the beauty of water: resurfaced | o. dazai ✔

epilogue.

It had been years since Dazai last dreamed. At least a dream as good as this one.

He stood at the port, wearing a suit with a white rose pinned to his jacket. His hands folded in front of him as he waited for the rest of his life to walk down that aisle.

Everything was so slow.

The way (Y/n) walked down the aisle, her sleeves waving blissfully in the salty breeze. Her heels clicking quietly with every step. How she looked angelic with a flower crown placed so delicately on top of her hair. That beautiful smile on her face as she walked towards him.

She gave the white and blue bouquet to Yosano once she reached the end of the aisle. Fukuzawa looked between them, his voice quiet as he officiated the ceremony. Her hands were so soft in Dazai's, squeezing him once in a while. He could feel her tremble slightly – not from nerves, but excitement.

Finally, they each say, "I do" and place a ring on each other's fingers. He leaned down, preparing to press his lips against hers one last time.

Dazai snapped upright, sweat dripping down his face. He ran his hands through his hair, his palms glistening with sweat. His breathing was harsh and frantic. He could feel his heart pounding against his chest.

He slowed his breathing, calming himself down. Once his chest no longer felt like it was about to explode, he slowly pressed his fingers against his lips. It felt like his heart was about to break.

His eyes fluttered shut. As he fell back against the cot, he muttered, "(Y/n)..."

Buzz, buzz.

Kunikida rolled over at the sound of his phone. He pushed against the pillows, reaching for the small device before it could buzz a second time.

He pulled on his glasses, spotting Yokohama Central on the caller ID as he answered, "Hello?"

"Mr. Kunikida? We've been trying to reach Mr. Dazai but we haven't been able to."

"What's the problem?"

"It's his lab tests, we've noticed a dire problem in the toxin he was injected with a few nights ago."

Concern soon became evident in his voice, "What's the problem?"

"We're not sure yet. Please bring him in as soon as possible. We need to do some more tests on him immediately."

Kunikida hung up the phone, rushing out of bed. He sprinted from his apartment over to Dazai's, pounding on the door once he arrived.

"Dazai? Dazai, are you in there?!"

The door slowly creaked open. Kunikida pushed it further, creeping inside. He walked past the mess, Dazai's jacket lying on the kitchen counter, to the cot. Kunikida ran his hand through his hair, the other pulling his glasses off.

He was too late.

Dazai didn't recognize where he was at first. Simply lying on the dewy grass as he started up at the startling blue sky. He wasn't sure how long he'd been there. He merely blinked and it changed to night. The stars were beautiful and there wasn't a cloud in sight.

He slowly sat up, realizing that he was in his usual work attire – all except for the sand-colored coat.

Dazai pulled himself to his feet, hearing the sound of water splashing in the distance. He slowly began walking towards it. It was as if a magnet were pulling him closer, beckoning him to draw near.

He stopped at the crest of the hill, watching as pink petals fell from the most beautiful tree into what looked to be a bottomless pond.

"Hello?" he called out, slowly walking down the hill.

He stopped in front of the pond, staring into it as he saw his reflection. He kneeled down, reaching to touch the water. He stopped just before he could brush against the surface.

The image of a (f/c) jacket appeared in the reflection. He stood up, watching as (Y/n) appeared from around the tree. She appeared as she did when he first saw her: in a black-and-white long sleeve with a (f/c) rain jacket over it, paired with black shorts and a pair of matching (f/c) rainboots.

She only said one thing once he'd spotted her, "Hi Osamu."

Dazai sprinted over to her, breathless and speechless as he wrapped his arms around her. He enveloped her in the tightest hug he'd ever given anyone.

After pressing a long kiss to her lips, he asked, "Am I in Heaven?"

(Y/n) burst out laughing. She wiped a tear from her eye as she responded, "God no. This is the ethereal plain. After dying, Ryuji sent me—" (Y/n) stopped herself as the words came out. It finally dawned on her why he was there. "And he sent you here too."

Dazai didn't seem to really process what she told him. He rubbed his hands against her arms as he further asked, "Is this a dream?"

The water behind them suddenly began to bubble. The two turned around, watching as a portion of it glowed. The watery dragon suddenly appeared in front of them.

(Y/n) stepped forward, taking Dazai's hand as she led him towards Ryuji. Ryuji lowered himself down to their level, sharing a slight nod with (Y/n).

She reached for him, running a hand against his side as she quietly said, "Thank you for this final act of kindness."

She turned back to Dazai, who was clearly in awe at the sight of Ryuji. It had been so long since he'd laid eyes on the magnificent creature.

(Y/n) took his hand, raising his palm towards Ryuji. Ryuji leaned forward, pressing the end of his nose against Dazai's palm.

"I'm petting Ryuji," he muttered. He leaned forward, enveloping Ryuji in a hug. "He's so squishy!"

(Y/n)'s lips curled into a smile. "Thank you for everything."

FIN.