“So we are here today to think about ways to prevent the city from going boom ” Dazai said in a professional tone, placing his hands on the table as he closed his eyes. He was hit on the head with an eraser, Kunikida was the one who threw it at him.
“Take this seriously idiot!” The blonde screamed, and I laughed.
Dazai threw himself in the ground, as if he was shot in the head point blank, staying unmoving on the cold floor, even twitching a little bit to add to the act. Kenji and Kyoka laughed, despite the fake gruesome scene. I looked down on him, he opened his eyes and winked at me, then proceeded to continue with his role, sticking his tongue out.
My parents looked at the performance with amusement, not really getting what was going on, but entertained by Dazai's commitment to the act. Eventually Kenji and Kyoka stood up from their chairs and went to move Dazai. The girl was poking him with a pen and Kenji was shaking him and telling him to wake up. The detective made gurgling sounds. We let them be.
“Anyways, thanks to the information Dazai got, we know there would be multiple bombs, and that there is an ultirior motive to the threat, we need to understand what are they really after and to locate the bombs so we can defuse them” The president said and the rest of us hummed, but none of us gave an idea, each of us just touching our chins or crossing our arms, looking at the ceiling to see if the answer would fall from the sky.
“Dazai, stop playing dead and tell us what to do” Yosano was the one to speak up. The tall detective stood up quickly like a zombie, arms straight in front of him, startling the kids, a stupid grin on his face.
“Easy! They want to ruin not only our reputation, but also the Military Police one. The chief of the Police will be assisting the Gala, now that there has been an official threat to the Agency, they want to prove not only our incompetence, but also the Police's, that way the civilians will loose moral, become untrusting of the ones that are supposed to protect them. They are after the Chief and some civilians to act as collateral damage.” Dazai explained as she walked as a zombie towards the white board. His tongue is still sticking out.
“How do you know this?” Tanizaki asked, his voice a little shaky and with confusion in his tone.
“Because… If I wanted to create chaos in the city that's what I would do, it would also destabilize the Port Mafia, since the hit on the Police will mean other criminal organizations will gain power and cause trouble for their illicit business.” Dazai said, his tone and posture slowly becoming normal, to the eccentric standards of the detective, of course. All our attention now on the browned haired man as he opened a marker and started to write on the board.
“First, we need a distraction, I think they will be wary of me, since well, I tend to have things my way. So I was thinking, since it was a Gala, my honey bear and I could put on a show, that will look like the whole Agency is there, because of… dun dun duun , Tanizaki's Light Snow, while the real yous are taking care of the bombs outside!” Dazai said, raising his arms up high with his hands open and making jazz hands. Everyone, including me, looked at him with a blank expression, letting out a loud sigh.
We all turned to Ranpo, waiting for the world's greatest detective to give his approval. The man eating a lollipop only raised his thumb as if giving Dazai's plan the green light. And the man with shaggy brown hair started to throw a tantrum about how we didn't trust him and how hurt he was, we all kind of ignored him.
“So… why are my parents here? No offense” I finally asked, since I did not invite them, I was confused about the reason they were at the Agency, and inside the work meeting.
“I called them, since they need to be a part of the plan, just a minor role, non confrontational, they are more like a way for the enemy to believe we have let our guard down, also, they are easy prey and would make valuable hostages, I need our enemy to get sloppy and try to attack your parents” Dazai said casually and I glared at him, my eyes really burning holes on his forehead.
“Dazai…” The President said in a warning tone.
“I will take care of them, not a single scratch on them, they will be protected, I promise” He stood up and placed his hand on his heart and closed his eyes. I also left my chair and walked towards him, took him by his bolo tie and pulled him down so his face was on my level, he opened his eyes and looked straight into mine. Not a hint of doubt.
“Fine, but only if they accept” I said, shrugging my shoulders and walking back to my place, and looking at my parents who had a worried expression on their faces.
“So… I offer you entertainment and the sight of very cool abilities, all without you being hurt, you have my promise, neither you or your daughter will be hurt, well your daughter will have some injuries probably, but just some cuts and bruises like always but Yosano can patch her up just fine, anyways, it is indeed your call” Dazai said, looking at both of my parents, who still held that worried stare. My mom stood up and walked towards Dazai, flipping his chair so he could only face her.
“Are you going to take this job seriously?” my mom asked him in her motherly and strict voice, Dazai looked surprised and raised his palms placing them in front of him, trying to wave his invisible white flag.
“Yeah… of course…” The detective answered nervously, and my mom eyed him the same way I did, trying to find some wickedness but she only closed her eyes and nodded, heading back to where she was seated.
“Then we accept” She said, hitting the table with her hand slightly as if she was a judge giving her sentence.
••
It was the day of the Gala, every plan was in motion for both the criminals threatening to bomb the event and the Agency. The young girl and Dazai were getting ready in her apartment. He was wearing a blue formal suit with a white shirt and brown tie, while she had a purple formal dress on with a split on the right side of her skirt. They were not allowed to bring weapons into the event, since the Military Police are the ones in charge of the security, the Agency is going as a guest not to do a job.
While she put on some make up she eyed her partner who was biting the inside of his cheeks and looking at his phone, not even noticing the stare the girl was giving him since he was in deep thought. Eventually he stood up and said he was going to make a call. She heard the apartment door open and close. The feeling that something was up with him did not let the young woman rest, constantly on high alert trying to figure out the detective's movements and plans and almost always ending up with nothing but a crumb of evidence that he is not telling the full story.
Dazai was outside the apartment, thinking if he should light a cigarette but deciding against it since the girl's parents don't like people who smoke, and the detective thought that her parents don't need another reason to hate him. Still, what he was about to do weighed on him, he didn't want to do it, but it was necessary for his plan, it will also make the young woman's suspicions bigger. Dazai knew she was onto him, and yes, he has been scheming behind her back, but he knew this was the only way, and so, he will do and say things he doesn't want to even if it is with a clenched jaw.
He took out his phone and dialed the phone he never liked. It rang for a while, then nothing. He called again, and nothing. By the fourth time he got an answer.
“Just what the fuck do you want?” the angry and loud voice rang through the phone and Dazai groaned.
“I have a job for you” The detective said, his tone was emotionless.
“I am hanging up-” Chuuya said.
“No, no, wait! Chuuya, it is more like a favor, look, today is the city Gala, I know you must be invited since you are an Executive, we both hate those events, but there are two people assisting that I need you to protect no matter what” Dazai said, his voice was actually kind of desperate, since he needed Chuuya to agree, and the detective knew he would but first he needed his former partner to listen.
“And why would I help you? Cant you ask someone from the Agency? And even so, what would I gain from helping you?” Chuuya answered, getting irritated about getting tangled once again in Dazai's plans without his consent.
“You will gain a lot, trust me. But look, I will give you this deal, at 4 pm outside the venue, you will see the people you need to protect, you will instantly know who they are, if you see them and decide not to help me, fine, I won't bother you with it. But believe me, it makes me sick to my stomach to ask for your help” the browned haired man said, with actual disgust in his tone. There was a moment of silence on the other side of the line and the detective started to tap his foot rapidly on the floor showing signs of annoyance.
“...fine, I'll take a look and decide for myself if I want to get involved in whatever you are scheming” Chuuya said, and Dazai threw a fist in the air, celebrating his well known victory. Now his plan had no way to fail.
“Chuuya! You are such a great man, no wonder god didn't make you taller, you don't need it since you are so righteous just the way you are!” Dazai said in his fake cheery voice and he just heard the line being cut. He exhaled loudly and stretched his arms before going into the apartment again.
“Is everything alright?” The young woman asked, her face showing signs of concern as she tried to put on her heels. One of her hands rested on the wall while the other one struggled to place the shoe on her foot.
Dazai walked to her and pushed her onto one of the stools by the kitchen, crouching down and taking the shoe. He has not answered the question as the silence drowned them both. She was looking at the top of his head as she felt him help her put on the shoes. She placed a hand on his head as he let his forehead rest on her knees. They stayed like that for a while, her hand playing with his hair and he kind of hugging her legs, not a single sound was heard but their synchronized deep breathing.
“Yeah, everything's alright. Now lets go before it gets late” Dazai said, his voice was less humoristic and more breathy and tired. She nodded and stood up, they got out of the apartment hand in hand.
○○○
At the venue, Chuuya stood there, in the building in front of the event, arms crossed as he rested his back with one foot on the wall looking at the cars coming and going after people got out of them. It was four o clock, and he waited for the people he was supposed to protect, trying to find a reason for his stupid decision of actually coming. A car pulled up, it was one of the Agency's vehicles. Two people came out, a couple it looked by the way they were holding onto each other's arms. Chuuya couldn't see their faces since they were giving their backs to him, so he moved a little to the side to see if they were the people Dazai talked about and what was the big deal about them.
He crossed the street to actually see their faces and he stopped in his tracks.
“You gotta be fucking kidding me” Chuuya whispered, his eyes wide and full of surprise, he didnt even know how to react, but he surly knew, he couldnt refuse to help. He cursed himself for actually coming, but also grew a little bit worried about the job now that he saw what was at stake.
The couple looked older than him, they looked young but old enough to be parents, and they were. The mother had almost the same face as the girl he met on a sketchy bar and now he texts regularly. Those are her parents, Dazai sent him to protect her parents, and now he thought it would be an easier job to protect the President. Getting nervous about just coming and presenting himself, he decided not to. He would avoid any contact unless necessary, that would also help him to neutralize any threats since they will not see him coming. And so, he walked close to them, but not near enough to make them uncomfortable. He is going to be just one more person attending the Gala, while he curses Dazai the whole time.
Chuuya waited for the parents to go inside and then he walked behind them, trying to keep a low profile, even though he was indeed invited to the event, it is not usual for the Port Mafia Executives to attend, given their reputation, so if he drags too much attention, he could end up putting the couple in more danger instead of protecting them.
The parents walked inside the big room, there were approximately 30 tables and surrounded a stage on the back of the room and in front of it a dancefloor. To Chuuya, this event was nothing more than a gathering of people who chose to be blind to the city's condition, sure, he was not one to talk since he worked in one of the biggest crime organizations of the city, but the Port Mafia cared about the well being of the town, they just did it in their own ways.
Staying on a corner, shushing away the waitress that tried to tempt him with wine and alcohol, he needed to be completely sober to do the job right, even though he desperately wanted a drink. He looked at the two people he was supposed to protect, they were on a table on the other side of the room, near a window and near the entrance.
'Good thing Dazai made that easy for me' the red haired man thought to himself as his eyes were glued to the table, but also was aware of his surroundings.
The door opened revealing the ADA, each member walked in as if really making an entrance, they wanted to be seen and Chuuya noticed that, which made him raise an eyebrow in wonder what the bunch of freaks were planning. Dazai walked in with the young woman taking his arm, Chuuya clenched his jaw, and took a deep breath. Once again, it has been a while since they have seen each other in person, sure they texted almost daily but it was certainly not the same. And now there she was, in the same space as him, and not only her, even her parents, and he was nothing more than Dazai's puppet, Chuuya really wanted to punch something.
Dazai looked at the redhead's way, giving him a sly smirk, and then quickly averting his gaze, as he sat down next to the young woman and her parents. Watching Dazai, the Demon Prodigy, make small talk with her parents was somehow infuriating to Chuuya. Seeing his former partner laugh and making the mother giggle and the dad roll his eyes brought an indescribable rage inside the Executive, his anger washed away fast when his eyes landed on the girl he likes to share a wine with. Her eyes were soft and loving as she watched Dazai talk with her parents.
Chuuya was jealous. Not the ' she should be mine ' but the 'I wish I could have that kind of life' jealousy. The Executive knew that the kind of life she would have with him ain't nowhere as peaceful as that one, no matter how rotten Dazai is, as the one with the detective. Dazai is surrounded by righteousness, by good, by brightness, even if he, himself is the shadow the light casts. He is on the good side, and Chuuya is on the bad side. Those were the facts.
-
“So… what do you think?” She asked the browned haired man beside her. Her eyes went from one person to another inside the event. Dazai had a hand on her thigh and the other was holding a drink, his eyes as well as hers were staring at every single person inside the building, trying to figure out who was on the enemy's side.
“I am guessing, one assassin with an ability, the tricky part is, what ability would it be” Dazai said, mostly to himself as he took a sip from the liquor in his hand. She stared at him with curious eyes, waiting for a better response that she was not going to get.
Chuuya kept staring at them while he was on the sidelines. He recognized the cold and calculated look Dazai was wearing, his eyes reading each and every person inside the room, heavy eyelids half closing the dark of his eyes. The Executive felt chills run down his spine, the only times when Dazai has looked that way is when he is serious, despite having a smile on his lips and talking like nothing is going on. Meaning Chuuya has to be on high alert too. The rumors have gotten to the Port Mafia too, that a bomb was going to go off to disturb the Gala, and a probable assesination attempt against the chief of police was possible.
“We thank you all for your assistance in today's event. This city's growth is because of you and your company's effort, so this Gala is to congratulate everyone and show how much we appreciate the city. We also want to present our guest of Honor, the Chief of police, for accompanying us today despite having a lot of work to do. Please enjoy your evening!” A young man said while standing on the stage, there was a round of applause that was followed by smooth jazz music that was being played by a bored looking band.
Dazai was bouncing his knee up and down, he was waiting for Kunikida's signal to start the show and get the job done. It was not that he was nervous, he was just annoyed. The bomb threat, the young and stupid criminals trying to kidnap him, them spilling information way to obviously, the Gala, everything reek of him .
The only real people sitting on the Agency's table were Tanizaki, Dazai, Lilith and her parents. The rest of the members were nothing but an illusion made by the older Tanizaki sibling, and Dazai knew he could only hold up the facade for so long. The detective had come up with the part of the show on his own, he has not told anything to the young woman beside him, he wants everyone to be taken by surprise, including the people on the table, except one. Tanizaki had another role to play.
Three cell phones buzzed on the table. Tanizaki, Dazai and the young woman took their phones out, looked at the screen and then at each other. It was quite literally, show time.
Dazai let out a loud sigh, and the girl on his side looked at him with a raised eyebrow, waiting for the instructions she never got. The detective had a plain expression on his face, looking once again into something that only he could see. He then stood up energetically, placing a huge grin on his face, and proceeded to walk towards the stage, getting weird looks from the band members but they still gave Dazai a microphone.
“Good evening everyone! I hope you are having a lovely day, this is an amazing Gala, we couldn't expect anything more but perfection! And that's why, we, the members of the ADA, would like to give you a little welcoming show! To introduce our newest, and oficial-est , member!” Dazai pointed at the ADA table, and then began to walk around the dancefloor, wearing the fakest and biggest smile ever known to exist. Taking long steps to get across the floor and making the other people look at him, practically not giving them a choice but to stare at his over dramatic antics. It was not hard to look at the detective, his energy was magnetic, or that was the only word the young woman watching him from the table could use to describe him.
People were following him around with their gaze, impossible not to be enticed by Dazai's charms, he really was the Devil and so, his very own being was tempting. Attracting attention and desires has always been a double edged sword for the detective, it gave him everything but nothing at all, just superficial affection and barren obsession from others. This show and tell was just a bitter reminder of the separation of him and others.
“So, my pretty and beautiful sweetheart won't you come on stage” His voice was soft, different from the way he was talking to the audience before. She looked at him with sad eyes, perceiving how miserable he was feeling, and giving him only a small and barely excuse of a smile in return, before walking up to him, taking the extending hand Dazai was giving her.
“Now now, this pretty girl and I will give you- drums please” he pointed at the sad looking band who followed his instructions with sour faces, “a magic show!” Dazai said practically screaming while twirling the girl who was looking at him with confusion. She didn't know what was going on and the whole spinning around like a ballerina made her think about the first days at the agency. Still, she followed through, she put on a stage smile, the ones that are only for performances, for making the audience think that everything was alright.
“Hello, I am the newest member of the Agency, nice to meet you all, I am sorry for the eccentric ways of my partner, but sit and enjoy the little show we have prepared for you today” She said with a sweet fake voice, eyeing everyone in the room, noticing where the chief of police was, the nearest exist and who the possible assassin could be. Her eyes traveled across the room, noticing a bright mane of red hair.
'What? Is that…'
“Now for the first trick… I will try to get this” Dazai pulled out of his suit a pair of handcuffs and plastic straps used for detaining. He was not in possession of those before… and she could see one military police officer check his uniform, noticing he was missing what Dazai was holding. She let out a laugh, quickly covering her mouth and proceeding to tie his hands together. Turning off the microphone she gave him a look.
“What's the devious plan, my Lucifer?” She asked him in a playful tone but her eyes were really looking for answers. All she got was cold eyes staring back at hers. Turning back into the audience, she signaled with her hands that the detective was tied up with a big smile meant for entertainment.
“Oh no! What am I going to do now?!” Dazai started to wail as he walked around the dancefloor, even going around the tables and showing people he was really tied up. She just stared at him going from person to person, lips curled in a smile but her eyes were sharp. She was nervous, she trusted the weird man in the blue suit, but her parents were right back at the table, if something went wrong they could pay the price. Her eyes made their way to where her parents and Tanizaki were, and noticed light snow was no longer activated, she frowned for a second but shook it off.
And with the snap of fingers the cuffs tying Dazai's hands fell to the floor.
People actually started to clap and a round of “ooh's” were heard.
“Now, how about our pretty lady shows us what she can do!” Dazai said while going to the bar and returning with an apple. She raised an eyebrow as she watched Dazai position himself in front of her but on the other extreme of the dancefloor.
She got what she had to do, going to the nearest table she took one of the knives and the handkerchief. Placing the white cloth on her eyes to cover her sight, she made a cut on her hand with the knife, staining the steel red. A little murmurs started filling the room and she just let out a sigh. She was not liking this, it was like letting the ocean drift you away, losing control of your ship and letting the water guide you. And that's what she had signed up for when being with the detective with an apple on the top of his head.
She had the image on her head. Lilith and her, her and Lilith, a they. Looking at the mental image of Dazai with an apple on the head, all they have to do is guide their blood on the knife to the red of the apple, and so, she threw the not so sharp object with enough force to actually stick the knife on the fruit.
“Oh my god”
The round of applouse let her know she had not just murdered her boyfriend.
She took off the handkerchief from her face and was met with playful dark brown eyes and Dazai biting into the apple that had a butter knife stuck to it. She rolled her eyes and he winked at her and threw an arm around her shoulder, kissing her on the head.
It was weird. Everything about it was off. Still she had no choice but to trust the man from the picture inside the locket hanging from her neck.
“Isn't she talented? Give my baby a big round of applause! Now for the last and greatest act I will need a volunteer…” Dazai's voice got a little serious at the end, his eyes were looking at the person he had chosen as his volunteer. The chief of police of course.
The detective started walking towards him, his eyes were cold, his smile was shallow, the chief of police looked somehow frightened, but still he got the cue and raised his hand up like a kid in school. Dazai gave him a slight nod.
“Oh, chief! Thank you for being our volunteer! Come quickly, come, come!” The detective's hands were motioning the elder man to come to the dancefloor, to a spot near the stage. She just stood there, near the entrance right where the dance floor started. Staring with big eyes full of confusion trying to figure out what the last magic trick was.
Dazai held the elder man who was dressed very formally, he was just about a couple inches shorter than the detective. Bandaged hands on the chief of police shoulders. It was a weird sight, for people who didn't know Dazai, it would look like the overly friendly handsome detective was just getting a laugh and entertaining people, but the others who had a special talent for recognizing the dark in people's eyes. This was a tense moment.
“Now, for my last trick… the most difficult one, it took me quite some time to master, but, nevertheless I managed to perfected it some years ago… It is the art of disappearing ” and with that sentence, the time stopped in that big room but also, everything was happening all the time.
A screen of smoke, the screams of people, the sound of thunder, the floor shaking from impact.
When the hands of time were back to normal, the entrance was nothing more than pieces of debris piled up, blocking anything and anyone from going in or out. The smell of blood filled the air, the lights were out and the only way to make things out of the darkness were four emergency lights on each of the four walls.
Her hands were bleeding, she didn't even notice when she activated her ability, it was almost automatic, instinctive even. One hand was a thread that pulled people from being crushed by the wreckage, the other was a fine spear going through a man's shoulder. The smell of blood wasn't just her own.
A chill ran down her spine, the two people who held part of her world intact where there, and she had not sent a lifeline to protect them specifically, her eyes lingered nervously towards the place she had last seen the people who gave her life, her hands were trembling, not only from the loss of blood.
Red .
That color has saved her multiple times, that color has doomed her other times.
Chunks of debris floating below them, a reminder of how incompetent and powerless she is, and how far Dazai is. How far ahead the double black is.
Chuuya stood there, the jacket that usually falls from his shoulders like a cape holding the pieces of wall and cement off the heads of her parents, eyes looking as serious as can be, a frown on his face, the hint of slight annoyance lingering on his expression. She hated it. She didn't know why but she hated it.
“What the fuck are you standing there for, I got this. You get that.” Chuuya yelled at her, watching her hesitate to make any movement. The executive knew something like this would happen, he knew since he saw her fake smiles and laughs on the dancefloor while Dazai made his little show. They were kept in the dark, all of them. The Demon Prodigy doesn't play fair, doesn't tell anybody his plans, that way, he has total control leaving the rest to fend on their own.
The redhead's voice pulled her out of her trance, she let go of the people who were already safe, blood going back to its liquid state and returning to her slowly. It was difficult for her to manipulate different states of matter separately. Her other hand had a spear going through the ability user's shoulder, if she let go now, who knows when she could get him again.
Chuuya was reading the battlefield. He had no business aiding the Agency, his only job is to protect the people now behind him, and he better find a way to get all of the trash out of the entrance so he could get them out. He slowly turned around, his face slightly flushed out of embarrasment, cursing himself for being nervous of meeting the girl's parents and not because there is an ongoing terrorist attack.
“Um, hi. My name is Nakahara Chuuya, I am a friend of your daughter, I will be protecting you and escorting you out of the range of attack, please do as I say so we can get this over quickly. This is not the time nor the place but I am pleased to meet you.” He stumbled on some words a little bit, he had thought about the words he would have to say to them since the moment he agreed to help Dazai and Lilith out. Chuuya is not this formal, this was weird for him and he was afraid that it showed. The parents' faces were of shock, not because of Chuuya's overly formal introduction, but because their daughter was getting her ass whooped.
“For fucks sake” was all that Chuuya could whisper.
She tried to keep up, not only was her opponent a skilled fighter, but his ability was somehow canceling hers. The spear that kept him in place turned into liquid as electricity ran through his body, severing the connection she had with her own blood and depriving her from manipulating it. In her confusion, she had let her guard down and was met with fists and kicks, and also, electric shocks each time the other person connected his attacks.
She felt like she was back at the container, back to square one. Having this obligation to protect people falling on her shoulders but being unable to fulfill her duty because of her own ineptitude.
From a hard kick to her stomach she was thrown far back, meeting the wall and falling on the floor. She tried to stand up but fell forward on her knees. Her legs and arms were shaking, she could figure out if it was because of the lack of control of her frustration, the blood loss, or the electric shocks still messing with her body. She didn't count on the ability user being her worst enemy.
'I shouldn't be here, I can't do this, Kunikida or Atsushi-kun should be the ones fighting, I am too weak' The words kept bouncing inside her head, making the hole of her despair bigger as she crawled up inside it.
“Get up” A voice echoed through her ears. She didn't raised her head, eyes looking directly onto the floor as they looked at it with wide eyes that hurt from not blinking.
Then she felt her back being slammed on the wall, hands on her shoulders kept her trapped with force. Chuuya was looking at her with a scowl, an unusual one, full of anger and disappointment. The sight of the redhead in front of her made her instinctively turn around to see her enemy, that was crashed under three tables that glowed red.
“I can't do this Chuu, I- He counters my ability, I can't get through him, I-I need Dazai. Where is he? I can't, I can't, I can't-” She began to speak in a desperate tone, almost whimpering, crying to her prince that saved her like the damsel in distress like she felt she was. Falling into the role of the nickname that Chuuya always called her.
“ Shut up” He yelled through his teeth, trying not to be loud, the grip on her shoulders tightening a little bit. She did as she was told and closed her mouth, eyes looking onto his hat, his head hanging a little low, making his face unable to be seen because of his hat.
“Fuck Dazai, if he thought you needed him to get the job done, then he would be here but he is not, he is a slippery and sly bitch that takes every oportunity he can to make others do the work for him. So don't you get it? He thinks you can, so you better do. Or are you telling me you think he is wrong?” Chuuya was pissed at her. Not for getting her ass handed to her, but for her sudden helplessness. She looked like a completely different person than she was when they were last at the bar and she almost decapitated two men, her eyes looking around the room for him . As if needing reassurance, like she had no confidence at all.
“Then what am I supposed to do? If Dazai doesn't nullify his skill my attacks don't work, I don't have any weapons, I am completely and utterly useless in this situation. I need help-” Her hands were now holding his wrists and gripping into them, her frustration was making her lose her ground. But she was now looking him straight in the eye.
“Just who the fuck are you. Who are you? Answer me.” Chuuya's voice was more controlled but the anger still lingered on his words, demanding tone asking for a response, his aura and stance overflowing with authority.
“I- I am… I have too many names” Her eyebrows were furrowed in her uncertainty.
“When I call you princess, I never intended for you to think of old disney movies. The princess I think about is Xena, so don't make me wonder if I picked up the wrong nickname” He said in a softer tone, the grip on her shoulders slowly coming undone as her legs stood on their own and he could sense that the control of gravity he had on the tables on top of the enemy was going away.
“You are very cheesy for a mafia Executive” She whispered with a sad smile on her face. He rolled his eyes and let go of her completely, turning around to see the situation happening around them. People were trying to make an opening to get out, throwing rocks around and digging with their hands.
“I can take care of the entrance, but I need you to take care of him. If just your blood can't reach him, then protect your blood with your fire. Burn the fucker down and see how he likes it.” Chuuya said with a smirk on his face as he turned to look at her. She was bloodied and dirty, his purple dress looked almost black. Somehow, her shoes were still on but their condition was no better off.
“You are not my boss” She said mockingly, her fake serious face was betrayed but a small curve of the lips.
“Fuck you for making me yell at you and treat you like shit in front of your parents” He said as he walked away slowly towards the entrance. She let out a laugh, and then yelled at the top of her lungs, slapping her cheeks lightly.
She started to walk back to the dance floor, now a battlefield. Chuuya took that as an indication to finally start concentrating on the job he was asked to do. He looked at the worried parents, their eyes never left their daughter the whole time. He even saw the dad take a step forward towards the dance floor.
“I wouldn't do that if I were you. Your daughter is strong, she was just being a bitch, shit- sorry, I didn't mean it like that. What I mean is that…she can handle her own, and things are about to get heated, so let's get you out of here.” Chuuya said, not looking at them since he was concentrating on taking pieces of rubbish and moving them aside.
Back on the dance battle ground, her heels were making a clickity- clacking sound that echoed through the room. Her enemy was no longer buried by the weight of gravity, and now he standed there with a smirk on his face. She saw his mouth move as if he was talking but she couldn't hear anything but the sound of ocean waves crashing on the beach inside her soul.
Her hands were still bleeding, making drips and puddles of blood on the floor, she looked at all the blood that was on the ground, around her and around him. And so, she began to smile, suddenly it was all very funny to her. She covered her mouth to drown her laughter, receiving a concerned look from the enemy in front of her. All that could be heard from her giggling was a lone sentence.
“Let the flames begin”
The moment the words escaped her mouth, the blood spilled on the ground lit up with a violet blue flame, her eyes changed into cat like irises, her steps did not get faster. She walked as if she had foreseen the future, as if she knew exactly how that fight would end.
She wiped the blood off her face and lip with her hand and flicked it towards the man with the victorious smirk. The small droplets of blood turned into needles that caught fire mid flight, the man just placed a hand in front of his face, sparks glowing on his palm ready to disarm her ability. The needles penetrated his skin and stabbed his hand. He let out a yell as he held his now bleeding hand.
“I thought you were a blood witch, what the fuck is this fire!” the man screamed as the fire from the needles started to burn the skin and flesh around them, the blood he had stepped before making his shoes burn and melt. The fight was over.
“You men always try to burn us at the stake, guess the fire took a liking to us… your soul… is repulsive” She whispered as she now stood right in front of him, her hand had reached to touch his cheek. She no longer felt frustrated or angry, all that was left was a sense of tranquility. She found the crackling of fire quite soothing.
He tried to throw a punch at her, but she stepped back and a long thread came from her hand, wrapping itself on his wrist and finding his other hand, with a quick pull, he was restrained by a burning sensation on his wrists, making him scream in agony. The smell of burnt flesh started to fill the space. The man fell to the floor, trying to roll on the ground to stop the undying flames.
“It's pretty awful isn't it? Burning alive… a barbaric method to some, but fire cleanses, I can free your soul, I can make it clean again, just say the word and you will be born again. I will give you new life just say-” her words were stopped by the feeling of a hand on her head. The flames consuming the room disappeared instantly, her blood returned into a liquid state, and her eyes turned back to normal.
“That's enough, honey” A soft and smooth voice resounded through her ears. Fingers running through her dirty and tangled hair, she threw her head back with open wild eyes and saw Dazai looking at her with empty eyes but a small smile on his lips.
“Where were you?” She asked, her voice cracked from the sudden dry throat she was feeling. Her body was burning, every muscle was aching and her head was hurting. She was dizzy and nauseous. Everything felt like a dream.
“How about Chuuya takes you to Yosano? You look like shit” Dazai said, still caressing her hair softly. She looked across the room, the entrance was free of the debris and there was no one in sight but Chuuya leaning on a wall, a worried look on his face. She nodded slowly and the Executive made his way towards them.
She felt the weight of the world fell on her and she tumbled onto the floor, falling into her knees once again. Dazai tried to help her but she slapped his hands away feeling a burning on her throat. She emptied her stomach on the floor, and her ears and eyes started to hurt, the warm sensation of liquid making itself known.
Chuuya looked down at her with a concern that was turning slowly into panic, not only her vomit had blood, but the red was dripping from her eyes and ears, and nose. He picked her up quickly without warning and started to run out of the building, she curled herself up on his chest, clinging to his shirt, she was shivering and her eyes were shut with force, the signs of pain were pretty visible.
Outside was a mess. Cops, ambulances, firefighters, the whole city was there to witness the last terrorist attack. Between the lights and loud voices Chuuya was getting disoriented, and couldn't see the Agency members, there was a lot more people than when he got out, he saw the Agency right outside and handed them Lilith's parents, but now he had no clue where anyone was, and so he walked towards the nearest cop car.
“I need you to call for the Agency Member Doctor Yosano, now ” the young cops just looked at each other and at the bleeding girl on his arms and did as they were told. It took no more than three minutes since the whole Agency was running towards Chuuya with worried looks.
Chuuya hated this day, he really did.