Bungo Stray One-Shots

The House Of Usher

 Poe stood uncertainty before an old wooden door. The brass sign announced that he was in the right place, though the shouts behind the door were not reassuring. Slowly, he turned the knob, and was enveloped in chaos.

A dozen people frantically rushed around, shouting in frustration and excitement. Music blared from a room to the right, adding fuel to the fire. Though Poe had expected that the wedding would be a electrified affair, he had not anticipated the chaos that would ensue when preparing for it. The grooms were nowhere to be found, but the detective could see that everyone else was in a state of frenzy.

Yosano was running around, trying to corral Kenji into a suit. The rural boy, however, insisted on wearing his muddied overalls. Behind them, furiously marking things on a checklist, stood Kunikida. He gave Poe a slight nod, then continued organizing everyone's belongings.

In the kitchen, Naomi and Tanizaki were making last minute snacks, putting finishing touches on hourederves, and icing the wedding cake. Higuchi sat on the couch, loading guns, filling explosives, and sharpening swords. You should always be prepared at a gifted wedding.

Lucy knelt on the ground next to her, helping Q into a little patchwork tux. Poe walked past them, looking for Ranpoe.

Down a hall, in a bedroom, Kyouka sat in a chair, completely still. Behind her, Kouyou wrapped the young girl hair around a curling iron. Next to them, on the bed, Gin laced up her combat boots, concealing multiple knives within their leather confines. Kirako sat beside her, fussing with her hair. Demon snow sat on the floor by Kyouka feet, like a small dog.

Past that room, another door was open, reveal utter chaos. The room was full of Mafia members, whom Yosano was attempting to control. She yelled orders at them, like a teacher might instruct toddlers.

Kajii stood by a mirror, attempting to tie a bow tie, with awful results. Tachihara was being yelled at by Yosano for wearing a sweatshirt, his face similar to a scolded dog's. Hirotsu sat by a half-opened window, smoking a cigarette.

Across from that room, Poe spotted one of the grooms. Chuuya was securing a tie around his neck, while Akutagawa ran a lint roller down Rashomon. The sight was almost enough to make Poe laugh. He turned to the side, allowing Kouyou to enter the room. She began fussing with Chuuya's outfit, acting like his mother. It seemed she was done with Kyouka's hair, and had turned her attention to the others.

Poe continued down the hall, and finally spotted Ranpoe. He was taking refuge from the chaos in a room with Dazai and Atsushi. The weretiger was adjusting his suspenders, though the job was made much more difficult as he had a paw instead of a right arm. Dazai was wrapping a second layer of bandages around his wrists, though his face betrayed no pre-wedding jitters. On the bed, munching on a bag of Oreos, sat Ranpoe. The detective looked almost bored, until he spotted Poe. His brown eyes lit up.

"Poe! You're finally here" He exclaimed, "I was starting to get bored. And hungry...".

Dazai turned, raising an eyebrow, "How can you be hungry, when you've been devouring cookies since Ten o'clock?".

A sudden shout interrupted Rapoe's reply.

"It's time to go!" Kouyou voice echoed.

"So get your asses out here before we leave without you!" Yosano added, irritable.

Quickly, everyone headed to the living room, where Kunikida greeted them with a scowl.

Higuchi passed out weapons, which were quickly concealed in the pockets and folds of everyone's finery. Most had made an effort to dress nicely for the occasion, though some people had to be forced into their clothes.

Since they had gotten together, Yosano and Kouyou had come to act like everyone's Mothers. They ordered people around, checking and double checking everything. It must have been all the wedding talk, but Poe compared them to Ushers. Though, instead of helping everyone find their seat, they helped people find themselves. Figure out their place in the world. Perhaps it was philosophical and idealistic, but that made it no less true.

They hurried the mass of wedding-goers out the door, herding them into the parking lot. Then, there was the matter of figuring out which cars to ride in. Here Kunikida took charge, organizing people into groups.

Kouyou and Yosano would drive Lucy, Q, Kyouka, and Kenji.

Another car would bring Chuuya, Akutagawa, Atsushi, and Dazai.

Ranpoe and Poe would go with Higuchi, Gin, and Kenji.

Kunikida would drive Naomi, Tanizaki, and Kajii, so he could keep an eye on them.

Kirako, Hirotsu, and Tachihara would drive in the last car.

The mass of people separated into their groups, and headed to their respective cars. Fukuzawa and Mori would meet them at the venue, having preferred not to take part in the pre-wedding chaos. A smart choice, Poe thought.

Although, Poe wouldn't mind the chaos, if it was himself and Ranpoe getting married. After all, kouyou and Yosano had ushered them together. Were they ever wrong?

(Yes, the title is taken from an Edgar Allan Poe story. Though this one-shot varies significantly from the work 'The Fall of the House of Usher', I still thought it was fitting.)