Chapter Text
Ryuunosuke’s eyes fluttered open as the morning sunlight spilled into his room through his curtains. He sat up, his back resting on the headboard. He had a couple days off from work, to his distaste. He didn’t wish to be excused from work.
Yesterday, Dr. Mori, or the boss, excused Ryuunosuke from work after the agency doctor, Yosano, had told him that he was affected by an ability. Ryuunosuke had attempted to brush it off and explain to Mori that he would be fine and that an ability wouldn’t deter him from doing his best work. Unfortunately, no matter how much explaining he did he could not escape.
He didn’t know what to do with himself while he didn’t have any work to do. He looked down, trying to think. He couldn’t think. He hadn’t been able to. Not for a long while… or a month. Maybe two months. Even before that abysmal ability affected him, the weretiger had been plaguing his mind, not in a negative way either. He wasn’t imagining the weretiger’s head on a spike, he wasn’t even imagining finally besting the weretiger in their final fight. God, what had gotten into him?? His emotions had only been stronger ever since that last mission he and the weretiger had gone on.
He began to recall it in his mind
Dazai started this. Dazai had put Ryuunosuke and the weretiger on a mission together against an ability user by the name of Naoko Matsuda. Her ability… Nakajima had told Ryuunosuke that. He remembered that part. Ranpo had told Atsushi that Matsuda’s ability had something to do with coughing up flowers. He called it…
“Hanahaki Otome.” Nakajima said. They had been speaking on the phone, discussing their next mission together. “Unfortunately- or thankfully, I guess, we know what the ability does to people affected. There have been reports recently about people dying after having reported chest pains and vomiting flower petals. Although, some people have been reported to actually survive this- but we’re not too sure how.” The weretiger said. He sounded like he was curious on what the ‘cure’ could’ve been. “There’s actually not much on the file about this ability user. Go ahead and read it for yourself once you see it.”
“I’ll make sure to read it as soon as I can.” Ryuunosuke had responded. “Is there anything else?” He asked.
“It apparently only works under special conditions. The file on Naoko Matsuda says it only works on those in love.” Nakajima said. How odd. Ryuunosuke had never heard of an ability that worked under such a strange condition. Only those in love? Fascinating. “There’s not much on the file. I’ve already told you almost everything.” The weretiger added, sounding slightly disappointed.
Now onto when he managed to become affected by that foolish ability. He couldn’t believe he would allow himself to be affected by an ability, let alone one as stupid as this. He was utterly bitter and a little humiliated even.
He and Nakajima were chasing the ability user, Naoko Matsuda. Matsuda had the upper hand, riding a motorcycle.
The mission had to take place at a later time, around 8pm. It was becoming dark out. The streetlights began to flicker and turn on. Chasing the ability user felt almost humiliating, running around as the sun began to set. Embarrassing. However, they began to grow nearer to the buildings, which meant they would be able to corner the ability user.
“Why are you people chasing me?!” Matsuda shouts from her motorcycle. Ryuunosuke scoffed, ready to shout back a sarcastic response until Nakajima spoke before him.
“We need to get you into custody of the police! You’ve been killing innocent people!” Nakajima shouts back. Ryuunosuke rolls his eyes. As Nakajima is speaking with Matsuda, he turns slightly while running. Nakajima manages to trail behind her quicker due to his tiger ability helping with his speed. Ryuunosuke prepares to use his ability to grab Matsuda off of that stupid motorcycle.
“What?? No way!! Not me!!” Matsuda replies. They don’t have time for her stalling. Denying it is foolish, It’s a slow, torturous death too. Ryuunosuke believed slow, torturous deaths were unnecessary. Why force a person to go through their death for any longer than it should take? It would simply be a waste of time.
To cough up flowers until you ultimately either die a slow, torturous death.
The other options aren’t much better.
Ryuunosuke wasn’t sure what the actual cure was, honestly. It was suspected that the cure was your unrequited love, or belief that your love is unrequited, becoming mutual love. However, it’s only been speculated. It could very well only be a coincidence. One victim had been cured by getting surgery, and what they found in his lungs was utterly strange: roots and flowers. He didn’t believe any of the bullshit that it was anything about love. It simply did not make sense. How on earth would that even work? Unless the ability was far more complex than he believed.
“My ability is merciful! At least compared to yours!!” Matsuda snapped back at Nakajima. Ryuunosuke noticed as the weretiger’s fists clenched. He snickered, Nakajima shot a glare at him. Suddenly, Matsuda turned around, now facing Ryuunosuke and the weretiger. “I refuse to be caught by some low lives like you two!!!” She shouts. Nakajima’s eyes widen as a light pink glow begins to come from Matsuda.
She was about to try to use her ability.
Ryuunosuke quickly activates his ability to shield himself and Nakajima, but Matsuda was quick. Unnervingly quick. She somehow got to Ryuunosuke. The flowering vines smacked him backward, he coughed up a bit of blood as he hit the pavement back first. The flower petals fell from the flowers on the vines before he could even stand upright again. The blood red colored petals seemingly disintegrated into his skin, the deep coloring glowing for a second before burning into the flesh. He exclaimed in pain. His skin burned, his lungs began to feel like fire; worse than ever before, but he managed to stand up and use his ability to restrain Matsuda.
“Wait- no!” She says as she tries to squirm out of Rashoumon. She laughs despite being restrained. “It’s too late for you anyway!!!” She shouts, an unsettling smile on her face. Nakajima glances at Ryuunosuke worriedly.
“I don’t care.” He scoffs back, “It is too late for you as well.” He adds, Rashoumon tightening around the ability user. He glares at her.
After that, when they began to walk back to the agency, Nakajima decided it was a great time to be annoying. “You should go to the infirmary. I’m sure Dr. Yosano could treat you.” Nakajima says after what appears like a moment of nervously thinking. “You know, since you were hit by Matsuda’s ability.” He adds. Ryuunosuke looks at him and sighs.
“The agency doctor? No chance.” Ryuunosuke replies. He rolls his eyes, a tiny Rashoumon slithers over to the weretiger and smacks him.
“You don’t get to decide.” The weretiger scoffs, waving Rashoumon away with his hand. He rolled his eyes, shaking his head in disbelief.
He, in fact, did end up being forced to go to the agency doctor by the weretiger.
To absolutely no-one’s surprise, he was not kindly welcomed there. He was met with glares from the blond man in glasses and the boy who Nakajima had referred to before as “Tanizaki” as well as a girl with long black hair next to him. He rolled his eyes and sighed, feeling their glares but choosing to not look at them anyway. His skin still burned from those strange petals. His lungs stung worse than ever before, but it was nothing he couldn’t take. “I’m going to go tell Yosano what happened.” Nakajima told him, slight worry still showing in his eyes. Ryuunosuke couldn’t quite figure out why; actually he knew why, he simply didn’t understand why. “Stay here.” He added firmly. Ryuunosuke scoffed, crossing his arms.
After what seemed like forever, the weretiger came back. Yosano walked in front of him, her eyes narrowed on Ryuunosuke. She most likely did not trust him either, not that he cared much. “I was told you were hit by an ability.” Yosano stated. She held a large cleaver in her hands; a small smile was on her face, she seemed like she was excited to use the cleaver.
“Yes. Hanahaki Otome.” Ryuunosuke responded. He noticed a strange, knowing look in Yosano’s eyes. He wanted to roll his eyes.
“Interesting.” Yosano said, her head tilting slightly to the side. “I can take a look if you would like. To see if there’s anything I can do.” She offered. Nakajima winced, looking at Yosano. He did not want to take up that offer.
“I would prefer to stay in one piece.” He replied, his eyes narrowing. Yosano sighed, her eyes narrowing once again.
“Fine. I don’t know if there’s anything else I can do though.” She said, “Maybe over the counter medicines for the chest pain and the vomiting could do you well. Although, I’m not sure if those will work for something caused by an ability.” She added. He didn’t consider that. Since this illness was caused by an ability, did that mean regular medicines wouldn’t work? Perhaps, actually. He sighed.
“Hm. Alright then.” He said. He needed to think about this for longer. How could he be so stupid and allow himself to be caught up in a foolish ability-caused illness like this?
Perhaps his death would be nearer than he believed.