十 [J ū]

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十 : Do You Remember? (The Other Half of 23)

"do you rememberthe days we were goldenwe would surrenderto just letting gofor worse or for betterso far from pretenderswe said foreverforever ago"

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"do you remember
the days we were golden
we would surrender
to just letting go
for worse or for better
so far from pretenders
we said forever
forever ago"

___

[Last Name] [Name] and Dazai Osamu were tasked to give gifts and apologize to the civilians that were distressed by the recent raid a many days ago. Well, Kunikida was originally assigned to hand out the gifts yet [Name] volunteered, dragging Dazai along with her.

The Black Lizard, a group rumored to be more or less on par with the special group of the government, has raided the agency with the intent of not leaving any survivors, and also to destroy the agency.

Nakajima Atsushi has now learned that he has a ¥7,000,000,000 bounty on his head, putting the agency at great risks for raids such as that.

As the worst case scenario happened just as Kunikida said and anticipated, the Armed Detective Agency has yet again to repair the office and restock stocks, all the while they hand out gifts and apologies to civilians distraught by the massive amount of gun fire and violence.

Back to the present where [Name] and Dazai are walking down the hallway to the old and only elevator of the building. Their first stop was the law firm at the second floor.

The pair was carrying two large bags each of gifts that they had prepared. Dazai pressed the down button of the elevator as they waited. As the button lit up, the male put both of his hand behind his head after setting down the baggage that he carried. [Name] couldn't help but follow his movements.

"What?" Dazai said as he opened his eyes to look at [Name]. The girl's laughter filled the air, giving off an easy going atmosphere for the both of them.

At that moment, [Name] wanted to say so many things yet nothing came out of her mouth. She wanted to tell him what happened in those four years they were separated, tell him stories of her adventures and such. She felt at home with Dazai, after all.

"You're not wearing your coat." was all that [Name] managed to say.

"Oh, that? I left it at the office. What's the matter?" he asked in a nonchalant manner. [Name] shrugged.

"It's just weird seeing you without it, that's all." [Name] replied.

"[Name]," Dazai was about to say something when the elevator's 'ding!' resonated throughout the silent hall.

The pair got on, carrying bags on their arms. [Name] then pressed the button that has the number 2 in it.

"What is it that you want to tell me?" [Name] asked Dazai as they set their bags down again.

Dazai looked at [Name] from head to toe and formed a smile. He took a step closer, trapping [Name] in a corner. He leaned down, close enough to brush his lips against her ear,

"I've missed you." Dazai spoke in a whisper.

Just then, the elevator's ping brought them back to life. Dazai, in one swoop, got a hold of all their bags and strutted towards the law firm, leaving [Name] behind, flustered.

"Oi! You just can't do that and leave, you bastard!" [Name] screamed as she ran after Dazai who was humming his suicide song.

"And you can't do double suicide alone~" Dazai retorted back as [Name] caught up to him.

"You know, I've missed this too." [Name] whispered which made Dazai look apropos to her.

"This? Don't you mean me?" Dazai said as he smiled cheekily.

"No, fuck you." [Name] deadpanned as Dazai laughed at her expression.

The comfort that [Name] gave Dazai couldn't be rivaled by anything else in this world. At first, he hated it. Humans are bounded by the same fate after all. Humans are born to die and just by that thought, everyone should be at edge. Why is it that people still found joy in this world after knowing all of these?

The reason why Dazai hated it is because he couldn't understand it. With the complex brain of his, there was nothing he couldn't understand except for this.

When he met [Name], that changed though. Maybe she was his pride and joy. He just can't get enough of her, enough to make him want to stay a little longer. As days passed him by, he learned to accept this.

Yet, it took him years to actually realize this. It took Dazai years to accept the feelings he has been blessed with. Four years has passed without [Name] and he never felt as uneasy as he did. Almost as if he needed her as a place of temporary peace in this world.

[Name] is Dazai's armistice in a world of war.

That much he had realized, seeing [Name] laughing alongside with him as they gave gifts on the second floor's law firm.

Not long after this, they reached the Uzumaki café, gave gifts to their staff and sat on a sofa that outlooks the window.

The moment Dazai laid eyes on [Name] again, he felt his stomach drop. There [Name] was, sitting peacefully, looking out of the window yet something didn't feel quite right. He knew that, of course.

"Do you feel uneasy, Osamu?" [Name] asked in a sweet voice. The vibe that Dazai has been giving off was full of tension, almost suffocating.

Just then, Tanizaki busted through the doors of the café and said,

"Atsushi has been captured by the Port Mafia!"

Just right before this, Dazai felt it again. Dazai realized this just before Tanizaki announced it.

"Kunikida-kun is on his way to rescue him." Tanizaki informed the pair.

[Name] breathed out a sigh of relief at this news.

Dazai stole another glance at [Name]. He feels as if nothing changed from their days back in Port Mafia. Maybe some things change, maybe some things don't. Dazai knew that.

His feelings towards [Name] did not, that's for sure.

Something was off though, instead of [Name] feeling like the calm right after the storm, this time it felt like she was the calm before the storm.

That feeling sure did change.

___

Do You Remember? (The Other Half of 23)
The Maine

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