Chapter Text
Everything bad begins with a beginning, but then again, everything bad comes to an end. That end had run tightly close, it felt almost impossible to have happened. It was all so questionable, unexplainable, difficult to put into words. The end led to the signal reaching out to all of the Agency members to be called to their meeting point.
One by one people began to file into the Agency headquarters as they all looked tired, beat, and restless. Each looking for the familiar faces around the room as they made way to sit down at the makeshift table of all the private desks pushed together.
Over the span of two hours most of the agency arrived; Kunikida, Kyouka, Yosano, Ranpo, and Kenji. More or less they had all been sitting there for an extra half hour until Atsushi arrived with a rough and despairful look on his face, if anyone in that room hadn’t caught onto the expression the weretiger was holding, one would have sprung up with a greeting of relief that he was okay. But there was no greeting. No half witted smile. Nothing. Everyone held their breaths as they waited to hear what was to be said.
Atsushi sat down in one of the seats in silence as he tried to think of what to say. It wasn’t anything he felt comfortable or even capable of saying even if he wanted to. But it had to be addressed, no excuses or destroyed book could save them now.
“Fukuzawa won’t be arriving, neither will Dazai.” He announced after a long while of the unsteady beings sitting quietly in anticipation. Such a vocal expression was one that everyone had been waiting for, it was as if something was to be expected. They all knew Yosano was not able to hop from place to place to save everyone during this tiresome war.
“Don’t say that.” A voice at the farthest end of the table spoke quietly but it didn’t pass by the bite and tone.
“Ranpo…” Yosano spoke with a voice barely over a whisper as everyone’s attention turned towards the male. But hastily he retaliated such looks of sympathy as he stood and muttered incoherent words. Nobody dared to say anything, they knew better than to do so. One wrong word could disrupt everything so dreadful, and make it even more so. All anyone could do was watch as the famous detective kept his head down as he made his way out of the agency, door slamming shut behind him as his heavy footsteps came down the stairs.
It had been much longer of this grim silence before quietly Kunikida spoke up. “So… I guess this is it.” His voice held empty of value and perseverance unlike it usually did. Such a thing really helped set reality into digestion, this *was* it. There was no Osamu Dazai to set in motion a ridiculously technical plan to save them all. No Yukichi Fukuzawa to keep Atsushi’s ability underwraps, most importantly, no Fukuzawa to hold the Agency’s license. Not that they would have been able to keep it after this all nonetheless.
“I guess so.” Yosano responded, nodding softly with a shake of her head. Everyone stood slowly each at a time, it we’re as if they were savoring these moments. After all, these could be the last. They had already lost Dazai and Fukuzawa to death, and Tanizaki to the Port Mafia; there wasn’t anything that they could do without risking the safety of the rest.
“It’s been an honor working with you guys, thank you for giving me the chance to call you all my friends.” A voice interjected, it was meant to be sweet, truly, but it only added to the unsteady emotions of all.
“Yeah, thank you guys. I wouldn’t be anywhere without you all.” Atsushi’s voice followed after Kenji’s. The elders of the group (Yosano and Kunikida), had no clue what to say. They had been well expecting a moment just like this, but never like this, never this early. Every heartstring that was never meant to be touched, never to be pulled, they each felt yanked. Not a normal yank, one that was in slow-motion, as if it were grasping at throats, pulling at minds and eyes, stirring a deep and unforgettable pain that couldn’t be fixed.
For it wasn’t just a boss and coworkers they lost that day. It was deep rooted friends, and a father, to some at least.
“Excuse me, but..” Kyouka took a deep breath as everyone’s saddened stares turned towards her, waiting patiently. “I didn’t get to be here that long, and that denied me the chance of getting to know you guys as well as you know each other. But, I’m grateful I got the chance to call this place my home. It really was beautiful.”
It wasn’t undeniable, the uncontrollable downhearted smiles that reached everyone’s faces as they agreed, even if they were incapable of the words to do so. But, that just leads to it. The end. There was nothing left to say, nothing left to do, nobody to save. Each person took their time leaving the building on their own terms, normally it would have been awkward to be standing in a room with other people in quietude, but it wasn’t something anyone cared for. They had only been trying to surround themselves with the last hopes of someone coming up with some plan to turn this all around. But nobody could utter a word.
Finally, Yosano was the last in the building. She stood right where she was for some time before she took her time walking towards the president's office. There was not much she could do there anymore, only looking around the room whilst reaching into the top drawer, grabbing the spare keys to the building. If it was up to her, nobody was stepping foot into this office. It once was and always will be Yukichi Fukuzawa’s office. This building would always be home. She locked each door as she walked out and made her way down the stairs.
And that was it. From then on, the Armed Detective Agency would be no more.