Chapter Text
Wow, nothing like a pack of grumpy, hormonal teens flooding into the cramped, narrow hallway of Yokohama's worst all-boys learning institution to start your day. As each student charged past the scrawny little Dazai, he choked on the sent of body odour. Jeez, don't these losers know how to shower?
As the bandaged boy wandered into his homeroom, he didn't even get the chance to sit down before he was surrounded by his usual foes. A trio of brain-dead losers who have nothing better to do than pick on the weak to feed their fragile egos. The smartest of the three, Kaito, stepped forward and leaned on Dazai's desk, getting a good eyeful before turning to his brainless sidekicks. "Pfft, dudes, I swear this freaks wrapped up in more bandages every time I see him. What is he a mummy?", the idiots snicker in unison like some sorta hivemind, Kaito turns to Dazai with an arrogant smirk on his face. "You look like some sorta mental patient, show me what's underneath them".
Dazai smirks. He had been waiting for this question: "Sadly, I cannot."
Kaito frowns, "And why not?"
Dazai's hand covers his face as he smirks and strikes an ominous pose, "You see... they seal away my powers."
The bullies give the brunette a stare as if to say, "You think we're that stupid?", but Dazai wouldn't put it past them.
"I harness the power of all five elements, earth, fire, water, wind, light, and darkness-" before the brunette could finish, he was harshly yanked by the collar as big meanie Kaito snarled in his face.
"Do you take me for an idiot?"
"Yes"
"..."
"dude, what did you eat for breakfast? Your breath smells like shit."
"You little shit!" enraged, Kaito flings Dazai on the floor; the narrow-minded fools beside him snicker as the wannabe mummy clashes with the hardwood floor.
"I'm gonna rip those stupid bandages off."
As Kaito pushes through on his word, Dazai reacts quickly. He's swift and light on his feet; he stands up, snaking his way around the loud-mouthed delinquent and striking a pressure point.
The loud thud of Kaito's unconscious body hitting the floor draws the attention of the few students in the classroom, and Kaito's supposed "friends" scatter. A few surprised gasps littered throughout the classroom, not just because the big bad bully was taken down, but accepting that the scrawny, malnourished Osamu Dazai did it was the real kicker!
But did you really think the walking contradiction Dazai himself would stop there? Of course, he wouldn't. The bandaged boy managed to swipe the jerk's phone.
That night, Dazai went through Kaito's phone, looking at all his embarrassing mirror selfies and supposed "sexy" selfies; they were anything but. He also went through his messages and found plenty of embarrassing weapons he could use, like how he still calls his mom mommy, has an obsession with magical girls (So does Dazai shhhhh), and that he's dating 3 women at once. It's surprising he can even pull one lovely lady, never mind 3.
The next day, Dazai used all the incriminating evidence he had against Kaito and used it to decorate the school so all the students can gawk and laugh at Kaito's embarrassing secrets. Dazai felt at peace knowing he had successfully humiliated that pathetic asshole and hoped he had permanently bruised his ego. However, his glorious revenge came at a cost. Expulsion.
Which is how he ended up in his current predicament. He had just been picked up from school, so he was in the car, sitting in the passenger seat next to his adoptive father, Oda Sakunosuke, or as Dazai called him, Odasaku. Before Odasaku, Dazai was living with his uncle Mori; he never knew his real parents, but he's pretty sure they're dead. After all, they did work under Mori, the ruthless head of the port mafia. Dazai never liked him; he was with Mori till the ripe age of 11, which was still enough time for the merciless mafioso to mold Dazai into a ruthless protégé. However, that's in the past. Dazai's moved on. Mori was shot by an overseas organisation, leaving Dazai orphaned and with no ties to the mafia. He spent 2 years in that orphanage before he was adopted by one of the staff members, Odasaku.
Oda looked at the young boy through the rear-view mirror, an eyebrow raised. "Did you really have to get expelled?"
Osamu looked up at him, a cheeky smile on his face, "Guess we're going back to home-schooling ~" Dazai liked home schooling. When Oda first adopted him, he was home-schooled for a year, but the elder felt it would be better for him to socialise. Dazai had a hard time making friends. All he really knew how to do was annoy people, and that was the way he liked it. Teasing people is fun, and besides, who needs friends? Dazai doesn't. He prefers the solitude, and he's learned more from a single book than he has from any teacher at those shitty schools he's been to.
Oda lets a small smile slip at Dazai's remark, his gaze turns back towards the road as he changes lanes, "Have you had any more visions lately?"
The young deviant turns to stare out the window at the passing trees; they all fade into one green blur. It started a few months ago. Dazai had been getting these psychic visions. Each time he got one, it felt like all the blood would rush to his head and his body would feel cold, and then he'd pass out, which is rather inconvenient when going to his locker or catching the subway. "Not since last time, no."
"It won't be long until your spirit guide comes to guide you."
Dazai sits up curiously, "Spirit guide?"
The elder nods, "Yeah, one of your dead relatives will guide you and help you understand your visions, until then, do not by any means rely on them, they can be dangerous."
"Yeah, yeah.. who came to guide you?"
Oda takes his hand off the gear to fondly ruffle Dazai's hair, "My grandpa."
Dazai perks up, "Could it be one of my parents?"
"I wouldn't get your hopes up." The redhead gives him a sympathetic look, but he feels somewhat at ease seeing the unbothered look on the younger's face
"I won't ~"
The older man smirks, attempting to lighten the mood, "Anyway, I know the perfect school for you."
Dazai pouts, "But I've already been to all the schools in Yokohama that will take me!"
"It's not in Yokohama."
The brunette raises an eyebrow at the man who's too focused on the busy road to notice, "Then where the hell is it?"
"It's in Vermont, a small town called Jericho."
He gives Oda a deadpan look. "Call me crazy, but I'm pretty sure a school in Tokyo would let me in. Why the hell do we need to go all the way to Vermont!?"
"It's a school for outcasts."
"You mean freaks?"
"*sigh* I went there as a kid, it's a nice place. Yeah, it's far, but I think it's the best shot you have at finding a place you fit in."
"I fit in here, in this car. with you."
"..."
"Fine, I'll try it... only cause I wanna see where you grew up"
"Thank you."
"So what's it called?"
"nevermore"
"sound ominous"
"You'll like it"
Dazai sits back in the seat as Oda parks in the driveway, "I guess we'll see..."