Chuuya and I walked back onto the street outside the arcade, leaving the two Sheep behind in the building. Chibi looked anxious, like he wasn't sure that what we just did was the right choice for him to make.
How stupid, worrying yourself sick over something that's too late to change. No matter how bad it's gotten since leaving camp, I've never looked like Chuuya does now.
"Stop it."
Chuuya looked at me, all the pent up emotions turning his ocean blue eyes into the color of the deep sea. It was a look that I'd seen well enough in the mirror to know what comes next.
A fist swung weakly at me, the person behind it too emotionally tired to put any force behind it. I grabbed the wrist, stumbling a little from the weight, even though I could tell his heart wasn't in it, Chuuya is still naturally stronger than anyone that I've ever met.
"Shut up, piece of shit," the boy growled. Even when cursing me out, Chibi wasn't looking at me, he was looking through the shop window of the arcade, staring at the two Sheep.
Not thinking much about it, I stretched out my other hand, putting a finger under the other boy's chin and guiding him till he was looking at me. The fact that he didn't immediately try to kill me told me just how out of it the boy was.
"What's done is done," I told him firmly, watching the anger begin to boil in the other boy's eyes, sweeping away the sorrow. "Get your head in the game if you don't want the enemy to put it on a spike."
Chuuya paused for a minute before pulling himself out of my grasp, each of our hands falling slowly to our sides. He laughed a little brokenly. "Now who's guilty of caring?" He asked, alluding to the conversation Randou's mansion. Despite the annoying remark, I could see some of the boy that I knew coming back... it was a missed look. The look of a braking boy didn't fit the redhead.
"Yeah, as if," I spat, taking care to meet the boy's eyes. I haven't cared about anything in years, not even myself, there's no reason for someone who's planning on killing themselves to suddenly care for anyone else. Even if the world of the mafia is something that's becoming increasingly more interesting, that's a fact that only a fool would think to try and change. "We have a bet remember, you pint sized criminal. You're only interesting if your head is in it."
I turned away from the boy, not caring to see whatever boring emotion might be there. "May the best monster win," I called out as I walked away.
After all... neither of us can really be called human.
—-
I called Randou after leaving Chuuya outside the arcade, asking him to meet me at a reception room in an old shipyard building. The old owner had gone bankrupt years ago and nobody has bought the place since, making it the perfect place for illegal dealings to take place.
"You want me to bring party decorations?" The voice on the other side of the phone asked, in obvious disbelief. A rustling noise could be heard, most likely Randou shivering from the breeze in his room.
I shrugged despite knowing the fact that no one could see me. "What can I say? Todays a good day for a party."
Everyone deserves a going away party, Randou. Even you.
—-
The Sub executive and I spent over an hour decorating the reception hall, changing it from a room trashed from a run down mess into something closer to my liking. The entire room was a flurry of colors, every wall filled with vibrant decorations either put up by myself or by Randou. Even with my arm in the heavy cast, I was still able to help decorating the space. We even went as far as to buy a two story cake from a small bakery.
"I'm so excited," I said in a monotone voice that contradicted the words spoken. Randou was seated at the head of the table opposite to mine, watching as I sat down at the other end with a slightly nervous look. "I bet Chuuya's gonna be thrilled once he sees the huge party we're throwing him to celebrate his newfound freedom from the Sheep."
"I don't know, Dazai," Randou said, shivering in his seat despite the layers of clothing that the man was wearing. "I think that most people would want to kill you over something like this..."
"What? It's just a party," I said coyly.
Of course the boy is going to want to kill me. I'm the one stealing a loyal dog away from the ones he's summited himself to being controlled by.
"By the way, Dazai... you said you found out who's behind the whole Arahabaki ordeal," Randou started, gracelessly changing the subject. It was a change that I'd been waiting for since we came to be in this room together almost two hours ago. "Is that true? Or were you simply trying to tourment Chuuya?"
I smiled cruelly at the fidgety man. "Both," I told him flatly. "I brought it up infront of him so that he'd make a bet with me. But I really do know who's behind this."
The bet was a scheme that'd I've been working itself out in the back of my mind since the fight in the yard... No it was before that... Since Mori threw us together in his office.
"Oh..." Randou said nervously, leaning forward in his seat. "And who is it?"
I leaned forward, enjoying the dread in the other man's eyes. Randou was still confident he was fine, but anyone that'd spent enough time in the underground knew that becoming cocky was a sure fire way to get yourself killed.
My mouth curved into an inhuman smile. "You, Randou."
Silence rang through the room. It was the absence of sound, a vortex consuming it.
"You impersonated the old boss and spread the rumors about Arahabaki," I continued, watching the way that Randou seemed to be fortifying his mask. Really his whole scheme was something worthy of the gods, that saying that they wouldn't smite him for it. "Anything you want to say for yourself?"
Randou scratched his head as if he thought me accusing him of this was extremely vexing. "I must say, I've never been called a criminal before."
I laughed slightly. "How amusing. You've been in the mafia longer than I have. Well, I guess there's a first time for everything after all." I watched the way he composed himself and thought through all the things that he could say. Really it was all too predictable. "Here, let me tell you from personal experience how it would go. First, you'd deny it. Say, 'I'd never do that,' or maybe, 'funny joke, you had me there for a second.' Anything to make the accuser second guess themselves. Then I'll reply, 'but you are the criminal.' That's when you get heated, when you get mad. It's one thing to be falsely accused, but the guilty ones always get overly angry trying to mask their fear of being caught. Maybe something along the lines of 'that's crazy! Why would I try to destroy the mafia? I'm indebted to them, I owe Mori for my position.' ...Are we good so far?"
The man looked at me, fear increasingly slipping onto his face. "I suppose so... you've said everything that I would've said," he told me uncomfortably. "For the sake of learning, what would be your rebuttal?"
"Simple," I told him, leaning back in my chair. "I'd say: 'your debt to him means nothing to you, Randou. Because attacking the mafia isn't your goal, just a byproduct of it.' Would you like to take over now?"
"I suppose... I don't particularly like being called a criminal, so I should probably take your claim seriously... What evidence do you have? Because you have shown no-"
"'No theoretical evidence that shows that I am behind this other than simple speculation,'" I said, cutting the other man off and finishing his sentence. "That's precisely how you're supposed to do it, Randou. The smartest way to do it is to leave no evidence, but would I really be stupid enough to accuse a sub-executive without any?"
Randou seemed to stop to think for a moment, but I knew he wasn't thinking about the answer. He already had that. No, the man was thinking of what to do once this turns south when he can't explain away the evidence I have on him.
Smart.
"... Given how confident you are, I suppose you have something. Something that seems like evidence to you, but was overlooked by everyone else."
Something that he wouldn't think to imagine.
"You must be curious, right?" I asked. This was honestly turning out to be quite the fun afternoon for me. I shrugged. "I feel bad for making you wait so long, so let me tell you." I leaned back forward, looking the man straight in the eyes. "You made an extremely basic error, a boring one even. It's something that every lier does to make themselves seem more credible. You're really going to hate yourself when I tell you what you did."
"And what was it? What could this error possibly be?"
"The ocean," I told him plainly, wagging my pointer finger back and forth at the man like a disapproving mother. "You said when you saw Arahabaki's flames that you could see the ocean-that only the sea in the distance remained calm."
The man nodded, not understanding what was wrong with what he said. "Yes... I did say that, because that's what I saw happen."
I laughed looking at the clueless man.
"It's really quite simple. Are you sure you don't want to figure it out?" I asked.
Really if an ADHD fifteen year old could figure this out on his own, then Randou should already know the answer.
He shook his head. "My apologies, but it seems that I'm not following. Just tell me."
"Fine," I nodded and smiled sweetly. "Your work of fiction took place in the middle of Suribachi, but the city was turned into a hemispherical basin valley in the explosion. Which means..."
"Ah, yes... I see."
"Exactly. There was no way you could have seen the sea. If you were inside a giant bowl, roughly eight kilometers wide, the sea would never be within sight no matter how tall you stood. So why would you say you saw it if it wasn't possible? I believed you when you said you saw Arahabaki, since it sounded like you were telling the truth. So it's strange. Isn't it? It's because you previously had seen the sea. That's why you made the mistake. It's subtle, but it was enough. You saw the sea before the city was ever created, before the giant explosion eight years ago at the end of the conflict."
The other didn't respond, only stared at me.
I looked at the other man for a few moments, staring him down as if I was waiting for him to make a move that I knew he wouldn't. I sighed gently when nothing happened. "That one gossip loving Sheep said that the rumors about Arahabaki went back eight years ago to the explosion that created Suribachi," I said, more to myself than to Randou, since he wasn't there for that. "That incident was probably what started the rumors about an ancient god running around. Someone else must have witnessed it from a far. However, you saw the entire event up close. You were so close that any normal person would have been vaporized in an instant. You described that memory with such accuracy that you accidentally mentioned the sea as well. And now your motive has become clear."
That's the problem with those telling a story, if they're not careful, it gets away with them. They give away too much. Looking back on it, I could tell all the instances that Luke had seemed off. All the times that I should've known what he was planning. I'm not going to let myself get played like that again.
Randou, who'd been listening quietly to my reasoning the entire time, sighed quietly in defeat. "You had a bet with Chuuya, didn't you?" He asked, seeming to recall my words from earlier. "Well it looks like you won. You found the perpetrator first."
I smiled at the man almost excitedly. "Thank you, Randou. Now I have a loyal dog for the rest of my li-"
My head jerked to look at the window as a screaming could be heard from outside. I sighed heavily, knowing what was coming. The sound got closer until it was replaced by a crashing noise and the melody of glass breaking. The blur knocked straight into Randou, blowing the man away.
In the wreckage stood a triumphant looking redhead, glowing from his supposed victory. He looked like a modern god standing in the ruins of an old battle field as the sunlight fell down onto him, casting him in an attractive glow. It was a sight that would have made anyone fall for him... Or would've if it wasn't for the screaming that followed right after.
"It was you!" Chuuya screamed, all but jumping for joy. "I beat that sly bastard! I win!" He thrusted a hand at the man on the ground, "you're behind all of this!"
I blinked a few times, staring at the sight. My mind was fuzzier than I wanted to admit it could be, but the obnoxious screaming was enough to keep any... unnecessary thoughts at bay. "Wow..." I whispered, just loud enough for the other two to hear.
Chuuya, who had been boasting, turned around in shock when he heard me. "Ahhhh?! What are you doing here, you slime ball?"
Slime ball...? That's a new one.
"I'd like to ask you the same thing, pip-squeak," I said, clearly annoyed. I smirked at the other boy, "Just so you know, I already announced that he was the culprit before you even got here. I was in the middle of explaining how he did it when you showed up."
"Hmm? You were in the middle of explaining... which means you haven't finished yet, right? Then it looks like I win. I defeated the mastermind behind all of this. Which means my victory. The strongest always wins. That's just how the world works."
You only say that because you've never know what it's like to be weak... Someone that only knows what it's like to win, someone who's never tasted defeat in their lives... They shouldn't speak of victory. You don't know what true victory is until you've been stripped of it, that's a lesson that every demigod... that every bullied child knows well.
"It's people like you that make me sick," I told him, letting something close to acid slip into my voice. "There's no way that you won, but I'll let you explain your version of the riddle. How did you reason that he was behind it?"
The boy looked at me like I was the dumb one. "What's there to conclude? Anyone could have figured it out from what he said. Every single eyewitness account has clearly stated that they saw the former boss, then this guy comes along and say that he's seen Arahabaki itself. That's impossible, though. That's why I know he's lying."
Randou, who'd sat up during our conversation, stared at the two of us almost grouchily, which was fair for getting thrown through a wall. "Basically you said that you decided that I was the one behind it because you don't believe in gods. Is that right?"
"No," Chuuya said sternly. "It's quite the opposite actually." The boy sounded confident as he always did, but instead of his loud boasting confidence, this was more restrained, quiet even, like a teacher talking to a student. His face was serious, grave as I saw him staring Randou down. He was planning on saying something soon, something he really didn't want to have to say. "It's because gods do exist. I'm sure of it."
He's sure of it... so there is a connection. Chuuya... could you be like me?
I was a spectator, watching the scene, and yet in my memories were things that would fit me right into their verbal battlefield... Still there's a difference in believing in your gods and in all of the others too, me joining now would just be fanning the flames.
"So you're confident that Arahabaki does exist?" Randou asked, still on the ground.
"Yeah, you saw it too, right? Eight years ago? I mean there's now way you could have given such a precise account of it otherwise."
"It's true, I did see it," Randou admitted. "But I didn't just see it, I experienced it. The explosion came out of nowhere... I was severely wounded, hovering between life and death. The impact of the fire caused me to lose my memories. I wandered the streets until I caught the previous boss's attention, and he invited me to join his organization."
I knew he didn't join until after the explosion. If Randou had found a way to explain away the ocean, that was my next piece of evidence to bring up. I was going to slowly chip away at his story till there was nothing left.
Well now I don't have to.
Randou fixed Chuuya with a heated gaze, something with so much emotion and longing that it made me sick that it was directed at a child even if it wasn't intended in that way. "Chuuya, you know don't you? You know where Arahabaki is."
For once Chibi chose not to speak. I watched as he only stared at the man that's caused us both problems over the past couple of days.
"Tell me," the adult demanded.
Why does he care so much?
"I guess you would want to know, huh, Randou?" I asked, smirking at the older man. "After all, that's why you started the rumors. The only one that could see through the lies that you planted was the person that knows the true Arahabaki. By describing it in as much detail as it did, you painted a target on your back leading whoever knew the truth straight to you."
I saw Chuuya look back and forth between the two of us for a few moments before shaking his head tiredly.
"Damn it, what the hell is it with everyone?" Chuuya asked in a tired annoyance. "Why does everyone want to meet that thing? It's not like it has the power to revive the dead or something. That thing doesn't have any kind of personality or even have a mind of its own. It's like a typhoon or an earthquake. It's nothing more than a mass of energy and destruction, y'know. Ya might as well pray to a power plant."
Typhoon? Earthquake? My father is the god of them both, if this thing is on that level, then I could see why someone would want to hunt this thing down.
Randou stood up, looking at Chuuya hungryly, as if I wasn't there at all.
Fine by me.
"Having a personality, a will, or being capable of thought is of little importance," Randou said solemnly. "It's a massive force of destruction. It's capable of scorching the earth, staining the skies, and rumbling the very air. It is not something of this world, it's something that the human mind could not possibly hope to understand. That power is enough for me."
Of course he's after nothing more than power. That seems to be all anyone wants in this world. Is that why I don't want to live in it? I was born powerless, but eventually came into my own power. Now that I have more of it than I could possibly want, even if I can't use it right now, I have nothing left to hunger after like everyone else.
"Tell me, Chuuya," the foreigner demanded. "Where is the being that defies human comprehension? Where is the god that set me aflame?"
I know that he's only after power, but when Randou says things like that, it's almost like he's in love with the thing. Though most likely, Arahabaki is the only thing capable of making Randou feel warm once again, and we all know how much he hates the cold.
"If you know, you should tell him," I interrupted, causing them both to look at me, Chuuya in surprise and Randou... well his face just seemed to be stuck in a stern expression. "Randou's going to executed for endangering the Port Mafia, so there's no harm in letting him know."
Anything to get rid of that look. I've seen enough of it in my life from Gabe, the gods, and the monsters to last me a lifetime.
"All right. If you really want to know, I'll tell ya." I watched as Chuuya left the space close to me and made his way over to Randou like a prisoner when his time is up on death row. I saw a hint of the boy's eyes before he turned to walk to Randou, they were crystal clear, as if soaking up everything in their sight. As if they wanted to remember their last moments of freedom.
"Arahabaki..." he started, stopping to take a deep breath in and out, "... is me."