, it was clear he was curious about the answer. Fukuzawa would admit some curiosity as well. While he had been aware of Chuuya before the alliance, it wasn’t in detail. 

Dazai’s gaze flicked briefly to the distant dock before returning to the two of them. “Mmh… Chuuya?” He tapped the screen of his phone, almost absentmindedly.  “He can manipulate the gravity of anything he touches. Quite handy in a fight… though it doesn’t make him any less insufferable.”

Kunikida blinked in surprise. “I would have thought he had an information gathering ability.”

Fukuzawa raised a brow.  Given Chuuya’s frequent involvement in intelligence work for the Mafia, it did seem strange that his ability was one more linked to combat. But most accounts painted him more as an enforcer, so it made a certain kind of sense.

Dazai shook his head with a faint smile. “Nope. No one really knows how Chuuya manages to get his information.”

Kenji’s eyes widened. “Even you?”

Dazai’s expression darkened slightly, annoyance flickering across his features. “I’ll figure it out one of these days.” He grumbled.

“He’s really cool!” Kenji praised. 

Fukuzawa allowed the boy his excitement, but his mind lingered on the details Dazai had revealed. For every insight into Chuuya that seemed to make him clearer, another only deepened the enigma. 

Dazai let out a loud sigh. “Ugh, I can’t believe I have to work with that guy again. Three years was more than enough.”

Fukuzawa’s brow furrowed at the new bit of information about Dazai’s past. They were sparse in coming, so one had to try and figure out as much from them as possible. 

Three years . Was that the length of Dazai’s time in the Mafia, or only his partnership with Chuuya? It seemed unlikely that Dazai had walked straight into the Agency after leaving the underworld; his spotless record suggested a gap, a period to lay low, and let attention fade. At minimum it had probably been a year.

Fukuzawa did the math in his head. Given that Dazai had been twenty when he’d joined the Agency, that put him at sixteen, perhaps younger, when he’d first entered the Mafia’s ranks. Too young. Far too young.

There was no denying that Dazai had issues, and Fukuzawa was certain that a youth spent in the Mafia had made them worse, if not caused them.

Kyoka, Yosano, Dazai. Just how many children would Mori harm in pursuit of his goals?

And Chuuya… He’d mentioned being involved in the Dragon’s Head Conflict, so even without taking into account the three year partnership, he had joined at least around the same time as Dazai. And had stayed longer.

Fukuzawa didn’t see the same cracks in him that he had in the others, but that didn’t mean they weren’t there. He had only met the man twice after all. 

Sometimes Fukuzawa wondered if the damage could have been mitigated had he never worked with Mori. Could he have prevented some of it? Or would avoiding Mori’s influence have also prevented any good the man had achieved? 

There was no time to think on that topic further though, as the sound of approaching footsteps put everyone on alert. After a moment, Ember appeared around the corner of a shipping container, a bright smile on her face as she twirled a knife in her hand.

There was a bloodstain on the arm of her shirt, but Fukuzawa got the feeling it wasn’t hers. 

“Chuuya sent me to let you guys know we’re finished,” She brightly told them. “And with minimal casualties, so you’d better be happy.”

Ember’s cheerful announcement seemed almost at odds with the faint smell of blood that clung to the air around her.

Kunikida’s brow furrowed, his skepticism audible. “Minimal casualties?” It was clear he doubted the Mafia’s ability to actually do so. 

Ember’s grin didn’t falter. “Yes. A few were killed, but most were captured. Even the Ability users, they were pretty weak.” She paused for a second, tilting her head to the side. “Though I suppose most people are pretty weak compared to Chuuya.”

Fukuzawa studied Ember carefully, searching for any sign of exaggeration or deceit. There was none. Either she was remarkably skilled at hiding the truth, or Chuuya had truly kept his word. Fukuzawa was leaning towards the latter. 

A sense of relief flowed through, but he didn’t allow it to last too long. It wasn’t time to relax yet, the war with the Guild had just started. 

Chapter Text

“I’ll see what I can get out of Hawthorne and Mitchell,” Kouyou told Chuuya, as the two of them made their way through the halls of the mafia’s headquarters. “I don’t know that I’ll learn that you haven’t already found out though.”

Despite her pessimistic words, there was a hint of anticipation in her tone and her lips were curved into a grim smile. Chuuya wasn’t surprised, she had been under a lot of stress lately, no doubt she was thrilled to be able to take it out on someone. Under normal circumstances, the earlier battle might have been cathartic, but with the Agency’s insistence on minimal casualties, she’d been forced to hold back.

Chuuya wondered if it had even crossed the Agency’s mind what awaited the Guild members they’d spared.  The Guild had managed to wrangle themselves diplomatic privileges, which meant that they couldn’t easily be arrested. And as the Agency had no place in which to hold captives, custody of them had naturally fallen to the Mafia. 

There would be no five star accommodations for them, if they were lucky they might languish in the mafia’s dungeon until the war ended, and if they weren’t… 

Well, their fate wouldn’t be anything the Agency would approve of. 

Chuuya was certain Dazai, at least, understood that much. But true to form, the man had kept quiet. Four years apart hadn’t changed his habit of hoarding secrets. Not that Chuuya was one to talk.

As for Fukuzawa, as long as he didn’t cause any problems, Chuuya wasn’t too concerned if he had realized it or not. 

“Even if it just confirms what I’ve already found, it’ll still be helpful.” Chuuya told her. He was certain the information his ghosts gave him was accurate, but it wasn’t like he had evidence to back it up. 

Not everyone would just blindly trust his word.

Kouyou’s smile softened, just for a second, as she gave a short nod. Sometimes Chuuya found it strange how things had changed. When he first joined the Mafia, she’d been his mentor. Now, technically, he outranked her.  Still she remained someone he could rely on, not just in the midst of chaos, but in the quieter moments as well.

“I had better report to the Boss.” Chuuya said, with a sigh. At least everything had gone well, it felt lately like he only ever had either bad or complicated news for Mori. 

Kouyou nodded in acknowledgement before splitting off in a different direction, no doubt heading to the dungeons to get to work. 

Chuuya was grateful he didn’t have her job. If it came to it, he was capable of doing what was necessary to get  answers from people, but the process brought back too many bad memories for him to be comfortable with it.

Much of what had happened to him during his years in the lab had been lost to him, or at least locked up somewhere deep within his memories. Over the years, fragments had returned, some vivid and others blurry. But all were unwelcome. 

And of course, he remembered what had happened when he’d met N again far too well.

Chuuya shivered slightly, trying to shake off the phantom feeling of electricity running through his body, a flicker of helplessness gnawing at him before he shoved it down. If Verlaine hadn’t tracked him down in time, he didn’t know what would have happened. 

He didn’t regret having killed N afterwards. It had been cathartic to put him down after all he’d done, but sometimes Chuuya wished he kept him alive a little longer. Maybe then he could have gotten answers, could have understood why N had done it, and how he thought it could be justified. 

“Chuuya, are you okay?” Ayumi’s voice from beside him broke through the static in his head, and he almost sagged with relief at the interruption. 

“I’m fine,” He muttered, keeping his voice low just in case anyone was nearby. He knew he would hear anyone approaching long before he saw them, but he didn’t want to take any chances. “Just bad memories.” 

Ayumi gave him a sympathetic, but worried glance. While Chuuya had never sat down and explained his whole history to his ghosts, he knew they’d picked up on parts of it over the years.  Not enough to have the whole picture, but enough to know that it had been hell. 

“If you want to talk  about it…” Ayumi offered, but Chuuya quickly shook his head. That was one of the last things he wanted. He didn’t talk about the things that were done to him, not even with Verlaine if he could help it. Those kinds of topics tended to just make his brother angry.

“Alright then,” Ayumi said, before changing the topic. “Man, it’s quiet around here lately”

Chuuya gave her a baffled look. Quiet was just about the last word he would use to describe the way things had been. 

Ayumi seemed to realize what she had said. “Ah, I meant ghost wise. Everyone's been so busy, they’ve hardly been around.”

Well if she meant it like that, then Chuuya could certainly agree. Currently all of the ghosts that usually followed him were occupied with tasks.

Oda was keeping an eye on the Agency and Dazai, as usual. Yoshiki had been sent to keep an eye on Fitzgerald. Sae Ha was keeping an eye on the Special Division. Leonard was in England. And Miyu was keeping an eye on the Port Mafia’s very own Hunting Dog.

Some, like Miyu, weren’t that far away, but it still wasn’t the same as having them by his side. 

And then of course there was Rowan, who was who knows where. That wasn't unusual though. She might help out at times, but it wasn’t like she really answered to him.

He was glad that at least Ayumi was back from her errands, it was reassuring to have at least one ghost around. 

His ghosts were an integral part of his team. He might be the one to put the information they brought to use, but none of it would be possible without them. When there weren’t any of them around, it felt like he was leaving his back unguarded. 

“How did your investigation go?” He asked Ayumi, getting to what was most important to know now that she was back. He was almost to Mori’s office, if there was any additional information he was going to report on, he needed to know it now. 

Ayumi’s expression became pinched. “You were right, that guy is lurking around. I don’t know if he’s been watching the whole time, but he’s definitely paying attention now. He didn’t do anything to reveal his goal though.” She let out a loud sigh and folded her arms behind her head. “Honestly, I’d like to spy on someone who just monologues their whole plan out loud for once.”

“I have a bad feeling about this.” Chuuya muttered. His ability might not be precognition, but his instincts had been honed over the years and right now they were telling him that something big was going to happen soon. 

“Do you want me to continue watching him?” Aymui asked, her expression turning serious. 

Chuuya frowned, thinking it over. The smart move would be to keep Ayumi on the trail, but his forces were already stretched thin. If he sent Ayumi back out, there would be no one around if something big did happen like he predicted. 

His mind ran through his roster of ghosts, he could probably rearrange assignments if he really needed to. At this point it wasn’t like Tachihara needed to be constantly watched, the man’s blood was more mafia black then he realized, and there was no sign of the Hunting Dogs making any moves currently. Miyu could be shifted without much risk.

Still, he hesitated. His ghosts weren’t just pieces on a chess board, it was no game he was playing here. The wrong move could have drastic consequences. 

“Let’s see how my meeting with Mori goes first.” He told Ayumi, just in time to reach the door to Mori’s office. Raising his hand he gave a single firm knock. 

“Come in,” Mori’s voice called, and Chuuya pushed the door open, Ayumi following him inside. 

Mori sat behind his desk, fingers steepled in front of him. His expression was thoughtful, as if Chuuya had interrupted him in the middle of contemplating something. That very well may have been the case. Chuuya could only hope Mori’s thoughts wouldn’t end up causing him trouble.

In the far corner Elise sat playing with dolls. Though ‘playing’ might be too gentle a word for it. She seemed to be trying to smash the head off one using the other. As Chuuya entered the room she looked up and gave him a brief smile, before returning to her chaos. 

“Boss.” Chuuya greeted, giving a respectful nod of his head. 

Mori gave a small smile. “Did everything go well?” He asked.

Chuuya nodded. “There were no casualties on our end and the Guild’s Ability users were successfully captured. However,” He grimaced, “We were correct in assuming that the Agency would insist on as little bloodshed as possible.”

His fingers twitched slightly from where they hung at his side, traces of unspent energy from the fight showing itself. While Chuuya was capable of holding back in a fight, it didn’t come easy. His ability was destructive by nature, and he had been trained to kill by his brother, he could pull his punches and pay attention to collateral damage, but it took effort. 

The fact that they’d suspected the Agency's demands and made plans for it, had made it easier, but Chuuya was still rather annoyed by the Agency. 

Though he enjoyed the thrill of a fight, he wasn’t any more comfortable with killing innocents than the Agency.

The Guild members weren't innocents though. They had signed up to come cause chaos in Yokohama, not been dragged into it against their will. He felt no pity for them, and thought it foolish to leave them alive unless doing so served a purpose.

There was no shame in kindness or mercy, but that didn’t mean every moment called for it.

“If we don’t wrap this war up quickly, I’m afraid we’re going to run out of room in the dungeons.” Chuuya told Mori, his voice dry. He was only half joking.

Mori let out a long drawn out sigh. “Working with the Agency is always such a pain.” He complained, rubbing at his forehead. Chuuya couldn’t disagree with that, although he had nothing against the Agency members personally —well except for Dazai— but working as liaison to them was stressful.

“Now that you’ve actually fought them, what's your opinion of the Guild’s strength?” Mori asked, letting the frustration he felt towards the Agency bleed from his face as he moved on to a different topic. The bigger picture always came first for Mori.

Chuuya didn’t  answer immediately, his expression thoughtful as he considered the question. “I didn’t find them to be that strong,” He told Mori, his fingers tapping restlessly against his thigh. “Hawthorne’s ability could be a nuisance to some, but that’s hardly a problem now.”

He paused, considering. “Still, I don’t think we can judge the whole Guild on just those two, they’re probably among the weaker members.” He gave a small shrug. “And you know I’m not the best at measuring strength based on my own fights. Someone I find weak might be too dangerous for someone else.”

It wasn’t bragging, just fact. Chuuya was the strongest fighter in the Mafia, and far stronger than most outside it. He could plan out who would be most useful in a fight, but gauging how others measured up against people he could defeat with ease was harder.

Mori inclined his head in acknowledgement of Chuuya’s words. “All the same, your input is valuable.” Leaning back in his chair, he fell silent. Chuuya didn’t take it as an invitation to speak though, he knew Mori was merely thinking.

“Based on the current information we have, who would you say our most dangerous opponent is?” He asked finally. 

Chuuya tilted his head to the side in thought, his bangs slightly falling into his face “That depends on what we’re considering dangerous. But overall… I’d rank Lovecraft the highest.” His tone carried the slightest flicker of unease. “We know far too little about him, which makes it difficult to plan.”

And of course, the fact Lovecraft was definitely not human complicated matters even more. 

Pushing down the worry that thought brought, Chuuya continued. “If we’re talking about just brute strength though, then right now it’s probably Fitzgerald. His ability is a bit of a nuisance, though not unmanageable," He gave a sardonic smile. “If nothing else we could always try and bankrupt him.”

Mori’s lip twitched in amusement.

“That being said, we should probably also be wary of Alcott as well. She might not be a fighter, but she’s still dangerous.”

Mori opened his mouth, but whether he was going to agree or disagree with Chuuya’s assessment remained a mystery, as a frantic knock sounded on the office door.

Chuuya and Mori exchanged a glance. No one would be foolish enough to pound on Mori’s door like that unless something was seriously wrong. 

“Come in.” Mori called, and the door quickly opened, revealing a flustered looking mafia member. 

“Boss! Q is gone!” He cried.

Both Mori and Chuuya froze, staring at the messenger in shock. Chuuya might have had a feeling that something bad was going to happen, but sometimes he really hated being right.

Mori sprang to his feet, knocking papers off his desk in his haste. “What do you mean Q is gone? What happened?”

“We don’t know sir,” The messenger stuttered, “We only realized something was wrong because the guards were affected by Q’s ability. When we checked the containment…”

Chuuya swore loudly. It wasn’t the worst possible thing that could have happened, but it was up there. Q was kept contained for a reason. Though they sometimes acted like any other child, they were also incredibly sadistic.

It wasn’t that Chuuya didn’t understand why they were like that, given what their ability was. People tended to look at Dogra Magra and were horrified by the way it could control people's minds, but they forgot to be horrified by the way it was activated.

A child forced to be harmed so that others could benefit from their power, Chuuya knew what that was like far too well. In another life, maybe he would have been the one locked away to protect everyone else. Maybe one day he still would be.

Even so, sympathy didn’t mean he could let Q run free. Not now. Not ever. Even sympathy couldn’t justify letting Q run free. Not now. Not ever. When they had been contained before, it had come at a heavy cost; leaving them loose in the city would be catastrophic. 

Especially with the Guild still in play.

Chuuya shuddered to think what would happen if Q sent one of their members into a rampage. 

“Boss?” He said, voice low but urgent. One word was enough, Mori understood.

Mori nodded. “Go. Find them as fast as possible.” 

Chuuya was already making plans as he headed for the door. He was going to have to pull every ghost he could off their existing tasks to help with the search, and see if he could maybe recruit some temporary helpers as well. 

“Chuuya.” The call made him pause. He turned back, brow raised in question.

“You had better let Dazai know.”

Chapter Text

It was surprisingly quiet in the Armed Detective Agency offices for once. Although the war with the Guild had officially started earlier in the day, life went on, and that meant there were things to do.

Not for Dazai though, he was taking advantage of the quiet to take what he considered a well deserved bit of rest. After having to deal with Chuuya and the mafia earlier, he deserved a little break. The office couch, which was supposed to be for everyone but that he had long since claimed for his own, was the perfect place to do so.

He’d long since worn down the cushions so that there was the perfect indent for him to fit into.

And yet, despite his best attempts, Dazai found himself unable to fall asleep. His mind kept whirring with thoughts that he couldn’t shut off. All things considered, the last four years had been relatively peaceful but now it seemed that peace had come to an end.

He’d always known it would happen; Yokohama never stayed peaceful for long. Still he had to admit the scale of the crisis had been a little bit unexpected. A war between organizations searching for a reality altering book definitely hadn’t been on his bingo card.

As much as Dazai hated to admit it, Chuuya was right to have suggested the alliance. He didn’t think it would be enough to totally mitigate the coming threat, but it would at least help prevent casualties.

Flipping over onto his back, Dazai let out a soft groan. He hated it when Chuuya was right, he was always so smug about it.

Back when they’d been partners, Dazai had usually been the one to make their plans but Chuuya had never hesitated to argue with him if he had additional information, or if he just thought the plan was stupid. He’d usually been correct too, and it was infuriating.

He didn’t usually vocally gloat, not unless Dazai had argued with him over it, but you could sense it.

And now Dazai was having to work with him again, even if thus far it hadn’t been directly. Even just being in the same area as him was too much. He hadn’t missed him at all. Nope not in the slightest, why would he miss the nuisance he had grown up with?

He didn’t even want to think about him.

Unfortunately, there was no one he could annoy in order to help distract himself. Kunikida was in a meeting with Fukuzawa, Yosano was in her office —and Dazai wasn’t foolish enough to bug her— and the rest of the office was out.

Well, he supposed there was still Ranpo. Dazai cracked an eye open and glanced at the detective, before closing it again.

He seemed to be engrossed in a manga, occasionally reaching out a hand to grab a piece of candy. Dazai didn't want to bug him though, Ranpo wasn’t any fun to annoy. He brushed most teasing off, the only thing that really made him upset was if you messed with his snacks, and that was out of the question.

Dazai might have been suicidal, but he wasn’t stupid.

He was bored though, and Dazai hated being bored. He didn’t dare leave and go look for entertainment though, he wanted to wait and find out what Kunikida and Fukuzawa had talked about. He was certain that it was related to the operation with the mafia earlier but he didn’t have enough information to guess the specifics.

Fukuzawa had seemed to be satisfied with Chuuya’s actions earlier, which didn’t really surprise Dazai. Chuuya was good at getting people to like him, even if it made no sense given what an annoying little pipsqueak he was.

The sound of footsteps approaching pulled Dazai from his thoughts, and a grimace twisted his face. He recognized the weight of those footsteps. Speak of the devil and it seemed he really did appear.

“With how often you come here, one might think you were planning to switch allegiances." Dazai commented, his smile turning smug. He knew just how loyal Chuuya was, just the suggestion that he might turn traitor should be enough to make him annoyed. If Dazai was going to have to deal with Chuuya’s presence, he might as well get some fun out of it.

Several seconds passed though, and there was no response from Chuuya. Not even an annoyed sigh.

For a moment Dazai wondered if he was so bored that he’d hallucinated Chuuya’s presence and cracked open an eye to check. Chuuya was there alright, his arms crossed in front of him and wearing a solemn expression that did not belong on his face.

It was rare to see him look like that, Dazai had seen him serious plenty of times, but there had only been a few times he’d such an expression of raw concern on his face.

“Q is loose.” Chuuya said, voice clipped. Just three words and yet they were enough to cause Dazai’s eyes to fly the rest of the way open. Sitting up, he examined Chuuya, looking for any sign that he was making what even Dazai considered a joke in poor taste. There was none.

Now that Dazai was looking at him closely, he could see beyond just the seriousness of Chuuya’s expression. It was clear he was on high alert, the signs were subtle but Dazai had learned to pick up on the tells over the years.

Chuuya was never still when he was on alert, not that Chuuya was ever really that still to begin with. But it was more noticeable when he was on guard. His fingers would twitch and tap on his arms or whatever was nearby, and his eyes were never still. Even if he was talking to someone, his eyes would occasionally still dart elsewhere in the room.

The strange thing was that he didn’t do so in a way that looked like he was scanning the room for danger, the places his gaze fell weren’t generally the shadowed corners or entrances that one would expect, rather he seemed to be looking for something specific. There was never anything in the places his gaze landed though.

It was yet another infuriating mystery about Chuuya.

At the moment Chuuya didn’t seem quite to that point, but his finger was tapping away on the side of his bicep and his brow was furrowed. It was very clear that he was not happy that Q was on the loose.

Well neither was Dazai.

Containing Q the first time had been a mess. Not even Dazai’s ability had been enough to prevent huge casualties from happening. He couldn’t believe that Mori would be foolish enough to set him loose on the city, there was nothing to be gained from doing so even. Even if he specifically told Q to target the Guild users, and Q actually listened, it would do nothing but cause chaos.

Did Mori have something up his sleeve, or had he just finally lost it?

“Is Mori insane?” Dazai asked, his voice rising in volume and out of the corner he saw Ranpo perk up slightly, setting aside his manga in favor of watching them.

Dazai really couldn't think of any other explanation for Mori’s actions that made sense. If he was going to go down the bloodthirsty path of the former boss, it would have been nice if he had waited until it wasn’t in the middle of a crisis to do so.

“Was he ever not?” Chuuya asked, his attempt at humor falling flat under the weight of exhaustion in his voice. “But…”

He didn’t get to finish whatever he was about to say, as the door to Fukuzawa’s office opened, and he stepped out with Kunikida, both wearing equally concerned expressions. It seemed as if Dazai’s voice had been louder than he had intended.

Yosano also poked her head out of the infirmary. Dazai couldn’t help but feel a little annoyed, he would have preferred to get the situation fully figured out before informing others of it. This was all Chuuya’s fault. He still had Dazai’s number, so why not just text? Unless he’d deleted it. But he wouldn’t… right?

“What has Mori done now?” Fukuzawa asked, his arms crossed in front of him. He looked tired at the very idea of having to deal with Mori’s nonsense.

“The Mafia have decided to let loose a dangerous ability user on the city.” Dazai stated matter of factly, at this point there was no good reason for beating around the book.

Fukuzawa wasn’t one who tended to show a lot of emotion, but even he couldn’t stop his eyes from widening at Dazai’s words. He turned to look at Chuuya, who scowled.

“We weren’t the ones who released him.”

Dazai froze, catching the implication in Chuuya’s words. Someone else had let Q free. Either the mafia had a traitor, or someone had managed to sneak in. Neither option was good.

Chuuya had always been good at digging out any spies that infiltrated the mafia, as well as infuriatingly stubborn about keeping their identities from anyone save Mori. To this day Dazai still wasn’t sure if he had known that Ango was a spy ahead of time or if it had slipped his notice.

If he had, Dazai did not know whether to be angry or grateful. Should he be glad Chuuya had kept quiet and avoided complicating things, or furious that he had left him blindsided?

It wasn’t good if someone had managed to sneak into the mafia either though. The security measures that were in place, especially around the containment units, were well thought out. Dazai would know. He’d helped design much of it himself

He didn’t think they’d have changed them just because he had left.

“Who?”

Chuuya shook his head. “We don’t know yet. Security cameras were taken out and the guards were affected by Q’s ability, so it’s not like we can ask them.”

“You’re telling me you haven’t figured it out?” Dazai asked, narrowing his eyes.This was Chuuya, after all; his knack for finding information was rivaled only by his ability to keep it to himself.

Chuuya gave him a tired, but sharp glare. “I’m not omnipotent, Dazai. Even I need time to figure things out.”

Did he? It was hard to know with Chuuya. He seemed to pull information out of nowhere so often.

“Hold on,” Kunikida interrupted. “Just who is Q, what makes their ability so dangerous?” His voice carried a note of irritation at the back-and-forth between Chuuya and Dazai without any context for the rest of the Agency.

Chuuya and Dazai exchanged a glance, their expressions dark.

Chuuya let out a sigh. “Q is a…ward of the mafia.” Dazai didn't think that fully encompassed the situation with Q, but given the circumstances, it was probably the best way to phrase it. “They have a mind-control ability. If they choose to use it, anyone who harms them suffers hallucinations that can make them attack anyone nearby.”

The expression of the Agency members were understandably horrified. Any kind of mind control ability was terrifying, Q’s, which could only be used for violence, was even more frightening

Thanks to his nullification ability, Dazai personally was in no danger from Q’s ability. He could only imagine what it must be like to be affected, unable to control yourself and mindlessly attacking everything around you.

A thought occurred to Dazai, and his gaze flickered in Chuuya’s direction. Q had thankfully never tried to use their ability on Chuuya. Yokohama might not be standing still otherwise. But he wondered if Chuuya maybe felt the same every time he used Corruption.

Dazai tried not to think too much about the full extent of Chuuya’s ability if he could help it. While there were things about it that made him curious, there was also something about it that made him viscerally uncomfortable. And Dazai didn’t get uncomfortable easily.

He had always been good at compartmentalizing. Thoughts of how Chuuya lost himself entirely when using Corruption, or how easily he could die if Dazai faltered was a moment too slow, could be tucked into a mental box shoved to the back of his mind.

He wondered if Chuuya did the same. Surely he must, otherwise how could he put his life in Dazai’s hands again and again.

“Hold on,” Ranpo said, leaning back in his chair. “ It should be easy enough to avoid hurting them, you wouldn’t be so worried if that was there is to it.”

Of course Ranpo would be the one to pick up on that, Dazai had expected nothing less.

“....Q tends to do things to ensure that they are harmed.” Chuuya said, choosing each word carefully. “Wrapping barbed wire around their arms and bumping into people, deliberately tripping over someone's feet, they all count. Most people wouldn’t even realize they hurt them.”

Kunikida’s expression was pinched. Yosano however, was showing the beginnings of anger on her face.

“You said Q is a ward of the mafia,” She began, her tone clipped. “Just how old are they?”

Ah, Dazai supposed he really should have seen this coming. Given her own past as a child being used by Mori, there was no way she would take kindly to the idea of yet another child being used by him. That was the way it was in the mafia though it didn’t matter how old you were, if you were useful, then you would be used.

And if you weren’t, then you were thrown away.

If Yosano thought that Q was just an innocent child though, then she was wrong.

“...They’re 13.” Chuuya said, and from his resigned expression, he clearly knew what kind of response he would be getting.

“I see Mori hasn’t changed at all.” Fukuzawa commented, his expression one of disapproval. There was a hint of disappointment there as well, though Dazai got the feeling it was directed at Chuuya rather than Mori.

Chuuya’s jaw clenched, and Dazai could see the ripplings of his temper beneath the surface. Unless you knew how to push his buttons like Dazai did, it was hard to make Chuuya totally lose his temper, but that didn’t mean he suffered fools lightly.

“Would you prefer us to let them run around free causing chaos? Leave them in an orphanage to kill the other children if they upset them?” Chuuya asked, an underlying bite to his words. It was clear that he was trying to remain diplomatic, but felt like the Agency was neglecting the bigger picture. “That’s how they first came to the mafia’s attention, you know, a mass slaughter in their orphanage. You can ask Dazai if you want more details, he was in charge of figuring out Q’s ability.”

Dazai sideeyed Chuuya as Fukuzawa and the others briefly glanced his way. Why did he have to be dragged into this?

Chuuya shifted slightly, his ponytail slipping off his shoulder as he did so. Dazai noticed he’d added more small braids to his hair during the past four years. He’d never quite figured out why Chuuya wore them, but the amount changed occasionally.

“They may have been too young then to fully understand what they were doing, and I won’t deny that being in the mafia may have made things worse, but they’re old enough to understand now and they don’t care. They take pleasure in hurting others. If the mafia didn’t have custody of them at best they’d have gotten themselves killed, at worst….”

He didn’t finish, allowing the Agency to come up with their own idea of what might happen.

It was clear that he had no desire to hear anything else the Agency had to say on the matter though, as he turned his attention to Dazai.

“We’re keeping an eye out for Q, but it may take a while to find them. You should be careful, you know how much they hate you. They may go after the Agency.”

With that last warning he turned on his heel to leave, though not before giving a respectful nod farewell to Fukuzawa and the rest of the Agency members. Even if he was annoyed at them, Chuuya still knew how to be diplomatic.

As the door to the office shut behind him, Ranpo stuck a lollipop in his mouth. “I think you upset him.” He told Fukuzawa.

Fukuzawa pursed his lips, his expression heavy.

Chuuya probably was a little bit annoyed, but Dazai was willing to bet that he was also just in a hurry. Even if the Agency had now been informed about Q and their ability, they couldn’t understand the gravity of the situation to the same extent that those who had experienced the threat Q posed could.

Chuuya might not have specifically said so, but Dazai knew he was probably playing a key role in coordinating the search for Q. Every second he spent talking to the Agency was another second that he wasn’t out there looking for Q.
Honestly Dazai would have doubted the wisdom of having Chuuya involved in the search given the risk posed if he went on a rampage, but he was actually one of the safer choices. For all that Chuuya recognized that Q was a dangerous element and that it was necessary to keep them contained, he was also probably the only person in the mafia who didn’t treat Q just as a dangerous weapon, but a child.

If there was anyone in the mafia that Q would be inclined to not harm, then it would be Chuuya.

“Dazai, how accurate is Chuuyasan’s assessment of Q?” Fukuzawa’s question interrupted Dazai’s thoughts.

“Chuuya didn’t lie, Q is dangerous.” Dazai confirmed. “When they were contained the first time it came with heavy casualties. It’ll be chaos if they’re not found soon.”

Ranpo bit down on his lollipop with a loud crunch. “ Q’s ability must be difficult to nullify if there were so many casualties.”

Once again Ranpo had hit the nail on the head.

“Mmmh, it can only be nullified at the source.” Dazai admitted, laying back down on the couch and placing his hands behind his head. “It doesn’t do me any good to touch the affected person.”

“So if one of us gets affected…” Kunikida asked, his voice concerned.

“We’ll just have to lock you up until it's all over.” Dazai told him, with more cheer than he felt.

“That’s all well and good,” Ranpo said, tossing his lollipop stick into the trash as his expression turned unusually sharp. “But shouldn’t we be a bit more concerned about just who set Q loose. It had to have been either the Guild or one of their backers. If they can infiltrate the mafia, who knows what else they can do.”

That was something Dazai worried about too.

The timing was too suspicious. Nothing about Q’s release was a coincidence. Somewhere, someone was pulling strings, and Dazai hated the fact that at the moment he didn’t have enough of the picture to figure out who.

He was sure Chuuya would have a suspect sooner or later. He’d just have to make sure that he shared with the class.

Chapter Text

“Alright. Keep me updated.” Chuuya said, lowering his hand from his earpiece as he finished giving instructions to his subordinates. Two days of searching and thus far they hadn’t managed to find Q. They’d had sightings, and come across victims of their ability, but the kid remained elusive.

Situations like this always left Chuuya with a gnawing sense of powerlessness. His ghosts added to the number of people searching, which was useful, but in a search like this they weren’t much better than the living. Where they truly excelled was in moving unseen, slipping through locks and barriers that would stop anyone else, or listening in on secret conversations. 

Ability users could be contained. Ghosts, as far as Chuuya knew, could not. At least not by human hands alone. 

For now, it was a waiting game. They had to keep searching, hoping for a lead that would let them corner Q before the kid got bored. And Chuuya knew boredom was inevitable. Q might currently be satisfied with exploring the city and cursing people on whims, but it wouldn’t last.

They had at least narrowed down a general area for where they thought he was, but it was a lot of ground to cover. 

He needed to check in with the other teams and see if they’d found anything yet.  Coverts Ops was heading the search, which meant Chuuya was in charge. They had borrowed some personnel from other departments, but not many.

They couldn’t discount the possibility that this was meant to be a distraction.

The Agency was keeping an eye out as well. Chuuya had been getting occasional updates from Dazai, who still managed to be incredibly annoying even when talking about serious topics. Logically Chuuya understood why Dazai seemed to have been made the go between for the Agency, given their past history, but every other conversation made him wish they had picked someone else. 

Kunikida would have been nice. He would have been professional and there wouldn’t have been any pesky feelings of nostalgia for the days he and Dazai had been partners.

Reaching up a hand, Chuuya rubbed at his temple. He really hoped his brother would get here soon, he needed someone sane to talk to.

….On second thought, if he wanted sane, Verlaine definitely wasn’t the right choice. He was someone Chuuya could totally trust though, and that was what he really needed right now. He’d had no word from his brother since Ayumi had said he was on his way, so he could only guess at how long it would be.

“Chuuya-san?” A voice calling his name drew Chuuya’s attention. He turned to see Atsushi, Kyoka, and Ranpo standing there.

Chuuya gave them a nod in greeting. He wondered what they were up to; since Ranpo was accompanying them, it was likely nothing combat-related.

“Are you still out looking for Q?” Atsushi asked. Of all the Agency members, save for Kyoka, Atsushi seemed to be the most relaxed about the whole collaboration with the mafia. It surprised Chuuya somewhat, given that the Mafia had harmed him before.

He supposed he didn’t have much room to talk, though, when it came to extending an olive branch to those who had hurt you.

“Unfortunately,”  Chuuya said with a grimace. “We have some leads, but not a definite location.”

He had no idea what information Dazai had actually passed on to the Agency, the man was just as bad about keeping secrets as he was, so it wouldn’t hurt to tell them again. “You should be careful while you're out, they were last seen in this area.”

Atsushi gave a firm nod. After several days of dealing with Dazai, it was refreshing to encounter someone straightforward and polite. The fact that Dazai had somehow ended up as Atsushi’s mentor was baffling, though Chuuya supposed he was at least doing better with him than he had with Akutagawa.

Chuuya was still working on fixing that mess.

“Don’t worry, we will be.” Atsushi assured him, “We’re just accompanying Ranpo-san to a crime scene.”

Chuuya raised an eyebrow and glanced at Ranpo, who looked utterly bored that they had stopped to talk. He’d heard Oda speak about him before and knew him to be an incredibly skilled detective, though apparently not the most competent in regards to some things.

It seemed Kyoka and Atsushi had been put on babysitting duty. Still, that would probably be good for Kyoka. If she was going to live in the light, she needed experience with work that didn’t involve killing.

“You talking about the head that was found in a garbage can?”

Atsushi looked surprised by Chuuya’s guess, though Kyoka didn’t; she knew him too well for that. Ranpo, though, finally seemed to be showing some interest in the conversation.

“Oh you know about that?” He asked, his grin bright. “Is that because the mafia did it?”

Chuuya rolled his eyes. “Don’t be stupid. If we were going to behead someone, we’d leave it on display for everyone to admire. ” Atsushi’s face went slightly pale at the words, but Chuuya ignored it. Disturbing or not, it was the truth. 

He wasn’t going to sugarcoat the Mafia or make them out to be saints.

“The crime scene is literally right there. Everyone within a five-block radius already knows.” He pointed over his shoulder to where there were several policemen. 

Of course, it also helped that he’d run into the dead guy's ghost. Apparently he’d been quite the cheater and when his current mistress and wife had found out about each other, they’d teamed up for revenge. Chuuya didn’t feel the least bit sorry for him.

Ranpo didn’t look at all surprised. He had probably noticed the crime scene as soon as the Agency arrived and was just messing around. Chuuya wondered briefly whether Ranpo had always been like that, or if Dazai had been a bad influence.

“Chuuya-san.” Kyoka interrupted, her eyes fixed on the crime scene.  “That detective keeps looking at you.” She was clearly evaluating him as a threat.

Chuuya glanced over his shoulder, quickly spotting the man that Kyoka was talking about. “Ah, that’s just Murase, don’t worry about him.”

Ranpo eyed Murase with interest.  It was a similar expression to one Chuuya had often seen on Dazai’s face, a desire to unravel the mystery in front of them. “He doesn’t look like he wants to arrest you, and he’s acting too obvious to be a Mafia plant. I’d say you two have some kind of history.”

Sometimes Chuuya really hated people who were observant. Keeping his expression neutral, he shrugged his shoulders. “Something like that.”

There was no way he was going to explain the details. How Murase had been acquainted with him since Chuuya had been part of the Sheep. That later, when he’d learned Chuuya had joined the Mafia, he’d tried everything to convince him to walk away.  How even now that Chuuya was an adult, he still seemed to think that Chuuya was meant for better things. 

He was a fool for it, there was no place for Chuuya in the light. There never had been from the start. He was sure the only reason Murase still seemed to have faith in him was because he didn’t know the position Chuuya had in the mafia, or all the things he’d done. 

But more than that, Chuuya wasn’t about to mention the deeper connection between them, one Murase himself didn’t know. That Chuuya's creator, the man who could be considered his father, had been Murase’s older brother N.

Which meant, from a certain point of view, Murase was his uncle.

Not that Murase would ever know that. If Chuuya had his way no one would ever know those parts of his past. Besides, what would he even say? 

‘Your brother created me from the DNA, ability, and possibly the soul of a child sold by his parents.’

‘He called himself my father, but the flashes I remember from my childhood are filled with pain and suffering.’

‘He brutally tortured me in an attempt to erase my personality and turn me into a weapon, so me and my brother killed him.’

Yeah. Chuuya would pass on that conversation. 

Ranpo eyed Chuuya with unhidden curiosity.  He definitely knew there was more to the story, the question was whether he would try to dig into it. It didn’t matter too much to Chuuya if he did, he might not want to talk about Murase’s foolish hopes himself, but he didn’t care if people knew.

It wasn’t like it was that hard to find out. Ranpo could probably just ask Murase even.

And as for the things Chuuya didn’t want known? Ranpo had no way of accessing the sources Chuuya had used to find out. 

“Excuse me…Chuuya-san?” A ghost sidled up to Chuuya, looking slightly nervous. She wasn't one of his usual ghosts, but one who was temporarily recruited to help and it was clear she wasn't sure whether to be afraid of him or in awe. “I think I found Q.” 

Chuuya’s eyes widened ever so slightly. He straightened, hand moving to his earpiece.  That was one of the advantages of operations like this, it was much easier to communicate with ghosts in public when you could pretend you were talking over coms.

“Where?” He asked, and the Agency members exchanged a glance. They remained silent though, waiting for him to finish.

“Um, they were between Harbor View Park and the cemetery. Closer to the cemetery though.  I’m pretty sure it was them, they matched the description.”

Chuuya nodded. “Alright, I’m on my way.” 

“Has Q been found?” Atsushi asked, Chuuya lowered his hand from the earpiece. 

“Possibly, it could still be a false sighting.” Chuuya said, giving the Agency a nod in farewell before turning to leave. As he walked away his hand went back up to his earpiece and he began issuing orders. 

“Q has been spotted near the Foreign General Cemetery. Reiko, Yata, cover the side streets. Nishiki, sweep the cemetery. Akihiko, Miyuki, guard the main road. The rest of you stay on standby.”

The location where Q had been spotted was thankfully within the area they had suspected them to be, but it was still farther away than Chuuya would have liked. Activating his ability, Chuuya lept to the rooftops and picked up speed.

“Did you leave anyone watching Q?” He asked the ghost as he ran.

The ghost blinked, startled. “Uh… no? There wasn’t anyone else around.”

Not great. Q could have wandered anywhere by now. He almost wished the ghost had kept following until they’d come across another ghost, but it was too late for that.

“I don’t think they could have gotten far, they were kind of distracted by an ice cream cone.” The ghost offered, “Besides they’re pretty short, I doubt they move that fast.”

Chuuya, who was also short, shot her a look sharp enough to silence her.

“Chuuya!” Nishiki’s voice came over the coms. “I’m at the cemetery, we can see Q!”

Chuuya exhaled, some of the tightness in his chest easing. They weren’t in the clear quite yet, they still had to actually recapture Q and that might end up requiring Dazai’s help, but at least they’d found them. 

“Keep an eye on them but do not engage.” He told Nishiki. “Wait til I arrive.” 

The last thing he needed was his men being cursed and going on a rampage. For now it’d be best to just keep an eye on Q, if Chuuya was lucky he might be able to talk them into going back willingly, and if not…Well it was probably best to have Dazai on standby.

“Ember, notify Dazai we’ve found Q and the location,” He added, vaulting across another rooftop. He didn’t have the time to text him himself right now, and Ember was least likely to pick a fight. 

“On it!” Ember replied, and Chuuya felt his shoulders relax slightly. So far, so good.

He didn’t get long to relax however, as his com cracked back to life.

“The Guild is here, Chuuya!!” Nishiki’s voice said over the sounds of gunfire. “They’re after…”

The words were cut off by a sickening crunch.  Chuuya knew the sound of a body breaking all too well, but this time it made bile rise up in his throat.

“Nishiki! Nishiki!” 

No matter how many times Chuuya yelled his subordinates name, the only reply Chuuya could hear was the rapid beating of his own heart. 

Chuuya swore loudly, his feet leaving cracks in the rooftops beneath him as he moved even faster. He was still too far away. 

The minutes felt like hours as he ran, jumping from rooftop to rooftop until he ran out of them and jumped back down to the street. The cemetery lay in front him and as he stepped through its gate he saw them. The scattered bodies of his subordinates collapsed on the ground like discarded dolls. 

Even with their limbs twisted at odd angles, Chuuya still recognized each of them. He could tell you their names and their likes and dislikes. And now they were dead, killed by the Guild. There was a bitter irony in his subordinates meeting their end in a cemetery, but Chuuya was certainly in no mood for grim humor.

His chest heaving with anger, Chuuya scanned his surroundings. There was no sign of Q. 

There was no need for a ghost to tell him what had happened. The Guild had them.

Chapter Text

Oda was grateful that the streets were relatively uncrowded as he followed Dazai through them. Although the distance from the Agency’s office to the location that Chuuya’s subordinate had sent wasn’t that far, every second counted when you were dealing with Q.

Even when he’d still been alive, he’d been fortunate enough to never have to face Q’s ability himself. He’d seen the aftermath, though, and the thought of Chuuya confronting Q without Dazai as backup made him uneasy.

A soft buzz from Dazai’s phone had him fishing it out of his pocket. Glancing at briefly, he stopped in his tracks, eyes widening. Peering over Dazai’s shoulder, Oda caught sight of the text. It was four simple words, but it sent a chill through Oda that was unrelated to the fact he was dead. 

‘The Guild has Q’

The fact that Chuuya had been able to send the text meant that he was probably physically fine, the Guild would be hard pressed to harm him even if they tried, but Oda wasn’t sure about emotionally. He was surely taking the loss of Q to the Guild hard.

Oda worried about Chuuya sometimes…no that wasn’t right, he frequently worried about him. When he had still been alive, Oda had never really paid much attention to Chuuya. He’d been aware of him of course, he was Dazai’s partner after all. And he’d known that no matter how much Dazai complained about Chuuya, he did care about his partner. But their paths had rarely intersected; when they did, it was usually because of Dazai.

Since dying though, he’d gotten to know Chuuya better and seen a whole new side of him. It wasn’t just the fact that Chuuya could see ghosts, or that he had a god sealed in him. Over the past four years he’d come to realize just how much weight rested on Chuuya’s shoulders, some of it from his responsibilities and the rest from a past that Oda still didn't fully understand. 

Dazai let out a drawn out sigh, “That stupid pipsqueak, can he not give me more information?" He muttered under his breath. “Guess I’m going to have to go interrogate him.” Despite his annoyed tone, Oda could see the way he tightly clenched his phone in worry. 

Slipping the phone back into his pocket, Dazai started walking again, still headed in the same direction. Personally Oda thought he should have checked to make sure Chuuya was still even in the same location. He wouldn’t put it past Chuuya to already be out searching for where the Guild had taken Q.

Then again, there was at least a 50% chance that Chuuya would refuse to answer Dazai honestly if he did ask. The last thing he probably wanted to deal with right now was the stress that Dazai’s presence brought. 

Quite frankly he was a little bit surprised that Dazai had never tried to microchip Chuuya, or at least stick a tracking app on his phone. Not that doing so would actually work, not unless Dazai managed to try it when there just happened to be no ghosts around to inform Chuuya. 

“Dazai-san?” A familiar voice called out Dazai’s name and Oda looked at the street ahead, catching sight of Atsushi, Kyoka and Ranpo walking towards them. The white haired boy’s face seemed to light up slightly at the sight of Dazai, and Oda felt an involuntary smile tug at his lips.

The Agency had been good for Dazai. It hadn’t fixed every problem in his life, and he still struggled, but it had been good nonetheless. Especially Atsushi. Oda was glad that Dazai wasn’t repeating the same mistake he had made with Akutagawa this time around. 

“Did you wrap up the case?” Dazai asked, a smile that Oda could tell was at least half fake.

“Of course,” Ranpo said, crossing his arms behind his head. “It was so obvious that the wife and mistress did it, the quality of police in this town is really going down.”

There wasn’t a trace of humility in his voice, but Oda supposed that Ranpo had earned the right to be prideful. 

“Dazai-san, have you heard anything from Chuuya-san?” Atsushi asked, once Ranpo had finished his gloating. 

Dazai raised a single eyebrow at the sudden question. 

“Ah, we ran into him earlier.” Atsushi explained, “He left to follow a lead about Q’s location. I was just wondering if they found them.”

Oda winced. It was an innocent enough question, but Atsushi had no idea the can of worms he’d opened.

Dazai’s expression turned serious. “They did manage to locate Q…but unfortunately the Guild got there first.”

Atsushi froze, horror flashing across his face. Even Kyoka’s eyes widened, though she quickly schooled her expression. Ranpo however was his usual unfazed self, if he felt anything about the situation, he wasn’t letting it show.

“What do they want with Q?” Atsushi asked.

Dazai shrugged. “Who knows.” He said. His tone was light, but Oda could hear the underlying worry in his voice, and see it in the slight furrow of his brow. The Guild certainly hadn’t grabbed Q for benevolent reasons. 

Ranpo tilted his head, “You’re headed to go meet with Chuuya, aren’t you?” 

Dazai didn’t look at all surprised by Ranpo’s accurate guess. They had been working together for two years after all. 

“That’s right,” Dazai confirmed, sighing dramatically. “That idiot didn’t give me any details, I’m going to have to drag them out of him myself.”

It was a very Dazai-like answer, not entirely lying — Oda was sure he did in fact want more details— but it conveniently left out how worried he actually was about Chuuya. Oda wasn’t fooled however. 

“Well then, let’s go!” Ranpo said cheerfully, drawing the confused stares of Atsushi and Kyoka.

“Ranpo-san?” 

“Oh come on, don’t you think the situation is interesting?” Ranpo asked. Ranpo asked. He unwrapped a sucker from his pocket and popped it into his mouth. 

Oda let out a groan. Chuuya was not going to like this.  He would be frustrated enough with Dazai’s presence, he wouldn’t want a further audience to what he would perceive as a failure. 

There was nothing Oda could do to stop it though. It wasn’t even due to being a ghost. No one but Fukuzawa could control Ranpo. 

Dazai seemed to understand that as well, or maybe he just wasn’t concerned about causing Chuuya additional stress, because he simply shook his head in amusement and started walking again. 

“Say Dazai-san,” Atsushi began as they walked, “Do you know of a police detective named Murase?”

Dazai tilted his head to the side, looking thoughtful as he tried to place the name. It wasn’t one that was familiar to Oda, but that didn't mean Dazai wouldn’t know. 

“We ran into him at the crime scene,”  Atsushi continued to explain. “He kept staring at Chuuya and so I asked about it later. Apparently he knew Chuuya before he joined the mafia? He seemed pretty convinced that Chuuya doesn’t belong in the mafia.”

That still didn’t ring a bell with Oda, but there was a light of recognition in Dazai’s eye. “Ah, I remember him. He spent a lot of time harassing Chuuya and trying to get him to leave the mafia…guess he’s still at it.” 

He sounded so casual about it. As if it wasn’t unusual for a police detective to try and convince a mafia member to leave, instead of just arresting them. Oda could understand Murase’s actions though. 

It wouldn’t be a lie to say that Chuuya had in many ways thrived in the mafia; he had power and respect, he excelled at his job, there were people he loved and cared about there. Yet, just as Dazai’s life had improved with the Agency, Oda thought Chuuya could have thrived even more in the light.

At his core, Oda knew Chuuya was meant to be a protector, not a killer. 

“You should have taken him with you.” Oda said with a shake of his head, despite knowing that Dazai couldn’t hear him. 

While Chuuya’s loyalty towards the mafia might be strong, it was more because of the people there than the organization as a whole. If Dazai, his partner for years and someone he trusted with his life, had asked him to leave, then he might have said yes.

At least that was Oda’s opinion.  

“How did Chuuya-san even end up joining the mafia?” Atsushi asked,his curiosity obvious. He was the only one either, Ranpo and Kyoka might not have been contributing to the conversation, but Oda could see them listening intently. “Murase-san said he used to be part of a gang of street kids. The Sheep I think?”

Oda saw Dazai’s smile falter. It was only for a second, but he still caught it. There was some story behind Chuuya joining the mafia, and Oda was pretty sure he wouldn’t like it. 

“Ah, well Chuuya’s ability is quite useful, so naturally the mafia poached him.” Dazai said lightly, not meeting eyes with anyone. 

Ranpo raised an eyebrow, his expression suspicious. “That can’t be the whole story,” He said, not outright accusing Dazai of lying, but making it clear he knew he was hiding something. “From what I’ve seen he’s not the type to just abandon his friends because he got a better offer.”

Ranpo was right about that. Chuuya was the type who would die before he betrayed his friends. There was no way he would have just up and left to join the mafia.

The expression on Dazai’s face was calm, but the slight narrowing of his eyes told Oda that for once he didn’t appreciate Ranpo’s intelligence. 

“Well, the Mafia was rather persuasive about it,” Dazai said lightly, “What with his friends' lives being at stake.”

Oda stared at Dazai in horror. He wasn’t the only one, both Atsushi and Kyoka had stopped in their tracks for a moment and even Ranpo looked shocked. 

“Ah. So he was blackmailed,” Ranpo said at last, recovering quicker than the others. “That makes sense.”

Oda felt sick. He might not have known Chuuya well while he was alive, but he did know that he’d only been fifteen when he’d joined the mafia. Fifteen when he’d been forced to sacrifice himself to save others. 

He’d been just a kid. Dazai had just been a kid when he’d joined the mafia too. Even Oda himself had been just a kid when he’d worked as an assassin. They were all too young. 

What made it all worse was the hint of guilt that Oda thought he heard in Dazai’s voice. There were many reasons that could explain its presence.  Maybe Dazai just felt guilty about leaving Chuuya behind in the mafia, but Oda couldn’t shake the feeling that Dazai had been involved in Chuuya’s recruitment.

Still Oda was glad to have learned the truth. It was another piece of the puzzle that was Chuuya falling into place.  He felt that he understood him better now. 

He also knew that there was no way Chuuya would be happy if he knew Dazai had shared that information. Chuuya was a private person, keeping his pain and weakness hidden where others couldn’t see. He had his pride, and the pity of others would feel like mockery to him.

“So he didn’t get a choice either?” Kyoka asked, her voice soft. “Then that’s why…” She didn’t finish her sentence, but she didn’t have to. It was clear what she meant: it was why Chuuya had helped her.

Oda was sure it had played a role, but knowing Chuuya like he did, he was sure it wasn’t the only reason. She was a child, he probably would have protected her even if she had chosen to join. 

Dazai gave a noncommittal hum. “Don’t worry about him too much.” He told them, perhaps trying to lessen the fallout from what he had said. “Chuuya may not have joined the mafia willingly, but he considers it his home now and gave Mori his loyalty.”

Atsushi frowned. “I don’t get it, how can he stand to be loyal to someone who did that to him.”

There was a brief flicker of something in Dazai’s eyes, but it was gone in an instant. “Chuuya has always been stupid when it comes to loyalty.” He said, his voice softening. “He gives it far too easily and stays loyal even when people hurt him.”

He let out a sigh, shaking his head slightly in derision. “I don’t know how he’s survived these last few years without me watching his back.”

Oda wondered if Dazai even realized that he was one of the people Chuuya had given his loyalty to. 

There was no time for further conversation though as they reached the gate of the cemetery, the location Chuuya had given, and caught sight of the chaos inside. The cobbled path that led inside was splattered with blood, and there were dead mafia members here and there. Some lying on the ground and others being carried away on stretchers by those who were still living. 

A few feet in Chuuya stood talking with one of his subordinates. There was a lit cigarette held between his lips, which was never a good sign. Chuuya only smoked when he was incredibly stressed.

Atsushi let out a small gasp. “What happened?” 

Although it had been quiet, Chuuya still seemed to hear it and he turned to glance at them. He hadn’t looked happy to begin with, but his expression turned even more annoyed as he caught sight of them.

“The fuck are you doing here, Dazai?” He asked, crossing his arms in front of him. “And what’s with the entourage?”

Dazai seemed entirely unfazed by Chuuya’s annoyance, which wasn’t surprising. Oda couldn’t remember a time where he’d seen Dazai even so much as flinch at Chuuya’s anger. 

“You send me such a vague text and you expect me not to come check things out?” Dazai asked, shoving his hands in his pocket as he strolled towards Chuuya. “As for them,” He inclined his head in the direction of the other Agency members. “They just felt like tagging along.”

Chuuya let out a sigh, taking his cigarette out of his mouth and letting the ash fall on the ground. “You just live to make my life miserable, don’t you?” 

Dazai gave a smug grin, but before he could say anything, a mafia member was carried past on a stretcher, and Dazai’s smile fell. For a moment his eyes lingered on the corpse before returning to Chuuya, something resembling sympathy in his expression.

“That was Nishiki, wasn’t it?”

Chuuya’s jaw clenched tightly, and he gave a short nod of his head. 

Oh, no wonder Chuuya was smoking. Oda remembered Nishiki. Alongside Yata and Ember, he had been one of Chuuya’s most trusted subordinates. He had been a kind man, or at least as kind of a man as you could find in the mafia. 

He knew it wasn’t the first time that Chuuya had lost subordinates, but that didn’t mean the loss didn’t hurt. One thing he’d learned in the years since he’d gotten to know Chuuya better, was that he cared deeply about his subordinates. There were plenty in the mafia who just saw the lower ranks as faceless cannon fodder, but Chuuya knew each of them by name. 

“I’m guessing the Guild was responsible?” Dazai asked, though it was clear it wasn’t really a question. 

Chuuya nodded, “I don’t know how the Guild found out about Q, but they were obviously the target.” He glanced around at the destruction in the cemetery, grinding his teeth together with enough force that Oda could hear it. “My men never stood a chance.” 

“What do you plan to do now?” Dazai asked, his voice soft. 

“I…” Chuuya began, his voice dangerously calm. “Am going to track down the Q as well as the fuckers who slaughtered my men, and I’m going to kill them.”

Dazai smiled, “Ah, just what I would have expected from Chuuya!” He sounded cheerful enough that it seemed to throw Chuuya off guard and he gave him a disgusted look.

“The fuck are you being so supportive for?” Chuuya demanded, glaring at him. His eyes then flickered to the side and he frowned. “And just why do Kyoka and your weretiger keep staring at me like that? Did you say something about me to them?”

Dazai blinked, looking extremely innocent. “Chuuuya~ Do I look like the kind of person who would go around spreading rumors?”

“Yes.” Chuuya said flatly, without missing a beat. Even Oda found himself nodding. He was fairly sure there were still rumors circulating in the mafia that Dazai had started years ago.

“Eh,” Dazai shrugged, looking as unbothered as ever. “It was nothing big. I may have just vaguely mentioned how you ended up joining the mafia.”

Chuuya didn’t hesitate. He kicked out, sweeping Dazai’s legs out from under him and sending him crashing to the ground.

Chapter Text

Yosano frowned as she noted down the various medicines and supplies that needed to be restocked. It seemed as if she had let too much time pass since she’d last done an inventory check, there were some things that were starting to run low. She’d need to do a supply run, with the war with the Guild having started, this was no time to risk running out.

She might not be happy about the fact that they were collaborating with the Mafia for this, but that didn’t mean she was going to slack off when it came to her duty. It was her job to make sure the Agency members stayed healthy, and that required more than just her ability.

From outside the infirmary Yosano heard the sound of people entering the office. Judging by the sound of it, she guessed it was probably Ranpo, Atsushi and Kyoka. If it had been Dazai, he would have either entered quietly or been harassing Kunikida.

“What!” A loud exclamation from Kunikida had Yosano rethinking her assumption. There wasn’t the level of irritation in Kunikida’s voice that she would associate with Dazai’s provocation, but it was rare for anyone else in the Agency to get him to raise it.

Putting aside her inventory list for the time being, Yosano stood up and moved to poke her head out of the infirmary door. Although she had plenty of other things to do, she couldn’t help but be curious.

Like she had initially assumed, it was Ranpo, Atsushi and Kyoka who had returned. Now that they were back at the office Ranpo had settled himself back at his desk with his snacks, but it seemed Kyoka and Atsushi had been left to give a report. Not that that was surprising, it was how things usually went with whoever was assigned to accompany Ranpo.

Clearly whatever they had reported on hadn’t gone over well with Kunikida though. Which meant it probably wasn’t anything to do with Ranpo’s case, most of the police knew him well enough by now that the Agency didn’t tend to get any complaints.

“Just what is going on out here?” Yosano asked, walking all the way out of the infirmary and stopping in front of the three of them.

Atsushi blinked in surprise at the sight of Yosano, and she had to fight the urge to shake her head. The boy had come quite a ways from when he first joined the Agency, but they really needed to work on his situational awareness.

“Uh…” Atsushi glanced at the other Agency members in the room before seeming to realize that no one else was going to explain and he would have to be the designated spokesman. “Well, it seems that the Guild has Q.”

Yosano blinked, uncertain if she had heard Atsushi correctly. His expression said that he had just shared bad news though, so she must have heard him correctly.

“Wasn’t Dazai supposed to be meeting up with the mafia to help contain Q?” She asked with a frown. Hopefully he hadn’t gotten himself caught in the crossfire of a battle, it wasn’t like her ability worked on him after all.

“He was, but I guess Chuuya-san must have contacted him and told him about what happened. We ran into him on our way back and he was going to go check things, and Ranpo-san insisted we tag along.”

That surprised Yosano somewhat. Ranpo was selective about his interests; she didn’t think the Guild capturing Q alone would be enough to grab his attention. There had to be something more to it, the question was what?

She shot a glance at Ranpo, but he was focused on his snacks and gave no indication what his thoughts were. Not that he would have necessarily chosen to be helpful even if he was paying attention.

“So, what did you find out?” Yosano asked Atsushi.

“Uh, not a lot?” Atsushi said, before apparently realizing that wasn’t a particularly helpful answer. “I mean Chuuya-san mostly talked with Dazai-san and they didn’t really explain things. It kind of felt like we were only hearing part of a conversation.”

Yosano had yet to see Chuuya and Dazai actually interact, but Atsushi’s words told her quite a lot about what their relationship was like. You had to know someone quite well to be able to have a conversation with no words.

It worried her a little. She hoped that it was just familiarity and not that Dazai was still overly attached to his former partner. It might seem cruel to hope for him to fully cut ties with someone who might have been a friend, but Yosano knew that Mori would just use Chuuya against Dazai if given the chance.

Dazai had escaped the hellhole that was the mafia, she didn’t want him to get dragged back in.

“Is there anything else? Or do you plan to hand in a blank report?” Yosano asked dryly. It wasn’t her intent to be mean, she just wanted Atsushi to think more about what he had heard and what conclusions he could draw from it. Despite the boy's obvious insecurities, he was actually quite intelligent. She wanted him to take advantage of it.

Atsushi hesitated for a second, trying to come up with an answer. That was good, she’d rather he think about it instead of just impulsive answering.

“The Guild seemed to have known about Q ahead of time.” Atsushi said slowly. “Chuuya didn’t seem to know how they found out, but they killed several mafia members retrieving them.”

From the expression on his face, Yosano guessed he must have seen the corpse. It was clear he wasn’t used to seeing dead bodies. She hoped he never would have to be.

It was worrying that the Guild had managed to get information on Q. Yosano knew Mori, he might be ruthless, but he wasn’t careless. It wouldn’t be easy for someone to get their hands on information of the mafia’s ability users unless Mori wanted it to happen.

Could this have all been part of his plan? Mori was the type who would do anything to achieve his goals, even when it hurt others. She couldn’t see any benefit to him in letting the Guild capture Q though. She supposed they would have to wait and see what Dazai had to say once he got back.

Wait a minute…

“Where even is Dazai? Why didn’t he come back with you?” She supposed he could still be going over the situation with Chuuya, but it had been long enough since he’d left that surely he should have been done by now.

“Uh, he said he was going to go meet up with an old friend.” Atsushi said, giving an apologetic shrug as if Dazai’s behavior was his fault. “He didn’t really give any specifics.”

“Of course he didn’t.” Kunikida grumbled. One of these days Yosano was sure he was going to end up with grey hairs because of Dazai. “Really, at a time like this!”

Yosano stayed quiet, though her mind wasn’t. Dazai might play the fool at times, but he wasn’t irresponsible. Not at times like this. If he was off meeting someone, it was most likely because he thought they could help with the situation. Of course it would have been nice if he’d given them a heads up, but Yosano had long since given up on expecting Dazai to be that accommodating.

“I doubt he’s slacking off.” Ranpo interacted, leaning back in his chair far enough that it threatened to tip over. “He’s probably got some plan that he hasn’t bothered to inform us about.”

Even if she had just been thinking the same, Yosano thought it was a little bit hypocritical of Ranpo of all people to say that. He might not be as bad as Dazai, but he wasn’t exactly known for explaining his thinking either. Still, that was part of his charm.

“One of these days he’s going to get himself in trouble running off on his own.” Yosano said with a shake of her head. She knew that Dazai was capable of taking care of himself, that much was clear by the fact he was still alive despite his apathy towards living, but that didn’t guarantee safety. In a situation like this it would have been safer for him to let someone know where exactly he was going.

Still, Dazai was an adult. She might have opinions on his life choices, but it was up to him to make them.

Atsushi looked uncertain, and Kunikida let out a sigh, pushing up his glasses. “Ranpo-san is right. Most likely Dazai is out chasing a lead.” The pinched expression on his face promised retribution if Dazai was not. “He’ll be back soon enough.”

“What? Oh no, I’m not worried about that.” Atsushi said, blinking like a surprised cat. It seemed he had been lost in his own world for the past little while.

“Are you still thinking about what Dazai said about Chuuya?” Ranpo asked, around a mouthful of candy.

Yosano’s eyebrows shot up. “What are you talking about?” Just what had Dazai said? She had long suspected that there must be something off about Chuuya. He was too affable, too reasonable, for a mafia member. She found it hard to believe that there wasn’t something darker he was hiding.

Had Dazai let something slip about what it might be?

“Oh, apparently Chuuya didn’t join the mafia of his own free will.” Ranpo casually explained, as lightly as if he was commentating on the weather.

The room fell silent. Yosano blinked once, then twice, her mind blank. That was not the kind of information she was expecting to have been revealed.

Kunikida’s eyes were wide behind his glasses, the hand on his pen tightening slightly. “Are you saying Chuuya-san is like Kyoka-chan?”

Ranpo shrugged. “Basically.” He seemed to have lost interest in the conversation and fell quiet afterwards.

Yosano glanced at Kyoka in concern. She knew the girl was fond of Chuuya, that he had watched out for her when she was in the mafia. In the beginning Yosano had thought that there must be some ulterior motive to it but that belief was wavering with this new information.

Kyoka’s grip on her phone was tight enough Yosano was worried she might break it, and her eyes were sharp with anger. Even if Yosano didn’t entirely trust Chuuya, she could understand the girl’s feelings. To know that someone who had protected you had gone through the same things, and that no one had saved them, that wasn’t easy.

“Dazai-san said they held his friend’s lives hostage to force him to join.” Atsushi explained, his voice quiet. There was a sense of confusion in his tone, like even after his own encounters with them, he still couldn’t fully comprehend their level of cruelty.

Kunikida frowned. “Surely it's been years since them, they can’t still be holding them hostage. Why does he stay?”

“It’s not that easy to leave.” Kyoka reminded him, voice soft. “Without help…” She trailed off. There was no need to further explain. You didn’t get out of the mafia without help, at least not if you wanted to survive your escape.

Of course if Chuuya really was as capable and Dazai and Kyoka’s stories made him seem, then he might manage to get away. But you could be trapped someplace mentally, even if you could physically escape.

“I’m aware of that.” Kunikida said, “But he does seem oddly loyal for someone who was forced to join.”

“Probably cause he is.” Ranpo said, tuning back into the conversation. Yosano got the feeling though that it was at least partially because he had run out of snacks. At least in his immediate vicinity. She was sure he had more stashed away somewhere. “Dazai said he’s stupid like that. If he’s sworn loyalty to someone then that's it.”

Yosano pursed her lips. Loyalty was an admirable quality, but not when it turned into a chain that strangled you. Perhaps Chuuya was as good of a person as Kyoka made him sound, but he was trapped in hell by his own loyalty.

He might even think he belonged there, that he was happy there. But that was probably just because of Mori’s influence.

Mori was a master at manipulating people. Like a parasite, he got inside your mind and twisted your thoughts, puppeting you to think and act the way he wanted. And if you disobeyed then he just tried harder to break you into obedience.

Chuuya was just another child that Mori had managed to get his claws into, and for all that Yosano was wary of the executive, that didn’t mean she was without sympathy. If it wasn’t for Ranpo and Fukuzawa, who knew what her life would have been like under Mori’s custody. She hadn’t been with Mori that long in comparison to others, but it had still messed her up.

It would be much worse to have been under his control long term. Though Dazai had at least said that Chuuya had lines he wouldn’t cross, so clearly Mori hadn’t managed to completely corrupt Chuuya yet.

She had a feeling there was more to the story though. There was a look in Ranpo’s eyes that he only got when he was holding his thoughts back because he hadn’t fully figured things out. Something about the situation bothered him, but she knew he wouldn’t say anything until he had figured it out more.

Not unless he thought it might harm the Agency.

Kunikida cleared his throat. He looked a little shaken by the revelation still, but didn’t let that stop him from taking charge. “As regrettable as Chuuya-san’s entry into the mafia may be, at the moment it in no way changes anything in regards to the alliance. If the Guild has Q then we need to make plans.”

He glanced around the room, his eyes landing on Atsushi and Kyoka. “I know the two of you just got back, but I’d like you to fetch Tanizaki and Kenji. We’ll want everyone here to discuss things once Dazai gets back.”

Chapter Text

Chuuya let out a sigh, reaching up a hand to rub at his forehead as he stared at the map of Yokohama on his desk. It had only been a day since the Guild had taken Q, but the city was already descending into chaos.

It hadn’t taken the Guild long to figure out what Q’s ability was and how to put it to use. They weren’t sure just how they had managed to do it, but the curse seemed to be spreading through the whole city. There had been several members of the mafia that they’d had to lock up already, to prevent them from hurting others.

Perhaps Dazai or Ranpo would be able to figure out what the cause was, but if they had managed to, then they hadn’t informed the mafia of it. And Chuuya didn’t have time to ask them about it. Nor did he have the resources to look into it himself.

All of his available manpower, both alive and dead, was tied up in the search.

Most of Chuuya’s hope for finding Q quickly rested on Yoshiki however. He’d sent the ghost to keep an eye on Fitzgerald a few days before Q had escaped, so hopefully he would overhear any plans regarding Q. So far though, Yoshiki hadn’t returned.

That didn’t necessarily mean anything wrong, Yoshiki was smart enough to know to wait until he had something important to share before coming back. It might just be that he didn’t have any information about where Q was to share yet.

That didn’t stop Chuuya from worrying though. There was a high chance that Lovecraft could also see ghosts, and while that didn’t mean that he would or could do anything to them, it was still worrying. Chuuya had told Yoshiki to be careful around Lovecraft if he showed up, even if that meant he had to leave his post, but that was no guarantee he’d listen.

Chuuya was sure that Lovecraft was involved in Q’s capture. Even if the injuries on Chuuya’s dead subordinates hadn’t pointed to Lovecraft and Steinbeck as the culprits, the echo of Lovecraft’s presence that had been left behind would have.

It was hard to say if regular humans would sense anything, but there had been something unnatural in the air. Like the discomfort that came from wet clothes when the weather was cold, it had permeated his entire being and made Arahabaki snarl under his skin.

Arahabaki had always been a being of mostly instinct, there was no communication between him and Chuuya, but he was fiercely protective of what he considered his. Even without words Chuuya had been able sense his fury at having his territory invaded.

There had been no danger of Arahabaki escaping, but it had been difficult to concentrate on anything with his constant howls in Chuuya’s head. Even now Arahabaki hadn’t entirely settled down, a heat rippling underneath Chuuya’s skin and threatening to burn him from the inside out.

It left Chuuya hoping for a difficult fight, a way to let loose Arahabaki’s rage.

And if that fight also let Chuuya take vengeance for his slaughtered subordinates, well he wasn’t going to complain. That required Lovecraft and Steinbeck to be found first though, and while Chuuya still thought Yoshiki was still his best bet to locate them, he wasn’t about to just sit around and do nothing while he waited.

He sent Ayumi and Miyu out to gather whatever information they could, and in the meantime he’d been doing his best to eliminate possible locations.

Perhaps it was a bit egotistical to say, but Chuuya didn’t think that there was anyone who knew Yokohama as well as he did. He had walked the streets over and over, had explored the most underground places, and met both the living, dead and those in between. And yet it still wasn’t enough.

Staring at the various marks on the map in front of him, Chuuya let out a growl and slammed his fist into the desk. He was careful to control his strength though, the last thing he needed right now was a broken desk.

He’d started by crossing out all the places that were too public. Then he’d eliminated the locations that were too close to the Agency and Mafia for the Guild’s presence to go unnoticed. And finally he’d eliminated the areas that were already occupied by other beings.

Lovecraft was no doubt strong enough to keep them from troubling the Guild, but they still would have kicked up a noticeable fuss at his presence. Or come straight to Chuuya to complain. That hadn’t eliminated everything though. There were still plenty of locations left, more than Chuuya could check on his own.

And he really didn’t want to risk sending more of his subordinates to die at Lovecraft and Steinbeck’s hands.

There had to be something he was missing, something that could help narrow things down more.

As he struggled to come up with any ideas a knock sounded at his door. Glancing up from the map, Chuuya had no time to say even so much as a ‘come in’ before the door opened and Lippman entered. Chuuya shot him an annoyed glance at the lack of etiquette but Lippman didn’t seem bothered by it at all. After knowing each for over six years, the FLAGs were all well aware that most of the time Chuuya’s hostility was all bark and no bite.

Sometimes Chuuya wasn’t sure whether to be annoyed by or grateful for that. It was nice to have people who understood him, even if they didn’t understand everything, but it was rather annoying that he couldn’t intimidate them.

“Chuuya, it's been a while.” Lippman greeted with a warm smile. It had been a bit since the two of them had seen each other. Over the years Lippman’s acting career had only grown, and it kept him quite busy, which meant that he wasn’t around quite as often.

Of course that didn’t mean he neglected his duties to the mafia, nor his friendships. No matter how popular he got, Lippman remained an excellent face for the mafia. There were very few people who could withstand his charm and wit.

Quite frankly, Lippman would have made a much better liaison to the Agency than Chuuya. He had been filming in a different city for the last several weeks though, so he wouldn’t have been available even if Chuuya wasn’t sure the role of liaison was a punishment from Mori.

“I take it you finished your shoot?” Chuuya asked, giving the older man a tired smile. Although he was stressed right now, that didn’t mean that Chuuya wasn’t happy to see his friend. He could spare at least a few moments for him.

“Mmhm, it’s in the hands of the editors now.” Lippman said with a casual shrug. “I should be on free for at least a couple months.”

He wandered over to Chuuya’s desk, peering down at the map and various other papers spread over it. “Which is more than I can say for you. When was the last time you took a break?”

“I hardly have time for a break,” Chuuya said dryly, gesturing at his desk. “It’s not like the Guild is going to just hand Q back on their own.”

It certainly would be nice if they did though. Why couldn’t enemies be a little more considerate about how much they inconvenience him?

Lippman let out a sigh. “You’re not going to do anyone any good if you’re too exhausted to function properly.” They were words that Chuuya had heard plenty of times before, and he was sure he would hear them again in the future. People always seemed to misunderstand just how much he could withstand when the situation called for it.

“I’m fine.” He told Lippman, with an annoyed glance. Sure, he was beginning to forget what it felt like to not have a headache, and occasionally his vision blurred a little, but it wasn’t that big a problem. He could still function fine.

The expression on Lippman’s face was far from impressed. “Oh please, I bet you haven’t had more than four hours of sleep a night for the past several days.”

He was in fact wrong. Chuuya hadn’t even had that much.

“We’ve known each other for seven years Chuuya, do you really think I can’t tell when you’re reaching your limit?”

Chuuya scoffed. Limits were something for other people, he had never had the luxury of stopping even when his body was screaming at him.

“I’ll take a break once we’ve retrieved Q.” Chuuya stated. His tone firm and allowing for no arguments. Unfortunately some people just couldn’t seem to respect that.
“Oh, and just how long will that take. What are you going to do if you collapse in the meantime?” Another voice joined the conversation and Chuuya looked over to see Piano Man leaning against his doorframe. Once Chuuya had noticed his presence, he entered the room and took a seat on the corner of Chuuya’s desk.

Chuuya glanced between the two of them, his expression twisting into a sneer. “What is this, an intervention?” He asked, voice dripping with sarcasm. He didn’t appreciate being ganged up on over something so ridiculous.

“We’re just worried about you.” Piano Man said, with a kindness in his voice that his enemies would never get to hear. “You have a tendency to push yourself too hard.”

Chuuya forced his shoulders to relax, reminding himself that these were his friends and that they were just trying to look out for him. Even if they were totally misguided about it.

“ I know you’re trying to be helpful, but I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself.” Chuuya said with a sigh, not even bothering to hide the annoyance in his voice. “The situation is precarious right now, I need to stay focused.”

Surely at least Piano Man could understand that. He was an executive as well, he knew what it was to have the wellbeing of so many on your shoulders. Being an executive was always a large responsibility, but even more so these days when there were only three of them. Chuuya, Kouyou and Piano Man had all been forced to pick up the slack.

“Somehow, I feel like your definition of taking care of yourself is different than ours.” Lippman said dryly, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

Chuuya thought that was rather rude. It wasn’t like he had died yet, so obviously he was doing just fine at taking care of himself.

“Do you have subordinates out looking for Q’s location?” Piano Man asked suddenly, catching Chuuya off guard.

“Of course,” He said, blinking in confusion.

“And do you have your informants out looking as well?”

“...Yes?” Chuuya really didn’t know where Piano Man was going with this.

“So is there even anything else you can do until you hear back from them?”

Chuuya knew where Piano Man was going with this now and he hated it. Gritting his teeth he tried to come up with an answer, something that was related to the search for Q, something that couldn’t be postponed until another time. He had nothing though.

Piano Man seemed to know it too, his expression turning smug. “I see. So then there’s no reason then that you couldn’t take some time off to rest while you wait.”
Before Chuuya could even start thinking of any excuses, Lippman moved in to cut off his retreat. “We’ve already informed Mori-san that you are in need of rest and won’t be available for the next few hours.”

Chuuya just stared at the two of them, his eyes wide with shock. He loved each member of the FLAGS like family, but right now he really wanted to wring Lippman and Piano Man’s necks with his bare hands. Why had they brought Mori into this?

Chuuya was fine, and Mori had enough trust in him that he would also agree he was fine, unless someone gave him reason to think otherwise. Which Piano Man and Lippman had just done.

If just a random mafia member had told Mori that Chuuya was in need of rest he might not have listened to them, but if some of Chuuya's closest friends made the claim? Then he’d pay attention. Even if they were totally wrong.

And knowing Mori, he’d find a reason to stop by Chuuya's office to check in on him. Which meant either Chuuya rested now, or Mori might order him to rest later.

“You guys are monsters.” Chuuya told his friends, who just smiled back at him.

“We love you too.” Lippman said, reaching out a hand to try and ruffle Chuuya’s hair. Chuuya smacked it away before it could reach him. Not even his brother got to do that.

“Fine, I’ll take a short break if it’ll get you off my back.” Chuuya made sure every bit of his annoyance was clear in his voice. He might be complying, but he wasn’t going to pretend to be happy about it.

Standing up from his desk, Chuuya shot one last glance at the map. Silently debating whether he should send it to his living subordinates. It would be helpful for narrowing down the search, but quite frankly he didn’t think he wanted them to ones to find Q. They’d be in even worse danger from Lovecraft than any of his ghosts were.

For now he decided he’d keep it to himself. He could decide whether to send it to them after he’d had a break.

Lippman wrapped an arm around Chuuya’s shoulder. “C’mon, why don’t you join us for lunch. There’s a French place that just opened up nearby. The owner owes me a favor.”

French food did sound good. While he and Verlaine hadn’t ever stayed in one place for too long, they had spent several months in France while Verlaine dealt with some loose ends. Chuuya still had fond memories of some of the bakeries there, he’d spent a lot of the pocket money his brother had given him on pastries.

“The one a street over from headquarters?” Chuuya asked, and Lippman nodded. “I’ll meet you there, I need to put some things away here first.”

Piano Man gave him a doubtful glance, and Chuuya rolled his eyes.

“Oh don’t give me that look, someone managed to sneak in to free Q and we still haven’t found them. You really think I’m just going to leave papers lying around?” He didn’t have anything that was too important out, but he’d rather be safe then sorry.

Piano Man grimaced at the reminder of the intruder. It was a sore spot for the mafia that someone had managed to sneak in, and the fact that they hadn’t been caught only made things worse. Chuuya had his suspicions as to what organizations the culprit could be part of, but he had no evidence to support it and no time to investigate at the moment.

“Do you want some help?” Lippman asked, but Chuuya waved him off.

“You’d just get in the way.” Chuuya said, ignoring the gasp of feigned offense that Lippman gave. “You guys go ahead, it should only take me a little bit.”

“Alright, but don’t think we won’t come drag you there if you take too long.” Piano Man warned him, and Chuuya snorted.

“As if you could,” He said, shooing them out of his office. Once they were gone and the door shut behind them, Chuuya let out a sigh. He had said he was going to go, and so he would, but the idea of it stressed him out. Even if he didn’t have anything productive to do at the moment, it felt wrong to take a break.

The sooner he got this over with the sooner he could get back to work though. With that in mind Chuuya began gathering up the papers on his desk that held lesser known information about Yokohama and filed them away in a cabinet that had a lock. It wouldn’t stop anyone who was particularly determined, but it would at least slow them down.

As he was turning to quickly neaten up the rest of his desk,Ayumi floated through his door, dragging behind her another ghost. Chuuya recognized her, although they had only met a few times before, it was Fitzgerald’s daughter.

“Chuuya! We found where Q is!” Ayumi shouted, despite the fact that Chuuya could have heard her just fine even if she whispered. “Well,” Ayumi paused for a second, her face sheepish. “Technically Yoshiki found the location. But Frances came to tell us and I helped her find you, so I still contributed.”

“Where?” Chuuya asked, ignoring Ayumi’s ramblings. He was used to them by now.

Frances wandered over to the map that still sat on Chuuya’s desk and pointed at a small forest on one side of the city. “Here, Lovecraft and Steinbeck are keeping an eye on them.” She hesitated for a moment, her expression sad. “I can’t believe my father is doing this.”

Chuuya gave her a sympathetic look, briefly reaching out a hand to gently ruffle her hair. The fact that she was dead didn’t change the fact that she was just a child, it wasn’t right that she was having to witness the kind of things her father was doing to try and revive her.

“He loves you, and love makes people do all kinds of things that they wouldn’t do normally. Don’t worry, we’ll stop him before he can go too far.”
Of course, some would say that Fitzgerald had already gone too far, but Chuuya was hardly going to say that to his daughter.

He wished he could provide more comforting words, but he didn’t have the time at the moment. Now that he knew Q’s location, there were things to be done.

Reaching for his phone to call Mori, Chuuya paused. “What about Q’s doll, do Lovecraft and Steinbeck have it?”

Frances shook her head. “It’s with my father. And..” She hesitated before continuing. “He has the tiger too.”

Chuuya’s eyes widened. It had only been the day before that he had last seen Atsushi, when had he been captured? “For how long?”

“Yesturday afternoon.”

That meant that it had more than twenty four hours, and yet for some reason the Agency hadn’t thought to let the Mafia know about it. Did they somehow not know about it? Or not know who had taken him? Given that the conflict largely revolved around the Guild trying to capture Atsushi, Chuuya felt like the sheer fact that he had gone missing should have been shared.

Regardless, it definitely changed Chuuya’s plans. Originally he had been thinking it would be best to have Dazai join him in retrieving Q, just in case he needed to use Corruption, but that wouldn’t work now. With both Q’s doll and Atsushi in the hands of the Guild, Dazai was needed more at the Agency.

Chuuya would have to do this on his own.

After four years one would think that he would be used to that, even when he and Dazai had still been partners it wasn’t like they had worked together constantly. That didn't make it any less painful to lose the person who used to watch your back. It didn’t make it any less painful to see them now playing that role for others.

Chuuya might understand why Dazai had left, might not care that he was a traitor to the mafia, but it would be a lie to say that there wasn’t any resentment there.

He let out a sigh, maybe he did need a break if he was letting his thoughts wander instead focusing on the task at hand. That would have to wait until Q had been retrieved though.

“Right. Well I’ll have to worry about Atsushi later I’m afraid.” Or he could maybe see about leaving it to Dazai and the Agency. He’d let them know where both the tiger and the doll were and they could figure things out. “For now my priority is Q. I need to retrieve them as soon as possible.”

If they were left in the Guild’s hands then it wouldn’t matter if Dazai was able to get his hands on Q’s doll and nullify the curse. The Guild could just do it all again once the doll reformed.

Ayumi frowned. “Are you not going to bring anyone with you?”

Chuuya shook his head. “Who would I even bring? I don’t know if Lovecraft is stronger than me, but I can tell that he’s definitely too strong for anyone else in the mafia.”

Just like he had been able to sense the remnants of Lovecraft’s presence at the graveyard, Chuuya could also sense his power. Out of all the nonhuman beings Chuuya had met, he was definitely one of the strongest. Possibly even stronger than Verlaine.

Chuuya wouldn’t know how Lovecraft measured up against himself until they fought though.

“What…what if he’s too strong for you?” Ayumi asked, her expression solemn.

Chuuya was silent for a moment. “If that happens…I’ll probably just have to run.” Using Corruption wouldn’t work in this situation. Not because he would die, Chuuya didn’t care about that, but because he would be dying for nothing. Even if he took down Lovecraft, Q would still be a captive and there would be no one to rescue him.

He was just going to have to be strategic about this. He might be able to get Q out without engaging in a fight if he was lucky. Or maybe he could at least get Q out and send him away before the fight started.

He’d have to see what happened. He’d make sure to observe the situation before actually engaging. Since Arahabaki was sealed away inside him, so long as Chuuya didn’t use any of the god’s power, Lovecraft shouldn’t be able to sense his presence.

At least he hoped so.

Chapter Text

Hidden behind a tree, far closer to the clearing that held the Guild members who were guarding Q then was probably smart, Chuuya glared at his phone.

For the last half hour it had been getting blown up with texts from the FLAGS, who were not happy with him. When he hadn’t shown up for the lunch get-together they had arranged, and hadn’t been found in his office either, they had started hassling him over text.

To say they were upset to learn that he had gone to retrieve Q instead of taking a break, was an understatement.

Chuuya’s gaze lingered over a message from Albatross for a moment, before hitting the block button.

“You know you’re just going to have to deal with that later.” Ayumi reminded Chuuya, peering over his shoulder at the phone. “It’s just going to annoy them more.”

“I know.” Chuuya said with a sigh, tucking his phone into his pocket. “But better to deal with it later then be distracted now.”

He was grateful that at least Mori had taken the news better, despite the fact that Chuuya had waited until he was halfway to Q’s location before letting him know. It was something he’d definitely be getting a lecture on later but Chuuya had wanted to get out of there before the FLAGS came looking for him.

He was sure that there would be questions from Mori when he got back, he had been pretty vague about exactly why Lovecraft was too dangerous for anyone else after all. Chuuya would deal with that when it happened though.

Shoving his phone back into his pocket, Chuuya turned his attention towards the clearing. There was a small ramshackle hut at the far end, presumably where Q was being held, and the Guild members were all positioned in front of it.

As far as Chuuya could tell, there didn’t seem to be an opening for him to sneak in and get Q out undetected. They were too close to the building and he couldn’t guarantee that he wouldn't be seen. He might be fine getting in, but if he was spotted on the way out he wouldn’t be able to protect Q and still fight.

When it came to a fight though…

The regular Guild grunts would be easy enough to deal with, and so would Steinbeck — the man had a reasonably strong ability, but plants were still subject to gravity— but Lovecraft was still an unknown.

While the fact that Arahabaki was sealed within him kept other beings from easily sensing the gods power, Chuuya could certainly sense Lovecraft from this distance.

From this close, Chuuya found himself doubting that he’d be able to defeat Lovecraft without using Corruption. Like a humid oceanside breeze, the air in the clearing felt heavy and damp, a weight to it that Chuuya’s ability couldn’t touch.

He still didn't know exactly what the deal with Lovecraft was, but he was fairly certain that he came from the sea. Whether or not knowing that would be of any help to Chuuya remained to be seen.

“This isn’t looking good.” Ayumi murmured, resting her elbow on Chuuya’s shoulder. The fact that she was taller than him would forever be something Chuuya was bitter about. She had died when he was seventeen and he was twenty-two for fucks sake!

Pushing thoughts of his unfair height from his mind, Chuuya let out a soft hum of agreement, his hand hovering over the pocket that held his phone. He wondered, should he call Dazai?

Having him come wasn’t ideal, Q’s doll was still in the city and Dazai was the only one who could do anything about it. The longer it took to nullify the curse, the more casualties there would be.

As long Q was in the Guild’s custody though, they’d be able to set off the curse again. Retrieving him couldn’t be put off either.

Somedays Chuuya really hated being one of the people who had to make these kinds of decisions. Strategic thinking wasn’t something that came naturally to him the way it did to people like Dazai and Mori, he didn’t like treating life like a chessboard, but there had been no choice except to learn.

For both his own safety, and that of others.

Often he found himself thinking it would be easier if he could just solve all his problems with brute force. Chuuya had been made to be strong, to be pointed at the enemy at set lose to destroy. The scientists who created him had never intended for him to think.

It was that very intent though that pushed him to continue to hold back though, to stop and think things through. Even if everyone he knew to be involved in his creation was now dead, he still refused to let them dictate what he was. Even if he could never be human, he at least wouldn't be the monster they had wanted.

A prickling at the back of his neck halted any more thoughts, and Chuuya quickly activated his ability, just in time to stop the knife that raced towards his back.

Turning around, Chuuya snatched the knife out of the air and glared at the approaching figure of his brother.

“Do you have to attack me every time we meet?” Chuuya asked, not even phased by how close the blade had gotten to severing his spine. This kind of thing was commonplace between the two of them. If Verlaine didn’t start their meeting with an attack, it was because he was planning to start with a lecture.

Verlaine just smirked. “I needed to make sure you weren’t letting your reflexes get rusty.” He informed Chuuya, before frowning. “Not bad, but you should have noticed my presence long before I threw the knife. I’ve been here for several minutes.”
Beside him, Rimbaud looked exasperated. “You were only waiting that long because you were trying to figure out the perfect dramatic entrance.” The ghost complained.

Chuuya rolled his eyes, tossing Verlaine’s knife up and down in his hand. “Of course he did.”

The world heard Paul Verlaine’s name and they thought of the King of Assassin’s, a man who has successfully assassinated the Q queen of England and many other prominent figures. Only Chuuya knew what his brother was really king of, was being overly dramatic.

“Have you ever considered quitting being an assassin and aiming for the big screen instead?” Ayumi asked, her expression teasing. “Oooo I bet Lippman could get him a job, should we introduce them?”

Verlaine looked between the three of them in annoyance. “I get no respect.” He said with a sigh, “I came all the way here to give you a hand, and this is the thanks I get.”

“Oh I apologize.” Chuuya said, sounding not the least bit apologetic. It was only around his brother that he could fully relax his guard and just be Chuuya. He didn’t have to be a mafia executive, or Dazai’s former partner, or a diplomatic envoy. He was just Verlaine’s younger brother. “I should have had the red carpet prepared.”

He kept his expression disdainful for a moment, before breaking into a smile. “I’m glad you’re here V.”

“I apologize for the wait,” Verlaine said, cheekily snatching his knife back from Chuuya as he continued to toss it in the air. “Things took longer to wrap up then I expected.”

He glanced past Chuuya at the clearing. “It seems like I arrived just in time though. I see you found Lovecraft.”

Chuuya nodded, turning to look at the clearing as well. Most of the Guild members looked incredibly bored, but Lovecraft especially seemed disinterested in standing guard. He had his face pressed up against the side of the hut doing who knew what.
It was hard to believe this was the same guy who had helped slaughter his subordinates. Then again, Dazai acted like a fool a lot of the time, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t dangerous.

“What exactly is it you want with Lovecraft?” Verlaine asked. “I can’t imagine you simply want to have a conversation with him.”

Chuuya grimaced. “Someone let Q loose and now the Guild has them. I’ve tracked their location to here.” He was silent for a moment. “Lovecraft and his partner killed several of my men in the process of capturing Q. “

His fists tightened at his side, the memory of his subordinates corpses still fresh in his mind. It was a good thing he didn’t dream, or he knew he would be having nightmares.

“I’m sorry,” Verlaine said, giving Chuuya’s shoulder a comforting squeeze.

Chuuya knew that his brother didn’t actually care specifically about the fact that his subordinate had died, just the fact that it had upset Chuuya. He was grateful for Verlaine’s sympathy regardless, but sometimes he worried about his brother’s lack of attachments.

Aside from himself, Rimbaud and some of the ghosts that had been around long term, Chuuya didn’t know of anyone else his brother actually cared about. How exactly he was supposed to get his brother to make other friends though, Chuuya didn’t know.

“Is no one else in the mafia concerned about Q’s capture?” Verlaine asked suddenly and Chuuya gave him a confused look.

“Of course they are, it's put everyone in a panic.”

Verlaine looked surprised. “Oh really? How strange, I thought they must not care since there wasn’t any back up with you.”

There was an audible bite in Verlaine’s tone that had Chuuya letting out an annoyed sigh. His brother was doing that thing again where he automatically assumed the worst of everyone around Chuuya. That was going to have to be nipped in the bud.

“That was my choice.” Chuuya informed his brother. “There’s no one else in the mafia who would stand a chance against Lovecraft, I’m not bringing people along just to get them killed.”

He decided not to mention that he’d basically snuck out in order to avoid having anyone sent with him, Verlaine didn’t need to know that.

“They are pathetically weak.” Verlaine agreed, because of course he couldn’t avoid being petty when it came to the mafia. “Still you could have at least brought along that traitor Dazai, so you could use Corruption. Or did you spend too much time with him and pick up his suicidal tendencies?”

“I hadn’t even decided for sure if I was going to start a fight yet…” Chuuya grumbled. He had still been observing the situation. “And Dazai’s needed elsewhere.”

It wasn’t like Verlaine had ever even liked Chuuya working with Dazai to begin with, he was clearly just being pedantic about Chuuya’s choices.

“Besides, you’re here now. So he’s hardly needed.”

While it was true that Chuuya had no ability to shut off Corruption on his own, Dazai’s nullification wasn’t the only way to shut it down like people tended to assume. Verlaine could stop it too.

Chuuya offered his brother a sharp grin. “It’s been a while since we’ve fought together, are you up to it?”

Verlaine returned the smile. “I think I can handle that.”

Chapter Text

Verlaine had raised Chuuya to be polite, which was why Chuuya made sure that as he entered the clearing, he announced his presence to the Guild members. And if said announcement consisted of him slamming into Steinbeck feet first? Well, Verlaine tended to have different ideas of what was polite then some people.

As Steinbeck was sent crashing across the ground and through the treeline, the Guild minions who were helping guard the area stared at Chuuya in shock. To their credit though, they did recover quickly and get their guns pointed at Chuuya. Unfortunately, it didn't help them.

The ground beneath Chuuya cracked as he channeled his ability through it and towards the legs of the Guild members, slamming them down into the ground with a sickening crunch. Their screams of pain echoed through the clearing, but Chuuya paid them no heed as he turned his attention towards the only person still standing.

Lovecraft.

The long haired man stared at Chuuya for a long moment, blinking slowly. After a moment he let out a sigh. “I want to go home already,” He muttered, “I’ll have to finish this quickly.”

His left arm turned into a tentacle, and he lashed out at Chuuya with surprising speed given his lethargic appearance. As it approached him, Chuuya activated his ability and lightened the tentacle as he made contact, punching it away.

Lovecraft didn’t seem particularly phased by his attack being deflected and simply lashed out again. And like before Chuuya easily hit away. This time though, he didn’t wait for Lovecraft to attack again and lunged forward with great speed, using a tentacle as a foothold to jump into the air and slam down with great force back onto it, ripping it free from Lovecraft’s body.

There was nothing in Lovecraft’s expression that said he was particularly fazed by have one of his limbs torn off, but he did stumble backwards slightly from the force.

“You’re Nakahara Chuuya,” A voice from to the side of him, had Chuuya dividing his attention, glancing slightly to the side while the majority of his focus stayed on Lovecraft. His body was strong, so he probably could survive being hit by Lovecraft, but it would hurt and he really didn’t need to add more pain into his life.

Steinbeck had remarkably managed to get up from where Chuuya had kicked him and limp back over to the clearing, though he was clearly worse for the wear. His clothes were dirty and torn in places, and he was bleeding from several scratches.

Still, he could walk, so obviously Chuuya hadn’t kicked him hard enough.

“You’re the strongest fighter in the Port Mafia,” Steinbeck continued, clearly well aware of Chuuya’s identity. “It doesn’t matter though, you were a fool to come here alone.”
While Chuuya was sure that Steinbeck must have some inkling of Lovecraft’s true strength given they were partners, he still thought that was a pretty bold thing to say when the man looked like he’d lost a fight with a bush and Lovecraft was down an arm. Meanwhile Chuuya was still in pristine condition.

“And what makes you think he’s alone?” Befitting his dramatic nature, Verlaine chose that moment to enter the fight, crushing Steinbeck into the ground. Chuuya heard an audible snap as something broke, perhaps a limb, perhaps his ribs.

Chuuya didn’t really care what.

His foot digging into Steinbeck’s back and keeping him pressed to the ground —a wholly unnecessary action, given he could easily do the same with his ability— Verlaine glanced at Chuuya.

“Do you need him alive?” He asked, and Chuuya took a moment to think, still watching Lovecraft, who stared back at him.

“Keep him alive for now, we might need to question him later.” Chuuya instructed, “But make sure he can’t escape.”

“That can be arranged.” Verlaine said with a small smile, as he stepped back off Steinbeck. “Arthur, if you would do the honors.”

The familiar sight of Rimbaud’s ability appeared around Steinbeck. Although ghosts usually couldn’t do much to the living unless they were incredibly strong, it was a bit different with the ghosts of ability users. Although it would never be as strong as when they were alive, they could still use their abilities.

Of course for some ghosts that wasn’t much help. Miyu, for example, had the ability to alter any photograph she touched. Unfortunately as a ghost she couldn’t actually touch anything unless someone like Chuuya or Verlaine was holding it for her, so it was rare for it to be useful.

Rimbaud’s subspace on the other hand, while weaker than when he’d been alive, was still plenty useful. It probably wouldn’t hold up against Lovecraft, but Steinbeck wouldn’t be going anywhere.

For the first time that night, Lovecraft showed an expression besides lethargy. His eyes flickered between Chuuya and Verlaine, a hint of surprise in them.

“You can see the dead.” He said, his tone considering. “That’s uncommon.”

“As can you.” Chuuya pointed out, a hand on his hip as he gave Lovecraft a challenging look. Just daring him to admit that he wasn’t human, to figure out that Verlaine and Chuuya weren’t as well.

All Lovecraft did however was tilt his head slightly to the side. “How interesting. Alas, I have made a contract, so I must defeat you.”

Chuuya grinned, teeth sharp and eyes burning with anger. He was more than ready to avenge his fallen subordinates. “Just you try.”

He had barely finished speaking when a tentacle came flying towards him and he had to dodge out of the way. Out of the corner of his eye he could see the tentacle that he had ripped off regrowing and let out an annoyed huff. While he had figured something like that might happen, it was still frustrating.

More and more tentacles grew from Lovecraft and while it was hardly enough to overwhelm Chuuya, it kept him constantly moving.

As Chuuya batted away another tentacle, Verlaine came from Lovecraft’s blind spot, his hand punching a hole through his chest and pushing him face first into the ground. For a moment Lovecraft just lay there, and Chuuya and Verlaine exchanged a glance.

There was no way it was that easy, right?

Sure enough, after only a few seconds had passed, Lovecraft stood again. His body bent at angles that a human’s shouldn’t as he straightened up. “Hmm, you’re stronger than I thought.” He murmured, though it was hard for Chuuya to tell if he was addressing them or just talking to himself. “Seems I’ll have to work harder.”

He sounded very put out by the idea of it.

His form began to bubble and expanded, flesh changing color and turning rubbery. Soon what stood before Chuuya and Verlaine was no longer a man, but a giant tentecled…thing. There were a pair of wings on his back, and Chuuya found himself hoping they didn’t actually work.

It could easily cause trouble if Lovecraft was able to fly away in the form.

Chuuya shot a glance at Verlaine, who had backed away from Lovecraft. He knew it wasn’t out of fear, his brother was simply giving himself more room to observe the situation with.

“Any idea what he is?” Chuuya asked. It would be nice to have some hint as to what his weakness was,

Verlaine frowned. “I feel like I’ve heard of some being like this before, but I don’t remember the details.”

Chuuya let out a sigh. It was surprisingly hard to find information on supernatural beings, or at least accurate information. There were plenty of stories, but most of them were either entirely made up or had been embellished heavily over the years.

Even the two of them lacked a lot of information about Arahabaki and Guivre, despite having them sealed in their bodies.

“Looks like we have to do this the hard way.” Chuuya said, and Verlaine’s lips pressed into a thin line.

“It seems that way.” He agreed. “You plan to use Corruption then?”

Chuuya knew that his brother had mixed feelings about Corruption. He wasn’t against Chuuya using it precisely, but he knew the harm that it did to Chuuya’s body and didn’t approve of how often the mafia had him use it. This was a situation that called for it though.

Having Verlaine there would make things slightly safer at least.

While Dazai’s nullification was an effective way to shut down Corruption, it was basically the equivalent of pulling the plug on something without properly shutting it down. There tended to be backlash on Chuuya’s body.

Verlaine on the other hand, shut Corruption down using the codes Chuuya had been programmed with when he was created. It did nothing to stop Corruption from destroying Chuuya’s body while in use, but there was no additional harm when it ended.

“Let's just get this over with.” Chuuya said, slowly stripping his gloves off his hands and tossing them to the side. Where they'd end up in the midst of the fight was anyone's guess, but he had plenty more at home if they were lost.

Taking a step forward towards Lovecraft, Chuuya began to chant in his head.

‘Oh Granters of Dark Disgrace, do not wake me again.’

The world around Chuuya was jerked away, replaced by an oppressive darkness that seemed determined to suffocate him. He wasn't alone there though, he could feel the heat of Arahabaki surrounding him, almost as if the god was breathing down his neck.

For as long as Corruption was active, Chuuya was just as trapped here as him. Two prisoners in a cage meant for one.

Thankfully, Arahabaki didn't seem to mind sharing. Or at least Chuuya assumed so, it wasn't like he paid much attention to Chuuya at times like these.

With the singularity that helped keep him contained temporarily in control of Chuuya’s body, its hold on Arahabaki was temporarily loosened and the god knew it.

There was no actual chance of him escaping just because of Corruption, but that didn't keep him from slamming himself against the metaphorical bats of his enclosure. Unfortunately each time he did so it caused more damage to Chuuya’s body.

Chuuya doubted that the god was even aware of that though, nor did he know if would change a thing were he to realize it.
Over the years that the two of them had been bound together, there were times that Arahabaki had protected him. It had always been from things like mental attacks though, so it was likely just a reflex towards an invasion on the gods' part; he'd never done anything to help in an actual fight.

It would be nice though for them to be a little bit more on the same page, they would be together until Chuuya died after all.

As Arahabaki slammed against the barrier once again, Chuuya let out a gasp of pain. Although he remained unaware of his surroundings while using Corruption, that didn’t mean he’d lost all his senses. Chuuya could still feel the blood running down his face, could still taste the iron in his mouth, could still feel the agonizing pull of his body being torn apart.

Dazai had once joked with Chuuya when they were younger, saying it must be nice to just black out and not have to worry about the fight, but there was never any peace to be found when he used Corruption.

Suddenly there was a tug at Chuuya’s consciousness and the blurry sight of the clearing was once again visible before his eyes. It took a moment for his vision to become clear somewhat, but when it did he could see Lovecraft still in front of him.

“Why…did you stop me?” He asked Verlaine, around a mouthful of blood. It dripped out his mouth with each word spoken, coating his chin and staining the collar of his shirt red.

His brother’s hand was gripped tight on his shoulder, and he clenched even tighter as Chuuya swayed slightly, struggling to stay upright. Every breath made his chest ache.

Chuuya had a vague sense of how much time had passed since he’d activated Corruption, and he hadn’t reached his limit yet. With the enemy not yet defeated either, he didn’t know why Verlaine would end things already.

“It’s not working." Verlaine said grimly, his eyes fixed on Lovecraft, on the clearing, on any place that wasn’t Chuuya’s bloodstained face. “He just regenerates from any damage you do.”

Chuuya squinted at Lovecraft, his vision still wasn’t entirely back to normal, but he could still tell there was no sign of injuries.

“Well fuck.”

Chuuya spat out another mouthful of blood. This was the first time he’d encountered something like this, normally Corruption was enough to wipe out anything that stood in his way.

It was possible though that it wasn’t that Corruption was too weak, but that Chuuya’s brute force approach wasn’t the right approach. Even a monster like Lovecraft had to have a weakness, everything did. Even Arahabaki.

Not that Chuuya knew what it was, but it had to exist. Otherwise how would the scientists have managed to capture him.

Slumping slightly against his brother, Chuuya let out a wet sounding sigh. It was hard to think clearly right now, he didn’t think he could manage to figure out what weakness Lovecraft might have.

“We’ll have to try something more destructive.” Chuuya rasped out, and Verlaine whipped around his head to stare at him, eyes wide.

“Absolutly not.” He told Chuuya, his voice stern. “You’re not going to call on Arahabaki’s power.”

He was using his older brother tone, the one that was supposed to make Chuuya shut up and listen to him. Unfortunately fifteen years of being brothers had left Chuuya mostly immune to it, especially when he was feeling stubborn.

“Do you have a better solution?” Chuuya asked. He knew his brother didn’t, or he would have mentioned it by now.

Verlaine looked vexed by the fact that Chuuya wasn’t just blindly following his order, but it was softened by the obvious concern in his eyes. “Chuuya, your body is already damaged from using Corruption. You’ve never used Arahabaki in a fight before, and based on the little we tested it, it causes you much more harm.”

His grip on Chuuya’s shoulder tightened, as if by holding tight enough he could keep Chuuya from making what he considered a terrible decision. And maybe it could. While if he used Arahabaki’s power he would be able to temporarily ignore the way his body was screaming at him, the fact was that without it he was currently very weak.

If it wasn’t for the fact that he was leaning on his brother for support, Chuuya didn’t know if he would be able to remain standing.

“I have no choice.” Chuuya said, trying to keep his voice firm. He didn’t think he succeeded though, it was hard to sound firm around mouthfuls of blood. “Even if I didn’t need to retrieve Q, I can’t just leave Lovecraft roaming around.”

The man, or whatever he was, was too dangerous. He couldn’t be allowed to stay in Yokohama.

“You could die.” Verlaine’s voice was soft, and that more than anything told Chuuya just how worried he was.

“I know.” Chuuya acknowledged. “But I have to take the chance. Besides…” He gave Verlaine a bloodstained grin, “You’re the one who always tells me to live how I want to live and destroy what I want to destroy. Well right now what I want to destroy is Lovecraft!”

There was another part to what Verlaine said as well. That all he and Chuuya needed to do in life was to have not been born. That their existence was a sin. He was right of course, people like them weren’t natural.

If that was the case, then perhaps it would be alright if he did die.

That didn’t mean that he was seeking death or anything, but he could accept it if it came. Verlaine probably couldn’t though, so Chuuya would prefer to stay alive.

Verlaine was silent for a long moment, his expression pinched. Chuuya knew he didn’t like what had been said, but what could he do when his own words had been thrown back at him. Was he going to take back what he’d been telling Chuuya all these years?

“....twenty seconds.” Verlaine said finally, looking as if he had to force the words out. “I’ll give you twenty seconds. If you can’t defeat Lovecraft in that time then I’m shutting things down and we’re leaving, regardless of what’s happening with Lovecraft or Q.”

Twenty seconds, that… was actually rather generous. It would probably be about the limit of what his body could handle anyway.

“Agreed.” Chuuya said, before taking a deep breath. He might be trying to seem confident, but he was actually quite nervous.

As far as the mafia knew, Corruption was the true form of Chuuya’s ability and his ultimate trump card. And they were partially right. Corruption was the true form of the singularity that made up Chuuya’s Ability, but it was hardly Chuuya’s final move. That was Arahabaki.

He had only drawn upon Arahabaki’s power once, or perhaps twice if he counted his escape from the lab, and it had only been for a few seconds. Just long enough for Verlaine to determine if the codes he’d implemented to allow him to shut things down at touch, actually worked.

They hadn’t known at the time if Corruption or Arahabaki’s power would ever be used, but in case of an emergency they had known it would be quicker and safer the having to use the chant to shut it down.

Even a few seconds had made clear just how dangerous Arahabaki’s power was though. Both to others and to Chuuya himself.

Taking a deep breath, and fighting back a grimace as doing so sent blood flowing back down his throat, Chuuya began to chant in his head.

‘Hardened, the heart is oblivious to the world and words fall silent on the soul.’

As he thought the words, the gate that held back Arahabaki’s power opened a crack and the god’s power began to seep out, dying Chuuya’s world in shades of red.
The feel of using Arahabaki’s power was different from using Corruption. Corruption directly channeled to power of the singularity, overpowering Chuuya’s mind and keeping him trapped. But Arahabaki’s power was filtered through the singularity, allowing out enough to be useful but not so much that it totally overtook Chuuya.

It still distorted Chuuya’s awareness, but it felt more like a drowning man trying to see the shore, then being trapped in a sealed room.

Arahabaki was still a constant howling in the back of his head, and there was no way Chuuya would be able to hold a conversation in that state, but he was at least aware enough of his surroundings that he could choose who he was attacking. There was no danger to Chuuya’s allies in that state, only to himself.

Spitting out a mouthful of blood onto the ground, the combination of his existing wounds mixing with the new damage that was already being caused, Chuuya lunged towards Lovecraft.

Black flames wreathed around Chuuya’s feet and wrists as he kicked off the ground and shot up into the air. Although there was no mirror to see himself in, Chuuya knew from his brother’s description in the past that his sclera had likely turned pitch black, and he could feel the way his canines had grown even sharper than they already were.

The influence that Arahabaki had on Chuuya when he was using his power, was hardly limited to only mental. It should revert back once he was done though, and if not?

Well, Chuuya supposed he’d be investing in some colored contacts.

As Chuuya slammed down towards the ground where Lovecraft’s head was, the monster suddenly moved. Not to attack or dodge, but to return to his human form. His smaller size placed him just outside the range on Chuuya’s attack, and his long hair fluttered slightly as from the force Chuuya hit the ground with.

As Lovecraft and Chuuya stared at each other, Verlaine darted forward, once again placing his hand on Chuuya’s shoulder and shutting down the power coursing through his brother’s veins.

As the gate on Arahabaki’s power closed again, the first sight that Chuuya could see clearly, as the look of surprise and nostalgia in Lovecraft’s eyes.

“You are Arahabaki.” He said.

“...Not exactly.” Chuuya rasped out, eyeing Lovecraft warily. Although it seemed like he had no desire to attack anymore, Chuuya wasn’t ready to let his guard down quite yet. “It’s complicated.”

He leaned against Verlaine slightly, his legs threatening to collapse beneath him. Chuuya knew he wouldn’t be able to stay conscious much longer, and while he trusted his brother to be able to handle things, he’d still rather wrap this up first.

Lovecraft tilted his head to the side, more than a human would be able to. “Everything about you seems complicated.”

Well, it wasn’t like he was wrong. Still Chuuya felt annoyed at having a stranger point it out.

“Whether you're Arahabaki or not, you clearly bear his mark. Given our non aggression pact it wouldn’t be right of us to fight.”

Chuuya blinked, shooting Verlaine a confused glance out of the corner of his eye, but his brother’s expression held no answers. He seemed just as confused as Chuuya was.

A non aggression pact? Chuuya hadn’t even known that Arahabaki had the intelligence to do something like that. There was a lot that he still didn’t know about the god sealed inside of him, but Chuuya hadn’t realized how much he’d underestimated Arahabaki.

If the god was capable of that level of thought though, why had he never shown it? Had something been damaged when he had been sealed away?

It was a question that Chuuya really wanted to ask Lovecraft, but he knew he was in no shape to have that conversation right now. Lovecraft seemed to know it too. “You seem unwell,” He told Chuuya, watching the blood that dripped from Chuuya’s mouth and eyes. “Perhaps we should continue this conversation another time?”

If Lovecraft was offering to postpone the conversation to another day, then Chuuya would gladly take him up on it. Unfortunately Chuuya’s mouth was a little too full of blood at the moment to say that. Thankfully his brother always had his back.

“Another day then.” Verlaine told Lovecraft, shifting slightly so that more of Chuuya’s weight could rest on him. Chuuya could sense the tension in his brother’s body and knew that his brother wasn’t happy at just letting Lovecraft go like that after Chuuya had damaged his body so much to defeat him. He would though, for the sake of getting Chuuya answers.

As Lovecraft turned to leave, Verlaine called out after him. “And Lovecraft?” The man stopped, twisting his torso back around to face Verlaine. “It would be appreciated if you would stay quiet about Arahabaki.”

Lovecraft stared at him a moment, blinking slowly. “ I am not known for being talkative.” He said finally, the slightest hint of a smile on his lips.

As soon as Lovecraft was out of sight, all the adrenaline that had been keeping Chuuya going seemed to desert his body and he collapsed to his knees like a puppet whose strings had been cut. His body shook as cough after cough escaped his lungs, expelling so much blood that Chuuya was sure there couldn’t be much left in his body.

And yet it kept coming, from his eyes, from his mouth, from his ears and nose. The bleeding never lasted this long after using Corruption, it was clear just how much higher the price for borrowing Arahabaki’s power was.

“Chuuya!” Verlaine’s voice was panicked as Chuuya began to tilt forward, only stopped from faceplanting due to Verlaine steadying him.

“I’m fine, V.” Chuuya slurred. He wanted to give his brother a reassuring smile, but he couldn’t summon the strength to lift his head to do so. Instead he let himself slump sideways, trusting Verlaine to catch him. “Just need to rest.”

He felt Verlaine’s fingers gently carding through his hair, a gentle touch he remembered from childhood. Verlaine hadn’t known how to raise a child, but he had still been there whenever Chuuya’s memories of the lab had haunted him, his fingers in Chuuya’s hair and steady heartbeat sounding in Chuuya’s ears.

And what was the pain that Chuuya was in now, if not a nightmare he could never fully escape from.

“You pushed yourself too hard this time,” Verlaine told Chuuya, a shake to his voice that he couldn’t hide. Not from Chuuya. “You’re not immortal, you know?”

“That we know of.” Chuuya said, trying for a joke. His voice was too rough for it to really land though. “Don’t worry, not planning on making a habit of it.” He would be perfectly happy if he never had to use Arahabaki’s power again, not only was he in agony, it was going to be difficult to explain his injuries to Mori.

This wasn’t going to heal in a day after all.

Which meant he might have to throw Verlaine under the bus. With his brother’s permission, of course.

“Can you get Q?” Chuuya asked, throat raw and protesting with every word. “I think I’m going to pass out.”

He didn’t know what had been done to enable the Guild to tap into Q’s ability, but it couldn’t be pleasant. Chuuya didn’t want to leave a child in that situation any longer than necessary.

Verlaine let out a long sigh, obviously frustrated by Chuuya’s insistence on worrying about others when he was suffering himself. Chuuya knew he would do it though.

“Just rest, Chuuya.” Verlaine told him, and feeling reassured, Chuuya let the darkness take him.