Chapter Text
The sky was a dull and tasteless grey as the thick clouds rolled over the earth like a blanket. The wind blowing through the city was cold and bitter as it slipped in and out of the broken down buildings.
The shattered glass of windows littered the street, covering the asphalt in a layer of what looked almost like salt.
Chuuya snarled as he kicked a stray can, the aluminum crunching loudly as it clattered on the ground. The wind picked up harshly, whipping through his red hair.
"Chuuya, when can we take a break? That storm is getting closer and we still need a place to lay low, and we'll starve to death before the week is over!" Shirase said, running a hand over his face as he limped a few feet away.
The red-head paused his steps on the cracked road, looking over the totaled cars in their path. It was his duty to find them food and shelter, but it was getting really hard to do his job when all they did was complain.
"Well do you see anywhere to take shelter? Cause all I see is a fucked up city, where the hell are we supposed to sleep in a place like this?" Chuuya bit out, he didn't want to admit it, but he himself was getting worried about the storm.
He and the Sheep had been tracking it for a while, attempting to stay ahead of it by staying on the move, but every time they looked into the distance over the horizon the dark black clouds thundered in the heavens. They could hear the thundering booms of lightening late at night, it was a slow storm, for which they were thankful for, but its crackling of looming danger basically hung over their heads.
He heard a few of the Sheep let out groans of annoyance, and he started walking again, this time clearing a path from the recked cars by touching them and flinging them to the side carefully. If they really needed to, he didn't want to end up destroying possible resting areas in the abandoned buildings.
About a year ago the world had come to an end.
Well, not literally, but it was basically the same thing as horrified news reporters screamed in terror on the front lines as the first waves of the wretched creatures attacked.
Chuuya could still remember the screens plastered on the white walls broadcasting the live feed of the chaotic streets as Rimbaud yanked him around the hallways frantically. The way the older man threw too big clothes onto his younger self and hid him in a supply closet, giving him instructions not to come out until it was completely quiet.
That was when Chuuya had been able to escape the facility, when the other Sheep members raided the empty building a few days after things went quiet and Chuuya had been too exhausted to leave. They pulled him out of the supply closet, kicking and screaming that he wasn't going back into the white room.
He had been more than half delirious at that point, and he was on day four without food.
The other kids his age tried to calm him down, and when they finally pinned him his skin turned a violent shade of red as he begun to fling people around. At least, that's what Shirase and Yuan told him after they managed to knock him out and he woke up a day later.
They had given him food and dragged him out of the torn down facility, giving him something to call his own. He was grateful for their trust in him as he led them through the city, without the Sheep he probably would've died of hunger.
"Chuuya! Can we take shelter in that store over there? We can continue in the morning, it's getting late and I don't know if all of us could make it any further right now."
Chuuya put a little more force into pushing a pick up truck to the side, the rusted metal of it succumbing to gravity as it is crushed and shoved onto the sidewalk. He didn't want the others to fall out if they needed to run, but they also couldn't just rest whenever they felt tired.
This city would be a bitch to get through if a hoard decided to make it's way here.
He sighed begrudgingly, he needed to think of the Sheep's wellbeing, not just on surviving.
"Fine, we'll rest there for the night," Every began to celebrate, "But," He cut them off, their faces dropping.
"I'm going out to scout, so you guys stay hidden since you want to hide out so bad."
Shirase scoffed as he flung an arm around Chuuya's shoulder, "Whatever you say man, just be back before night falls or else we'll assume you got fucking eaten or something."
Chuuya smirked, "You think those motherfuckers could kill me? Yeah right, have some faith in me!" he said as he pushed the other boy off him, shoving him playfully in the direction of the semi held together store.
He gave the other members a smile, "Save me some toothpaste if you find any! And I call dibs on the packaged rice bowls!" He pointed at Yuan as he said that, trusting that the girl would save him some of the food.
"Stay safe!" The pink haired girl called out as she ushered in the Sheep members, careful to help those with walking sticks as the hobbled inside.
"Yeah, yeah, I'll be back soon."
And with that he took off walking down the streets again, this time not bothering to clear a path since he was on his own. Using his ability he bounded from the roofs of vehicle to vehicle, allowing gravity to boost him back up as the machines beneath his feet crunched under the weight of his shoes.
It was always exhilarating to let himself roam freely on his own without having to leave someone behind, so he jumped to a nearby window ledge and balanced himself by holding onto the frame with a gloved hand. The glass shards sticking out of the sill were brushed away by his boot as he slipped inside of the apartment, landing softly on the stained carpet below.
He looked around for a moment, trying to find anything of value but came up with nothing, usually Yuan was better at determining what was useful as she actually lived in the outside world before the end of it.
He huffed out a breath as he roamed around the living space, nudging at the couches with a boot and gently pulling some books off the shelves to look at them. Verlaine had taught him how to read, but there weren't too many books that a child could read in the facility, so his vocabulary was limited unless he decided to crack open some stray biology book and look at the human anatomy.
He placed the book in his hands back on the shelf, mindful of the dust and other covers. As he was turning to jump back out of the window—now bored of this apartment since there was nothing of interest—he heard a faint creaking noise.
Frozen in his tracks, Chuuya willed his breathing to be quite as he listened to the sounds of ragged breathing reached his ears. Stepping lightly on the carpeted floors, he maneuvered around the furniture and reached for a door handle, readying himself for anything that could just out.
He twisted the knob and slowly pushed the door open to reveal a gruesome sight. Blood splattered the walls in an ugly red that turned brown over time, and clothes and blankets were strewn across the chairs and bed.
In the center of the room was two bodies, both gagged and bound to each other as their arms were wrapped tightly, almost as if they were mimicking a hug. Cold, dead eyes stared up at Chuuya, and he felt nothing but disgust as he moved forward and stomped on each of the creatures heads, sending scraps of skin flying with the force.
The groaning noises ceased immediately now that the heads were caved in, jaws no longer intact with the skull as teeth broke off with a sickening crack.
People who were bitten were destined to die, and it was really just common curtesy to put them out of their misery.
Chuuya shook his boot off and went back into the other room, closing the door behind him and launching himself out of the window. He didn't want to be stuck in suck a small area any longer.
As he landed on the hood of a van something in the distance caught his eye, it was a flashing light that disappeared behind a building.
Suddenly, Chuuya sent himself flying as soundless as he could, the edges of his jacket flying behind him in the wind as it whooshed through the city. He landed with his hands still in his pocket, balancing effortlessly on the top of a streetlight as he craned his head to look for the light again.
The sky grew darker as he observed his surroundings, and just as he was about to turn around to go look for the Sheep, he heard a clang.
Head whipping towards the sound he flung his body to the side of a brick structure, hands slowly slipping out of his pockets as he crawled along the surface. He was excited to see what would happed as he poked his head around the corner and saw a body moving through an alleyway.
Bingo.
He propelled himself off the wall and onto the roof in front of him, keeping his eyes trained on the person walking around the minefield of knocked over trashcans and broken bottles.
He followed the man—which he had concluded after the person cursed loudly from a stray cat darting out—for a good ten minutes until he stopped outside of some shady looking door at the bottom of a large and fairly well looking building. To be fair though, everything was shady, and as he rapped his knuckles on the metal door a loud sound boomed above.
Both Chuuya and the man jumped at the unexpected noise and droplets of rain began to trickle down from the sky.
Dammit, I said I would be back soon but I won't make it if starts storming so soon. I'll have to take cover somewhere...
He sucked in a breath as the door swung open and a dark haired man stood in the doorway. In the low lighting Chuuya couldn't quite make out what either of the men looked like, but he could see the reddish shade of wild hair blowing in the heavy breeze.
"Ango, what are you doing out here so late?"
The man in the door said, voice deep and husky as if he had been smoking for a while, and the sound of it was faint in the rain. Chuuya knew a man who smoked once, he always smelt like the filthy smoke and his voice was all crackly. He wasn't a very nice man when he came into Chuuya's room to ask him questions.
"It's good to see you too, Odasaku. I was just grabbing something from the store a mile or two away, Dazai wanted some more supplies for him and Elise, but the rain start. So, can you let me in now?" The man dubbed Ango replied, his voice was slightly shaky from the cold that was creeping into the air, and Chuuya almost didn't hear him.
He let out a thoughtful hum—which was lost to the roaring storm—as he considered what to do next. He could very well ask the two men for a place to wait out the storm for a while, and they didn't seem too bad if one of them was simply going to get some supplies. He crouched down low on the roof, getting ready to jump when the man in the shot his head up, eyes locking on Chuuya's seconds before he jumped.
Out of surprise, Chuuya almost botched the landing, but caught himself seconds before he landed on the ground about three stories below him.
The man with glasses—Ango—swirled around quickly and pulled out some sort of black device which glinted as the sky lit up with a crackle.
"Who are you? What business do you have to follow me here?"
The other man, Odasaku, stayed still with his eyes still trained on Chuuya, and the boy stood from where he landed. He slipped his hands into his pockets and watched as Ango gave him a weird look.
"Hello."
He said, raising his voice to be heard over the pouring rain which soaked his jacket, making the fabric of his shirt and pants sit uncomfortable against his skin.
Just as he was about to continue, Chuuya heard something clatter behind him, and turned around quickly to see a few straggling creatures come around the street corner and into the alleyway. Without sparing a glance at the two men behind him he kicked his boot out at a few broken bottles and watched as they rose into the air with a gentle red glow.
They shot out over the distance and jabbed into the heads of the decomposing bodies, sending dark oozing blood into the street to mix with the rain on the asphalt as the lifeless bags of flesh collapsed. There were only three of them, and with them all taken care of he faced the two living men.
"I was looking for a place to wait out the storm. I'm too far out from my own group to make it in time before the rain gets too bad." He yelled loudly as another flash of thunder deafened overhead.
Ango still held up the sleek black object and Chuuya was honestly beginning to wonder if it actually had a purpose. Perhaps it was a weapon like the bat Shirase used to beat the undead with when he wasn't leaning on it like a walking stick?
He shook the though from his mind, also spraying water from his hair as the hat on his head shifted. He could feel the icy water running down his back so he rolled his shoulders uncomfortably, he really wanted to get out of this rain as soon as possible.
After a few more seconds, Odasaku placed a hand on Ango's shoulder, and the man lowered the possible weapon. Chuuya let out a breathe relief as Odasaku pulled Ango inside and gestured for Chuuya to do the same.
The boy shuffled inside quickly as the rain began to come down harder, and wiped his feet on the mat by the door.
Yuan would always get after him about not wiping his shoes off when he came inside, 'Just cause you never had to do it before doesn't mean you can't do it now! It's rude to walk inside with dirty shoes!' She would say to him, patting down his shoulders to wipe whatever dust she could find off his jacket.
He never really got close to the other Sheep members, it was only really Shirase and Yuan, but he pushed them aside as he took his hat off to brush his hair back. It was getting longer to the point where it would curl behind his ears. He would have to ask Yuan to cut it for him soon, he wasn't used to the length.
Verlaine never let him have his hair long, unlike his own hair which would have a braid and a ponytail, nor like Rimbaud's which would always be draped over his shoulders in waves.
One of the men cleared their throats, and Chuuya looked up.
Ango gave him a strained expression, "Young man, what are you doing outside in the middle of an apocalypse? You should be inside where it is safe, and especially not out in the rain." The man's voice was calm despite his tense posture—though it could've been because of the cold—and glanced over Chuuya's clothes.
"And you're certainly not dressed for this weather!" He scurried off to somewhere unknown, leaving Chuuya to stare up at the tall dark haired man named Odasaku.
It was silent between them as the echoing of rain pounded on the outside walls.
"Soo," Chuuya said, swinging his hat to attempt to dry it before giving up and placing it back on his wet hair, "You're Odasaku?"
The man's gaze hardened for a split second before softening again into something unbothering, and Chuuya's throat closed for half a second.
"Only my friends call me Odasaku, everyone else refers to me as Sakunosuke."
Chuuya smiled a bit, slightly forced but good enough, "Well that's a long name Mr. Sakunosuke."
The tall man only nodded, "And what should we call you?"
"My friends call me Chuuya, but everyone else calls me Nakahara." He didn't mention how he also used to be called A-5158 by nearly everyone back in the facility, but Rimbaud had given him a name, which was then used amongst the Sheep out of formality, the Nakaraha, not the code.
The barest hint of amusement tugged at Sakunosuke's face, and Chuuya jerked his head in the direction the other man went. "And he is?"
"Ango."
Chuuya nodded, pulling his gloves of and shoving them into his pocket as he rubbed his hands together. He was freezing, but he was slowly warming up as he looked around the room at the many drinks and candles lining the wall behind a counter.
"What is this place?" He asked curiously, moving to sit on the stool closest to him as the older man's gaze stayed on him. He honestly had a bit of a staring problem, but Chuuya wasn't about to point that out to the man.
"You're in a bar right now, you can wait out the storm here, but we'll have to report you to the higher ups."
Chuuya twisted so that he sat facing the man and a small scowl covered his expression, "And why is that Mr. Sakunosuke?" He didn't want anyone to trace him back to the Sheep, he didn't want to put any of them in danger if these people he was taking shelter with were dangerous.
"For a few reasons actually." He moved to sit on his own stool a couple meters away from Chuuya, "Since you are an unknown person we have to inform the boss that you stayed here, as it is a security issue. Second, you have an ability, which is incredibly rare considering the fact that the apocalypse has already wiped out over half of the world's population. Usually the boss likes to keep valuable people close to him, hence why me and Ango are here."
Chuuya tensed at the mention of his ability, Shirase always told him to be careful if he didn't want scientist—if they were even still alive—to come after him, and the fact that this man saw him use gravity put him on edge.
"What'll happen if they know about my, ability?" Chuuya said carefully, scooting the slightest bit away from Sakunosuke.
"If you're really powerful then he would give you a place amongst his council after enough training, and if you aren't as powerful then he still gives you a place to stay, you just help do the grunt work. I myself work as a bit of a janitor and an errand boy. It's not always fun but it gives me something to do."
Chuuya relaxed a bit, "You have an ability too?" There was a bit of awe in his voice as he spoke, he hadn't known anyone else with an ability other than Verlaine and Rimbaud, but they never actually used it around him. They only every mentioned it in passing.
Sakunosuke nodded, "To put it simply I can see into the future, which is how I located you."
Chuuya ohhed in understanding, it was an impressive ability, he would admit that.
"And Ango over there is basically a detective with his ability." Sakunosuke said, jabbing a thumb in the direction of the other man as he walked in the room with different clothes on and an armful of soft looking blankets.
The man scowled as if he had heard that same line a million times, "It is nothing like that, I can see the memories of the object I touch, if I wanted to." He set the blankets and a fresh set of clothes on the counter beside Chuuya, who leaned away as the man neared.
"Here are a change of clothes, and when you're done just wrap yourself in the blankets, we don't exactly have a heater here." Ango said with a polite smile, Chuuya didn't exactly trust the man with the glasses.
"Okay." Chuuya grabbed the clothes and hopped off the stool, looking at Ango.
"You can change in that restroom over there, and you can hang you jacket on the chairs over here. I don't think you'll want to keep that shirt, looks pretty worn down."
Worn down? Shirase gave him these clothes so there was no way he was gonna get rid of them. He gave an offended look before disappearing out of sight. Screw these weirdos and their funky instructions, and if he hesitated on folding his old clothes after putting the new ones on then no one would ever know.
He stepped back into the bar area in a whole new outfit, hair somewhat dry as he had taken a few paper towels to dry it.
The long sleeve shirt Ango had given him was way too big but soft on his skin, and the very baggy pants he now wore—along with the underwear which was slightly too big, but he ignored it—was very comfortable. He had never really worn anything so soft before, and when he placed his folded clothes beside the pile of folded blankets, Ango shot forward and threw a heavy dark grey one over his shoulders.
Sakunosuke let out a short low, deep chuckle as Ango wrapped Chuuya up, who tried so hard not to smash the older man's face in for being in his personal space.
"You'll have to forgive me for being so overbearing young man, but I cannot stand to see children not being taken care of."
"I ain't a child Mr. Ango." Chuuya spat out as he sat on the floor, pulling the blankets around his body tighter, enjoying the warmth they brought. He hadn't felt this warm since the whole 'end of the world' thingy took place and he busted out of that facility, but even then it was always a little too cold for his liking.
"Well you're everything far from an adult." Sakunosuke said, cutting off their mostly one sided conversation while leaning his chin on the palm of his hand.
Chuuya shot him a hard look, yet the man continued to have a blank expression.
"Well do you know how long this storm is gonna last? I'd like to get back to my group soon, I told them I'd be back soon, but I don't think that's going to happen tonight."
A string of thunder blasted in the distance halfway through his sentence, and Chuuya did his best not to flinch at the sound. Sakunosuke's eyes never left him though.
"What kind of storm is that anyway? I've never been in one so brutal." He said with a sour face, usually when it rained it was lightly and he and the other members would gather water and dance in the puddles without a care.
"It's a hurricane, have you never been in one?" Ango questioned, grabbing a blanket and gently placing it around Sakunosuke's shoulders making sure to cover his neck and ears before grabbing his own blanket.
Chuuya shook his head, "I'm not exactly from around here. I was, inside a lot." He said, keeping his voice as steady as he could.
Sakunosuke opened his mouth to say something when the door they all came through slammed open, revealing the silhouette of boy and the hellish environment outside.
Chuuya stayed quiet—hiding himself to the best of his abilities under the blankets Ango piled on him—as he watched the boy close the door and happily skip over to the two men. The calm atmosphere was shattered as a piercing sound stabbed into his ears, and Chuuya winced as he covered them.
The boy caught sight of him and the piercing sound continued, yet Ango and Sakunosuke never showed any discomfort towards the sound.
When the high pitch sounds cut off Chuuya sighed in relief.
"Yes Dazai, he's taking shelter from the hurricane. Did Mori let you come out?"
Then the shrieking sound continued and Chuuya groaned in discomfort, "What the hell is that noise!?" He cried out exasperated, and Ango shot him a look of pity.
As the boy—Dazai—bounded over and leapt onto the chair next to Sakunosuke completely ignoring Chuuya, the older man gave a small smile and reached over to pull a blanket over the younger as the incoherent sounds stayed consistent. His eyes softened as they left Chuuya.
Ango leaned down to the floor where Chuuya was and whispered behind his hand, "That's Dazai, he's a sweet boy once you get to know him, promise."
He hesitated before lowering his voice even more.
"He can't speak so he uses a whistle, it might be overwhelming at first but it gets easier."
Chuuya deadpanned at the man before shoving his head under the blankets to block out the noise. Hopefully the whistling would stop soon.