Promise Me (Dazai x OC)

Sakunosuke Oda

"You're not supposed to be here," a deep but friendly voice woke me from my sleep.

I sat up, and quickly noticed that I was not somewhere familiar. At all.

I was in a hospital bed, but all around me was just.. white. There were no walls. No floors. No furniture. Nothing. Just me, the bed, and this strange man next to me.

"Where is 'here', exactly?" I glanced over my body. I couldn't seem to figure out why I was in a hospital bed. There was no blood, or bandages, or anything to give me a clue. I seemed perfectly fine, outside of the hospital gown and tangled hair.

"I like to call it, the in-between," the man shrugged. He sported a tan coat that was similar to Dazais, and he had deep red hair that fell into his face.

"The in-between? In between what?" I frowned. I ripped the blankets off and kicked my feet over the side of the bed.

"The dead and the living"

I know I should be panicking. I know I should be concerned. Somehow, though, I felt at peace. Calm. Comforted.

"Who are you?" I finally asked.

He gave me a small smile. "I'm Sakunosuke Oda," he held his hand out to me.

I grabbed onto it and let him help me get onto my feet. As soon as my heels made contact with the ground, the abrasive white background turned into a place I knew very well.

"Lupin?" I questioned him. He took a seat on one of the stools, and a drink was quickly handed to him.

I sat on the stool next to his. "I know this place"

"You do?" He had one arm resting against the bar while his free hand held his glass to his lips.

"I used to loiter outside here a lot," I admitted shamefully.

"Funny. I used to loiter inside," he gave a hint of a smirk as he set his glass down. "You're sitting where Dazai used to sit all the time," he noted.

I looked down as if I were going to see that I suddenly became Dazai. I didn't. "You know him?"

He let out a huff of air, much like a subtle laugh. "We had a saying in the Port Mafia," he turned to me.

"The biggest misfortune for Dazai's enemies, is that they are Dazai's enemies. Little did I know, the demon himself would become my friend," a tinge of nostalgia shrouded his face.

"You were friends?"

He nodded. "As are you"

My brows turned inward. I looked to the drink in his hand, avoiding his gaze. "I wouldn't really say we're friends," it came out more as a complaint than a correction.

"You're right. He means more to you than that, doesn't he?" He gave me an all-knowing look. Was this man omniscient or something? How could he have possibly known?

"People end up in the in-between because they have something on earth that's too important to let go of," he said. He took a sip of his drink and put it back down, the ice cube clinking against the glass.

"So I'm.. dead?" I interrogated. I felt awful asking this man so many questions, even if he was patient.

"Not exactly. You have a choice," he leaned back over with both of his arms against the bar.

I replicated his position, only there was no drink in front of my face. "If I'm dead, I'd like to stay dead," I nearly scoffed.

"You're just like him, aren't you?" The man mused.