Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

"Wh- where the hell am I...?" You murmured to yourself, your head throbbing in pain as you attempted to stand up. Your legs were a bit shaky and your heart was beating at a face pace. Glancing around at your surroundings didn't help your panic, only confirming the fact you weren't outside your house anymore. You tried to recall what had happened to make you end up in some unfamiliar alley way, the memory suddenly hitting you like a truck against a brick wall.
The last thing you remembered...

Was being shot.

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"God... I'm so bored." You grumbled to yourself, not talking to anyone in particular as you stared at your computer screen.

Summer break before junior year had been about as uneventful as you expected. You basically did nothing except stay inside and watch YouTube, occasionally reading some fanfiction here and there. You really had no schedule, like most summers. No job, no crazy vacations, nothing. So here you were, mindlessly glaring at your laptop as you sat on your bed, staring at the paused credits screen.

You had just finished your first rerun of Bungo Stray Dogs. It was a show you had been a fan of for a long time, and now that it was summer, you finally had time to rewatch it. Season four and season five were definitely some of the more hectic things you've ever watched, yet it was definitely good. Seeing all your favorites win in the end and watching as Fyodor died to a stupid helicopter was very satisfying even if it was the second time you had seen it. The only problem was...

Well, what the hell were you gonna do now?

Sure, you could start a new show. The few friends you had who shared your interests had recommended you more shows than you had time to watch, but all of those sounded so... unappealing. Sure, you could go read some more fanfiction of Bungo Stray Dogs, but you were doing that yesterday. Maybe you could even finish the new chapters of the manga, but you didn't feel like going on Tiktok or Twitter to find them. You could also start some of the other content the author had to offer, like the different universes he's written or the light novel he's made. You were honestly a little surprised you hadn't started it earlier, but you weren't really in the mood to read anything too angsty today.

A voice broke your train of thought as your mother called your name from the living room. "Coming!" You called out, climbing out of bed and opening your door, walking out of your room, stepping past the mess of clothes and assorted crafts on your floor. Once you exited your room and entered the living room, you noticed your mom sitting on the couch, smiling faintly at you. "Would you mind taking the trash out? I'd do it but..." She paused, seemingly trying to find some sort of excuse as to why she wasn't doing it herself before shrugging. "You're the more nimble out of the two of us. It'd be easier if you did it for me. You'd be doing me a huge favor..." She said, both of you knowing she had no good excuse for her asking. Not that she really needed one, considering she was your mom.

You smiled at her words. "Yeah, yeah, I'll do it." You answered, turning your back to go grab the trash from the trash can. "Thanks, hun. You're the best." She called out, before turning her attention back towards the television she was watching. You took the trash out of the trash can, making sure none of that disgusting garbage juice got on you as you began walking out of your house. You unlocked the door, stepping outside as the humid air practically smacked you in the face. Summer where you lived was always incredibly humid and hot, making it almost suffocating to step outdoors. You let out a small sigh, regretting your choice of rather warm clothing as you walked up to the front of your house, opening the lid to the garbage can and throwing the trash bag inside. Closing the lid, you began walking back to your front door, still considering what you were gonna do with your free time and how you were gonna pass the day.

However, a small crunching sound under your feet caught your attention.

You prayed it wasn't a bug or something you just stepped on, hoping it was just a leaf. You didn't really want to get anything on your socks considering you were too lazy to put on shoes. However, to your surprise, it wasn't a leaf nor a bug. When you moved your foot and looked down, you noticed a piece of crumpled paper was underneath. A little confused, assuming it fell in the trash, you picked it up. However, something about the paper felt... off.

You couldn't quite place why picking up a piece of trash made you so nervous, but you suddenly felt your heart pick up pace as you stared at the crumpled paper. You curiously opened it up, staring at whatever was inside. To your surprise, there was actually something written and not just a blank page. Oddly enough, it was in a language you couldn't quite understand. You quickly recognized it was russian, and now were questioning why the hell a note was written in russian outside your house. Neither of your parents knew the language, let alone you. So why the hell would this be outside your house?

You just assumed it was some trash from the neighbors or something, not trying to give it too much thought despite how nervous you felt. You weren't even sure why you felt so scared, considering it wasn't anything to get all anxious over. It was just some dumb note, right?

"Odd." You mumbled under your breath, turning around towards the trash can to throw it away.

However, a loud bang quickly made you stop dead in your tracks.

You paused, not able to process anything that was happening as a sharp pain suddenly entered your chest. You let out a hitched gasp, falling to your knees in the grass as the paper collapsed next to you. You suddenly found it difficult to breathe, pain overwhelming you as you looked down, only to see blood dripping out of your shirt. The sharp pain was overwhelming now, throbbing throughout your entire body as you let out a loud scream of pain, tears blurring your vision. You tried to speak, call out for help, anything, but your throat began filling up with blood. You began coughing and hacking violently, falling over on the grass while your body continued throbbing with the most horrific pain you had ever experienced.

You had been shot.

But... by who? Why?
What have you done to deserve this?

You found that your eyelids felt heavier and heavier, no longer able to keep them open no matter how hard you tried. Your movements were sluggish as your body gave out, the last thing you ever heard was screaming, following by footsteps running towards you.

Why...

Why you?

Chapter Text

A faint breeze brushed past your face, sweeping your hair aside as you stood in a field of flowers. The white sundress you wore blew in the wind, brushing against your legs as it glided against your body. A field of flowers extended as far as the eye can see, each flower being the same.

Red spider lilies.

You weren’t sure if you were alive or dead anymore. The last memory you could recall was collapsing to the ground after being shot. Even with such a disturbing memory lingering in your mind you felt… at ease in this place. You took a step forward, moving past the flowers as you began walking. The sky was a light shade of blue, with no sun or clouds in sight. Despite that, it was extremely bright and almost colorful in this place. You felt no fear, no worry, no anger, just peace. As you began walking, you spotted some sort of figure in the distance. You couldn’t make out any features as the figure was pitch black. It didn’t move an inch as it stood in the distance, its presence alone made you pause.

Whatever it was, you didn’t want to get near it.

The figure continued to stand motionless, the wind not swaying it whatsoever. You took a step back, your feet crunching one of the lilies. You looked down, grimacing faintly at the feeling before looking back up and noticing the figure had moved closer. It was now walking towards you. Panic began to fill you as you noticed it get closer, and you began taking more steps back, turning away from it in order to sprint away.

Yet the figure was faster.

Whatever it was, it caught up to you with ease, as if it didn’t even need to try. You turned around just in time to get a glimpse of its face, to see whatever it truly was-

“Ow! Fuck!”

You exclaimed, your head slamming against what seemed to be a brick wall. You winced with pain, reaching up and rubbing the spot where your head hit the wall. Glancing around, you realized you were no longer in the flower field. Your eyes instantly went down, widening as you looked at your chest.

Not a single drop of blood was on your clothes.

You gasped involuntarily, placing a hand where the bullet that had shot you once was. You… you were alive. You weren’t even sure how considering that bullet hit you directly in the chest.

You should be dead.

You were supposed to be dead.

So…

How the hell were you here right now?

Your head was throbbing as you attempted to stand up, muttering under your breath. Your legs were wobbly, making it extremely difficult to balance yourself. Leaning against the wall for support, you finally began to take in your surroundings. You were in some sort of dusty alleyway, the lighting dim and making it harder to focus clearly. You blinked a couple times as your eyes adjusted to the low light. Wherever you were, you definitely were no longer at your house. At that realization, panic began to set in. You attempted to take a step forward, only to completely lose your balance and fall over, landing directly on your elbow. You cursed under your breath, muttering how much it hurt before attempting to stand once more, making sure you weren’t bleeding. You balanced yourself on the wall again, taking a step forward and luckily not falling.

You managed to get the hang of walking after a bit of pacing, your mind racing with too many thoughts to even address. How the hell are you alive? Where were you even? Was your mother safe? Those three questions echoed in your mind the most, making your breathing more erratic and your heart beat faster. You felt anxious, on edge even. However, the sounds of people talking silenced your thoughts briefly. As you glanced outside the alleyway, you realized you were near a plaza of some kind, with many people walking around and chatting.
Maybe… maybe one of them knew where you were.

Hesitantly, you took a few steps forward and exited the alleyway, the bright light of the sun shining on you and making you shield your eyes for a few moments. Once you adapted to the bright light, you looked around at the people walking by. The plaza was full of people walking and talking, the noise a bit overwhelming considering you just woke up after being shot. After a couple moments of staring, you walked over to a young man who didn’t look too busy. He was sitting on a bench, glancing down at his phone.

“Uhm… excuse me?” You asked, your tone a bit shaky and almost a little sheepish. You felt a bit embarrassed your voice sounded so weak, but you had bigger issues than embarrassment right now. Didn’t mean you weren’t self conscious though.

“Hm? Oh, what is it?” The man asked, taking his attention away from his phone to look up at you, smiling faintly. “Ah… sorry to bother but… do you know where we are?” You questioned, glancing around before looking back at him. He looked a bit confused at his question, but answered it nonetheless. “We’re in Yokohama right now. Why? Are you alright?”

What.

The fuck.

What do you mean we’re in YOKOHAMA?

Last time you checked you lived nowhere near that goddamn place. Hell, it took you a second to even realize you were in Japan.

You stared at him like he was insane for a couple moments, the awkward silence between the two of you only making the man look more confused and concerned. “Are… you okay, miss?” He repeated. “If you need me to call someone, I can.” The man added, clearly looking worried about you. You stayed silent for a couple moments, not even sure where to begin. You were shot, now you were waking up in a foreign country. Were you kidnapped? Just how long had you been out?

“...May I borrow your phone? I should call my mom.” You asked, your voice even more shaky as he nodded, handing you his cellphone. You quickly dialed your mothers number, holding the phone up to your ear as it rang.

“We’re sorry, the number you’re trying to contact does not exist. Please try again.”

What?

You tried to dial it again.

“We’re sorry, the number you’re trying to contact does not exist. Please try again.”

You dialed your dad’s number.

“We’re sorry, the number you’re trying to contact does not exist. Please try again.”

You tried to dial it again.

“We’re sorry, the number you’re trying to contact does not exist. Please try again.”

Your heart felt like it was about to leap out of your chest as you stared at his phone. Something… something was not right at all. He looked even more concerned now considering you were beginning to panic, your fear plain as day on your face. “Do you need me to walk you to the police station?” He asked, standing up and looking down at you with clear worry. You looked up at him, your heart pounding in your chest as you quickly shook your head, handing him his phone and quickly walking away.

This… this made no sense.

You were just shot, you passed out and had some weird fever dream about a flower field, and now you wake up in Yokohama, Japan. Not even your parents' numbers existed, so you had no idea how to contact anyone you knew. This had to be a joke. This had to be some sort of prank. You were speed walking down the street, your heart threatening to leap out of your body as the lump in your throat got worse. As your mind continued wandering, wondering how the hell you even ended up in this situation, a thought suddenly popped into your head. Much clearer than the other ones.

What were you watching just before you got shot?

Bungo Stray Dogs.

Where does Bungo Stray Dogs take place?

Yokohama.

What? No. That’s ridiculous.

You’ve read a lot of fanfiction in your life. You knew the reincarnation trope all too well. You used to fantasize about traveling to another world where you had cool powers and went on adventures with your friends, sometimes wishing you could wake up in a different world. Yet here you were, considering the possibility that it happened to you, and you felt nothing but pure fear.

This is ridiculous.

You kept repeating those words in your head over and over again.

Ridiculous.

You continued walking, your mind on autopilot as you moved throughout the streets, barely even paying attention to if a car was coming or if you were about to bump into someone. As your thoughts got even more absurd, your mind suddenly came up with an idea. An idea to prove this insane theory you had concocted in your brain. You made your way over to the nearest pedestrian, ignoring the people she was talking to as you tapped her on the shoulder. She turned around, a bit confused, but still acting polite. “Do you need something?” The woman asked calmly as you nodded.

“Could you point me in the nearest directions to the Armed Detective Agency?”

It was a stupid question. One that if this were a normal situation would be met with a confused look and a follow up question asking what that was.

However, this wasn’t any normal situation.

The woman’s expression softened faintly, looking less confused and more happy to help. “Oh, it’s right down the street! Simply go forward until you see a cafe, and there it is!”

What. The. Fuck.

Seriously, what the fuck.

This couldn’t be real. This couldn’t be happening.

You muttered a weak ‘thank you’ before turning away from her, stunned. You didn’t even know what to say anymore.

You were quite literally inside Bungo Stray Dogs. The very show you got so much joy out of watching. You were literally inside the fucking show. You were shot to death for who knows why and reincarnated inside Bungo Stray Dogs.

Panic filled your body as you walked a bit faster down the street, not even sure what to do anymore. You had no home, you knew nobody here besides the goddamn characters in the show who had no idea you existed. You were practically on the complete opposite side of the world from where you usually lived. You pinched yourself, slapped yourself, hell, you jabbed yourself in the side of your arm. Yet, nothing happened besides a slight stinging feeling wherever you inflicted harm onto.

Now you had basically confirmed this was all real, the urge to start screaming was extremely overwhelming by this point. You were in the middle of the streets of Yokohama, your mind racing with the realization that this was happening. You had no clue what part of the show you were in, and you just had to pray it was before season four or five. It didn’t seem like Nikolai had acted yet, considering the woman seemed pretty friendly when it came to showing you where the agency was. That was good. They weren’t considered a terrorist organization yet.

But… new possibilities were flooding your mind.

What happens if you meet one of them?

You’d probably freak out. I mean, characters you were used to watching on a screen were quite literally roaming around. However, it’s not like they knew you knew they were characters on a show… they wouldn’t be able to know that unless you told them. And you’d probably look clinically insane if you did tell them.

However… a new problem made itself very clear.

Ranpo.

Ranpo’s stupid fucking ability. Well, lack of. That deductive bullshit he pulls. If you met up with him, you were doomed. You weren’t sure if he would be able to know or not, hell, maybe he’d just walk past you and move on with his life. That’d be the best case scenario. Maybe you could figure out what you were gonna do now that you were stuck here. I mean, if you got here, there had to be a way to get out, right?!

As you continued mindlessly walking, you suddenly felt your face slam into someone’s back. You gasped faintly, stumbling backwards and glancing over at whoever you just bumped into.

And as you looked up, your heart sank.

Why now? Why now of all times?!

Chapter Text

The person you bumped into turns around, looking vaguely annoyed you stumbled into him. The man didn’t even have to open his eyes as he looked at you, a lollipop hanging out of his mouth as he spoke. “Jeez, watch where you’re going. You could’ve made me fall over, you know.” The man said with a small huff, not very amused at your accident. However, his expression changed to one of vague confusion as you said nothing back, staring at him like he just blew up a truck of orphans.

There, right in front of your eyes, was the one man you were dreading to see. The one man you couldn’t deal with right now. The SINGULAR PERSON YOU WERE DREADING.

In the flesh, none other than Ranpo stood there, now looking you up and down with a bit of confusion as you stared at him. You didn’t even know what to say, you just knew you were absolutely fucked. The more he stared at you, the more confused he began to look. If you stayed here any longer, he’d eventually figure out something was off with you. If you walked away without a word, he’d figure out something was off with you. If you spoke, he’d eventually figure out something was off with you. No matter what you did, you were done for. Having very few good choices, you decided to go with the easiest one.

You just simply walked past him, not saying a single word.

You were definitely NOT in the right mind to pretend to be apologetic, let alone continue standing there like an idiot. Your best option was to move on and pretend like nothing had happened. You just prayed he’d drop it.

But of course, he didn’t.

You felt a hand grab your shoulder and spin you around, with a now very annoyed Ranpo staring at you. “It’s rude to ignore people, you know. Especially when the person you’re ignoring is the greatest detective to ever live.” He said casually, clearly not yet aware of the fact you were from another world. You swallowed nervously, trying to speak in a clear tone, yet your voice came out a bit quiet and timid. “Sorry… I wasn’t paying attention to where I was going.” You answered, trying to get out of this conversation as fast as possible. If you didn’t, you were fucked. Royally, royally fucked.

He seemed to accept your answer, his annoyance fading as he smiled. “Good! At least you understa-”

Oh shit.

He cut himself off.

You stared at him nervously as he went silent, his grip on your shoulder not loosening in the slightest as he looked at you. He slowly began to open his eyes, looking almost horrified as his gaze pierced yours, staring practically right into your soul.

HE TOTALLY KNEW. HE 10000% KNEW NOW.

Without thinking, you suddenly grabbed his hand and yanked it off of your shoulder, turning around and beginning to sprint. You knew how stupid this was. Hell, this was one of your worst ideas yet. But what else were you supposed to do?! You heard him yell behind you, followed by quick footsteps that were on par with yours. Yep, he was chasing you. Great. You were basically a shut-in who didn’t do any physical activity or participate in any sports, so there was no way you were out running someone who went on dangerous missions and solved crimes. You were absolutely done for.

You could hear his rapid footsteps approaching, not to mention the dozens of strange looks you were getting right now from random people who were just trying to mind their business. You shoved past people without a second thought, your fight or flight mode in full effect. If he caught you, you were done for. If he caught you, you were done for. If he caught you-

Yeah, he caught you.

You felt a foot dig into your back, causing you to yelp and trip. You braced yourself with your arms just in time, almost landing face first on the concrete floor. People were definitely looking at the two of you now, probably assuming you were some criminal he just caught. You almost wished that was the case, at least you’d just be locked away or whatever. Now, you were gonna have to explain everything you knew to him and probably the entire agency. Goddamnit. Why did you have to take out the damn trash? Why did you have to get shot?!

“W-wait…! I can explain! I can explain!” You yelped, feeling his foot still digging into your back as he now had you pinned to the ground. It wasn’t exactly the best look to have someone who was a junior in high school pinned to the ground, so he quickly removed his foot from your back and helped you stand up. As you caught a glimpse of his eyes once more, he looked very… disturbed. Almost a little panicked, similar to how you felt earlier. After a moment though, he quickly composed himself and adjusted his glasses, letting out a small sigh as he looked at you once more. He opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off by another voice.

“Well, well, well… apprehending children now, are we?”

That voice…

Oh, great.

You turned around to see none other than Dazai approaching the two of you, with Atsushi following directly behind him, looking a bit nervous. “You can’t just push people to the ground like that, Ranpo…” He muttered, though nobody really paid any attention to him besides you.

You felt your heart beating faster as you were now face to face with two different characters from the show that you loved so dearly. Now? Your heart felt like it was racing a million miles per hour. You could feel Ranpo’s gaze piercing your back as you looked over Atsushi and Dazai. “What are you two doing here?” He asks, his overall demeanor much more composed than it was before. He seemed to have calmed down, at least on the outside anyway. You had a gut feeling he was anything but calm on the inside. “We were simply taking a nice stroll on our day off! Isn’t that right, Atsushi?” Dazai asked, slinging his arm around Atsushi’s shoulder and squeezing him faintly. Atsushi looked like he wanted to die as he let out a small sigh. “Dazai dragged me along and said I needed to relax more. So… Here I am.” He said, sounding a little defeated as Dazai kept his arm around him, looking pretty proud of himself. “Well, I’m sure you’re enjoying your day off, but we actually have an important meeting today.” Ranpo replied, turning his full attention to the two men, leaving you awkwardly standing off to the side. Atsushi perked up faintly at the mention of a meeting, while Dazai didn’t look too phased. “Really? A meeting? Since when? I don’t remember hearing about anything like that…” Atsushi mused out loud, while Ranpo simply shook his head.

“Of course you didn’t…” He mumbled, acting as if that super important meeting wasn’t just brought up for the first time now. “Well, no matter! Dazai, why don’t you gather the others and meet at the agency? I have something important to discuss.” He commanded, putting his hands on his hips as he spoke. Dazai reluctantly agreed, seemingly a little annoyed that his day off was being interrupted as he removed his arm from Atsushi, walking away with the weretiger. You noticed Dazai’s gaze lingered on you for a moment longer than needed, which made a shiver run down your spine. You didn’t exactly want him to acknowledge you.

Once the two were out of sight, Ranpo’s attention turned completely to you. He leaned faintly closer to you, his expression more serious than before as he opened his eyes, gazing directly into yours. He didn’t say anything, seemingly analyzing you a bit more. You felt your heart rate pick up, his gaze making you more uncomfortable than you ever thought possible. He stared at you for a couple moments before pulling away, closing his eyes once more. However, his mood didn’t seem to lift. “...I’d appreciate it if you cooperated, it’d make this easier on both of us.” He stated simply. Even with his eyes closed, you could still feel him staring right into your soul. You felt the urge to run away again, though you knew you’d make the situation look even worse than it did. You weren’t even sure how much he knew, but it was clearly enough for him to call for a meeting so suddenly. You let out a slightly shaky sigh, avoiding his gaze as you spoke. “Okay, look, I know how this looks. But I swear, I’m just as confused as you are right now. You have to believe me.” You say, your tone a bit pleading as you finally looked back up at him. He remained silent for a moment before he spoke.

“...Just come with me, please.” He repeated, completely avoiding acknowledging your comment. Before you could get another word in, he suddenly turned around and began walking away, expecting you to follow. You hesitated, not sure if you really wanted to follow him. But… you knew escaping was pointless. He’d catch up to you too easily, no matter how big of a head start he had. You sighed, reluctantly following him as he led you to the detective agency.

After an awkward walk, you finally arrived at the Armed Detective Agency. Standing outside the agency with Ranpo next to you, your hands suddenly felt sweatier and your throat felt dry. You had no clue how this conversation was about to go, considering everybody in the detective agency was about to learn they were in some sort of show. Not to mention, you probably had to tell them everything that will happen in the future. And about Fyodor. And the whole vampire thing.

You weren’t even sure if they’d believe it. I mean, Ranpo would probably back up your story, but who knows? This entire thing was so entirely absurd, who knows what they’d think. Hell, you wouldn’t believe it yourself either. You’d probably think whoever told you this was insane. You felt pretty insane yourself right now considering you could barely process what was going on.

“C’mon, let’s go.” Ranpo said, opening the door and walking inside. Letting out a deep sigh, you reluctantly followed behind him, walking to your doom.

Chapter Text

It didn’t take the two of you very long to enter the main offices at the detective agency, your body swelling with so many different emotions. You were terrified, horrified, confused, concerned, and overthinking every single thing happening. You barely could believe this was even happening, let alone stop and fangirl over seeing all your favorite characters. You would’ve thought if this happened to you, you would’ve been over the moon. However, you were just horrified. You barely processed the fact you were now inside the ADA.

You looked around, noticing basically everyone was here except the president. Seeing all these characters in person was so… weird. Kunikida stood near the back along with Dazai, lecturing him about god knows what while Atsushi tried to separate the two. Kyouka stood off by herself, while Kenji was sitting down at one of the desks with Tanizaki, kicking his legs while Tanizaki looked out the window. Yosano was slinging her weapon over her shoulder, watching whatever the hell Kunikida was angry about this time. Seeing that big ass… whatever weapon she wielded in person made you more anxious than before. Once you entered the room however, everyone’s attention immediately turned to you. Great, all of them were now staring at you. You hated when people did that.

“Oooh, who’d you bring with you, Ranpo?” Kenji asked, looking excited to see an unfamiliar face. “They aren’t injured, are they?” Yosano questioned, turning her full body towards you and glancing you up and down. You swallowed nervously, thanking whatever you believed in that you only had small scrapes and that the gunshot wound you sustained didn’t carry over here. Once she confirmed you had no injuries, she looked vaguely disappointed and moved her attention towards something else. Kunikida stopped lecturing Dazai once you walked in, his grip on his collar loosening as he turned to you. He cleared his throat, straightening his back to appear more presentable. Not like you really cared. You’ve seen him do much worse to Dazai anyway…

“Everyone, if I could have your attention please!” Ranpo called out, clapping his hands despite the fact everyone had already focused on the two of you. “I’d like to introduce to you… our newest member!”

…

What?

Everyone looked just about as shocked as you did, and you quickly spoke up. “W-wait, I didn’t sign up for that! I just came here with you because you told me to!” You defended, holding your hands up and shaking your head. There was no way in HELL you were becoming a member of the detective agency. However, Ranpo seemed serious. He turned to you, looking you up and down for a moment before speaking. “Well, I’ve made up my mind. You don’t have a choice considering…” He trailed off, seemingly remembering why you were here. He looked faintly uncomfortable before composing himself and turning back to everyone else. They all looked completely caught off guard.

“...You? Initiating a new member?” Kunikida questioned, clearing his throat and adjusting his glasses as he spoke. “Yep! I’d explain why, but I think our newest member would do it best. Why don’t you introduce yourself?” Ranpo exclaimed, putting a hand on your back and pushing you forward faintly. You fought the urge to wince, still faintly in pain from when he basically shoved you to the ground. You also felt like you wanted to puke your guts out considering how anxious you were, but you swallowed your nerves and introduced yourself, saying your name before speaking. “Uh… so… I’m not exactly gifted but I’m kinda…” You paused, staying silent for a moment. You weren’t even sure how to say this without looking absolutely insane.

“I’m… kinda… not from this world..?” You finally spat out, your tone clearly uncertain as you looked at the other members.

They all stared blankly at you.

Great. This was going so well.

“...What do you mean you’re ‘not from this world’?” Yosano questioned, her grip on her weapon faintly tightening from confusion. The other members seemed to have the same question she did, her full attention on you. You glanced behind you at Ranpo for any support, but he simply shrugged at you. He couldn’t even support you when all the members were doubting your claim?! This sucks.

“Well… uh… I guess the best way to explain it is I’m from another… timeline. One where you guys exist but… you’re uhm…” You trailed off, closing your eyes so you didn’t have to look at their expressions. You probably couldn’t say it if you saw how confused they looked. “You’re… kind of a TV show?” You finished, finally opening your eyes and looking at them once more.

Everyone looked like you just told them their family just died.

“...That’s impossible..” Atsushi muttered, looking the most perplexed out of all of them. “There’s no way you can be from another world or whatever.. Right, Ranpo?” He asked, as everyone’s focus turned onto him. But before Ranpo could speak, Dazai cut him off. He looked more intrigued than the rest of them. “It… could entirely be possible.” He said, his tone much more serious than his usual lighthearted demeanor. Dazai looked as if something he was dreading was just confirmed, and now looked almost curious as he studied you.

“I’ve suspected something like this could be possible for a while now.” He finished, going silent afterwards, clearly deep in thought. Everyone else looked at him now, completely baffled by his words and his vague statements. He didn’t seem to want to elaborate though, so they eventually turned back to you. Finally, Ranpo actually spoke up. “Judging by my deductions, she only recently arrived in our world. I met her on the street when she bumped into me, and I quickly realized something was off about her. I didn’t know what it was until it clicked.” He said in a matter-of-fact tone. The silence that followed was deafening, everyone looking a mix of complete confusion and bafflement. “So that means that you know who we are. How much do you know?” Kyouka questioned, a bit of suspicion in her tone.

Your nervous expression only increased at her questioning, trying to think of an answer, considering just lying. However, Ranpo beat you to it. “She knows everything. From how Atsushi became a member, to the recent battle we just had with the Guild. Not to mention… she knows what’s going to happen from this point on.” He explained, completely shattering your idea of lying to them. Shit. Why did he have to open his mouth now?!

Everyone’s expression became more nervous and skeptical, not sure whether or not to believe Ranpo. Yosano looked more… skeptical than the rest. “How are we just supposed to accept the fact other timelines exist? And that she knows the future?” She questioned, glaring at you suspiciously. “I can confirm with 100% certainty that she’s telling the truth.” Ranpo defended you, his tone completely serious. Yosano was faintly surprised he was backing you up so much, letting out a faint sigh. “Fine, tell me something that has happened that most people don’t know about.” She asked, glaring at you faintly. You tried to recall moments of Yosano from the show, before beginning to list off a few. “Uh… one of the first scenes I remember seeing you in, you were healing Tanizaki. I know you got your butterfly clip from a soldier in the war when you were around eleven… and… uh…” You trailed off, your memory failing you in the worst of moments. However, your words seemed to be enough. The second you mentioned her butterfly clip, she looked a bit taken aback.

“You…” She trailed off, clearly taken off guard by the fact you actually knew that. She backed off, being less defensive and remaining silent. “Ooh, ooh! What about me!” Kenji interrupted, looking a bit excited to hear what you knew about him. “Uh… when your village was about to be taken out by a mudslide, you used your ability and carved out a massive part of the land so your village was unharmed. I know some of the members of the agency know about that but… I don’t remember much else. Sorry, Kenji.” You said, your tone a bit apologetic. He seemed absolutely ecstatic that you knew that about him, looking at you with awe. He wanted to ask you more questions about your knowledge, but Kunikida stopped him before he could. “This… you being a new member for the agency would be extremely beneficial. If you know what the future holds for us, we could avoid many disasters entirely.” He said, looking at you with determination.

“What happens in our future?”

Shit.

Shit shit shit.

How the HELL were you gonna explain that a massive war happens where the world almost ends?!

“W-wait! I didn’t even agree to being a new member!” You exclaimed, trying to dodge the question. “I-I still have a family in my own world. I can’t just join you guys and abandon my old life!”

The other members went silent for a moment, thinking over your words. “She has a point. We can’t take a girl away from her family for our own benefit, even if it means knowing what happens later down the line…” Tanizaki spoke up, trying to help you out. “It would be selfish. However, none of us know how to bring her back. We can’t just ignore the opportunity in front of us while we still have it.” Dazai countered. “After the incident with the Guild, and the cannibal virus… we can’t just have something like this happen again. Who knows if we’ll be able to stop what comes our way.” Kyouka agreed, the members turning their attention back to you.

“What happens in our future?” Kunikida repeated. You looked even more nervous now, considering they were all expecting an answer from you. Dazai had a point, however. You had no way back home. Your parents probably didn’t even exist in this timeline, and you probably had no records of ever existing here either. You basically were just summoned with nothing except your own flesh and the knowledge of what happens in this world. How were you supposed to explain everything that was gonna happen? That soon, the detective agency was going to be framed as terrorists?!

Just before you were about to speak, the door behind you began to open. You and Ranpo both turned around to see none other than Fukuzawa standing there, glancing over the room. Once he noticed the tension in the air, he spoke. “I apologize for being late, I had matters to attend to,” He paused, looking over at Ranpo. “What is this meeting about?”

“Our newest member, obviously.” He said, gesturing towards you before continuing. He began to catch Fukuzawa up on everything he had missed. Once Ranpo was done explaining, Fukuzawa looked a bit on edge, turning his attention towards you. “I… understand this must be confusing for you. I may find this situation hard to believe but… I know Ranpo far too well. He wouldn’t initiate this meeting if he was lying. I believe that as the president of this agency, we will help try to find a way to bring you back to your world. However, we would also like to have your knowledge as well. We’d benefit greatly from knowing what happens in the future and how dire our situations will be. Is that agreeable to you?” Fukuzawa questions, giving you time to think before you answer. You nodded after a moment, looking up at him. “Yeah… but, fair warning, it gets… bad. A lot of stuff happens. And I mean a lot of stuff. The detective agency is almost… destroyed.”

Everyone looks even more nervous as you say those words.

However, Ranpo quickly broke the silence that you left.

“You probably wanna sit down for this one.”

“What do you mean the detective agency is almost destroyed?” Kunikida asks, while some of the other members sit down. He remains standing along with Dazai. You think for a moment, trying to figure out how to phrase your words properly. “Well… there’s a man named Nikolai Gogol. He kidnaps different government officials and frames the detective agency for their murders, causing everyone to believe the detective agency were terrorists. You guys went into hiding after that, and a military group named ‘The Hunting Dogs’ began to track you.”

Everyone now looks visibly more nervous, with only Dazai looking calm. They all can hardly accept the fact they would be framed as criminals in such a terrible crime, all for one they’d never commit. “Who does Nikolai work for? What are his goals?” Fukuzawa asks, the other members awaiting anxiously for your answer. “Nikolai works for a group known as the ‘Decay of Angels’. The other members are the leader of the hunting dogs, a vampire the leader commands, the leader of the sky casino, and…”

You trailed off, your mind suddenly flashing with images.

Images of the man you saw in the flower field.

Fyodor.

Fyodor Dostoevsky.

Your heart practically sank to your chest as memories of your final moments in your old world begin to replay in your mind. The note in russian combined with the fact you saw him in the odd dream you had before waking up made your mind begin racing.

Was he… the one who brought you here?

Was he the one behind your existence here?

If that was the case then…

Then he already knew you were here.

And if he already knew you were here…

Then there’s no way in hell he isn’t actively going to come get you.

Your blood ran cold as the possibility that he was coming for you truly sunk in. The most calculating and cold man to exist in that universe, the one who even outsmarted Dazai despite dying, the one who was unkillable unless it was by Dazai’s hands…

Was going to be coming for you.

You were just a highschool girl not even a day ago, and now, a criminal mastermind was going to be tracking your every move, probably already knowing that you were beginning to realize he was after you. Or maybe he wasn’t yet.

The voices of the other detective agency members were drowned out by your own panic, your hands beginning to feel sweaty. You only snapped back into reality when you felt Ranpo’s hand on your shoulder. You flinched, turning around and looking at him with a nervous expression. “Who is the final member?”

“...The worst man to ever exist.”

Chapter Text

“Fyodor Dostoevsky. He has one of the worst abilities, one that makes him almost completely untouchable.” You begin, your voice faintly shaky as you speak. “He… He transfers his body to whoever kills him. He practically is untouchable.”

The room visibly tenses as you reveal his special ability. They had already known Fyodor from the cannibal virus, and knew he was arrested and in custody somewhere. But now that they knew things happened even with his arrest? Who knows what else he could do. At least now you had a vague idea of where you were in the show. After your explanation of his ability, you were bombarded with questions.

‘Can Dazai kill him?’

Probably, you weren’t sure. You never saw it happen in the manga or show, so you wouldn’t know.

‘Why is the leader of a military group in the Decay of Angels?’

Fyodor lied to him about a war coming. He believed it, and tried to stop it from happening. He’s lost a lot of his humanity now that he’s turned down such a path.

‘What about the other members of the Decay of Angels? What can they do?’

You had to explain Bram’s powers and how the vampire disease took over, though they could only be commanded by Fukuichi when he was with Bram. A little girl that Kunikida saved a while ago known as Aya would help with that, before Fyodor took over Bram’s consciousness after death. Fukuzawa seemed pretty horrified at the revelation that Fukuichi was working for the Decay of Angels, though didn’t express his distress much. You explained how Sigma was the leader at the sky casino and wasn’t much of a threat, not even wanting to be there to begin with. It was the demon and the jester they had to be truly worried about.

‘What else do we have to be concerned about?’

You had to also explain how they have a page of that reality altering book, which is how they were able to frame the detective agency. They still have the back of the page and lord knows how many other pages they possess. The show only said they have one, but who knows what else they obtain.

It was a long time before the questions seemed to die down and silence overtook the agency. The revelation of new timelines and how chaotic their world was going to become, the possibility of Fyodor truly tracking you down and doing who knows what with you… all of it was too much for you and the others to handle. You felt exhausted as you heard Fukuzawa speak up. “Well… I can assure you with my life that we will protect you now that you’re with the agency. No tests or challenges necessary. We can’t thank you enough for warning us about the dangers that our agency will face.” He said, thanking you for your cooperation. You nodded, appreciating his words.

“You must have had a long day. We’ll get you accommodated properly so you have time to rest. I’m… once again sorry you are in such a situation. I can assure you we will all find a way in order to bring you back to the realm you came from. You have my word.” He assured you, gently resting a hand on your shoulder as he spoke. “Thank you, Fukuz- President.” You replied, quickly correcting yourself. He chuckled faintly, assuring you he didn’t mind if you called him Fukuzawa. He owed you a lot, after all. You thanked him as he quickly escorted you out of the room, leaving the other members alone to discuss what they’ve now learned.

You and Fukuzawa walked in silence as he eventually escorted you to a spare room the detective agency had. “I apologize for how bare the room is, but I hope it is to your liking. If you need anything, we’ll be downstairs discussing the information you’ve told us. I think it’d be best if you got some rest.” He said, his eyes trailing over you for just a moment before he turned around and walked out. You shut the door quietly once he left, practically collapsing onto the ground.

Your knees buckled from underneath you as tears threatened to spill from your eyes. You had done the best job you could have remaining strong in front of the others, knowing they needed to hear your summary of what you knew. However, you couldn’t keep up that act for long now that you were alone.

Why did this have to happen to you?

You were sure there’d be plenty of other people who’d kill for some sort of opportunity to travel to their favorite show and meet the characters or whatever.

But not you.

Why the hell would you wanna be here?

Sure, you weren’t exactly satisfied with how your life was going, but you didn’t want this to happen. You were completely content reading about these kinds of situations in fanfics, not living it. You still had friends in your old world. You still had a family who you cared about. You had an entire life that was stripped away from you because of a single gunshot. And the worst part was, you had no real idea how to get back home. Your old family seemingly doesn’t exist in this universe, and you lived nowhere near Yokohama. You were trapped in a foreign country with people you had been watching on your computer screen for months.

Why you?

Not only was there a possibility you’d never see your family again, but you had so many new problems to worry about. As far as you were aware, you had no gift. You were now joining forces with an agency combined of people that all had talents. Even the non gifted ones brought some sort of use to the agency. However…

You were just…

You.

You had nothing special to your name.

You were a highschool student who was just finishing her favorite show over summer break.

There were so many more things to worry about than just not seeing your own family. You had to worry about being tracked down by Fyodor, and the new complications that’d cause for the detective agency. Considering last time you checked, you never existed in the Bungo Stray Dogs universe, you had no clue what he’d try to do. It’s not like you could predict the actions of a criminal mastermind. You were a child.

Not to mention the Port Mafia.

I mean, in the grand scheme of things, they weren’t the worst threat.

Right?

That didn’t mean they weren’t a problem. Sooner or later, they’d figure out the detective agency had a new member. And who knows what they’d do with that information? You weren’t completely sure, but you didn’t really wanna find out anyway. You weren’t exactly keen on meeting any of the members anytime soon, even if you liked watching them in the show. Especially Mori. He may have said he likes them under twelve, but you were a bit too close to that age for your own comfort… Not to mention he was also a literal mafia boss. Not the kind of crowd you typically wanna find yourself in.

You were brooding in your own thoughts for who knows how long. Your mind kept wandering, kept imagining horrific and gruesome possibilities for how you’d meet your fate here. You were given a second chance at life, and it just so happened that when you reincarnated you ended up in one of the worst possible places you could’ve ended up in. Well, that might be a bit of an exaggeration, but it really felt like it was. The only familiar faces you knew were anime characters, and half of them probably wanted you dead or gone in some way and definitely had the means to make it happen. Not ideal.

You were so lost in thought you hadn’t even realized someone was knocking on your door. You didn’t even move until you saw it open. You glanced over towards the opened door, seeing none other than Dazai poking his head inside, smiling faintly. “Mind if I come in?” He asked, though didn’t wait for an answer as he stepped inside of your room. You turned your body around to face him, still on your knees on the floor from falling over earlier.

“What did you need?” You asked, trying to focus back on reality as you tried to make sure you didn’t look like you were about to cry. You weren’t sure if he noticed, but if he did, he did a good job at hiding it. “Just had a few of my own questions. Didn’t want to overwhelm you with them right away though.” He answered, moving over to the wall across from you and leaning against it. “If you don’t mind me asking, just how old are you anyway?” He questioned, looking you up and down for a moment. “I turned sixteen a couple months ago.” He nodded at your answer, thinking for a moment. “Do you mind telling me what you saw before you died? In your world, that is.”

You thought for a moment, your mind wandering back to the incident that caused you to end up here. Your mind instantly went to the note written in russian. The last thing you read before you died.

“I was taking out the trash and when I was going back inside, I stepped on a piece of paper. When I picked it up and opened it, the letter was in Russian,” You replied, pausing for a moment. “After that, I was shot directly in the chest. I had a weird… dream thing, then I woke up in an alley. That’s kinda how I ended up here.” You explained, to which he nodded faintly. He seemed to be thinking about your words carefully before he spoke again. “I suppose the obvious deduction from that is that this is definitely Fyodor’s doing.” He said with a small sigh as you nodded. “It might not have been directly him, but… it definitely had to do with him. I don’t know who else could’ve brought me here.”

He went silent once more, deep in thought. You rarely ever saw Dazai so serious, but then again, this was a pretty serious situation. “Hm.. well,” Dazai paused for a moment before smirking. “I think this is one of the first situations where I can’t even predict what the outcome will be. So many possibilities, aren’t there? How exciting! And to think the most interesting thing happening at the agency a couple days ago was the murder case Ranpo solved…” He mused, seemingly much more interested in this situation than you were. You assumed the case he was referring to was the case with Mushitaro. You deduced that he had probably already been threatened by Nikolai… which definitely meant they’d be getting that job offer that Mushitaro warned them not to take soon. Which definitely meant you didn’t have much time left. Not to mention the whole ‘Hunting Dogs’ situation and that as soon as the Nikolai incident took place, they’d be on your ass like… Well, dogs.

“Can’t say I’m completely caught off guard, though. I had a feeling something was coming up, just didn’t know what, you know?” He said with a small chuckle. It wasn’t shocking he was acting so casual, though talking casually in this situation wasn’t really helping calm your nerves. Your mind was still stuck on the fact Fyodor was probably tracking you down and soon… you’d have more threats than just Fyodor. When Dazai noticed how zoned out you were, he went silent for a moment, seemingly in thought. “Well, there’s probably no use prying with questions now when you’re like this, even if I am good at making people talk. Don’t wanna torture our newest member.” He commented with a small grin, stretching for a moment before turning and walking towards the door. Just before he left, he turned back towards you. “Why don’t we take a walk tomorrow, hm?” Dazai asks, to which you nod, mumbling about how that’d be fine. You weren’t really invested in this conversation, and he could tell. He left shortly after, leaving you alone once more.

You moved over towards the futon in the room and laid down after he left, staring blankly at the bare white wall. The tears that had threatened to spill out earlier had gone away, leaving you feeling numb. You weren’t sure how you were supposed to feel, but exhaustion was slowly beginning to set in. You weren’t sure why you suddenly felt so tired, but you assumed it was probably because you just traveled across timelines and were now in a world you weren’t familiar with. You wanted to stay awake, to keep thinking of ways you could avoid your undeniable demise, but your body wouldn’t let you. Your eyelids felt heavy, your thoughts gradually stop racing, and your body begins to relax against the futon.

And eventually, you fell asleep.
- - -
“From another world, you say?”

The ginger man nodded, standing a reasonable distance away from the desk in which his boss was sitting.

“Like I said, I was walking down the street trying to get my damn errands done, and I saw Dazai and the weretiger talking with some random girl and the detective who never opens his eyes. Y’know, the detective one?”
“The one who trapped you in one of Poe’s novels for a month?”

The ginger head grumbled with annoyance, his tone lowering for just a moment due to embarrassment.

“Yes… that one...”

The other man chuckled lightly.

“Go on.”

“Well, anyway, they lead that girl back to their agency. And… admittedly, I was a bit curious as to what they were bringing some random girl back for. When in Rome, you know? So I followed them. Turns out the girl was saying she wasn’t from here or somethin’. Not just Japan or Yokohama, but the entire world. Talking about how she was from some other timeline and how we were in a show in her world. I thought she was bullshitting them, but then the detective guy starts talking and is acting as if it’s true? Not sure what that was about, but I left to report it as soon as I could.” He paused for a moment. “So what’re your thoughts, boss?”

The other man hummed, remaining silent for a moment as if contemplating his question.

“I’d like to speak to the girl herself. If what she claims is true, this could change a lot in Yokohama. I’m sure obtaining the girl won’t be difficult for you, will it?”

“You’re wanting me to get her?” He paused. “With all due respect, can’t one of the lower ranked guys do it?”

“I trust you more than I trust them. They don’t need to know about this. I believe this sort of mission is much more suited for the higher ranks, don’t you think?” He questions, to which the ginger male nods.

“Got it. Won’t let you down, boss. She’ll be in our hands by tomorrow night.”

“Good. Don’t disappoint me, Chuuya.”

Chapter Text

The white sundress that hugged your frame was still this time. No breeze brushed past you, with the entire field of red spider lilies being completely still. The lack of movement made everything look surreal, and you couldn’t help but feel unease as you began walking. Unlike the last time you were here, there was no figure in sight. The bright blue sky and scorching sun practically burned your retinas as you moved, so you kept your focus mainly on the ground. The atmosphere felt more eerie now, especially considering the only sounds you could hear were your own breathing and the sounds of flowers crunching underneath your bare feet.
You weren’t sure how long you had been walking for.

Time didn’t seem to feel real in a place like this, strolling through an endless valley of lilies. However, with every step you took, it felt like you were getting farther and farther away from the light of the sun and deeper and deeper into darkness. Each step felt like you were going further and further into the ocean, and it wouldn’t be long until you were completely submerged in water and drowning.
The light seemed to fade the more you walked as an uncomfortable night set upon the land. The sky was now dark with only the light of the moon to illuminate your steps as you continued. You debated on stopping, taking another direction or giving up and lying down… yet you couldn’t bring yourself to stop. It was like your body was on autopilot and you couldn’t end your journey no matter how hard you tried.

“When will you accept your fate?”

A loud, booming voice suddenly broke the silence and stillness of the flower field. You could hear the voice behind you, but you weren’t sure you truly wanted to turn around. You could hear your heart pounding in your ears as you remained still and motionless.

Just like the flowers.

“When will you understand why I brought you here?”

Those words struck something within you, and just as you began to turn around…

You gasped, shooting up from your place on the futon. Your hair was clinging to your face as you quickly realized you were covered in sweat. Your body had a faint tremble to it, one you hadn’t felt from dreams in years. It wasn’t uncommon for you to wake up hot, but this… this was different.

Your thoughts were broken by the sound of knocking and someone calling your name. Judging by the voice, it seems like it was Dazai.

“C’mon, sleepyhead. You’re not gonna keep me waiting all day, are you?”

You hesitated for a moment before standing up and sliding open the door, looking up at him. Despite the fact there wasn’t a major difference in your height, you still had to strain your neck a bit to fully view him.

“Sorry, I guess I was a bit more exhausted than I realized…” You replied, your tone a bit more nervous than you wanted it to sound. You weren’t sure when you’d fully get accustomed to talking with characters you used to watch on your computer, but it probably would take a while. Especially knowing they could all just end you within one quick motion. Dazai smiled faintly when he saw you open the door. “Finally. It’s quite rude to keep people waiting…” He joked, to which you gave a half hearted laugh. Not that you didn’t find him funny, but you weren’t exactly in the mood for jokes. He seemed to pick up on your discomfort and his expression got a bit more serious. “You didn’t forget about what I said yesterday, did you?”

His serious expression was much more intimidating than his usual relaxed self, which only made you more uncomfortable. You fumbled with your words for a moment before actually forming a coherent sentence. “About the walk? Ah… no, I didn’t forget.” You paused for a moment, before adding, “By the way… uh… I don’t know if this is too much to ask, but can I maybe get some clothes sometime? I don’t think it’d be good if I wore the same thing every day…” You asked, sounding as nervous as before. Dazai nodded. He could tell his serious expression just made you more nervous, so he went back to acting more laid back. “Sure. We can look at some clothing stores while we walk, if you want.” He replied. The idea of going clothing shopping with Dazai is probably the last thing you’d ever expect to be doing when your life was in danger… but also you really needed different clothes. Not to mention, it might take your mind off the whole ‘Fyodor coming to kill you’ thing.

You smiled faintly and nodded at the idea, a bit relieved to be doing something normal… even if you were shopping with a fictional character. He gestured for you to follow him, to which you obliged and began walking with him. You walked in silence down the hall, though that didn’t mean your mind wasn’t filled with a bunch of questions. What was it like being in the Port Mafia? You might’ve seen every episode before, but that didn’t mean there weren’t things that happened off screen. Not to mention you were very morbidly curious about what he experienced there. Did he have any specific reasons for those bandages he always wore? You remember seeing official art where he had them off and there was nothing, so that made you wonder why he bothered wearing them. Were he and Chuuya actually together? You were very tempted to ask that one.

You quickly cleared your head of any of those silly questions, trying to focus on the important ones as you walked with him downstairs and into the main lobby of the agency. You ended up passing by Kunikida, who glared at Dazai as he strolled by. “And just where do you think you’re going with our newest member, Dazai?” He asks, causing Dazai to stop in his tracks and turn around. “Where else would we be going? Shopping obviously.” Dazai replied with a casual tone, causing Kunikida to groan. “You need to take this situation more seriously. Who knows when Fyodor will strike? It’s dangerous for her to be out in public so casually.” Kunikida said with a small huff, not very happy at the idea of you two roaming around as if everything was normal. “What’s the harm in shopping? It’s not like we have enough clothes for her anyway,” Dazai stated, leaning down slightly to whisper to you in a voice Kunikida could clearly hear. “Seriously… What a buzzkill. Should we just book it and see if he can catch us?” As much as you wanted to laugh at Dazai’s little comment… Kunikida had a point. It’d probably be dangerous, especially considering how paranoid you were right now. One wrong move and you’d probably be screaming your head off.

“Hey! I heard that, Dazai!” Kunikida yelled, putting his hands on his hips. Dazai let out an exasperated sigh, rolling his eyes faintly. “C’monn, Kunikidaaaa…” He began, stretching his words out to get under his skin. “Can’t you make an exception?” When Dazai saw Kunikida’s stern face, his expression got serious for just a moment as he walked up to Kunikida and whispered something to him. You couldn’t make it out from where you were standing, but whatever he said in those couple seconds made Kunikida’s hard expression soften. He let out a frustrated sigh as Dazai came over back to you, hesitantly speaking. “...Fine. But you better keep your phone on you and actually answer me when I contact you. Got it?” Kunikida says sternly, to which Dazai nods. “Got it, we’ll be on our best behavior, right?” He asks, looking down towards you. You nervously nod along, which seems to make Kunikida relax slightly. He looks towards you, his expression much softer than what it was when he looked at Dazai. “I trust you’ll be back here before three. Make sure to keep an eye on Dazai.” He says, before walking away to work on something else. If it were anyone else, you’d be a bit confused as to why you had to watch over someone who was a grown man. But considering it was Dazai, it made much more sense. Dazai looked relieved that what he said worked and quickly raced out of the agency, with you staggering behind him.

You were once again on the streets of Yokohama, though much less anxious than the last time you were here. You actually had someone you ‘knew’ with you, even if the guy was a fictional anime boy. The atmosphere of Japan was so different to you, and you found yourself sticking pretty close to Dazai even if you were a bit uneasy around him. You two began looking around at some clothing stores, making sure to pick up the cheapest things you could find that looked good. You felt too bad to take advantage of Dazai’s money, though you began to notice how expensive the things he would pick out for you were. Not to mention he wasn’t even paying with a card, it was just all cash. “Aren’t you worried about spending too much money? I don’t know what you get paid at the ADA, but you shouldn’t spend all this money on clothes for me…” You said after looking at the shirt he thought you’d like, which was much more expensive than any clothes you’ve ever bought were. “Oh, don’t worry. I use Chuuya’s money. All these expenses go to him.” He replied reassuringly, which made your jaw practically drop. Why in the hell did he even have Chuuya’s money?
“Why… Why do you have his money? How??” You bluntly asked, staring at him with disbelief for a moment. “Chuuya gives me cuts of his paycheck. He absolutely despises it, but it’s only because I have dirt on him. One thing I’ll always remember about the Port Mafia was that the pay was the best. He doesn’t need all that money…” He replied casually, which only made your jaw elongate more. “...What the hell could you have on Chuuya that’s so bad that he pays you money to keep it hidden?” You ask, despite the fact you probably didn’t wanna know. If a feared mafioso was desperate to keep a secret hidden, it had to be bad. “You wanna see?” He asks, which caught you off guard. You hesitantly nodded, to which he reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet. He sticks his hand in and pulls out a slightly crumpled photo, before handing it to you. “I keep it with me in case he tries to cheap out on giving me my money.” He explained as if this was the most normal thing in the world. You looked down at the photo and uncrumpled it, only to reveal a photo of fifteen year old Chuuya with… braces? It wasn’t exactly a flattering photo of him, but it wasn’t so bad that you’d give cuts of your paychecks to keep it hidden.

“...He gives you money over this?” You ask, holding up the photo to Dazai as if you couldn’t believe it was the right photo. “Yep. I think it’s dumb too, but hey, it gets me money, doesn’t it? Not that I really need it but… it’s nice to have. Not to mention I also threatened to tape the photo around the Port Mafia headquarters.” He replied with a small shrug, taking the photo back. “So, don’t worry about the fact we’re spending a lot of money. Just think of it as justice for all the crimes Chuuya has committed being brought to justice!” He said dramatically, making you wanna roll your eyes. You almost wanted to mention that Dazai’s crime list was probably worse to some degree, but you also didn’t wanna lose all the free clothes you were getting. You reluctantly went along with it and tried to worry less about the prices, though you still felt a little bad. Even if paying someone money just to keep an embarrassing photo at bay is really stupid.

You eventually finished shopping together and found yourselves walking through a park, with you being the one to carry all the bags. Dazai said it was only fair considering he paid for all the clothes even if you knew damn well that was a lie. You weren’t about to argue with an ex-mafia member. His expression seemed just a bit more serious than before as he continued walking. You two continued in awkward silence for a while until he spoke. “What are some other things you didn’t warn the others?” He questions, glancing down at you for a moment before turning his attention directly ahead of him as he walked. You thought for a moment, your mind racing with different ideas of what you could tell him. There were so, so many things you could think of, however… a couple of them stood out the most.

“There’s a sword the leader of the Hunting Dogs wields. I think it’s called the Ritual Sword Amenogozen.” You began, glancing up at him to make sure he was listening. It looked like the gears were turning in his head as he was trying to recognize the name. “It can reverse time. Whenever Atsushi and Akutagawa fought him, Fukuchi kept rewinding time each time he was beaten. Whenever time rewinds, the others have no memory of it. If you’re ever going to beat him, you’d have to disarm him.” You replied, though there were many other ideas racing through your mind. He hummed faintly in response to your words, thinking for a moment. “What else?” He asked, clearly eager to get his hands on as much information as he could. This was the first time in what felt like ages where he couldn’t predict something. It was almost fascinating yet terrifying at the same time. It was the first time he couldn’t be certain about how things would go.
And that scared him.

A lot.

But why would he ever admit that?

“Well… the vampire guy I mentioned, Bram. He has a holy sword in him that was eventually pulled out by the little girl Kunikida saved known as Aya. Fyodor gets his hands on both those swords and combines them together…” You trailed off for a moment, glancing back at him once more. His expression looks more calculating now, as if he were trying to determine what would happen if two swords of that caliber combined. “They turned Fukuchi into this… monster. When combining the holy swords with his corpse, they turned him into some sort of God.” You finished, sighing faintly. He remained silent as you two continued walking, eventually speaking up. “Did he kill anyone? You thought for a moment before shaking your head. Before you were shot, the last chapter you had read was 116. You had no clue what happened after that, meaning you couldn’t give much more information. “No… not yet. That thing though… it isn’t anything near human. It had no emotion when attacking, and it seems to be under Fyodor’s control. We can’t risk anything.”

He took in your words carefully, humming faintly in response. “And… the book. The one Fyodor is looking for. Did the…” He paused, like it felt odd to remember he was in a show. “Did the show or manga mention where the book was?” Dazai questions before you shook your head. “The show only mentioned Fyodor’s goal once or twice… I have no clue where the book is. All I know is that this world will forever change if he has it.” You replied, a small frown forming on your face. Not that you wanted to be in this world, but if you were forced to live here, you definitely didn’t wanna see it destroyed. Being in this kind of place felt so… surreal. You couldn’t believe you were strolling through a park, talking about the ways the world could end with a man you had only been watching on your screen days prior. You were zoning out again, your mind wandering back to all the ways Fyodor could be hunting you down. How he could kill everyone with ease and make you watch. Dazai quickly picked up on the fact your mind was wandering to a darker place and gently put a hand on your shoulder. You flinched for a moment, a bit confused as to why he suddenly touched you, to which he gestured to a park bench. “Why don’t we sit down?”

You nodded after a moment, walking behind him and sitting down on the bench. You gazed out onto the park, looking at the various groups of kids playing and running around. They seemed so innocent and happy.

You couldn’t help but wish you were in their place.

Seeing children playing with their parents just made you wish you had your family with you.

Maybe this wouldn’t be so scary if you had your parents here.

Seeing groups of friends laughing together walking past made you miss your friends.

Why did this have to happen to you?

Why specifically you?

What had you done in your lifetime to deserve such a fate?

You hadn’t even realized you were crying until you felt the tears drop onto your clothes.

You quickly focused your attention back on reality, noticing how Dazai was staring at you as tears dripped down your face. You felt embarrassed, quickly wiping them away and speaking in a slightly shaky tone. “S-sorry.. Just… thinking about home. I’m okay.” You replied, trying to reassure him as you choked back your sobs. He looked like he wanted to say something, but he bit his tongue. He was never good at comforting others anyway.
The two of you sat in silence while you tried to focus your mind on anything but your home. Thankfully, Dazai began speaking. “I’ve always been able to read Fyodor’s motives. Just like every other person I came across… he was predictable. I thought I could understand every action he made, with the only thing I never fully grasped being his ability. Yet, here you are. I know this was caused by him, I know he is responsible for this, I just…” He trailed off, letting out a small sigh. “I don’t know why or how he did this.”

You weren’t sure why, but you felt your heart begin to race a bit faster.

Even Dazai couldn’t understand what Fyodor was doing now.

You were surprised he was being so honest with you. You weren’t expecting Dazai of all people to openly admit he didn’t understand what was happening. Considering his history, you half expected him to interrogate you like how he interrogated people in the Port Mafia. The idea that even Dazai couldn’t grasp what was happening scared you. You had no idea what was happening, and the idea that everyone else in this universe didn’t either was horrifying.

You had no clue what was going to happen now. You only knew one thing, that being it’d be a miracle if you ever lived another year here. A morbid realization, but one that wasn’t unrealistic. You had no gift, you didn’t have any fighting or combat experience. You were simply… you. And in this universe? That was anything but a good thing. If anyone were to attack you, you’d die.

“Kunikida was right.”

He suddenly spoke, causing you to look over towards him.

“You know all too well what dangers are going to be coming for our agency… for you. You need to be careful with when you leave and who you talk to. You never know when you can run into someone from the Port Mafia… or worse.” He said, his tone dead serious. You’ve seen a more serious side of Dazai a lot today, something that was much more rare in the show and manga. This only made you more nervous, but you knew he was right. You weren’t going to be reckless in a place like this. You weren’t an idiot. “Is… there a specific reason you’re telling me this?” You questioned, averting your gaze from him and looking out at the trees in the park.
“Just… felt like I should.”

You knew he was being secretive in his reasoning, and he clearly didn’t want to elaborate further. You wouldn’t push him, you knew better than to do something like that. Before you could get another word in, his serious demeanor suddenly faded and he shot up from the bench. “Well, I’m exhausted! Say, why don’t we head back to the agency? I’ll show you our super awesome cafe…” He offered, looking down at you with a smile. You were almost a little unnerved about the fact he could change his entire personality so fast, then again, he was Dazai. “Uh… sure. Why not?” You said, standing up and following him as you began to make your way back to the agency.
The park was admittedly beautiful during this time. It wasn’t extremely hot out despite the fact it was summer, a stark contrast to how hot it usually got where you lived. The trees were all green and lush, with barely any fallen leaves on the ground.

You just couldn’t help but wish your family and friends could see it.

The bell on the door rang gently as you and Dazai stepped inside the cafe. It was well into the afternoon now, and while it probably wasn’t the best idea to get any sort of caffeinated drinks, you couldn’t bring yourself to care at the moment. You drank caffeine all the time anyway, so it probably wouldn’t affect you too much. The cafe owner smiled when he saw Dazai, his expression fading into curiosity as he saw you. “Who’s this you’ve brought with you, Dazai?” He questions as you two sit down, with you setting your bags on the seat next to you. He walked out from behind the counter and came over to the two of you. “This right here is our new member.” Dazai replied, looking towards you before glancing back at the cafe owner. You smiled faintly and waved at the man, introducing yourself. He smiled back and took your orders, walking back behind the counter once they were taken. You and Dazai had some small talk before someone else brought your orders out. You quickly recognized her as Lucy, and admittedly, you felt a bit nervous.

Lucy was a really cool character to watch and you thought her ability was interesting, but being face to face with her was a much different story. She glanced you up and down for a moment after she set your drinks down, glaring for a moment. “Who are you?” She questioned, and just as you were about to answer her, Dazai spoke. “Now now, don’t be rude to our newest member. Joined us just yesterday, isn’t that right?” He said, as you quickly nodded. You said your name not to be rude, but Dazai cut you off before you could say anything else. “Is Belladonna here today?”

Lucy groaned and shook her head. “You ask me that every time you come here. You’ve been here more than I have, shouldn’t you know her shifts by now?” She questions, holding the tray to her chest as she looks over at Dazai, vaguely annoyed. “It seems I’ll never get a beautiful woman to commit a double suicide with…” He replied with a small sigh, to which Lucy just groaned once more. She looked towards you for just a second before turning away and leaving. You picked up the drink you ordered and took a small sip, the taste practically melting on your tongue. You had never really thought about wanting to eat at this cafe while watching Bungo Stray Dogs, but you definitely were happy that you got the chance to. This place really was good…

Before you could take another sip, you suddenly heard the door burst open. You flinched, while Dazai gave no reaction besides simply turning around. An angry Kunikida stormed inside, his target being the two of you. He walked over while huffing, crossing his arms over his chest as he glared at the two of you. Dazai didn’t look apologetic in the slightest, meanwhile, you were trying not to piss your pants. “And just what the hell are you doing here?” He asks, his anger directed at Dazai instead of you. “I told you the curfew was three, didn’t I? So what are you doing here… at 3:02?!” He said, practically shoving his watch in Dazai’s face to show the time. Dazai stared at him for a moment before suddenly bursting out laughing. You fought the urge to laugh as well, though a small giggle escaped your lips as you watched the scene unveiling in front of you. Kunikida instantly looked embarrassed, which only further increased his anger as he grabbed Dazai by the collar. Meanwhile, Dazai seemed completely unphased and was laughing his ass off.

“ANSWER ME, DAMNIT!” Kunikida yelled, his voice echoing throughout the entire cafe. Dazai only laughed harder, calming down for just a moment to speak. “Awww, Kunikida was worried about us… How cute! You’re doting on us like a mother would!” He replied, cackling. “Plus, we’re technically near the agency… so we aren’t late.” Kunikida looked even more embarrassed and was now blushing slightly, removing his hold on Dazai’s collar and crossing his arms once more. “You two can’t just sneak around and be late… and don’t call me a mother!” He said while glaring at Dazai, who clearly was enjoying seeing the small blush on his face. While this was funny, you also didn’t wanna get on Kunikida’s bad side. “I’m sorry.. I didn’t realize so much time had passed.” You said, and as Kunikida turned his attention towards you, his gaze softened. “Don’t worry about it. It’s not your fault. Dazai didn’t do anything stupid, did he?” He questioned, to which you shook your head. He looked a bit relieved as you confirmed he didn’t do anything dumb, though he was still mad at Dazai. “C’mon, Kunikida,” Dazai said, looking up towards him. “Why don’t you sit down and join us? You could use the break…” He finished, trying to coax Kunikida into joining you two. “I would, but unlike you, I actually have work I need to attend to. Something you could also be doing if you weren’t so lazy.” Kunikida replied with a small scoff. He wouldn’t admit it in front of Dazai but he was secretly pretty damn worried about the two of you.

“What a buzzkill…” Dazai mumbled, to which Kunikida smacked him on the back of the head. Dazai whined, though he didn’t feel any sort of pain from the smack. “Quit being dramatic. You’ll live.” He stated, letting out a frustrated sigh. “Well, just be back soon. I have some things I need to discuss with you.” He finished, before turning around and storming off. Dazai had calmed down from his laughter fit and eventually you two continued chatting. You weren’t expecting to have such a pleasant conversation with someone considering your situation, but Dazai managed to help you get your mind off of things. It was nice to have a genuine conversation with someone and laugh for the first time since you got here, even if the person you were talking to was a criminal mastermind. It made you feel a bit more welcomed.

A bit more normal.

You two eventually finished up your drinks and went back up towards the agency. Dazai was quickly pulled aside by Kunikida, so you ended up just going back to your room with your new clothes. Even if you had only spent a couple hours shopping and walking, you were exhausted. You hung up some of the clothes in the closet of your room, with even that being a bit too straining for you. You knew it might not be the best idea to nap considering the other members of the agency might want to talk to you, but you were so exhausted, you probably wouldn’t be very good conversation anyway. You changed into some of the more comfortable clothes you had and laid down on your futon, attempting to catch up on some sleep. You’d be adjusted to this world completely at some point. Well, physically anyway.

You weren’t sure if you’d ever fully adjust mentally.

- - -

“So what exactly did you wanna talk about, hm?” Dazai questioned as he followed Kunikida into a room near the back of the agency. Kunikida’s expression was vaguely nervous, though he quickly composed himself as he spoke. “You can’t just not update me when you go out with her. You don’t know what the Decay of Angels could do, and you sure as hell can’t fight them off just by yourself.” He lectured, his tone stern. Dazai sighed faintly. “This again? I can handle what comes our way. You can’t be so uptight, Kunikida.” Dazai replied with a small smirk. He wasn’t taking this very seriously, which irritated Kunikida even further. “I’m being serious, Dazai. We can’t let anything happen to her. She’s important to our future as an agency.”

“Relax, I’ve got this covered.”

“This is serious. Our entire world could be at stake. I don’t understand how you can just act so… indifferent towards that.”

Dazai let out a faint sigh, his smirk fading and his expression hardening.

“I understand that. I wouldn’t have let anything happen to her.”

“You say that, yet I still worry. We can’t just be so… public with her appearance. She may be an ordinary person with no gift, yet she is as valuable to our team as any other.”

“...The Port Mafia is already planning something.”

“What?”

“You heard me, Kunikida.”

“What do you mean? How do you know that?”

“Call it a hunch.”

“Well, we can’t just stand here! Where is she?”

“She went upstairs.”

Kunikida quickly raced out of the room and went upstairs, grumbling about how annoying it was that Dazai was being so relaxed. He opened the door while Dazai followed behind him. As the pair peeked into the room to see where she went…

…There was nothing inside except an empty bed.

Chapter Text

You let out a small sigh as you sat amongst the flowers in the field. The red spider lilies leave a lingering tickling sensation against your skin as you look up at the sky, taking in the scenery. The sky is much more gray than usual, with the sun’s light being duller due to the clouds covering it. The breeze felt cooler, a small shiver running up your spine as you saw your hair flowing in the wind. You reached down and picked up one of the flowers, gently plucking it from the ground and holding it up to your nose, inhaling the sweet scent.

“You need to wake up.”

The familiar voice spoke behind you. You turned around, slightly startled, though you weren’t surprised he was speaking again. The discomfort in your body began to rise as you looked at the figure. No longer was it a black shadow, instead, the outline of none other than Fyodor Dostoevsky.

“Why? Why should I wake up?”

The figure remained silent for a moment.

“Why are you even here? Why am I constantly having dreams of this place?”

No answer.
“Are you going to stay silent and just not say anything?” You could feel some anger beginning to rise in your tone as you stood up, turning directly to face him now. He didn’t move an inch despite the breeze flowing past, keeping his back turned towards you.

“It doesn’t matter why you’re here. Just know you’re playing a very important role. A knight amongst pawns in a game of chess, if you will.”

God, does this guy ever shut up?

“What are you trying to say? I think it’s pretty important to know why you’ve brought me here.”
“Why should it matter to you? I have no intention of telling you my ideas or plans. You have nothing over me.”

“I know your ability.”

“Yet you’ve already exposed it. Why should I care so much about the past?
“Does that not worry you in the slightest? That the one thing you had over people is now exposed to your enemy?”

“I don’t see room for concern.”

This guy…

This guy was seriously insane.

You weren’t even sure if this was actually Fyodor. You had a feeling it definitely wasn’t, which made you much more bold with your words. You definitely wouldn’t be talking to him like this if you were truly in his presence.

“You should wake up now. I believe your current state is much more important than conversing with me, don’t you think?”

You wanted to stop him. You wanted to interrogate him more, to ask how you got here, to scream at him to tell you if your parents were okay, to beg to be taken back home…

But darkness suddenly consumed you.

You blinked faintly, trying to adjust to the dim light wherever you were, but to no avail. You couldn’t see anything.

This… wasn’t your room.

You attempted to move your arms to try and reach out, only to find that they were being constricted by… ropes?

Okay. This definitely wasn’t your room.

So what the hell happened?

You attempted to struggle against the ropes, only to hit your head on some sort of wall. The more senses you gained, the more you began to panic. You realized your mouth was gagged and wasn’t budging in the slightest. Your legs were constricted with ropes as well, and wherever you were, it was extremely small. You could barely move around at all. Judging by the fuzzy texture of the bottom and the little movements you could make, you assumed you were in some sort of trunk of a car. You could also faintly hear it moving, which caused you to panic even more.

Whatever happened when you were asleep, it wasn’t good.

Your mind was racing with ideas, with possibilities of how you could end up in a situation where you were… kidnapped. You were praying to whatever you believed in that it wasn’t Mori or Fyodor, though you weren’t stupid.

Those were the only two people it could be.

You knew Fyodor would be worse. However, the idea of being in Mori’s hands didn’t sit right with you either. You had a feeling if Fyodor were to kidnap you, he’d definitely do it in a much different way. Not to mention he wouldn’t do it so soon either. You knew he was sadistic enough to wait. He wanted you to fear the day he’d catch up to you, and he wanted to surprise you when you’d least expect it. And you were definitely too on edge right now for that to happen. Meaning…
That only left one possibility.

The Port Mafia.

That idea didn’t sit very well with you either, which was a severe understatement. You felt tears already stinging at your eyes as you continued to struggle against your ropes, trying to free yourself of your confines but to no avail. You weren’t strong or athletic by any means, and trying to free yourself of these ropes in almost complete pitch black darkness was almost impossible. You only had the faint light shining in from the small opening of the trunk door, yet that wasn’t nearly enough to illuminate where you were trapped. You could feel your heart thumping in your chest as you attempted to struggle more, though your attempts were all futile.

Nothing worked.

Your heart practically sank as you felt the car coming to a stop. The sound of a car door opening could be heard, with footsteps approaching the back of the car. You felt the urge to scream and sob, but all you could do was let out muffled whimpers against the gag in your mouth. You heard a hand being settled on the trunk handle, which was suddenly flung open. You looked up at whoever had opened the trunk, squinting faintly from the bright lights of wherever you were located, only to see none other than him.

“Oh- the hell? You’re already awake? I thought they sedated you.” Chuuya said with a small scoff, looking down at you with vague annoyance in his glare. If your heart hadn’t already sunk to your ass, it definitely did now. You attempted to struggle against your ropes and tried to sit up, to which he put a firm hand on your shoulder and shoved you right back down. You hit your head against the trunk, wincing into the gag that was in your mouth as tears threatened to spill from your eyes. He looked almost disgusted at seeing your panic as he kept his hand on your shoulder. “Ugh… he didn’t care if I brought her injured, did he?” He muttered to himself, clearly not caring if you heard it or not. You felt your panic rise, and you quickly began shaking your head frantically. He looked down at you and scoffed faintly, clearly not amused by your panic. “Calm down. God, I really hate doing kidnapping missions…” He mumbled, pausing for a moment as if he was considering something, before suddenly winding his hand back and punching you directly in your temple. Hard. You barely had time to react to such a painflow blow as your consciousness began slowly fading once more, and your head collapsed against the car.

- - -

Your head was throbbing with pain. You attempted to open your eyes, only to be blinded by light. You quickly shut them once more, not sure if you wanted to open them again. It felt like you had been bashed in your skull with a hammer, as if something large and heavy crushed your head like it was a bug being squashed. Memories quickly flooded back to you as you realized where you most likely were.

Great, now you really didn't want to open your eyes.

Your headache didn't get any better as you heard the sounds of people arguing.

“I had no choice!”

“Punching a little girl in the temple is quite… barbaric, is it not, Chuuya?”

“She was struggling and shit and I didn’t know what to do. I couldn’t just… let her see where we were bringing her and every route we took. I did what I had to. She’s fine, I’m sure. It just knocked her out long enough for us to get her here.”

“I still am quite disappointed in you. This is a very important mission. You know what happens when I’m disappointed, don’t you?”

Chuuya remained silent.

“Good. I trust you will not disobey orders again.”

“...Yes, boss.”

Silence fell over the room as you kept your eyes shut, refusing to open them again in the slightest. You wanted to pretend for at least a little longer that you weren't awake. Anything to postpone the inevitable. Anything to buy you more time to think of what you were going to do.

Considering you were now in the clutches of the Port Mafia with nothing to save you except yourself.

What were you supposed to do? You could feel the ropes still clawing at your skin and digging into your flesh. The gag was no longer in your mouth, though that didn't ease any of your worries in the slightest. Your body was aching with pain, yet all you could do was sit and pretend like you were still unconscious. You wanted to listen to their conversation further, to see if maybe they'd reveal more about what they wanted to do with you. Maybe, just maybe, you could get out of this alive.

"You can't hide your trembling, you know."

No.

How the hell did he notice?

No, that's a stupid question.

Of course he'd notice.

You kept your eyes shut tight, not wanting to face whatever you'd see once you opened them. You felt like a little kid hiding under their sheets in order to avoid getting eaten by a monster. Yet, this was worse than any monster.

And unlike a monster, this wasn't imaginary.

This was very, very real.

Your body continued to tremble faintly, your heart catching in your throat. You hesitantly began to open your eyes, trying to adjust to the lighting in the room. You squinted, your face slightly scrunched up as you finally began to be able to see clearly. The edges of your vision were still blurry, however, you were beginning to see the full picture now.

The area wasn't as bright as it originally seemed, with the lights that were in the room being much dimmer than you expected. You were tied to a chair tightly, the ropes not letting up for a moment, making it so you could barely move. The room was fairly empty, and only a couple feet away stood none other than Chuuya and Mori.

"Ah, it seems you've finally decided to open your eyes. How delightful." Mori says with a small smirk, walking a bit closer to you. Your body tensed up even further, with your trembling not letting up for a minute. Your mind was racing. Racing with possibilities of what he'd do to you, how he'd torture you for information, yet one question remained on your mind.

How did they already find out?

"You're much quieter than I expected you to be. I assumed you'd already be begging to be let go by now. Quite a sight that would have been." Mori comments with a faint chuckle, looking at you with an almost predatory gaze. Admittedly, you were a little surprised you weren't screaming your head off too. You wanted to, yet no matter how much you tried, you couldn't force your body to move or speak at all besides trembling. You simply stared at the two, eyes widened and filled with horror. "I suppose an introduction isn't necessary if what my underling says is true," Mori says, while Chuuya scoffs. He didn't like the idea of being called an 'underling', but he knew he had no choice but to accept the nickname in his presence. "I've heard quite the tale about your presence here in Yokohama. Mind telling us more about that?"

You simply continued to stare at him.

You were so terrified, you couldn't even force yourself to speak.

Your body felt hot and cold at the same time. You were sweating buckets, trying to get yourself to talk or say anything, yet you couldn't. The familiar feeling of tears began welling up in your eyes, yet they wouldn't spill. You opened your mouth, but nothing came out except a small whimper. That noise only seemed to amuse Mori further. "Nervous, aren't you? I suppose that comes as no surprise, especially considering you know who we are. But... I have no patience for disobedience. I'll repeat myself," He paused, his stare becoming even more sinister.

"Tell us more about why you're here."

You opened your mouth once more, your voice coming out broken and panicked. "I-I.. I- I don't know... I swear..." You replied. It was a weak response, yet you couldn't muster up anything better. He didn't seem satisfied by your response in the slightest; narrowing his eyes at you. "You 'don't know'? Well, that's an unfortunate answer. You have no recollection or idea as to why you're here? At all?"
"I.. I don't know... I was simply taking out the trash in m-my world and I... I was shot... I woke up here." You replied, feeling your trembling only get worse. You wanted to struggle against the ropes, to muster up enough courage to at least make your voice less shaky, but nothing worked. You were completely and utterly helpless in this situation, with nobody able to help or save you.
"Shot, hm?" Mori said, making a small 'tch' sound. "I suppose I'll accept that answer. Good job for being so cooperative so far, even if you're acting quite... pathetic. Then again, I shouldn't expect much from a simple child such as yourself." He said, his tone condescending and mocking. He seemed to be toying with you, as if he enjoyed your fear and horror. He liked the fact you were so terrified. It made him feel more in control than he already was.

"With all due respect, boss, is there much of a point in toying with... her?" Chuuya spoke up, glancing between you and Mori. Despite being a Port Mafia member, he didn't seem very keen on torturing and messing with a child. He looked almost uncomfortable being in this situation. Mori glanced at Chuuya with a dismissive expression. "I'd appreciate silence unless I state otherwise, Chuuya." Mori replied, waving his hand to silence him. Chuuya looked annoyed at how he was being ignored, grumbling under his breath but reluctantly shutting up.
"My next question is... if you're from another world, how were you aware of this one? By the way you're acting, you clearly know what's happening or going to happen. How is that?" He asked, looking at you with intrigue. You remained silent for a couple moments, hesitant on telling him anything. You didn't want to reveal the truth in the slightest, but you also didn't want to risk getting tortured. The silence you gave him seemed to tick him off even further. As you remained quiet, he began approaching you, suddenly pulling out one of his scalpels and pointing it directly at your neck, the cool blade gently scraping your skin.

"Would you prefer if I took more drastic measures to make you talk? I am not above torturing children. Talk." He said, leaning close to you and speaking almost directly into your ear. A shiver went down your spine at his tone and how close he was, and you suddenly felt sick to your stomach. You felt like you were going to vomit, though you hadn't even eaten anything since you came here. You swallowed the lump in your throat, feeling the blade digging faintly into your skin as you spoke. None of this was exactly surprising, considering you knew Mori well enough and knew his personality. However… living through his torture was another experience. "I-in my.. world..." You paused, your breathing getting heavier and more erratic by the second. "...You guys.. a-are all in a show.. that I watch..."

For the first time since you had been here, a flicker of surprise appeared on Mori's face. He looked a little dumbfounded for a moment, before his expression was replaced with intrigue. "Wait- what the hell? A show?! You've gotta be bullshitting us. You aren't believing what this girl is saying, right?" Chuuya speaks, to which Mori practically snaps his head around to glare at him. "Silence, remember? I don't want to have to deal with two children today."

Chuuya sighed, but didn't say anything else to that. After a few moments, Mori slowly turned his head back towards you, the scalpel digging deeper into your neck and causing you to wince. You could feel the pain beginning to sting at your neck, which only amused Mori further. "A television show? Interesting..." He said, before suddenly dragging his blade down your neck in one swift motion, causing a gash to be formed in your neck. You gasped with pain, the burning sensation and the feeling of blood beginning to drip from the wound making you shiver as you winced. You couldn't stand this anymore and forced yourself to speak.

"P-please... don't h-hurt me..." You pleaded, your tone shaky and uneven. He looked amused as he took a small step back from you, almost admiring your fear. "There's the begging I was waiting to hear. How... delightful." Mori said, smiling as he looked down at you with a threatening glare. You could feel the blood dripping into your new clothes, seeping into the fabric and staining it a crimson red. The tears stinging at your eyes began to blur your vision, making it so it was much harder to focus on the sight in front of you. Chuuya looked at the two of you with discomfort in his gaze. It seemed by his stance and the way he stared at you that he felt some sort of sympathy or pity, yet he couldn’t voice his concerns. He knew better than to interfere with his boss while he was working. Especially when it comes to victims like you.

“Don’t cry,” Mori said in a mocking manner, reaching towards your face with his hand. You flinched, trying to back as far away from him as you could. However, you could barely move an inch with the position you were in. He wiped a tear that had fallen down your cheek, chuckling to himself. “It’s a simple and clean cut. You should barely even be in any pain right now.” He commented, retracting his hand from your face to move to the wound on your neck. His fingers grazed over the injury, before suddenly digging his gloved hands in and spreading the wound. You let out a cry of pain, more tears falling down your face as you tried to squirm away from him, but to no avail. He seemed to be enjoying this immensely as he continued to dig his fingers in your wound, the blood seeping from the cut causing his white gloves to be stained red.

“Keep crying, and I’ll give you a real injury to cry about.”

Your heart sank, attempting to stop your whimpers and sobs despite the pain. He didn’t retract his fingers, though he stopped moving them for a moment as he waited for your sobbing to die down. Your breath was coming out in small gasps and pants, your body having a faint tremble to it as your neck throbbed in pain. The wound was burning and felt hot, your body being aware of every joint in his hand that was sticking in the cut. You tried to stop your tears, biting the inside of your mouth until you felt blood draw to keep yourself from crying. Once he seemed satisfied with your silence, he retracted his hand from the wound. You let out a shaky sigh as he took a couple steps back, your previous tears staining your face as he looked you up and down. “Just how exactly am I supposed to believe you’re telling the truth? That you’re not lying to me to hide the real reason you’re here?”

And to that…

…You had no answer.

Your story was so farfetch'd, even you didn’t believe half of it. The only real evidence you had to back you up was the fact that Ranpo believed you, yet you didn’t want to endanger him and the agency further than by just being here. You couldn’t even say anything besides the obvious ‘I swear I’m telling the truth!’ or whatever bullshit your brain could think of. The feeling of immense pain in your neck combined with the sensation of blood trickling out of your wound didn’t help clear your thoughts, and judging by his expression, your silence was not very welcomed.

You couldn’t even speak for a moment until the tears started pouring once more.

“I… I-I don’t know…! Please… I just want to go h-home… I don’t know w-what you want…” You said in between sobs, your body trembling even more. You felt like a pathetic child crying for her mother, when in reality that was all you were.

A child.

A child who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

You were nothing more than a child.

He looked displeased by your crying, scoffing faintly and muttering something under his breath. It’s clear his patience was running thin, and judging by his expression, he was going to start doing much worse than simply cutting your neck. He seemed to be deep in thought for a moment, before letting out a small sigh. “I thought what I wanted would be obvious. I want information. If what you’re saying is true, and that you truly know the upcoming events of this world… This could be very valuable to the Port Mafia. However, if you continue to play dumb, I’ll have to take more… drastic measures.” He said with a dark tone, his gaze piercing yours. You weren’t fully sure what he was going to do to you, but you didn’t particularly want to know either.

“I-I’ll tell you anything I know but… I really d-don’t know much…”

“Then tell me… How am I supposed to believe you? Hm?”

“...I… I can’t prove anything. But I-I swear on my life… I’m telling the truth…!”

“Oh? You swear on your life? Would you be willing to die on that hill?”

You remained silent, trembling in your chair.

However, the silence was broken by the sound of a blade piercing the air.

You watched as he suddenly threw one of his scalpels directly at you.

You couldn’t react in time as the sound of your eye being pierced filled your mind.

You let out a blood curdling scream, your body throbbing with pain as a mix of blood and tears began to pour down your face. Your cornea had been pierced by the metal blade, with the handle still sticking out of your eye. You gasped and cried, screaming louder than you had ever yelled before. Blood trickled down into your mouth as you cried out for help, for anyone to come and save you from this nightmare. You could feel the blade digging deeper and cutting downwards as it slowly began to fall from your eye, landing on your lap with crimson coating the blade. Your vision was blurred with red as you attempted to call out for someone to save you. Your tears only made the pain worse, with an unknown liquid slowly seeping out of your eye due to the damage, combining with the blood and water. Your voice strained with your throat hurting as you screamed with agony. Even with the scalpel landing on your lap, it still felt like it was lodged deep inside. Your vision was extremely damaged, the distance between you and Mori looking much different than it was before. Black dots were starting to form in your vision, with you barely being able to see now. You attempted to close the eye, which only caused more waves of pain to pulse throughout your body, only making you cry out more. You couldn’t even look around anymore without feeling pure torment.

Chuuya looked horrified, his eyes widening faintly as he looked over at Mori with a mix of rage and disgust. Mori looked completely unbothered by your screams and sobs, though you could no longer focus on either of their reactions as you hung your head, your voice nothing but broken sobs. “What the fuck is wrong with you?! You can’t just throw a scalpel at her fucking eye!” Chuuya yelled, sounding aggravated now, not able to sit back in silence and watch what was happening. His stomach churned with guilt, though nothing could take back what just happened. He couldn’t do anything besides try to get Mori to stop. Mori sighed faintly, almost as if he was annoyed at being yelled at for his actions. “I was aiming for something else. Seems I missed.” He commented, acting like what he did wasn’t a big deal and was a simple miscalculation as you continued to scream.

“You call that a miss?!” Chuuya blurted out, taking a step away from Mori and towards the exit. “No, fuck this. I’m not watching your sick torture session any longer. Have all the fun you want by yourself.” He said with genuine repulsion in his tone as he reached to unlock the door. “Hm, fine. Don’t blame me when you miss out on the fun.”

The… The fun?

This was fun?

This was supposed to be enjoyable for them?

How…

How could any human ever find such an act fun?

- - -

“Haha! I’m throwing you overboard, matey!”

You called out, swinging around your wooden sword as you stood perched on the couch. You wore an eyepatch and a pirates hat, dressed in your dad’s oversized dress shirt with shorts to match. On top of your shoulder sat one of your many stuffed animals, a colorful parrot. Your mother laughed, holding her arms up in surrender. “What a cruel captain you are! Making me walk the plank…” She said with an over dramatic tone, walking away from the couch and onto a line of pillows you had set up to represent the plank, with the carpet underneath representing the water underneath your ‘ship’.

“No complaining missy! Walk the plank!” You said, breaking into a fit of giggles as your mother continued to walk along the pillows, stopping at the final one. She let out a defeated sigh, turning to you. While she was attempting to act sad, she couldn’t hide the bright smile that kept shining on her face. “I shall have my revenge, captain! You will be cursed for the rest of your days if you throw me off!” You chuckled, swinging your sword once more and pointing it directly at your mom. “As if! I’m the Queen of the Seven Seas! You will do no such thing! Now… get off my ship!” You yelled, charging at your mother and tackling her with a hug. She began laughing, wrapping her arms around you in an embrace as you giggled along with her. “C’mon, honey. Your father will be home soon. Let’s clean up everything before he gets back, okay?” She asked, gently rubbing her back with one of her hands as you looked up at her, sighing. You were a bit disappointed your game had to end so early, especially considering all the effort you put into your costume. “Aw, okay…”

- - -

Why wouldn’t this game of make believe end?

You felt your vision get even blurrier, your body tensing even further with each breath as you let out broken and weak sobs. You wanted to beg Chuuya not to leave, to scream and cry out for him to save you, but every word you tried to speak only came out as a choked sob. You could see your vision slowly begin to darken as your body went limp in the chair, finally unable to take the pain that was pulsating throughout you as you passed out. The only sounds you could vaguely hear were yelling and commotion.

You hoped deep down you wouldn’t awaken once more.

Chapter Text

You couldn’t see out of your right eye anymore.

Of that, you were certain.

However, you couldn’t feel any pain.

The breeze felt even colder than before as it brushed past you, while you remained seated in the field of red spider lilies. You could feel his presence behind you, you knew he was there. However, he didn’t say a single word.

You didn’t dare turn around. Not yet, anyway.

The atmosphere was much darker now, the sky filled with dark clouds as small droplets of water slowly began to fall down from the sky. You felt your hair begin to dampen, though that was the least of your worries right now. You slowly reached your hand towards where your eye once was, however, his voice broke the silent rainfall.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”

Bitterness began to fill your heart.

Why should he care? Why the hell did he say anything? It was your eye you just lost, yet the man who’s probably hunting you down and toying with you is telling you not to touch it? You couldn’t help the annoyed scoff that left your lips as you turned around and looked at him. You felt less discomfort looking at him this time, which you weren’t sure was a good or bad thing. He looked down at you with his usual expression, though there was no smile painting his face. “Why not? Why can’t I? It won’t affect me here.” You replied, glaring faintly at him. His gaze lingered on you for a moment, focusing on the eye you lost.

“I don’t think you’d like what you’d find.”

“You’re just making me curious.”

“Be grateful I’m even trying to help you.”

Why did he… sound so angry?

You rarely ever saw Fyodor lose his composure. Sure, there were small moments, but you never saw him like this before. It made that familiar feeling of discomfort once again begin to creep into your body, yet you swallowed your nerves. As uncomfortable as being with him was, you didn’t want to wake up. You didn’t want to remember the pain you went through. You didn’t want to remember what he made you go through. You just wanted a moment of peace before you woke up in God knows where.

“...Okay,” You replied blankly after a moment. “Why… Why do you even care?”

“I don’t.”

Jesus, this guy was contradicting himself every five seconds.

“Then why can’t I- you know what, whatever. I don’t need to listen to you.” You say with a small huff, reaching up and touching the area where you were stabbed. Your other eye widened faintly in surprise as you realized what was there. There was no injury, no pain, but instead there were flowers where your eye once was.

Red spider lilies.

You felt your heart begin to race at the idea, the discomfort of having something that shouldn’t be there rooted inside you making you even more nervous. You looked up at Fyodor, your fingers intertwining themselves with the flowers in your eye. He looked at you blankly, not making any movements as the rain continued to fall, drenching his clothes as well as yours. You felt your fingers slowly begin to pluck a petal from the flowers. You weren’t sure why you were doing such an act, but you immediately regretted it. You stared at the flower petal in between your fingers, before you began to feel a trickle of liquid pour down your face.

It was more than just rain water.

You slowly reached your hand up to touch your face, removing your hand once you felt the liquid come into contact with your fingertips. Once you retracted your hand, you saw small splotches of red. Your heart sank. You weren’t even sure where this place was, if it was a dream or if it was reality. What you did know was that it was awfully realistic, and seeing the crimson red blood on your fingers made you feel sick. It was gushing at an alarming rate, the small trickle quickly turning into a waterfall pouring out of your eye. You quickly covered your ‘eye’ with your hand in a poor attempt to try and stop the blood from flowing. He didn’t say anything for a moment, simply watching you and your pathetic endeavors, before his demeanor changed. A small smile formed on his face, as if he enjoyed seeing your struggles.

“I told you not to touch your eye, didn’t I?”

Of course he was acting smug about it.

You felt both your irritation and your nervousness rise, the familiar feeling of blood gushing from your eye was uncomfortable to say the very least, and agonizing at best. He seemed less angry now, as if a weight had been lifted off his shoulders just from seeing you make a mistake. “Don’t give me that look…” You mumbled, feeling the blood beginning to seep from the gap of your hand and onto your dress, staining the white fabric a deep red.
The blood flow was getting more uncomfortable by the second, but you still had something you wanted to ask him. Before you woke up. Before you risked returning to that hell.

“Am I still with Mori?”

His smile only seemed to widen faintly at his question. He looked as if some sort of realization hit him, like some sort of weight was lifted off his shoulders the second you uttered those words. Fyodor remained silent for a moment before he spoke. “You’ll find out soon enough, won’t you?” He said, not giving you a direct answer. You felt anger taking over the nerves in your body, his refusal to even give you a simple yes or no bothering you to no end.
You wanted to say more, to yell at him, to ask why he brought you to this hell, to do anything at all.

Yet you woke up before you could.

- - -

Your head was throbbing with pain. Every single second that passed felt like agony, despite the fact you were laying down. You didn’t dare open your eyes yet, slowly moving your arm and reaching out around you to try and feel where you were. You prayed that you weren’t in Mori’s clutches, though you had a feeling you wouldn’t be so lucky. You could hear murmured voices, presumably ahead of wherever you were laying. They quickly went silent the second you began moving, and you could hear faint shuffling.

“Try not to move too much or open your eyes.”

It took you a moment to recognize the voice, but when you did, you almost let out a sigh of relief.

Yosano.

You weren’t… You weren’t in Mori’s care anymore.

They somehow managed to get you free.

You could feel tears stinging in your eyes, which only brought more pain. You winced, your right eye throbbing like nothing you’ve ever experienced before. A bandage had been laid over your right eye, presumably soaked with the blood from the trauma your eye experienced. You couldn’t see it, but Yosano was looking at you with some concern in her expression. She spoke a couple hushed words to whoever was next to her, before turning her attention back to you. “You’re not with Mori anymore, okay? We have you in one of our cars, and we’re taking you back to the Armed Detective Agency so I can help you. Remain calm, you’ll feel better soon.”

Relief flowed over you like a waterfall as the realization slowly sunk in that you weren’t in danger anymore. You hadn’t been in the Port Mafia’s headquarters for very long, but you had no intention to stay for any longer. Mori wasn’t satisfied with any answer you gave, and who knows what he would have done if they hadn’t shown up and rescued you. “Thank… thank you…” You muttered, your voice quiet and broken. You had no strength to say anything else, considering moving your face in the slightest made it feel like it was burning. Your mind hadn’t even wandered to the fact that she’d have to bring you to the brink of death just to heal you. You were too exhausted to think of anything other than the pain you were experiencing.

It didn’t take long to arrive at the Armed Detective Agency, especially considering how fast they were trying to get there. You were barely conscious, not even noticing the car stopping and the sound of the door being opened. Dazai was looking down at you, a small frown on his face as he managed to scoop you into his arms and bring you out of the car. He carried you in his arms as Yosano ushered him in. Once inside, several of the other members looked at you with a mix of worry and concern in their expression. They didn’t say anything, not wanting to disturb the process of getting you healed. Even if they knew you could be fixed, it was still terrible to learn someone so young had something so traumatic happen to them, under their own care no less. You gave no reactions to the concerned murmurs around you, all of the noise blending together in the background. Dazai and Yosano reached the infirmary, with Dazai setting you down on one of the beds. Yosano looked towards him, telling him to leave so she could work. He complied, stepping out of the room and closing the door behind him. Once he was gone, she let out a shaky sigh as she stared at your body. You looked like you had been through hell. There was a gash on your neck with a bloody bandage wrapped around your right eye, and several bruises covering the exposed parts of your body. You had red marks around your wrist from when you were constricted in the car, but even then, Yosano knew it could have been worse.

So, so much worse.

She slowly walked over to a table where her cleaver laid, grabbing it and glancing back over towards your body.

At least she knew you’d be alive and fine physically afterwards.

- - -

Silence fell over the Armed Detective Agency as everyone stood in the office, the atmosphere heavy. Atsushi was the first one to speak up, looking more nervous than some of the others. “Are we… sure she’ll be okay? I mean, I know how Yosano’s ability works, but…” He trailed off, struggling to figure out the proper words to phrase his thoughts. “She’ll recover fine. Yosano has done this countless times, has she not?” Kyouka commented, to which Dazai nodded. “She’ll recover. We need to worry more about the Port Mafia.” He replied, his demeanor much more serious than usual. “The fact they managed to slip past us so quickly and obtain her is… concerning, to say the least.” Kunikida finished his thought with a slightly uneasy expression. Fukuzawa frowned at this, feeling conflicted. The Port Mafia had done many terrible things throughout their history, but they’ve never physically hurt the Armed Detective Agency like this. If this continues, it could get very ugly…

Ranpo remained silent throughout the conversation, his mind clearly somewhere else. “Mori can’t get away with something like this… he’s broken our truces one too many times. Torturing a new member who doesn’t even have an ability? We can’t just sit back and let this happen. We have to do something!” Tanizaki said, clearly more enthusiastic about doing something back to the Port Mafia than the other members. He always was more bloodthirsty, after all…

“We can’t simply walk into the Port Mafia and strike back and expect it to go well. We have to think about this clearly.. Especially with the news that she shared with us.” Kunikida said with a small huff, referring to how you told them the future events of the world. “Things are not looking good for us… are they?” Kenji replied with a small frown. “Don’t say that, Kenji. We may face difficult times in the Armed Detective Agency, but we don’t just lie down and give up. I have hope and trust in all of you, and I believe we’ll be able to get through this. For now, we need to put our efforts into protecting her. We cannot have any repeats like this again. And if I know anything about Mori, it’s that he doesn’t give up when he has something he wants. Information like that… he’ll surely try again to obtain her and get her on his side.”

Everyone went quiet for a moment, an uncomfortable silence falling over the room before Tanizaki spoke up. “Doesn’t… that mean it’d be best to finally strike back against the Port Mafia? We can’t just lay low and act like cowards. We aren’t going to allow them to treat our members like this. I won’t let that happen. What happens if they target other members next? What if they target Naomi?” He said with a firm tone, clearly not backing down on his views. Fukuzawa let out a small sigh. “I understand your anger, and your protectiveness towards the members in our agency. But… this is much more complicated than you think. As the president of this agency, I say we wait till our next meeting to discuss any of the matters regarding the Port Mafia. What matters is that our newest member is safe.”

Tanizaki sighed, reluctantly agreeing with Fukuzawa. The other members nodded along, ultimately deciding they’d discuss something like this at a different time. Your safety and wellbeing were their top priority considering the events that just happened. They quietly chatted amongst themselves, however, the atmosphere was still tense.

The sound of a door slamming open and panicked running broke the silence however.

Everyone turned their attention to the noise, and quickly saw a panicked Yosano running down the stairs, looking on edge. This was the first time the other members had seen her look so panicked in a long time, and Kunikida quickly sprung up and went towards her. She was breathing heavily, looking nervous. “What’s wrong? What happened, Yosano?” Kunikida asked. He was trying to keep his voice as calm as possible, though it was obvious by his expression he was anxious as well. She remained silent for a moment, before she swallowed her nerves and spoke.

“My… ability… it didn’t…” She paused, the tension rising. “It didn’t work.”

Silence fell over the room.

“What… What do you mean it didn’t work?!” Kunikida said, looking more panicked now. Everyone else shared a similar expression, with even Fukuzawa looking concerned. “She… she hasn’t recovered. Her eye won’t return, and now she’s even more injured than before. She’s barely breathing…” She said, her tone getting more shaky the more she spoke. Dazai’s eyes widened for a moment as the realization struck him.

Abilities…

They didn’t work on her.

Dazai muttered a curse under his breath, pissed at himself for not seeing this sooner. How the hell could he have been so stupid as to not even predict the possibility of it not working? He was so wrapped up in trying to protect the newest member, he hadn’t even considered this.

Just like Fyodor would have wanted.

His fists clenched against his sides as he realized he had lost to him. He hadn’t even predicted this. He had lost. He knew this wasn’t the first time he had lost to the man. If what she had said was true, he had lost in another world. He was defeated and outsmarted by the one man he thought was on the same level as him.

And he wouldn’t let that happen again.

“She’s still breathing though… right?” Atsushi asked, looking extremely worried. He felt the urge to check up on her himself, though he knew he’d be of no help. If the Armed Detective Agency’s medic couldn’t do anything more, what else could he do? “Yes.. she is. I need to monitor her more. I just…” She trailed off, sighing as she ran a hand through her hair. “I just wanted you to know. I’ll be busy, don’t disturb me.” Yosano finished with a small huff, quickly racing back upstairs and slamming the door behind her, leaving everyone in stunned silence.

Dazai had a frown etched on his face, deep in thought.

This…

This was a good and bad discovery.

If she wasn’t affected by abilities, it meant any single thing an ability user tried on her wouldn’t work. This was good for many reasons, but one reason alone stood out to him.

If she killed Fyodor, he wouldn’t be able to come back.

He’d be gone.

For good.

If she survived what Yosano put her through, if she managed to recover…

She would be the Armed Detective Agency’s ultimate weapon.

- - -

“This…”

“Is bad? Is shitty? Is the worst goddamn thing that could’ve happened?!”

“...Don’t be so vulgar, Chuuya.”

“Well, what the hell am I supposed to say, Koyo?! Mori went fucking missing ever since the stupid Armed Detective Agency came to save that girl, and we have little idea as to who did it!”
An uncomfortable silence fell over the Port Mafia conference room. The head of the table’s chair was empty, with no Mori to be found. Koyo and Chuuya sat near the head of the table, with members like Akutagawa, Hirotsu, Gin, and Tachihara sitting along the table. Everyone’s demeanor was serious and uneasy, nobody daring to act out of line.

“Well, it’s not like we don’t have a lead, per se…” Koyo said, sighing faintly at Chuuya’s brash behavior. However, even she had to admit this was extremely concerning. “We just…” She trailed off, unable to find the proper words. “If what the girl said is true at the agency… Fyodor is behind this, correct? The man we had in our clutches before he eliminated Ace?” Akutagawa asks, looking the most composed out of the members. However, that didn’t mean much. It felt almost empty without Mori in the room. Not that he was a good leader by any means, but… he was a leader. Everyone in the room knew this meeting probably wouldn’t go well without him to guide it.

“Yes, most likely. The main issue being… he left no traces behind besides this small piece of paper in his office.” Koyo began, pulling out a small slip of paper out of the sleeves of her kimono, before beginning to read it out loud.

“Your little boss is unfortunately in the way of something bigger. He had no role in the show, and therefore, he was cut from the cast!

- The Devil and the Jester”

Everyone went silent for a moment, processing what was just read out to them. The first one to speak up was Chuuya. “There’s… no way that isn’t him. I overheard enough of their bullshit explanations when I was spying on the Armed Detective Agency. That has to be Fyodor.” He said with a small grumble, crossing his arms. “Then… it’s safe to assume ‘The Devil’ would be him. The only question is… who’s ‘The Jester’?” Hirotsu asked, looking a little more on edge than the others. “Probably that… uh… Fuck, what’s his name?” Chuuya said with a groan, trying to remember the identity of one of the people she had mentioned when talking with the Armed Detective Agency. “You mentioned one of them was named ‘Nikolai’, correct?” Koyo asked, to which Chuuya quickly nodded. “Ah, yeah, that’s the one. Part of some ‘Decay of Angels’ or whatever… at least, that’s what I heard before I left.”

The room went silent for a moment. “We have to track them down, don’t we? We can’t let an injustice like this slide if they really have kidnapped our boss.” Akutagawa states like it’s an obvious fact. Koyo can feel her patience already running thin considering how much she’s been stressing over this, and lets out a small sigh. “We’ve been trying. Other than that note, they didn’t leave a single trace. We know where Fyodor is currently located, but that gives us no good explanation of how he was able to communicate with Nikolai in order to kidnap him. Our best men have been on the job, and they’ve come back with absolutely nothing.”

“It’s clear they meant it when they said he was in the way…” Chuuya muttered, earning a glare from Koyo. “Well, now what the hell do we do? What’s the future of the Port Mafia going to look like if we can’t find our own damn boss?!” He asked, raising his voice slightly higher.

Nobody had a good response.

“We can’t simply give up on finding him…” Gin replied in a quiet tone, her voice barely above a whisper. “We have no evidence he’s dead, correct?” Hirotsu asked, his tone laced with a faint bit of worry. He had known Mori for a while, and he knew this was highly unusual.

If Mori could be kidnapped and erased so easily without a single trace…

What did it mean for the rest of them? For the Port Mafia? For the future of Yokohama?

“Yes, but we have no evidence he’s alive either. How are we gonna remain the Port Mafia if we have no leader? He never talked about leaving someone specific in charge. Besides, well…” Chuuya trailed off, a memory of Dazai flashing in his mind, which only pissed him off more. Everyone seemed to catch onto the hint, and they all remained silent. “Do… you think it’s possible we could ask him to come back?” Tachihara questioned, even if he knew it was a foolish idea. He may not have known much about Dazai, but what he did know was that he would never even dream of returning.

Ever.

“We all know the answer to that. We’ve tried.” Koyo said with a frustrated sigh. She was frustrated with the fact this meeting was basically getting nowhere. As time went on during the meeting, it went from being concerned about Mori and his whereabouts to arguing over who should be the self-appointed leader of the Port Mafia. Akutagawa believed it should be him, while Chuuya couldn’t even stand that idea. Everyone seemed to not be able to agree on what to do or where to even start.

All they knew was that this could very well be the end of the Port Mafia.

- - -

Faint humming could be heard echoing throughout the room. A cheery tune, one that would be sweet if the situation wasn’t so gruesome. Blood covered the walls, along with one of the man’s clothes and gloves. A bone chilling sawing noise could be heard echoing throughout the room.

“Jeez, look how dry his skin is…” A voice commented with a small chuckle.

“Does that really matter? I’m already annoyed you’re making me help you with this.”

“Awww, why, Fukuchi? I thought you liked helping me…”

“You think I want to spend my time watching you cut the limbs off of some guy so you can hang them in a plaza? Why the hell would I want to do that, Nikolai?”

“Well, I would have asked Sigma, but you know how that goes… He’s so squeamish! It’d be endearing, if it weren’t such an inconvenience when it came to things like these…”

“Why did you even want me to help you with this anyway? You could do this all by yourself.”

“Well, duh, of course I could! But, you make it sooo much easier, temporary assistant! I’d ask Fedya, but… you know. Locked away!” Nikolai said, giggling faintly as he continued sawing the corpses left arm off, the sound of skin and bone being hacked away at filling the room.

“You know I don’t even approve of this idea, right?”

“Why not? I think it’s quite a splendid plan!”

“Too public. Hanging a mafia boss’s corpse in a public place is too obvious.”

“I can just use my ability to hang it up and disguise myself, it’s no big deal! Plus, imagine everyone’s faces when they realize the leader of such a feared organization is found dead and hanging in pieces! Imagine the hilarity of it all..”

Fukuchi didn’t even crack a smile. Nikolai sighed, annoyed with his lack of enthusiasm about his plan.

“...You’re no fun, you know that? I swear, your company is only enjoyable when you’re wasted..” He muttered, to which Fukuchi scoffed.

“Speaking of, I need a drink. I’ll help you carry the parts later. Have fun hacking away.”

The sound of footsteps could be heard leaving the room, leaving Nikolai alone to continue his work.

Laid on a table was the corpse of Ogai Mori, with half of his limbs chopped off with the saw Nikolai held. Blood was staining his clothes and weapon, as well as the torn and ripped clothes of Mori. He wasn’t as hard to get rid of as Nikolai had expected, though he wasn’t complaining. He likes a good challenge, but not one that’s too difficult. Mori’s little ability was fairly easy to counter, and Nikolai almost questioned how such a powerful leader was taken down so easily just with the combination of him and Fukuchi. He supposed most of Mori’s leadership came from his manipulative words rather than his core strength.

He continued to hum cheerfully to himself as he continued his work, excited for what tomorrow would bring.

It’d be a big day, after all.

Chapter Text

“Mom, why’s there a man on the roof?”

A little girl held her mom’s hand slightly tighter. The mother looked down at her child, vaguely confused as to what she was referring to. “What do you mean, sweetie?” She asked, to which the child pointed up at one of the many buildings in the plaza. There, standing on the roof, was none other than Nikolai with a trash bag in hand, and from the looks of it, it was quite heavy. The mother looked up, now looking concerned. His attire was far from the average person who should be on a roof, so the assumption that he was working on it was far out of the question. “...I’m not sure. We should… walk a bit faster.” She replied, tightening the grip on her child’s hand and beginning to pick up her pace as they walked.

Whatever that was, she wanted no part in it.

- - -

Nikolai was grinning madly as he held the trash bag in hand. The very same bag that contained each of Mori’s hacked off limbs. He looked below him, standing directly on the edge of the building. People began to look up at him, confused and concerned as to why someone was standing so close near the edge of a building and dressed in such strange attire. He leaned over the edge, causing some people to look more panicked. He seemed as joyful as ever, not looking nervous despite how close he was to falling.

“I’d recommend looking out below! You wouldn’t want to be crushed, would you?” He shouted, before slowly beginning to open the trash bag. People began to slowly back away from the area, not wanting to be hit if he was throwing something down. Without further warning, he threw the half-opened trash bag onto a clearing in the crowd, the trash bag colliding with the ground and making a loud splatter sound, with blood splattering out of the bag. It sounded as if bones had been broken inside. Due to the fact it was half open, the contents of the trash bag began to spill and roll out onto the pavement.

The decapitated head of the most feared mafia boss was the first to exit.

The people closest to the trash bag had begun to panic, causing others in the crowd to curiously approach the bag, only to be horrified with what came out. Nobody dared to touch the trash bag, considering the evidence of the man’s decapitated head being spilled out onto the ground was enough to disturb others. Some of the people in the crowd looked back up towards the building where the trash bag was thrown…

Yet, there was no trace of anyone there.

- - -

“What’s with all the commotion outside?” Kenji asked, eating a lollipop he had stolen from Ranpo’s secret stash of candy. In the Armed Detective Agency’s office stood Kunikida, Dazai, Kenji, and Kyouka. Yosano was still up in the infirmary, working on keeping your condition stable. Kunikida was attempting to get work done, but the sudden sound of screaming and panic broke his focus. He looked up from his paperwork, looking concerned. “...I’m not sure,” He replied, before sitting up from his chair. “Kyouka, go check on Yosano to make sure everything is okay up there. Dazai, come outside with me to go see what the noise is about.”

Dazai groaned, not particularly interested to see a panicked crowd. “Do I have to-” He tried to speak, but was quickly cut off by Kunikida dragging him by his ear out of his chair. Dazai whined, reluctantly getting up and following Kunikida outside of the agency. “Seriously, what’s with all this noise…” Kunikida muttered under his breath, before they both stepped outside. Their eyes widened faintly as they stared at the scene in front of them.

The crowd was covering the majority of what was happening, but in the clearing they could see the outline of a decapitated head that had emerged from what looked like a trash bag. There were presumably the rest of the man’s limbs inside the bag, considering the outline and how it wasn’t flat on the ground. Kunikida and Dazai both glanced at each other, before beginning to push through the crowd in an attempt to view the scene up close. They could make out blood splatters on the ground, evidence that it had been thrown from somewhere high up. They managed to push their way past the crowd and finally reached the center, only to be even more disturbed with what they saw.

It was none other than Dazai’s previous boss, Mori.

Kunikida felt a small gasp escape him at the sight, while Dazai stared blankly at the head. Neither of them said anything for a moment, simply trying to process the gruesome sight of Mori’s decapitated head. Kunikida eventually turned towards Dazai, remaining silent for a moment while looking extremely uncomfortable.

“That’s… that’s him, isn’t it?”

“Seems like it.”

“How… How did this happen?”

Dazai didn’t give a reply, remaining silent as he turned his attention back towards the body. He was tempted to reach down and reveal the rest of the bag’s contents, however, he knew he’d look suspicious if he did that. He should at least wait till the police arrived.

It didn’t take long for the cops to show up, considering how much people were panicking. Once they arrived, Ranpo followed shortly after. He looked about as surprised as the two men did, considering it wasn’t every day you often saw the leader of one of Yokohama’s most feared organizations dead. However, it only took him a couple seconds to figure out the real perpetrator behind the crime.

“Nikolai Gogol.”

“That’s… one of the members of the Decay of Angels, right? The one she mentioned?” Kunikida asked, a concerned look on his face. Ranpo nodded at his question. “He must have taken him shortly after we rescued her from him. Considering the blood stains around his limbs,” Ranpo trailed off for a moment before speaking again. “It must have been done last night. There was only a short timeframe for when this happened.” He finished, sighing faintly. He was much more serious than usual. “I assume he used his ability to get away then?” Dazai questioned, to which Ranpo nodded. “Can you tell us where he is?” Minoura asked, taking a step closer to Ranpo. He remained silent for a moment before speaking. “...Sure, but you know what my prices are.” Ranpo replied, a small smile forming on his face, his serious demeanor quickly fading. The police officer sighed, telling one of the other officers to go into his car and grab something. Once the officer came back, he handed Ranpo a bag of gummy worms.

“There, now will you talk?”

“Gladly.”

- - -

The breeze felt almost frigid as it brushed past you. The red spider lilies seemed to be growing, considering they were getting close to surpassing your knees in length. The ticklish feeling of their petals moving against you in the wind made goosebumps form along your legs, though you ignored the feeling. It was no longer raining, though a wet dew covered many of the flowers, and even your hair and blood stained dress still felt wet. They stuck to your body, barely flowing in the draft.

Like always, his presence wasn’t far behind you.

You turned around, reaching your hand up immediately to feel if the red spider lily was still lodged in your eye. To no surprise, it was. You could also feel the texture of dried blood on your face, that didn’t seem to come off no matter how hard you attempted to scrape or wipe it off. He remained silent, simply watching you attempt to remove the dried blood from your face. The silence was uncomfortable at best, and his gaze didn’t help whatsoever. You eventually broke the silence, not wanting to simmer in it for longer than needed.

“What… happened? Why does it feel like I’ve been asleep for so long? It couldn’t have been that long, could it have?” You asked him. You kept a more neutral tone, trying to not let your anger with him get the best of you. You pushed it aside for now, considering there were more important matters at hand.

“She tried to heal you, and by the looks of it, it didn’t go very well.”

“...What do you mean ‘by the looks of it’?”

“Have you not checked your arms?”

Your eye widened faintly at that comment, and you hesitantly lowered your head and looked down while raising your arms to fit in your view. You were speechless for a moment as you suddenly saw the tons of deep cuts scars that were covering them. They didn’t hurt in the slightest, however, just the sight of them made your heart begin to race. Glancing even further downwards, you could see them littering your legs as well. Judging by how dark and deep the gashes were, she clearly didn’t hesitate in trying to help you. The cuts looked precise, yet the small jagged edges suggested she was slightly panicking the more she cut. This… This clearly wasn’t supposed to happen. If the healing worked, you’d be completely fine. No evidence of scars or any trace of an injury would be left. So why…

Why were you like this…?

“Her… healing,” You trailed off, remaining silent for a moment. “It should have worked… shouldn’t it? Why am I still covered in these scars?!” You asked, raising your voice. You could feel yourself getting more and more panicked as each moment passed.

What if you didn’t wake up?

What if in her attempts to heal you, she accidentally killed you?

That… wouldn’t be the worst outcome, really.

If it weren’t for the fact you were still here.

Would you be stuck here for eternity? With him?

Your heart raced in your chest, the beat of it ringing in your ears as you desperately tried to understand what had happened. If her healing worked on you, you wouldn’t be here. You’d be awake already, in the infirmary and feeling completely better. You had been under the impression you’d recover. That was the only thing that filled you with hope. You thought you’d have your eye back, and you’d make a full recovery just from her healing alone. However… every piece of evidence you had pointed otherwise. Something had to have happened, otherwise you’d be perfectly fine right now. Physically, anyway.

But no.

Here you were, stuck in wherever this place was covered in injuries and dried blood, with no new eyeball in sight. Your heart felt like it was sinking further every second you stared at his unblinking face. You never expected any comfort out of him, yet you felt almost hollow in the moment. You weren’t numb, hell, you wished you felt nothing right now. You felt as if a piece had been ripped out of you, both figuratively and literally, and you’d never be able to get it back. You could feel your vision blurring, tears beginning to well up in your eyes as you sank down on your knees.
You wanted your mom.

You wanted your dad.

You wished nothing more than to be dead.

Why did you have to be here again? Why couldn’t you rest in peace if you truly were dead? And if you weren’t, why couldn’t she have killed you? It wouldn’t have been that hard. You would be on the verge of death if you were alive, so why couldn’t she do you the favor of killing you? You didn’t want to be here anymore. You wanted to simply stop existing, to end whatever hell you were being put through by this God awful man. You wondered how he could even justify his awful actions, saying it was for the greater good and whatnot. What a load of bullshit. If it were for the greater good, you wouldn’t be here. You’ve never wanted to simply lay down and let the ground consume you more than this moment. You wanted to die. You wanted the sweet mercy of death to claim you, to spare you from this eternal suffering. You’ve already had parts of your body stripped away from you. You never knew you had such a weak will until you were put through something like this. Now? You wanted nothing more than to die.

Just kill me.

Just kill me.

You didn’t even realize you were whispering those words over and over, tears pouring down your face with a motionless Fyodor standing a few feet away from you. The atmosphere almost seemed like it was affected by your emotions, the sky seeming darker than before. Not that you paid any mind to it. You were too focused on the thoughts swirling through your head. You barely registered the voice calling out to you.

Maybe if you woke up, you wouldn’t be awake for long. Maybe, just maybe, the world would have mercy on you. You weren’t completely gone in the moment, you had a small feeling Fyodor didn’t want you to simply lay down and die, but that didn’t mean you couldn’t daydream. You had almost forgotten about the prospect of being able to make it back home. What would you even do if you got home? You’d live with the irreversible trauma of what you experienced here. Would your parents be alive? Oh God… were your parents even alive?

The sound of your name being yelled broke you from your thoughts. You could feel your body get weaker, and suddenly, you were sitting up in an infirmary bed.

You almost screamed with how much pain you were in. Your body and head were aching, and the injury in your eye hurt even more than it did earlier. Your vision was blurry from already forming tears, with Kyouka and Yosano standing at the foot of your bed. You could barely register their figures for a moment, wincing in pain. It hurt to even look around, so you tried to keep your vision steady and forward. Yosano looked surprised that you were handling your pain so well, though she knew it was just a front for how much you were suffering. She could see the uneven breaths you took, the way you kept your eyes straight and didn’t even move them to glance around, how your body faintly trembled, everything.

“Try to lay back down and not make sudden movements. The injuries on your body have barely begun the healing process.” Yosano said, taking a couple steps towards you and gently putting her hands on your shoulders, helping you lay back down as comfortably as you could. You held back a small whine that threatened to escape your lips as you laid back down, your arms and legs feeling hot with pain. “You’re doing great, okay? Just try not to move too much and you’ll be okay.” Yosano reassured you, though from what you could see, the slightly uneasy expression on her face said otherwise. You were too exhausted and injured to really acknowledge it and call out her lie, simply letting out a small hum in response that you were awake. She could tell you were exhausted and probably wouldn’t be conscious for long, however, she could tell your levels were at least stable enough in order to rest. It was the only way to escape the pain your body felt, after all.

It didn’t take you long to pass out once more.

Kyouka remained silent for a moment, simply watching your slightly ragged breathing before she turned to Yosano. “Will she survive?” Kyouka asked. She had a relatively blank expression on her face, though it was obvious by her tone she felt some sort of concern. “Of course she will,” Yosano said with a small sigh, looking tired from working for so long to keep your levels stable. “We’ll have to transfer her to a real hospital sometime today. I’m no surgeon, but I can tell that the eye needs to be removed. It’ll cause more harm than good if it’s left in her head for much longer…” She trailed off, glancing back at you and the IV you had inside your arm as you slept. Kyouka wanted to open her mouth to say something, however, a knock on the door interrupted them before she could. Yosano glanced over at the door before walking over and opening it, seeing Dazai staring back at her.

“Mori’s dead.”

- - -

You weren’t sure how long you had been sleeping, though it was immediately noticeable that nobody else was in the room. Your visible eye fluttered open, and you held back another wince of pain just by being awake. You must have woken up from the throbbing in your eye, considering how bad of a headache you had. You could hear faint talking coming from somewhere else in the agency, though you had absolutely no strength to simply sit up and go investigate. You laid in the bed, brooding in your thoughts. You were a bit more awake than earlier, the pain too unbearable to fall back asleep.

Why hadn’t she killed you?

That question repeated in your head often, and you had no idea why she wouldn’t put you out of your misery. You almost felt like a sickly dog hanging on by a thread who’s owners refused to put them down. You felt almost useless sitting here, wasting all their resources just by existing when even you didn’t want to exist. You never would have believed you’d give up so easily on trying to exist, but the more your thoughts swarmed, the worse you felt. You just wanted someone to break in with a gun and put you out of it already. This was only the beginning of your suffering, and if this was tame compared to the other things you’d face, you didn’t want to live to see any more of it.

Yet, a small voice in your head was telling you otherwise.

A part of you didn’t want to lay down and simply die.

You had already been through a lot just by being here, and giving up now would be even more of a waste than existing and taking all their resources. You felt like a burden, but you’d be even more of a drag if you simply ended it all. However, the escape of death looked almost appealing. You wouldn’t have to deal with whatever Fyodor’s plan was, and could simply run away from your problems into an eternal slumber. But, that idea almost made you feel guilty. You’d be leaving the rest of the agency to fend for themselves. Sure, they were capable of handling things that came their way, but even then, you worried. They have treated you with great kindness since you arrived, even recruiting you as a new member. Could you simply end it all now and abandon them?

Footsteps.

They were approaching your door.

You felt a little nervous at the fact there could be someone unknown outside, your mind wandering to the worst possibilities. However, they were quickly squashed when none other than Dazai entered the room. You turned your head and glanced up at him, too tired to muster a greeting or any form of acknowledgment besides staring. He looked a bit… off. He had a more blank look on his face than usual as he walked over and pulled up one of the chairs, sitting next to your bed.

“Mori was found dead this morning.”

…

What?

Your eye widened faintly in surprise, and you could feel pounding pain in your other eye as you did so. You whined faintly, quickly returning your face to the expression that caused the least amount of pain. You practically choked on your own words as you spoke. “He’s… dead?” You stammered, completely caught off guard. Dazai nodded, confirming your suspicions. “Nikolai killed him sometime yesterday. His body was found in the plaza near the agency. Ranpo helped track his location, though it won’t be much help. We already received the tape he sent us.” He replied. It took you a moment to register his words, but once you did, you felt dread start to fill out through your entire body.

You were too late.

He already kidnapped them and had them hostage.

You were silent for what felt like an eternity, processing the information given to you. Nikolai had already started his rampage, and you knew this was bad.

Not to mention the death of Mori.

You were surprised he had died so quickly and easily, though that’s what made it more terrifying. If they were able to kill someone so feared and brutal with ease, what did that mean for the agency? What did that mean for the other members?

What did that mean for you?

A part of you was conflicted. On one hand, you were almost… glad he was dead. You felt a little guilty for thinking about that, but knowing the man who had tortured you and left you in this condition was gone and couldn’t harm anyone else brought a small bit of comfort. However, his death was nothing more than a warning. A warning to anyone how easily the Decay of Angels could get rid of someone. Everyone else were the puppets, and they were the ones controlling them with strings. Anyone who stepped out of line of their plan would face the consequences and end up just like Mori did.

And that thought…

That scared you more than anything else did.
Fyodor had you trapped.

“But…I have more news than that,” Dazai continued, noticing your silence and discomfort. “We both know Fyodor’s ability is that he transfers to the body of the person who kills him, correct?” He asked, to which you nodded faintly. A small smile began to spread across his face as he continued. “I know you’re not in good condition right now, but Yosano’s ability not affecting you means two things. You and I are the only ones who would be able to kill Fyodor.”

The silence washed over the room for a moment, and you almost felt stupid for not considering it earlier.

If abilities didn’t work on you, that meant if the opportunity presented itself, you’d be able to kill Fyodor.

You…

You couldn’t die now.

You had to prevail in order to get rid of the man that started everything. The man who brought you here needed to die.

You let out a small sigh and remained silent after a moment before you spoke. “So… we’re the only two who could kill him,” You restated his words, your voice slightly strained. “That’s… good. But, I have no ability. I have nothing I can be of use with..” You frowned faintly, that familiar feeling of uselessness returning to you once more. You didn’t know how to use any sort of weapon, you had no ability you could contribute with, you were just an out of shape teenage girl. “Having no ability doesn’t make you useless. I can assure you, you’re much more useful to this agency than you believe.” Dazai replied, which made you feel a little better. If a genius like Dazai was telling you that you had some sort of purpose, he had to have meant it. He didn’t seem like the type to lie to make others feel better, after all.

...Right?

A small smile played at your lips, the bit of comfort his words brought was enough to make you a bit happier. He seemed to notice this and smiled faintly as well. He quickly returned to his more serious demeanor and stood up from the chair. “I’m sure you know where I’m going now. I believe you are a lot stronger than you give yourself credit for.” He paused, looking like he had more to add, but he turned his back towards you regardless. You watched as he walked away towards the door. You had questions. A lot of questions. Was the agency still planning on going to try and stop Nikolai? They already knew it was a death trap and it’d cause a lot more trouble than it’s worth. You and Ranpo knew this was a terrible idea, yet you also had a feeling they wouldn’t listen. If there was even a small chance of saving them, they’d take it.

It was how the Armed Detective Agency ran.

No matter how idiotic it may seem.

You let out a small sigh once Dazai shut the door, knowing he was going off to the horse races. To purposely get arrested in order to be with Fyodor. You wanted to get up and go talk to the agency, to try and convince them not to go and just let the government officials die… But you couldn’t even sit up without holding back yelps of pain. Any attempt you made to move was agonizing, so you opted to simply lay in bed.

It didn’t take long for Yosano to enter the room, looking more neutral now as she shut the door and approached you. “We’ll be leaving now in an attempt to stop Nikolai’s plans. I’ve already called an ambulance to transfer you to a real hospital, where you can undergo the treatment you need.” She informed you, as unease started to spread throughout your body. “You… Realize this is a death trap, right? The Hunting Dogs will be coming for you once this happens, no matter what. You guys can’t handle yourselves against the strongest military organization in Japan..” You replied, clearly looking worried. You wanted to say more, to sit up and fight for them to stay. This was an awful and stupid idea, and everyone knew it.

So why were they going through with it?

“We know. But… Kunikida, Fukuzawa and I discussed this thoroughly. We can’t risk someone dying because of our own cowardice. We aren’t going to sit back idly and let them get away with this, even if it means our agency’s demise. You’re here now. That changes a lot. Even Ranpo agreed it’d be best.”

You sighed, a frown etched on your face. Even if everyone was agreeing, it didn’t change how uncomfortable you were with the idea. You could faintly hear ambulance sirens heading towards the agency from outside, a sign you didn’t have enough time to convince them otherwise. She seemed to notice how uncomfortable you are with the idea, and tried to give you a reassuring smile. “We’ll be okay. The agency will never crumble, even when things like this come our way. I promise you that.”

“...Alright.”

You watched as the door opened once more, revealing several paramedics walking inside. They looked extremely concerned with your condition, your body littered in scars and a bloody bandage wrapped around your face that covered your eye. Yosano began talking with them and informed them of what happened while they wheeled you out on a stretcher.

You looked amongst the other agency members as they brought you outside, all of them looking vaguely on edge. You could tell all of them were worried for the future, though none of them looked as anxious as you. You were brought into the ambulance, your mind swirling with thoughts and worries about what could happen. So many unpredictable possibilities. So many things that could go wrong in the blink of an eye.

You had no clue who’d live and who’d die anymore.

Chapter Text

Her frame looked uncomfortable. She had good posture, yet that didn’t seem to do much for how tense her shoulders were. Koyo stared off into space, looking outside at the city of Yokohama. Ever since the untimely passing of Mori, she’s been the leader of the Port Mafia. It was stressful, with many loose ends needing to be tied due to his sudden death. She had always thought she was more fit for such a position, yet now that she had it, she dearly missed her old position. She couldn’t help but wish he wasn’t dead. She knew he was a terrible person, even for mafioso standards, yet he held the Port Mafia together. Some of the subordinates refused to even listen to her, though she took care of that issue quickly. That didn’t mean it wasn’t frustrating however. Her mind slowly began wandering back to Kyouka, and how much she missed her presence as well. She made the Port Mafia more bearable, after all.

It was up to her to carry the Port Mafia on her shoulders now.

Her attention towards the window was broken as she glanced over at the now open door, with Chuuya standing in the doorway. “You called, boss?” He asked, taking a step in the room and closing the door behind him. It felt almost unnatural to be calling her boss now, yet he had no choice. He appreciated her a bit more as a leader anyway, though that was a personal issue and not a leadership issue. After witnessing first hand the things Mori would do to someone he needed information out of, no matter the age, he wasn’t exactly mourning his death. “Yes, yes. Come, join me.” She replied, her hand moving towards the chair next to her. He walked over and took a seat, glancing at Koyo. She remained silent for a good minute, taking a sip of the tea she had sitting on the table between them before she spoke. “You know the grave danger we’re in, correct?” She questions. Chuuya remains silent for a moment, unsure what to say to her inquiry. He opened his mouth to speak, but she beat him to it.

“With the Detective Agency being targeted like this, it’s up to us to help them. I know they’re innocent. I’m sure if Mori were here, he’d agree with me. It’s my job as the new leader to help them, and with the help of the other members of the Port Mafia, I’m sure their innocence will be proven. I’ve been keeping tabs on them, and while that… girl is not with them currently, you will protect them nonetheless.” She paused, taking another sip of her drink before continuing. “I understand we are part of rival organizations, but that does not mean we cannot be civil and help one another. I consider the Armed Detective Agency a part of our family, in a sense. Misguided, but… part of our family nonetheless.” Koyo finished. Chuuya sat in silence, letting her words sink in. “Any… news on Tachihara’s whereabouts?” He questioned, causing Koyo to sigh faintly. Ever since he had vanished since Mori died, things had been a bit grim around the Port Mafia. Even for their standards. “I… I have figured out new information on where he is, yes. Something we can’t tell the others. Not yet, anyway. If I feel inclined, it’ll be mentioned at our meeting tomorrow.” She replied, her words vague and hanging over Chuuya. He wanted to ask what she meant, to get any sort of information on where he was, but he bit his tongue and held back. He could tell they were finished here, and stood up, walking over towards the door to leave.

“Oh, and if you can do me one favor,” She said, to which Chuuya perked up. “Yeah, boss?”

“Tell Kyouka I hope she likes her new home.”

- - -

The air felt lighter than usual. It was odd, considering how many times the atmosphere of this place has been heavy as of lately. There weren’t any clouds in sight, no rain or dampness amongst the flowers. Like always, you knew he was directly behind you, yet he remained silent. The breeze felt more comforting than intolerable, some of the strands of your hair flowing in the faint wind. Looking down at your dress, you noticed the bloodstains weren’t as visible as before. However, your eye quickly widened in surprise as you looked down at your arms and legs. While they were still covered in scars, something was off about them.

They were sprouting red spider lilies.

Despite not feeling any pain, the discomfort of seeing something growing from your own body made your heart wrench. You felt the urge to pluck away at each little sprout that popped out of the deep gashes from your scars, though you knew that’d only end it blood getting everywhere. If a large amount of blood splashed from your eye just from picking one petal, who knew how much blood would be produced from removing each sprout. You took a deep breath to calm yourself down, not wanting to lose yourself like you did last time you were here. You were stronger than that.

You needed to be strong. You couldn’t be weak and give up anymore.

You hesitantly turned around to face Fyodor, yet to your surprise, he wasn’t facing you like usual. He was crouched down, his back facing you as he seemed to almost be… plucking a flower?

“...What are you doing?” You asked, taking a few steps forward and feeling the red spider lilies crunching underneath your feet. He didn’t acknowledge your words immediately, not even looking up from where he was. You were now standing directly behind him, watching as he plucked a flower from the ground and stood up, examining it in his hands. “The flowers are quite pretty, don’t you think?” He asks. His tone seemed a bit softer than usual, though you knew better than to believe that was his true emotions. You weren’t an idiot.

Right?

“...I guess so, yeah,” You mumbled, not really paying attention to the flower he held. Your eye was more focused on him and his expressions. His hard and cold gaze seemed softer than usual, as if seeing something so simple managed to change his entire demeanor. It almost made you more uncomfortable than seeing him look stern or angry, and you didn’t particularly like seeing him look like this. “I used to have Ivan collect these for me to keep in a special vase. I’ve always found them to be beautiful.” He commented idly, not taking his eyes off of the red spider lily he held. You weren’t really sure why he was telling you this, considering the last person you expected to have any appreciations for flowers was Fyodor. Then again, you really didn’t know much about him. These dreams were the only way you could see him, and you were convinced this wasn’t real. But… with how many times you’ve had the same repetitive dream, it was way too odd to be a coincidence. You knew that. You watched as his fingers aligned themself with one of the petals, slowly beginning to pluck one of them. He watched as it fell amongst the field of flowers, blending in with the rest of them. As soon as it was plucked, you felt that all too familiar trickling feeling begin to drip down your face. You felt surprised, realizing that blood was once again cascading down your cheek. “Hey- Wait! Don’t do that!” You called out, attempting to snatch the flower from him, quickly realizing his actions were causing your face to bleed once more. Hell, you didn’t understand why, but this was a dream. What part of it made any sense?

He didn’t pull away from you as you grabbed his hand and attempted to take the flower away from him. However, he practically had an iron grip on it. Your eye widened in surprise at how tight his hold was on the flower, but he paid your hand on his no mind. He plucked the next petal. And the next. And the next. You watched in horror as petals began to fall from the flower in your eye, causing more blood to gush out. You took a couple steps back, the blood absorbing and staining your dress once more. You tried to tell him to stop, though no matter what, he kept plucking and plucking until there was one petal left.

He stopped after that, before looking back up at you. His soft smile turned into one more sinister, his eyes narrowing faintly as he made direct eye contact with you before reaching to pluck the final petal.

“Can you hear me?”

Silence.

“Hello?”

You felt your eye fluttering open, the bright fluorescent lights in the room you were staying in hitting you instantly, causing your eye to quickly shut once more. It took you a moment before you reluctantly opened it again, staring up at the ceiling with a half lidded eye before looking at the figure next to your bed. It turned out to be one of the nurses at the hospital, looking at you with a clipboard in hand. “Sorry for disturbing you, I just needed to check your vitals after the surgery. Would you mind sticking out your arm?” She asked, to which you lazily moved your arm towards her, and she promptly wrapped a blood pressure cuff around it and turned it on. The tightening feeling around your arm helped you wake up, and you finally adjusted to the bright lights of the room. You could feel a new bandage resting over your eye after your surgery. The procedure wasn’t long, maybe an hour or two, and all you knew was your eye wasn’t in your skull anymore. You felt almost a bit emptier with the lack of your right eye, however, you were in a lot less pain than before. Most likely due to how drugged up you were when you were put under, but still.
Once the nurse finished taking your blood pressure and writing down your vitals, she looked back at you. “We’ll be back in about thirty minutes to check up on you once more. Your gashes in your legs and arms will take a while to heal, however, the medication we have you on will make it relatively painless for you.” She informed you. You nodded faintly, watching as she left the room before blankly staring at the wall in your hospital room. It was… quiet. Too quiet. You were used to hearing the chatter of the agency outside your room, or being with other people. Having time to be by yourself was almost uncomfortable considering how awful you felt mentally.

Being stuck in the hospital with nobody to talk to, while the only people you consider your friends are either fighting a losing battle with Nikolai, or are probably being transported to the most secure prison in the world, admittedly sucked. Nobody was coming to visit you, so you were left to your own devices. You could feel the dark thoughts in your mind swarming and getting louder, though you didn’t want to listen to them right now. You reached towards the remote that was connected to your bed, trying to ignore the dark scars that covered your arms as you pointed it towards the TV and turned it on. You were originally going to watch something light and take your mind off things, but something came on before you could switch it.

The news.

You felt your heart sink as you stared at the pictures in front of you.

Displayed on the screen was each member of the agency, even including Atsushi and Kyouka, with the reporter discussing the recent terrorist attacks. You knew this was coming, yet seeing them plastered on the news made the reality of the situation really sink in. The only people you considered friends were now terrorists in society’s eyes. It all seemed so interesting when you were simply watching it on your computer, but now? Now you were living through it. It took you a moment to register the fact that your photo wasn’t up there, and you practically sank into your bed with relief at that fact. You didn’t know what the hospital would do once you were recovered. They’d eventually find out you have no records of existing in this world, that your parents didn’t exist, and the only people you called friends were the detective agency. Sure, it’s not like you’re the only case of existing in this world without any identity, but the only other person you knew like that was in a sky casino. What if the hospital turned you in to the Hunting Dogs once they discovered you were part of the agency? You’d be absolutely fucked if that happened. Sure, some of their abilities wouldn’t work on you, but they’re trained in military combat and warfare. You’re barely in shape and can’t even fire a gun.

You’d be utterly fucked.

You continued to blankly stare at the news, your mind beginning to wander as you tried to remember each of the Hunting Dogs abilities. You remembered Teruko’s ability to change people’s ages, which wouldn’t work on you. At least that was a start. Jouno’s ability wouldn’t particularly affect you in any way and only works on himself, though you assumed his heightened sense of ability would work on you, considering you’re pretty sure that’s not an ability and just him being… him. Tecchou’s ability to manipulate his sword was a questionable one, but it’s safe to assume being stabbed by an ability sword would… probably hurt you. You weren’t willing to test that in any way. You also had no clue how Tachihara’s ability would work on you. It’d be different if your ability was to nullify things, like Dazai, yet you were a special case. It simply just… wouldn’t work on you. Would it still stab you, or would it simply not affect you? You had absolutely no goddamn clue. It hurt your head to even consider the possibilities. That left only Fukuchi. You had a feeling his ability probably wouldn’t work, since it affects you directly, unlike Tecchou’s sword, which can be changed at will by him. That… that was actually quite useful to know. Especially due to the fact that his ability is so feared, it’d make it a bit easier for you if it didn’t hurt you at all. You just hoped you wouldn’t be in face to face combat with him in order to see that…

Considering your mind was on the topic of abilities, you gradually began to wander back to the thought of Fyodor. If his ability didn’t work on you, you or Dazai would have to be the one to take him out. That might sound great if you had some sort of combat experience, however, you had absolutely none. You’ve barely even had many conflicts in your own personal life growing up, let alone any sort of fights. You couldn’t even picture a scenario where you’d get close enough to Fyodor in order to kill him. He probably had this entire thing already planned out in his head, meaning there was no way in hell he’d actually let you kill him. Knowing that fact was more than just depressing. It made you feel utterly useless, like the prospect of your resistance to abilities meant nothing if it meant you couldn’t kill the man that presumably brought you here.

How did he even bring you here?

You weren’t entirely sure.

You had your guesses, probably something to do with the reality altering book or whatever, yet if you remembered correctly, they used that page to cause the downfall of the detective agency. Though… it’s not like the page was completely used up. They still had the back of it, after all.

So why?

Why did they have to involve you?

What purpose did you even serve here?

Could it not have been literally anyone else?

You felt anger begin to rise in you the more you thought about it, your mind not even focused on the TV anymore. You were angry. You were hurt. You were mad it had to be you out of everyone else on earth to be transported here. Some people liked the idea of being transported to another world, but why this one? You got transported at practically the worst time to be here. That made you completely livid. If you were forced to live in this world, could it have not happened during a happier time?
Your thoughts were interrupted by the news broadcaster's voice, talking about the fact that one of the terrorists had been detained, while the others managed to get away. An image of Kunikida flashed on the screen, with the reporter discussing the fact that he had been taken into custody by the Hunting Dogs. You frowned faintly, feeling sympathy tug at your heart. You didn’t want him to be suffering, even if you knew his capture was only temporary. You wished you could have helped in some way, yet here you were, trapped in a hospital bed.

- - -

Your day was extremely boring in the hospital. You tried to make conversation with the nurses whenever they came in, though they had to leave at some point to continue their job. You were understimulated out of your mind, spending most of the day sleeping. The next morning didn’t bring anything of interest either. You were sitting up in bed, eating the hospital breakfast you had requested while watching the TV. You had been keeping tabs on the news despite knowing it’d only make you more depressed, keeping tabs on the discussions about the terrorism. Things seemed to be relatively normal.

At least until you heard knocking at your window.

Your eye widened faintly in surprise as you sat up just a bit more, glancing outside at your window. You had blinds over it, meaning you couldn’t see what was outside beyond them. You were anxious, tempted to ignore the knocking on the window in case it was someone you didn’t want to see. However, your mind wandered back to the detective agency, specifically Atsushi and Kyouka. They were probably out by now, right? Maybe… maybe it was them.

You hesitantly got up from your bed, glancing at the window before walking over towards the window. Your hand felt slightly shaky as you reached out and withdrew the blinds, being met with none other than the faces of Atsushi and Kyouka. You were extremely caught off guard, not actually expecting them to be there. “What the hell are you guys doing here..?” You said, hoping they could hear you through the glass. Atsushi looked confused at your statement, with Kyouka making gestures to explain she couldn’t hear you. You let out a frustrated sigh, before looking for a way to open the window. It took a good minute, but you eventually managed to crack it open, not having any other strength to do more than that. “What the hell are you guys doing?! You could get caught!” You said as soon as the window was open enough where they could hear you. Atsushi looked a bit sheepish at your lecture, while Kyouka’s face remained stoic. “We wanted to check up on you. Lucy is here with us too,” She replied. You moved your head slightly, seeing none other than Lucy. She was practically clinging onto Atsushi, complaining about almost falling on her way up here.

You weren’t even sure how the hell they found your room, nor how nobody saw them scaling up the hospital, though there wasn’t really much time to question that right now. “Just… get inside. I can’t pry open the window enough to let you all through…” You said, to which Atsushi quickly transformed his arms into his tiger form ones, grabbing the window and almost slamming it open. You flinched in surprise at how loud it was, internally cursing at the fact it might alert someone to your room. The last thing you needed was for the nurse to come back now. He muttered an apology, before the three of them climbed inside. “Jeez, I thought we’d be trapped up there forever! You’re a terrible ride, you know that, Atsushi?” Lucy said with a small scoff. “Keep it down, please… We don’t want a nurse coming in here…” Atsushi said, though she didn’t seem to be listening. Kyouka turned to you, looking you up and down and examining your physical condition. “You look… pretty good for what you’ve been through.” She paused, glancing at the bandage that covered a part of your face. “Did they remove your eye?”

You nodded faintly, to which she hummed in response. “...Glad to see you’re doing okay.” She said, a noticeable hint of satisfaction in her eyes, clearly glad at the fact you were alright and nothing bad had happened since you arrived. You couldn’t stop the small smile from forming on your lips in response. It was nice to know someone cared about you, especially considering how lonely you felt in the hospital. Her attention turned back to the others, which quickly stopped their bickering and focused on you. “Wait… Weren’t you guys supposed to have Mushitaro with you?” You questioned, to which Atsushi scratched the back of his head. “Well… we originally planned on that, but… you know a lot more about the Decay of Angels than he does, I’m sure.” He replied. You felt a little guilty that Mushitaro would be locked up in a bank for who knows how long, but there wasn’t much you could do about it in your condition. “Well… What we need to look for is one of the members known as ‘Sigma’. He’s located in a Sky Casino, but the only issue is… I have absolutely no idea how to find it.” You replied, sighing faintly. You had no clue where it exactly was, which meant you weren’t much help. “Not to mention the fact that the Hunting Dogs will be on our trail like… well, dogs. Teruko and Tachihara will be there if we arrive. Teruko’s ability is to change the age of herself and others, while Tachihara’s ability can manipulate metal.”

They remained silent for a moment before Lucy spoke up. “So… Now what? How are we supposed to find this place? I’m sure it’s public in some regard, considering it’s a casino.” She questioned, turning to you. You nodded faintly in response. “I’d ask someone like Dazai, but… well…” You trailed off, causing Atsushi to ask what you meant. “He got himself locked in a prison known as Meursault, a prison for ability users, and the most secure prison in the entire world. He did it to get closer to Fyodor… so we can’t ask him. I don’t… really know how we’d find it otherwise. I’d imagine something like that costs a lot of money to get to, and we can’t afford to be public like that…” You explained, a small frown forming on your face. Atsushi looked a bit disheartened, while Lucy let out a small scoff. “I can’t imagine it’d be that hard.” She said, causing Kyouka to glance at her. “We are considered wanted criminals now. I don’t think it’d be that simple.” Kyouka replied, which made Lucy cross her arms over her chest and huff. Just as you were about to speak, you heard a knock on the door.

You felt your eye widen as you looked back over at them. You knew if it were the nurses, they wouldn’t wait before coming in. You’d be screwed if they found out you had unwanted visitors, especially those that were wanted terrorists. You knew you had to act fast if you wanted them to not get caught. “Get under the bed!” You whisper-shouted through gritted teeth. Atsushi immediately followed orders along with Kyouka, while Lucy staggered behind, but managed to squeeze underneath regardless. You didn’t have time to close the window as the door suddenly burst open, though there was no nurse behind it.
Instead, you watched in horror as several military men with masks on stormed into your room, all with rifles pointed directly at you. You felt your heart sink, slowly beginning to raise your hands up in surrender. Your heart was racing, feeling like it’d burst out of your chest. You could practically hear your ears ringing as you glanced between each guard, having the urge to run away but knowing damn well you couldn’t. There was no escape route in sight besides the window, but they’d shoot you long before that happened.

You were trapped.

You watched as another figure stepped through the door, adjusting his glasses with a small sigh. He looked clearly displeased to even be here, not wanting to involve himself so heavily with such affairs.
The figure was none other than Ango.

“A.. Ango…?” You stammered out, speaking quietly as if you were worried they’d shoot if you were too loud. He took a good look at you, almost grimacing at the pathetic state you were in. Covered in scars with a massive bandage over your eye, implying it wasn’t even in your skull anymore. Your body was beginning to tremble, and you swore you could have seen a glimpse of pity in his expression. “You’re the newest member of the agency, correct?” He asks, before stating your name to confirm if it was you. “Y-yes… I am…” You replied, trying to keep your voice from shaking but failing. He looked at you for a moment longer before raising his arm up to signify the men to drop their weapons. You held back the urge to let out a sigh of relief as he did so, thankful you weren’t going to end up as a corpse right where Atsushi, Kyouka, and Lucy were hiding. You watched as he gestured for his men to leave, to which they quickly filed out one by one. He shut the door behind them, before turning his attention back to you.

“I assume Dazai told you about me…?” He questions, looking a bit more relaxed now that they were gone. You hesitated with your answer as you lowered your arms, not sure if you wanted to confess why you were even here or not. “Sort of…” You replied, internally face palming at such a dumb and vague answer. You were still clearly on edge, your body shaking and your heart still pumping quickly. “Doesn’t matter. I’ll admit, I’ve been keeping close tabs on you throughout the past couple days since you’ve been at the agency. I have to say, you’re quite a case,” He says, taking a step forward. “No birth record… no social security… not even any relatives that match your DNA. Care to explain how you got here in the first place?” He questions, his words implying the extent of how he’s been observing you. You noticed his hand was now holding something on his belt, which you could only assume was some sort of gun. Panic began to spread throughout your body, and you began to shakily explain everything that had happened that led up to you arriving here.

It took a good minute, but when you were finished he stared at you with a blank look on his face, appearing dumbfounded. He didn’t speak for a while, as if trying to process everything before he let out a frustrated sigh, removing his hand from his gun. “Your friends can stop hiding now too.” He finally spoke. You almost flinched at his words, realizing he clearly knew that the three were hiding under the bed. In hindsight, that wasn’t exactly the best place to pick for a hiding spot…

“I… don’t think he’ll hurt us, guys. It’s okay to come out…” You said, to which Atsushi peaked his head out from underneath the bed. He climbed out along with the other two. While Lucy was busy dusting off her dress, Ango spoke. “I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised that things turned out this way. Fyodor is a cunning man,” He said with a small scowl, looking uncomfortable at even speaking the man's name. “I never believed the Armed Detective Agency were terrorists, and I suppose I was right. This is the work of the reality altering book, after all.”

“Wait, you really believe we’re innocent?” Atsushi asked. You had a sudden urge to smack him for phrasing his words like you weren’t innocent, but Lucy beat you to it. She jabbed him with her elbow, scoffing at him. “Don’t say it like that! You’ll make yourself look even worse!” She shouted, causing Atsushi to wince at the sudden jab. Kyouka glared at the two for a moment before turning back to you and Ango. “We need a way to find the reality altering book and rewrite it so the agency isn’t being framed for the Decay of Angels crimes.” She stated, to which Ango nodded faintly. “We’re trying to look for the Sky Casino. Do you think you could take us there?” Kyouka questioned, to which Ango nodded. “I believe finding the Sky Casino is the least of our worries. We should act fast before someone like the Hunting Dogs gets there first. We can’t afford to be caught by them.” He said, with the others, including you, in agreement. “Atsushi, Kyouka, and Lucy will need to sneak out of here once more. And try to be more subtle about it next time. The only reason we’re here is because we got several reports of the weretiger climbing the walls of the hospital carrying people on his back,” Ango began.

Atsushi laughed awkwardly, not realizing it had been that obvious. You fought the urge to strangle him for what seemed like the fifth time, as Ango began speaking again. “However, I believe it’d be best if you were transferred to one of our own facilities for your own safety.” He finished, gesturing to you. It took you a moment to register the fact you wouldn’t be going with them to the Sky Casino, but when it hit you, you frowned. “Wait, I’m not going?” You asked. Ango stared at you with a blank expression for a moment, as if to silently say ‘Why would you be going?’. “No, you’re not. You’re in absolutely no condition to be risking your life.” He replied, causing you to sigh faintly.

You didn’t want to sit around and be useless anymore.

You couldn’t be affected by abilities. You were useful to the team now, weren’t you? So why wouldn’t they let you go? Who cares if you were a bit injured? You couldn’t be a burden.

“I-I can’t be affected by abilities! I’d be much more useful out there than sitting in a hospital room.” You tried to defend yourself. Ango was faintly surprised at the fact you couldn’t be affected by abilities, but that didn’t seem to change his mind much. “It’d be one thing if you weren’t injured and vulnerable. Even if you were in perfect condition, I take it you have no combat experience. They have military training, after all. It’d be suicide.” He stated. You could tell by the silence from the three that they seemed to agree it wouldn’t be good if you were there. You knew deep down it’d be ridiculous to go there in your current state, but you didn’t care. You didn’t want to rest while everyone was getting attacked. If you were there, maybe things would be different. “It’s not like I’d be going alone, they’d be there to help me out. I know how things go from the show, I can be of use… please?” You ask. You felt pathetic for begging like an eager child who wants to go somewhere with their parents, but you didn’t want to stay by yourself any longer.

You didn’t want to sit with your thoughts any longer.

They remained silent for a moment, before Atsushi finally spoke up. “I mean… she does know how things work…” He says, trying to back you up. “I can keep her with me. Demon Snow will protect her in case something goes wrong.” Kyouka added. You felt a small smile form on your face, happy they were defending you. “And I can just transport her to Anne if it gets too dangerous. She’ll take good care of her!” Lucy assures. You weren’t really keen on meeting a massive sentient doll thing, but at least she was defending you. You turned back to Ango, looking a bit desperate. “Please, at least consider it?”

Ango sighed. He was basically having a bunch of children begging him to take them somewhere. A memory flashed in his head as he saw your pleading expression. It almost reminded him of Dazai, though he quickly pushed that thought back deep inside his head. He let out a frustrated groan, closing his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose for a moment before looking back at you. “I suppose if they promise to protect you, I’ll allow it. I can escort you out and just tell the guards I’m taking you to one of our facilities. Atsushi, Kyouka, and Lucy? Figure out a way to get out subtly this time.”

Lucy nodded, turning to Atsushi with her arms crossed over her chest. “I told you we should’ve just used my ability. It would’ve made things a lot easier, y’know…” She commented, causing Atsushi to look a bit disheartened. “Yeah, yeah… I know, I know…” He replied. In all honesty, he just wanted to try scaling a wall with his ability, though he wouldn’t admit that to her. “I suppose there’s no point in waiting around. Let’s go.” Ango says, gesturing for you to follow him. You glance behind you, noticing Lucy transporting the three of them to her own dimension. They disappear, leaving you and Ango alone in the room. You watch as he opens the door, holding it for you.

You said nothing as you stepped outside your hospital room for the first time, noticing the hallways were pretty empty despite the military men being here moments before. You looked back at Ango, who seemed to notice your confusion. “They’re waiting outside. We’ll have to act like you’re being captured.” He informed you as you nodded faintly in response. You tried to act like you were nervous, though that didn’t really take much acting. The idea that you’d be out of the hospital and going to a sky casino of all places made you feel anxious yet almost… excited. You knew these were horrible circumstances to be excited about, but finally being free from being bedridden was an offer nobody could reject. Even if that meant you’d be risking your life.

You were ready.

At least you told yourself that.

Chapter Text

This ride…

This ride was really uncomfortable.

You were sitting alone in a helicopter, a phone in your hands and an earpiece in your ear. You were the only one that had to be transferred via helicopter to the sky casino, meaning you were alone with one of Ango’s employees flying it for you. You were pretty nervous considering you had never flown in a helicopter before, hell, you barely rode in a plane. The only good thing that came from this situation is you had your own phone now (and got your own shoes), but other than that, you couldn’t find many positives. At least you’d be reunited with your friends soon enough. It almost felt weird calling them your friends, considering how long you had been watching and learning about them as characters. Now they were people you considered allies and confidants.

The sound of your name suddenly broke your train of thought, and you quickly realized it was coming from the earpiece in your ear. “Yes, Ango?” You asked, adjusting your position in the back of the helicopter faintly to be more in the middle. You didn’t trust being close to the corners, your body tense as you practically squeezed your legs and arms together to keep them as close to you as you could. “You’ll be landing in a minute. I’ve already contacted the manager of the casino and informed him of your arrival. Try to avoid running into him, considering I didn’t tell him who I was transporting.” He explained, to which you sighed faintly. Knowing your luck, you’d probably immediately bump into him like you did with Ranpo. However, you were already in too deep. You wanted to be here, and you couldn’t back out now. You wanted to say more, to ask where Atsushi, Lucy, and Kyouka were so you could meet up with them, but the view of the Sky Casino in the distance made you remain quiet.

You watched as you began to land on some sort of landing port, feeling your heart rate rise as you watched several men walk out onto the port. They looked muscular and had very serious expressions on their face, and the realization that you’d have to talk to them made you even more nervous. You glanced at the man who was flying the helicopter as he finally landed, before he got up from his seat and stepped out, holding out a hand to help you. Your body was slightly shaky as you thanked him and took his hand, stepping out and gazing at the other men who worked at the casino. They began approaching you, and you had to fight the urge to simply run back into the helicopter and tell the man to fly away as quickly as possible. You had to be brave. You couldn’t be useless anymore.

“We were told a government helicopter would be landing…” One spoke as he stood a couple feet away from you, looking you up and down with a mix of suspicion and confusion. “Why exactly are you here? No offense, but you don’t look like you work for the government, kid.” He finished, clearly not looking for excuses. He wanted a straight answer, and in that moment you finally remembered you didn’t have a good one. You had spent all the time stressing out about what you’d do at the Sky Casino, that you never once considered you might not even be let in. God, why were you a complete idiot?

“Uh..” You stammered for a moment, coming up with a lie on the spot. “My dad… works for the government. I just got out of the hospital and… my mom’s been staying here. He wanted me to visit her..” You replied. You knew it was a shitty lie, though you had nothing better up your sleeve. It was made up on the spot, and you were extremely worried they wouldn’t believe it. The man remained silent for a moment, taking in your condition as a flash of pity crossed his face. He seemed to feel bad about your current condition, looking even a little surprised that they let you out. He let out a small sigh before speaking. “...I mean, we don’t really allow kids here, but… sure, why not. You look like you’ve been through hell anyway,” He comments, giving you another glance before turning to the other men and gesturing for them to lead you inside. You internally let out a sigh of relief as they began escorting you inside, looking up towards the building and admiring how pretty it was. You were extremely nervous, but you had to admit that the Sky Casino was gorgeous. You continued walking with them, trying to ignore the throbbing pain in your legs as you moved. You’d definitely need to take some sort of break after all of this…

You entered the casino with the other men surrounding you, taking in your surroundings and once again admiring the look of the place. Laughter and chatter filled the room, with people gambling and drinking together. The extravagantly decorated interior showing how well Sigma took care of the place. Just by looks alone, you could tell he was extremely dedicated to the casino. You felt a little guilty knowing what would happen, but there’s not much you could do anyway. Once you were inside, you caught a few people glancing over at you. Some of them looked curious as to why you were here, others looked almost disgusted by your condition. You could hear faint murmurs from the crowd, though you did your best to ignore them. Having people whisper behind your back was the least of your worries, as shitty as it made you feel. You watched as the men suddenly stopped walking and turned back to you. “Do you know what room your mom is in?” One asked, his serious expression not helping ease your worries. You already forgot about your lie, almost accidentally outing yourself before you quickly remembered what you told them. Jesus, your memory was shit.

“I-I’m not… sure…” You muttered, not wanting to say a random room number incase that’s not how the rooms were numbered here and you’d look suspicious. The guy let out a slightly frustrated sigh at your response, the men glancing at each other before looking back at you. “We’ll have the manager make a formal announcement. He’ll stay with you in the lobby,” The man said, gesturing to one of the tougher looking guards. You cursed internally, now having to come up with a way to escape and leave. You watched as the other guards left, leaving you alone with the other man.

After a good minute of awkward silence, you finally thought of some sort of plan. It wasn’t a good one and would be a bit of a gamble, but you were in a casino. Might as well try your luck. You looked up at the guard, putting on the most innocent expression you could. “Could… Could you tell me where the bathroom is?” You ask, hoping he wouldn’t escort you there himself and just guide you. He thought for a moment before pointing to a hallway near the back. “Just go down there, and it’ll be on your left. Try not to take too long, kid.” He replied. You nodded, thanking whatever you believed in that he wasn’t going to try and help you. You quickly began walking away from him and towards the direction he pointed at. Once you were past the corner, you began running. Where were you running? You had absolutely no clue. It was wasting all your energy, but you needed to get away from them as soon as possible. You brushed past people, each of them looking back at you with confusion, repulsion, or concern as you ran. You ignored them, finally making your way to an elevator. You quickly entered, pressing the button of a random floor before raising your fingers to your earpiece.

“Ango, can you tell me where Atsushi and Kyouka are?” You requested as the elevator doors closed and it began ascending. There was silence for a moment, the only noise you heard was the rising sound of the elevator and the music it played. After a bit of silence, he finally responded. “They’re located on the third floor, directly above where you’re going. Be careful, the Hunting Dogs are already here.” He replied. You frowned faintly as you remembered the Hunting Dogs and the risk of running into them looking for Atsushi and Kyouka. You watched as the elevator doors opened, reaching to press the button for the third floor so you could try and find Atsushi and Kyouka. However, you froze as you glanced up and realized who you saw at the end of the hallway.

Tachihara and Teruko.

They were walking down the hall, talking about who knows what while seemingly checking the different rooms for the so called ‘terrorists’.

They were looking for Atsushi and Kyouka.

You stared directly at them with a blank look on your face, frozen in fear.

Did they recognize you? Did they know you were part of the agency?

You had absolutely no clue.

You barely registered the fact they were now staring at you, looking you over before glancing at one another, confused. You barely managed to raise your hand to press the button that closes the elevator door, watching as they took a step forward to stop you. “Hey, wait- Can you hold that open for us?” Tachihara asked. Judging by both of their appearances, they just survived the coin bombs that were carried by the plane. You didn’t want to. Not in the damn slightest. You knew it’d look suspicious if you continuously pressed the button to close the elevator door, but you didn’t care. You couldn’t risk being in such an enclosed environment with either of them. If you managed to get stuck with them, you’d be absolutely fucked. You pressed the button over and over again, watching as they stared at you with confusion. “Why the hell is she closing the door so fast…?” Tachihara whispered to Teruko, to which she scoffed. “Probably knows who we are.” She replied, which only increased Tachihara’s confusion. “If she knew who we were, wouldn’t she comply?”

Teruko’s eyes widened faintly in a sudden realization, and she leapt to keep the elevator door open. You stumbled back, gasping as you watched the door close. You heard a sudden bang on the elevator door, but it was already too late for them. You began ascending once more, hearing a frustrated yell echo as you rose. Your chest was rising and falling heavily with each breath, relieved you had managed to escape them, yet disappointed you made them suspicious. They definitely had a good idea as to who you were now, meaning if they saw you again…

They wouldn’t let you leave.

Teruko kicked the elevator with frustration, as if abusing it would fix anything. Tachihara approached behind her, confused as to why she suddenly acted so aggressive. “What? Was she part of the agency?” He questioned, to which she turned around and glared at him. “Of course she was… goddamnit, I should’ve known. Captain talked about a newly registered member who had been targeted by the Port Mafia. Should’ve known she’d be here, no matter how bad her condition was. Guess the hospital wasn’t safe enough…” Teruko huffed. “Does she not realize what a death trap that is?” He asked with a small chuckle, still not fully believing Teruko. “Apparently not. Doesn’t matter… we’ll get them one way or another.” The sound of doors behind opened interrupted their conversation, and they turned around to see several guests at the casino leaving their rooms.

“Is there something wrong out here?”

- - -

You watched as the elevator opened, cautiously glancing outside to make sure nobody was nearby before stepping out. You began wandering, trying not to look too suspicious while also making haste in case they caught up to you. You were checking around corners, looking behind you and making sure nobody could sneak up on you. Admittedly, you looked like a paranoid hospital escapee, though you couldn’t really do anything about that. As you were passing a monitor hung up in the hallway, you flinched as you saw it turn on out of the corner of your eye. Looking over, you saw none other than Tachihara and Teruko displayed on the screen, the photos slightly blurred, clearly taken from the security footage.

“Attack. I repeat, attack,” Sigma’s voice boomed over the speakers in the television. His face flashed over the screen, his expression serious yet almost… nervous. “You won’t be accused of any crime and your gambling losses will be erased. Plus ten grand for every injury.” You knew it wouldn’t be long till the other guests began attacking them, meaning they’d be distracted. Good. You had time to find Atsushi and Kyouka in that case…

Continuing your journey down the hallway, it took a while before you ran into Atsushi and Kyouka. They looked about as nervous as you did, but also extremely relieved to see you were alright. “You’re not hurt, are you?” Atsushi asked with concern in his tone, gently grabbing your arm to make sure you had no further injuries. You shook your head, out of breath from running for so long. “I… I ran into Teruko and Tachihara earlier. I managed to get away, but they definitely know I’m part of the agency now…” You explained as Atsushi let go of your arm, nodding. Before any of you could speak, the sound of doors bursting open and armed guards rushing in could be heard. They pointed weapons at the three of you, all looking ready to attack the second you moved. You remained still, with Atsushi looking towards Kyouka, who was in the front. “Go ahead, I’ll take care of them.” She called out, summoning Demon Snow. It was the first time you had seen her ability, but Demon Snow looked just as majestic as she did in the show… and also just as deadly. Seeing that massive katana in person made you more nervous, though you were extremely thankful you didn’t get transferred to this place when she was a Port Mafia member…

Your thoughts were broken by Atsushi’s voice, telling you to follow him. You didn’t want to stick around and risk getting injured once more, so you followed after him. Running in your condition hurt with every step you took, but you had to prevail.

You couldn’t be weak anymore.

As you continued running with him, you spoke in between breaths. “We… need to get to Sigma. Teruko’s going to be throwing him off the casino soon, and you’ll have to catch him. Nathaniel’s going to be attacking too..” You explained as the two of you ran to get to where you could catch him. “Seriously? Fyodor’s deciding to attack now?” He asks, to which you nodded. “Would he attack at any other time?”

Despite your low energy, both of you made it out on time. Your heart was pounding in your chest as you looked over the railing. It was nerve-wracking to look out and see how far of a fall that was, but you managed to put on a brave face. You couldn’t be weak anymore. You couldn’t be a coward, after everything that’s happened.

“Look!” Atsushi called out, gesturing to a ladder part of the Sky Casino. You glanced over, eyes widening as you saw Teruko and Sigma. Her hair was flowing in the strong breeze as the two of them descended. You looked back at Atsushi as he transformed his arms into his weretiger ones, before suddenly one of his arms wrapped around your waist. The contact startled you, however, you tried to adjust to it. “Hold on to me. I’m gonna run off and catch him...” Atsushi said, to which you nodded faintly, hesitantly moving your arms to wrap around him, clinging on tightly. No way in hell were you gonna die because of falling off the Sky Casino because you had no upper body strength. You watched as Sigma continued his plummet, with Teruko now hanging off the side of the Sky Casino. You felt Atsushi run towards the railing, as you braced yourself for him to grab Sigma, shutting your eyes so you didn’t have to deal with the sight of you basically jumping off a building hundreds of feet in the air. The wind brushed past the two of you as he leapt into the sky, making contact with Sigma’s body and grabbing him with his other arm. You heard a gasp escape Sigma’s lips as Atsushi grabbed him, shock evident in his expression that he was saved. You were honestly impressed Atsushi managed to hold onto the both of you, though considering he had his weretiger arms on, that wasn’t much of a surprise.

Atsushi managed to fall onto an extra part of the Sky Casino, letting his grip falter on both you and Sigma. You quickly stood up, terrified to go too close to the edge for fear of falling off, your mind paranoid as you also thought about the fact Nathaniel would be appearing soon. You kept close to Atsushi, practically clinging near him for fear of slipping. Sigma was sitting down, his expression bewildered at the fact he was saved, let alone now sitting alive and well. His eyes went from Atsushi, before looking you up and down. His expression had a hint of realization, as if it clicked who you were. “What… are you doing here? Were you the one I was told would be arriving here?” He asked, a hint of concern in his tone, though he made no moves to stand up. You nodded faintly, wanting to speak off, but the sound of Ango’s voice cut you off before you could.

“Let me speak to him.”

It seemed Atsushi got the same message, considering he reached into his pocket and pulled up his phone, fiddling with it for a moment before showing the screen to Sigma. You knew from memory it was Ango, who began to speak to him. “I’m sure you’re aware why we’re here, Sigma. You’ll be coming with us, and will be telling us everything you know about the page’s location.” He said sternly, not saying it as a request, but a demand. Sigma looked off to the side for a moment, before chuckling faintly, though not one out of malicious intent or humor. It sounded off. “What makes you think I’d tell you where the pages are?” He replied, his voice almost sounding distant as he stood up. It was like his focus wasn’t on the conversation, but something else entirely. “If you don’t, we’ll torture the information out of you. You were one of the people behind Nikolai’s terrorist attack. You’re far from innocent.” Ango commented, seemingly unbothered by Sigma’s uncooperative behavior. Sigma let out a small sigh, before going silent. A lot more was on his mind than just being captured. You knew Sigma was a part of Fyodor’s plan and knew way too much, but even the possibility of him being tortured made you frown faintly.

You looked at the scene in front of you for a moment before a shadow began looming over the three of you. Your heart sank as you realized who it was.

Nathaniel.

“Atsushi-” You called out, feeling panic slowly bubble inside you. Sure, you had warned him beforehand, but that didn’t mean you could just instantly stop Nathaniel. And with the look in his eyes? He wanted you dead. Your heart pounded in your ears as Atsushi looked up, his eyes widening faintly. It seemed he forgot about Nathaniel, considering the surprised look etched onto his face. You could see the confusion and concern on Sigma’s face as well, and you instinctively moved closer towards the two. “Get out of the way!” Atsushi says, calling out your name as Nathaniel raises his finger, pointing it at you, before turning it towards Sigma. You watched in horror as a strike of blood was shot at Sigma, piercing him directly in his chest and leaving a mark on him. You knew it’d happen, but it was still disturbing to witness. Sigma let out a gasp, stumbling back and moving closer and closer towards the edge. Panicking, you grabbed his wrist and pulled him towards you, holding onto him as tightly as you could. You weren’t very strong and his body was going limp, but you managed to cling onto him firmly enough to keep him from plummeting. Your arms ached, the strain of keeping him in your grasp hurting more than you wanted to admit.

Atsushi watched, looking worried as he tried to reach out to you. “Grab onto me!” He called out. You struggle, holding Sigma’s body with one arm as you attempt to reach out and grab his hand. However, before you could get ahold of him, you felt a piercing pain directly in your chest.

Nathaniel had shot you.

You coughed as blood began to drip down your hospital gown, your hand retracting away from Atsushi’s as you stumbled backwards.

You were going to fall.

Atsushi yelled, attempting to reach out and grab you, but Sigma’s body was blocking anything he could grab. You knew it was either Sigma or you. If you fell, you’d be the one ensnared in Nikolai’s clutches. You had no clue what would happen to you once you were down there. It’d be going off script, and the last thing you wanted to do was be with Nikolai. However, if Sigma were the one to fall, you’d lose valuable information. You’d lose access to even the slight possibility of having something over Fyodor. If you were the one to fall, you could be useful.

You could help everyone if you were the sacrifice.

And some sacrifices had to be made.

You took a deep breath as you began to fall, before using what strength you had to shove Sigma towards Atsushi. He looked at you with wide eyes, opening his mouth to say something as you began to fall off the edge. However, it was too late.

You were already plummeting.

You were terrified. Your arms and legs were trembling, though that was barely noticeable due to the wind surrounding you, with gravity dragging you downwards. Your eyes began to well with tears as you watched the Sky Casino get smaller and smaller the more you fell. Clouds brushed past you as you continued your descent, the wind almost painful to your weak body as you rotated yourself, looking down. It took a good minute before anything significant came into view, however, you quickly began to notice a glaring light. You squinted, your eyes attempting to adjust to something so bright, until you quickly remembered who it was.

The figure stood, grinning madly as he looked up at you. He could tell from the moment his eyes met with you that you weren’t Sigma. That wasn’t according to plan, but that made it even better. He spun his staff, chuckling to himself as your figure got closer and closer to where he was.

This was going to be fun.

- - -

“Tachihara is WHAT?”

Chuuya slammed his hands on the table, shaking it and causing the other members in the meeting to look annoyed. Rage was clear on Chuuya’s face, practically fuming as Koyo told them the news. “...Yes, I’m afraid he’s been lying to us this entire time. Please try to remain as calm as you can-” She tried to finish, but Chuuya cut her off. “Hell no. Who does he think he is? Being apart of some fucking military organization this whole time, lying to us… Does he not know what we do to traitors?!” He yelled, his anger rising with every second. It wasn’t like he was the only angry one. Akutagawa, Gin, and Hirotsu looked pretty angry as well. Akutagawa had his arms crossed over his chest, a scowl on his face. Hirotsu’s expression was hard, not giving away much besides the grinding of his jaw. And even if Gin’s expression was mostly covered by her mask, her eyes were narrowed in anger.

He had betrayed them.

He had betrayed all of them.

“I’m sure he knew. He’ll pay for these transgressions, however… We have much bigger issues to focus on. I’m sure you all want to curb stomp him as much as I do, however, as a leader, I have to have you all understand something. The entire future of Yokohama is in danger if the Armed Detective Agency is eliminated.” She spoke sternly, addressing every single one of their members. This managed to shut Chuuya up for a moment, but it was obvious he was brewing with anger. “With the accusations against the Armed Detective Agency and with the disappearances of their members, we have problems that’ll be extremely difficult to solve. From the information my men have gathered, most, if not all are currently safe from the Hunting Dog’s grasp. That doesn’t mean we can simply rest. Not when these allegations are spread all across Yokohama.”

“I think we’re moving past the topic of Tachihara’s betrayal too quickly,” Akutagawa spoke with an annoyed tone. “He deserves to be punished. We can’t have people stepping out of line in our own organization, otherwise, how can we assist another?” He questioned, to which Chuuya and Hirotsu agreed. Koyo sighed, frustration evident in the breath she exhaled. “I know this betrayal has affected all of us, even if some of us are more reluctant to admit it than others. But we have to focus on other things before we focus on revenge. Don’t you worry, Tachihara will be getting what he deserves sooner or later. Whether it be from the Hunting Dogs, or from us.”

“And if the Hunting Dogs get to him before we do?”

“Then we’ll get rid of the Hunting Dogs.”

Chapter Text

Unlike the last time you were here, it seemed much darker than usual. The downpour of rain seemed worse than any other time, your dress and hair soaked as you stood in the field of the flowers. It was dark, almost as if the sun had set and it was nighttime. You immediately turned around to face Fyodor, who was looking directly at you. One glance down would tell you that your dress had even more blood stains now, with the flowers sprouting from the cuts in your arms seemingly grown more in size. His expression was back to its usual dull one, though a smile was playing on his lips.

You were still pretty annoyed about what he did last time you were in this dream, and how he didn’t listen to you at all. Not that you really expected him to, but considering this was your dream, you assumed you’d have some sort of control over what happens. However, just like everything else in your new life, you were powerless here.

You didn’t even have control over your own mind.

Opening your mouth to speak, you were about to say something before Fyodor cut you off. “You’re with my dear friend now, hm? How delightful,” He said, his smile widening into something more unsettling. “I wasn’t expecting you to sacrifice yourself for Sigma. How noble. Though, I suppose you did it because you knew what would happen if he fell, correct?” He asks, clearly expecting some sort of answer. You stared at him for a moment, not speaking. Rain hit your face and dripped down, your body shivering faintly as your dress clung to your skin. No matter how much rain fell, it seemed like he wasn’t even affected by it. “It was a last minute decision,” You replied after a moment of hesitation. “I didn’t want the story to play out the same.”

“I suppose you and I are in agreement on that topic,” Fyodor spoke, his expression softening back to its usual look. “After all, I think you being with Nikolai is for the best. He can be quite… eccentric. I hope his antics do not bother you too much.” He paused, before adding something else.

“I would hate for my guest to be uncomfortable.”

Uncomfortable…

Uncomfortable?!

You’ve lost a part of your body, been sliced up, been tortured, and he’s saying he’d hate if you were uncomfortable? Yeah. Great. He’s trying to get under your skin again, and it’s working. You frowned, taking a deep breath to try and calm yourself before saying anything stupid. Though, considering how many times he’s annoyed you here, that ship has long since sailed.

“...I’m sure you would.” You muttered sarcastically, not able to hold yourself back. Not to mention that the idea of him believing your decision was a good one didn’t sit right with you. If Fyodor approved of what you were doing, it was probably time to reconsider what actions you were taking. He smirked faintly at your response, not bothered in the slightest by your annoyance. “I’d recommend being careful around him. He’s fun to predict, though I’m sure people like you wouldn’t take very kindly to him.” He finished. You wanted to reply, to say anything in response.

However, before you could, a very energetic voice broke the ‘serenity’ of your dream.

“Hello?! Helloooooo? Are you alive? Just kidding, I know you are! Wake up, wake up!”

You slowly began to open your eye, groaning faintly from how dizzy you felt. You could barely adjust to your surroundings before a pair of hands grabbed both of your shoulders and began shaking you violently. Your eye immediately widened in surprise as you gasped faintly, trying to get used to the bright light of the sun outside. The sound of water crashing onto the shore could be heard as you looked up, seeing none other than Nikolai. Your heart began beating faster, as you attempted to grab his hands and remove them from your arm. Too bad he was much stronger and didn’t even budge. And you were also extremely dizzy from the fall and blood loss.

He chuckled at your pathetic attempt to release yourself from his grasp, taking in your appearance and letting out an exaggerated wince. “Looking quite rough, I see! We should definitely get you a change of clothes before we do anything else… Too bad my plan doesn’t involve shopping.” He said with a small sigh, before finally letting go and taking a step back. You took that opportunity to create more distance between the two of you, which he clearly found amusing. Spinning his staff in his hands, he suddenly slammed the tip of it on the ground with a small thud, leaning onto the staff and grinning at you. “You look pretty horrified to see me, I’m disappointed! I would’ve thought I’d be one of the characters you’d be dying to meet. Am I not interesting enough?” He asked with a pout, before once again laughing and waving his hand. “No worries, I bet I’m your favorite.”

It was really weird hearing a character you’ve watched for so long stand in front of you, talking about how they must have been your favorite. You weren’t surprised that he already knew about this world. Considering Fyodor brought you here, it makes sense that he’d know about being in a show. While you certainly did love watching Nikolai, you did not love being in this situation. You sighed, adjusting your bandages that were over your missing eye before speaking. “...You didn’t need to shake me so much…” You muttered, a little annoyed he was handling you like some toy that was unbreakable, when you were far from that. “Oh, my apologies!” He said with a laugh, though it was obvious in his tone and grin that he felt no remorse. “I’m actually quite glad it was you who fell instead of Sigma!” He said, his smile not faltering for a moment. “Sigma’s quite predictable, but you’re a fresh new face. That makes it even more fun!”

His energetic behavior and overall demeanor made you uncomfortable. You supposed Fyodor was right whenever he said you wouldn’t take kindly to his personality. Before you could reply to his words, he had already begun a new topic. “You took quite the fall, didn’t you? Getting hit by the Scarlet Letter… but don’t worry! I’m sure you already know how I’m helping you stay alive, don’t you?” He questioned, to which you nodded. “You’re… looping my blood back into my body with your ability. Or something like that…” You said quietly, not fully sure what he said in the show. His smile widened faintly, almost as if he was satisfied with what you remembered. “Good, good! You’ll make a great assistant. Hopefully you’re more compliant than Sigma…” He trailed off, before speaking again. “Oh, silly me! I completely forgot to inform you of my plan!” Nikolai said with a small gasp, though you had a feeling he didn’t really forget.

“Really? What exactly is your plan, then?” You ask, your tone dull. You were already feeling uneasy with the implications. It’s not like you didn’t know they had a plan for you, but hearing him say it out loud wasn’t exactly comforting. “Well, I wanted to keep it a surprise, buuuut since you’re so enthusiastic about it…” He paused for dramatic effect.

“IT’S TIME FOR A QUIZ!!”

He spun around several times, his cape fluttering around him. You couldn’t see much from where he was spinning, however, you noticed he was holding something now, the faint glow of his ability being seen underneath his cape. This meant he grabbed something, but the only question was what?
Your question was quickly answered as he finished spinning, turning to face you and pointing the object at you while smiling.

It was a gun.

Your heart instantly sank as you stared at the pistol pointed directly at your skull, and you slowly raised your hands up to show that you weren’t going to run. You swallowed, your throat suddenly feeling dry as you stared directly down the barrel of his gun. You felt like if you took your eyes off the weapon for even a moment, he’d fire it and end your life. Deep down, you had a feeling he wouldn’t simply take you out now, but that didn’t mean you were happy with a (most likely) loaded gun pointed at you. He giggled, getting amusement from seeing you so nervous. “Aww, so scared! You look like a frightened bird…” He spoke with pure entertainment in his tone. “But, fret not, dear assistant! I won’t fire unless you try to escape! You have my word.” Nikolai said with a smile. You didn’t reply, too nervous to move a muscle. You’ve noticed a recent trend of people pointing guns at you…

“Now, for my quiz,” He began, his tone as dramatic as usual. “Why do you think I need you in my plan?” He asks, his grip on the gun not faltering as he stared at you with a grin. You hesitated for a moment, nervous to speak, before the words finally left your mouth. “You… You want me to come with you to Meursault, don’t you?” You asked anxiously, hoping he’d lower his weapon soon. You’ve already survived getting your eye taken out and being brutalized by Yosano, you couldn’t survive a gunshot. Your luck was bound to run out at some point. He looked pleased with your answer, though he didn’t lower his weapon. “Correct! I think you’d be the perfect assistant for our little plan. I originally wanted Sigma to fall, like I had mentioned, but that’d be a bit too close to the original show, don’t you think?” He questioned, though it was clearly a rhetorical question. “Anywho, I’m sure you’re hesitant to agree with my plan, hm? Worried you won’t be able to get back to your little friends, and they’ll all die! But… I hate to break the news to you, but you simply have no choice! I have been ordered to kill you if you don’t cooperate, so I’d recommend helping me out! Friends should help friends, after all.” Nikolai giggled faintly, which caused a small frown to form on your face. Not that you expected anything less, but he shouldn’t be so happy about all this.

“We aren’t friends…” You muttered, not expecting him to hear it. He clearly picked up on it though, gasping in false surprise before putting his free hand over his chest dramatically. “Oh, how cruel! We have much more in common than you’d believe! I’m sure you want to see Fyodor dead as much as I do, hm?” He inquired. You thought over his question for a moment, thinking about what he said. Did you really want Fyodor dead? Of course you did, what kind of question was that? He brought you to a world you had no interest in, and now you were stuck with this lunatic. Not to mention, you were now trapped. If you tried to run, you’d die. If you refuse to help Nikolai in his plan, you die. If you go along with his plan, two out of the three candidates to stop Fyodor would be thousands of miles away. You and Dazai couldn’t assist Atsushi if you were in France.

You were utterly stuck.

“You’ve guessed part of my plan, but I’ll go ahead and tell you the rest! Wanna hear it?”

“...Sure, I guess. I might as well.”

- - -

Atsushi, Kyouka, and Lucy had already united with the others. Despite the reunion, there was a clear tension in the air. The fact they had lost the one member who knew what could happen, and was presumably dead or missing, caused the agency to feel a loss. They were all happy to see each other, of course, but they couldn’t deny the fact that even if they barely knew you, they cared about you.

All of them did.

“So… what do we do with him?” Atsushi questioned as he set Sigma down on a couch in Anne’s room. He was very obviously injured and could die without proper treatment. Ango was the first to speak, adjusting his glasses as he approached Sigma’s unconscious body. Everyone was trying to focus on the task at hand, rather than the growing worry over you. They had absolutely no idea if you were alive or dead, considering they didn’t know Nikolai would be the one saving Sigma. They knew he lived, but they had no idea how. They knew they’d have to look for you after they took care of Sigma.

“I’ll take him back to one of our bases,” Ango stated, not leaving room for any sort of argument. “He needs treatment, and he needs to be interrogated. I’ll make sure he’s secure and won’t go anywhere.” The others looked around at each other, before Fukuzawa spoke up. “I trust you’ll keep your word. Be careful with him, considering his state.” He said, giving Ango permission. The others nodded and agreed, though some looked more concerned than others. “Are you sure you wanna do this alone? I have a bad feeling about you doing this by yourself…” Atsushi asked, looking a bit worried. Kyouka nodded, agreeing with him. “We can come along with you, in case something goes wrong.”

“Nonsense,” Ango replied as he shook his head faintly. “I don’t need any protection. The place I’ll be taking him is far more secure than one might believe. I’ll be alright.” He finished, walking over to Sigma’s body and gently picking him up. He turned back to Lucy, silently asking for permission to leave. She caught onto his silent request, asking him where the base was. Once he told her, she opened up a portal for him to leave with. He walked over, saying his goodbyes before leaving Anne’s domain.

Once the portal was closed, Kunikida let out a small sigh. “What are… we going to do about her? We can’t just assume the worst.” Kunikida asked, the tension increasing as he finally addressed the elephant in the room. Everyone remained silent for a moment, thinking over his question in their head before someone spoke up. “We have to find her. We don’t know how Sigma survived, but I have a feeling it has something to do with the Decay of Angels. If we lose her and Dazai…” He trailed off, not wanting to state the obvious.

He didn’t want to mention the fact they could lose.

“She’s not dead,” Ranpo stated, his tone somewhat casual, though there was an obvious undertone of seriousness in his voice. “She’s with Nikolai.” Atsushi turned to Ranpo after he spoke, looking both hopeful and worried. “How… How are we going to get her back from Nikolai? We can’t let her stay with the enemy, especially after what happened before.”

“We can’t. It’s already too late.”

- - -

You stared at Nikolai, practically dumbfounded after listening to the explanation of his plan. He looked pretty proud of himself, finally lowering the gun as he looked at you. “Well? Any thoughts you’d like to share?” He asked. You opened your mouth, though no words came out for a moment. “You… You seriously want my help retrieving Sigma from a military base?” You questioned, your horror clear in your expression. You weren’t exactly keen on committing any sort of crimes, and you couldn’t even imagine how badly a mission like that would go. “Mhm! Any objections? I’d hope not, considering what I’d have to do, after all…” He said, playing with the gun in his hand. He twirled it around his finger, not breaking eye contact with you as he did so. Your heart was beating fast, the realization that you were either going to assist in something very illegal in which you could lose your life, or die instantly at the hand of his gun.

Was there really a good choice?

If you went along with it, it could cause many more casualties than you wanted to happen. It could put both Sigma and many others in danger, and you could end up dying. You had no idea what he could be planning, considering this was far from the original show you watched. This meant you were basically going in blind, which was not appealing. However, if you were to sacrifice and let him shoot you now, you had a feeling things wouldn’t go off canon. You remembered how he stated he didn’t want Sigma to fall because it’d be too close to the original show, which implied they might change their plans. You had no idea what this meant for the agency, or the rest of Yokohama in general. You knew both options were bad and would lead to some sort of disaster. And while you had dealt with a great amount of suffering being here, you didn’t want to go through all of that for nothing.

You had to be useful, after all.

Dazai said you were useful, right?

You couldn’t let him down.

You couldn’t let any of them down.

You grit your teeth, your frown only deepening as you thought over what you were about to agree to. It was stupid, idiotic, and overall chaotic. But did you really have a choice?

“...Fine. I’ll help you.” You muttered, sounding defeated. He clearly was happy at your acceptance, finally discarding the gun in his cape. You watched as a small glow emit from the cape before the weapon disappeared, before he pulled his hand out and grabbed your arm. You winced, considering you were still heavily injured, but his grip didn’t falter. “How wonderful! Don’t worry, I’ll keep you safe. You trust the word of a jester, don’t you?” He asked, giggling faintly. You could tell that he knew you didn’t like or trust him in the slightest, which he seemed to take advantage of. “No, not really,” You answered bluntly, pausing for a moment before asking, “How did you even find out where Sigma was anyway?” You questioned with a slightly confused expression. Sure, he had abilities, but that didn’t really help when it came to finding locations. Or maybe it did, who knows.

“A magician never reveals his secrets! But, if you insist,” He trailed off, a small smile on his face which quickly turned into a grin. “I attached a listening device onto Sigma a long time ago. It’s been proven quite useful, and we now know where the military base is!” He said gleefully, his grip on your arm remaining tight. You tried to wiggle your arm out of his grasp, but to no avail. You supposed you shouldn’t be surprised he had some sort of device on Sigma, but that was also a little unsettling. Then again, there were much worse things about Nikolai than simply listening in to everyone’s conversation. “Not to mention, with all this information, I have the access codes! With this information, we’ll find him in no time! Then, we can finally get going to free our buddies.” He paused for just a moment, opening a portal and throwing his staff inside before adding, “The place is actually not too far, so I’ll be using a portal to transport us. Look out below!” He called out with a small chuckle, before one of his portals suddenly opened up underneath the two of you. You yelped out in surprise, suddenly falling downwards while he gripped your arm.

Your mind felt dizzy as your vision momentarily went dark, your eye instinctively shutting from the unknown feeling. You felt almost nauseous as your body suddenly hit the ground, landing directly on your back. You groaned in pain, clutching your head for a moment before finally opening your eye and looking up, seeing none other than Nikolai. He offered a hand for you to stand up, an oddly kind gesture considering it was him. You hesitated for a moment before attempting to take his hand, before he quickly jerked it away, wagging his finger. “Ah ah! Too slow!” He said, giggling to himself and clearly finding his little joke funny. You grumbled under your breath, annoyed at his humor before you found your footing and stood up yourself.

“Where…” You trailed off, trying to ignore the throbbing pain in your back as you glanced around, slightly confused. You knew he was teleporting you to a military base, but the inside wasn’t exactly what you expected. It was relatively dark inside the building, with the two of you standing in a long hallway. You weren’t sure how far it went on, though you could tell this wasn’t the entire length of the hallway. Many doors lined the walls, each of them looking like they required some kind of keycard access. Your eyes landed on a map on the wall after a moment, and you took a couple steps forward to get a better look at it. Nikolai smiled as he noticed your observance. “Good eye, assistant! I teleported us directly to a map! Aren’t I the best?” He asked, clearly expecting some sort of enthusiastic response. “...Sure…” You muttered under your breath, not really invested in the conversation. A small pout formed on his face at your dismissive tone, but he quickly got over it. Looking at the map, you could tell there were four different floors to the facility. Many of them seemed typical for where they’d interrogate someone, along with a floor specifically for cells, implying that this was a much bigger operation than you originally thought. It made you wonder what type of people were kept here, though you didn’t have much time to think about it. “He’d probably be on the second floor… Right?” You asked, pointing to the floor that had the interrogation room. “Good guess, But wrong!” He replied in a sing-song tone. You felt a little embarrassed you were wrong, despite the fact you had absolutely no knowledge on anything here and were completely inexperienced. He seemed to pick up on your embarrassment and smiled, finding it funny.

“Don’t be so ashamed! While that’s where he would be if he weren’t injured, he’s actually on this very floor,” He said, moving his hand and pointing to the floor you both were on; the third floor. “He’s in the infirmary until he recovers from Nathaniel’s ability. Come along, now! Our damsel in distress needs rescuing, after all!” He said with a grin, grabbing your arm and yanking you along before you could say anything. You were quite frankly sick of him handling you however he pleased, yet you had no way to get out of his grasp. You had no choice but to accept your fate and let him drag you like a ragdoll. “Shouldn’t we be more careful…? What if someone sees us? Are we even going in the right direction?” You questioned, your tone a little nervous. “You ask too many questions, dear assistant! Don’t fret, I know where we’re going.” He assured you, though considering you guys went the complete opposite direction of where the map suggested, you didn’t really believe him.

He didn’t even comment on the fact you guys were skipping out in the open in a military base. A simple glance up told you that there were security cameras lining the ceiling, and there was no way in hell they hadn’t seen you. Your anxiety rose as you tried to assure yourself that Nikolai wouldn’t let you die, though you also had a feeling he’d use you as a human meat shield when the time came down to it. As you two finally made it to the end of the corridor, you were met with none other than several military personnel. They were standing at the end of the hallway, rifles in their hands, guarding the door behind them. The label above the door was labeled ‘3-1’, which was definitely not the section the infirmary was.

Where the hell was he going?

The four soldiers immediately spotted the two of you, especially considering you and Nikolai were not being sneaky in the slightest. “What the hell do you two think you’re doing here?! Hands where I can see them!” One of them called out, as they all pointed their guns directly at you. You instantly raised your hands, not wanting to get shot and die. However, Nikolai glanced behind him and reached out, lowering your hands for you. “Don’t worry, I got this.” He assured you, though that brought no comfort considering the situation. He suddenly took a step forward, one hand under his cape as he used his ability to grab something. “Quite rude to threaten someone you don’t know! Regardless, I have a fun trick for you,” He paused, before suddenly retracting his hand from his cape, pulling a small string and throwing something towards the soldiers. “Watch us disappear!”

You barely had time to react as smoke started suddenly filling the hallway, while the soldiers began firing their guns. You quickly ducked down to the ground, your body trembling with fear as you heard gunshots, your heart pounding in your ears. You were covering your ears, though noise was very audible, no matter how hard you tried to ignore it. “Up here!” Nikolai called out, causing you to hesitantly look up at him. As you looked up, you noticed he had created a massive portal that was absorbing all the bullets, the smoke preventing the soldiers from seeing where you two were. You suddenly heard screaming, the sounds of agony filling your ears as you quickly realized what was happening. Nikolai had ended up creating a portal that absorbed the bullets and fired them back at the soldiers through the smoke, which seemed to be working considering the soldiers were screaming in pain. He extended his hand, getting rid of the previous two portals once the screaming and gunshots stopped. You took his hand, with him not pulling away this time. He lifted you up and created another portal, guiding you through it.

You felt disoriented again, stepping out and into a new area while rubbing your head. After taking a look around the room, you realize he moved the two of you past the door. “Why don’t you just teleport us directly to Sigma…?” You asked, trying to ignore the fact he just murdered four people. Considering everything that’s happened since you’ve been here, you probably need to get used to it. Not that you thought you ever would. You could smell the blood from the other side of the door, and it made your stomach churn. ‘He saved you’, you repeated in your head over and over. Maybe if you repeated it enough, you’d start to believe it and get over what he had done. Your body was still trembling, the fear that he’d pull the trigger on your next remaining in the back of your mind.

“What’s the fun in simply arriving, saving him, then leaving? I’m a free bird, I can make my own decisions! Don’t you worry about a thing, I have a plan.” He assured you, though it was anything but reassuring. You gazed back at the corridor now in front of you, which seemed even longer than the last one. You internally groaned, realizing you’d have to be doing a lot of walking. At least you had shoes and weren’t completely barefoot, but that didn’t mean you weren’t exhausted. He could tell you were clearly fatigued, chuckling faintly to himself. “You look quite tired. How about I carry you?” He offered, though you quickly shook your head at the offer. You had a feeling he’d drop you instantly, and you already had enough injuries. A broken back didn’t need to be added to that list. “No, no… I’m fine.” You muttered. He’s grabbed you enough throughout this ‘adventure’, you didn’t need him carrying you like you were some toddler. “Fine, fine. Suit yourself!” He replied with a dismissive tone, picking up his pace purposely just to mess with you. You frowned faintly as you watched him go faster, trying to meet his pace as you two continued walking.

This journey sucked. You were met with countless guards, all of them being eliminated by Nikolai in horrific and equally confusing and wacky ways. He used a jack-in-the-box that had a bomb full of sleeping gas inside instead of a small clown on a spring, smacking one with a ridiculously large mallet that you were surprised he could even hold, and teleported some of the guards to somewhere else. When asked about it, he informed you he transported them somewhere they’d never be found. You didn’t even wanna know what he meant by that. He even used his portal to drop a massive dumbbell on one of the guards, causing blood and guts to fly everywhere. You fought the urge to vomit as you watched the gruesome scene, and you’re pretty sure some of his blood managed to get on your shoes. It didn’t take long for alarms to start setting off, causing more and more guards to be sent after you guys. It got to a point that every corner you two turned, there’d be another five he had to massacre. You weren’t even sure where you guys were going, yet this place felt almost like a labyrinth. You were positive you were lost at this point, yet any questioning from you would be silenced by him. ‘I know where we’re going, don’t worry!’ He’d repeat, though you seriously began to doubt that.

That is, until he turned the next corner.

Nikolai was ahead of you, and after he had looked past the corner, he quickly grabbed your wrist and yanked you behind the wall, as if he didn’t want you to be seen by whoever was on the other side. You opened your mouth to speak, yet he silenced you by placing his hand over your mouth. You were a little annoyed he was making you shut up with no reason, but if he were making you be quiet, it was probably pretty serious. You could hear vague chatting on the other side, though you couldn’t make out who the voices belonged to. You could only make out a few words, but none of them helped you understand the conversation. Eventually, Nikolai peeked around the corner again, finally removing his hand from your mouth. A grin covered his face as he turned back towards you. “What was that about?” You whispered, to which his smile only widened. “Take a look for yourself,” He said, not trying to be sneaky or conceal his tone in the slightest. You hesitated, moving slowly to glance around the corner, your eyes widening at what you saw.

Standing there, talking to two soldiers, was none other than Ango.

“Wh-” You stammered, quickly hiding around the corner again. “Why did you take us here? Why did you bring us to him?” You asked, to which he gave no answer. You thought over it for a moment in your head, before horror struck you as you quickly figured out why.

He wanted to kill Ango.

He quickly picked up on your terrified expression, giggling quietly to himself, finding it funny. “Finally realized something?” He questioned, clearly mocking you. You couldn’t sit back idly and watch Ango die. You had already sat back and let countless soldiers get horrifically killed, you wouldn’t let Ango meet the same fate. To hell with the risk of him shooting you. You yanked your arm out of his grasp before he could react, running from around the corner towards Ango. You knew this was stupid. You knew this could get you murdered. But fuck, you had to try.

“Ango! Wait!” You called out, to which the two guards talking to Ango quickly turned around and aimed their rifles at you. You paused your movements, slowly raising your hands and ignoring Nikolai. Little did you know that he was grinning to himself, completely and utterly amused by your plan. It made things more entertaining, plus, he’d get what he wanted in the end.

It didn’t matter anyway.

Ango’s eyes widened in faint surprise, and he quickly made his men lower their guns as he took a step towards you. “What… What are you doing here? How did you even get in here?” He asked, quickly maintaining his composure despite the fact he was caught off guard. He was extremely shocked to see you alive, let alone this far into a military base. You frantically shook your head, signaling for him not to come any closer. “No, no, you don’t understand… I’m not here because I wanted to be! I’m here because he-”

“Who’s ‘he’?” He questioned, and just as you opened your mouth to say Nikolai’s name, his laughter was heard as he emerged from the corner. Ango clearly looked uncomfortable once he saw Nikolai, taking a step back as his men raised their guns once again. They were ready to fire, which Nikolai clearly picked up on as he moved to stand directly behind you. He put his hands on your shoulders, causing you to flinch. “Keep the girl alive,” Ango commanded the two, his expression serious. “Gentleman, gentleman! Can we not talk this out? Like friends?” Nikolai asked with a mischievous grin, before suddenly reaching underneath his cape and pulling out a pistol, shooting the guard on the left directly in the head. He fell, collapsing onto the ground with a yelp. The other guard yelled for you to move, yet Nikolai’s grip on your shoulders was too strong for you. You struggled, yet barely moved an inch.

You really were powerless.

The other guard disregarded his orders, attempting to aim and shoot Nikolai despite you being in front of him as a shield. He began firing, and you watched as a bullet came directly at you, grazing your cheek before moving past. A small trickle of blood poured down your face, though that was the least of your concerns. Nikolai didn’t even get grazed, and quickly shot the other guard in the chest. The guard fell with a thud, crying out in agony before meeting the same fate as the first. Nikolai’s attention was then put on Ango, who looked anxious as he took a few steps back, grabbing a pistol from his belt and pointing it at you both. “Don’t… Don’t come any closer,” He spoke, trying to keep his tone firm despite the obvious distress in his tone. Nikolai ignored his warning, taking a step forward and pushing you with him. You yelled for Nikolai to let you go, continuing to struggle, yet to no avail. Nikolai found this entire situation funny, his joy unwavering. He took another couple steps forward as he shoved you. Ango stepped back, aiming his gun at you.

He looked almost remorseful for a moment, before his expression went cold and he fired.

Aiming directly at you.

Horror filled your entire being as you realized what he was doing. He was shooting you, as a way to eliminate the shield between him and Nikolai so he could properly discard him. He didn’t care about your life in the slightest. That realization hit you way harder than it should have.

Nobody cared if you lived or died.

You barely had any time to react as Nikolai set up a portal, absorbing the bullet. He was frowning faintly now, though it was obvious he wasn’t sad. “Tsk tsk, quite rude to shoot someone being held hostage! Don’t you know any better?” Nikolai inquired, sounding almost disappointed in Ango. Ango looked horrified as he realized his plan had failed, almost embarrassed at the fact you now knew he was trying to kill you. Nikolai didn’t hesitate to raise his weapon and fire directly at Ango’s head, shooting through his glasses and lodging the bullet directly into his eye socket. Ango screamed in pain, falling to the ground as he clutched the wound in his head. You tried to release yourself from his grip, to which Nikolai finally let you go, chuckling to himself. You ran over to Ango, disregarding the fact he tried to shoot you moments before. His breathing was heavy as you crouched down next to him, ignoring the pain in your body as you moved too quickly. He collapsed, causing you to quickly wrap your arms around his body to hold him steady. You kept one hand under his head, the other supporting his back.

You felt panic taking over your body, looking at the gruesome sight of a bullet lodged in his eye with blood dripping down his face. He was breathing erratically, clearly in a lot of pain as he tried his best not to scream. You could feel Nikolai’s eyes burning into the two of you as you held him, your hands shaking. The reality of his oncoming death along with every other death you’ve seen here was finally settling in, the adrenaline slowly wearing off as the gravity of the situation hit you. Tears were starting to form in your eyes as you looked down at Ango. The last thing you wanted was to see him die.

This was bad.

You weren’t thinking straight, tears slowly beginning to drip down your face as you clutched his body. You stammered his name, trying to muster the courage to speak. “Please, don’t die…” You spoke quietly, though you knew your words would do no good. You had nothing to help him with, and you knew for a fact you couldn’t do anything. Being in this world made you feel absolutely powerless, and it felt like no decision you made ultimately mattered because something would always go wrong. You were being dragged through hell, and you didn’t even have the strength to move out of the devil’s grasp.

You watched as Ango slowly reached into his belt, grabbing his walkie-talkie as he glanced up at you, clearly in extreme agony and trying not to speak or move too much. There were tears forming in his other eye, and he slowly pressed a button on the device. He mouthed some words to you, but before you could even begin to understand or ask him what he said, another gunshot rang through your ears.

Horrified, you saw Ango’s body go limp after Nikolai shot him once more. You bit the inside of your cheek to keep you from screaming, watching blood flow from the wound in his chest as Nikolai began walking over towards you, giggling quietly. “What a shame! He was trying to call for backup it seems. Why don’t we go find Sigma now, dear assistant?” He questioned, grinning as he suddenly grabbed your arm and yanked you upwards, beginning to drag you away. You watched as Ango’s body slowly got smaller and smaller as he pulled you along, being left like nothing to die on the floor. You supposed he wasn’t a good person, and maybe a small part of him got what he deserved dying like this, but at the same time, he deserved a better death than this. Most people did. You felt almost numb, holding back tears and staring at his corpse blankly. You only were pulled out of your thoughts when you suddenly heard your name being called out in an odd tone by Nikolai. You snapped back into reality and turned around, a look of shock and horror filling your face as you saw what Nikolai seemed almost nervous about. Standing around the corner as at least thirty soldiers, all of them coming after hearing the commotion around Ango’s office.

“Looks like we're a bit over our heads, huh…” He said with a chuckle, though it was obvious even he was a little uncomfortable with the amount heading your way. “I suppose it’s our time to shine!”

Great.

You were both done for.

Chapter Text

“What the HELL are we going to do??” You whisper-shouted, clearly panicked. They were rushing over, meaning you’d only have a few seconds to prepare. “Do not fret! I can handle this, I promise.” He assured you, though at the moment, that was anything but reassuring. You didn’t exactly doubt his abilities, however, you doubted the fact that you’d both get out of this with no injury. You’d probably leave this facility looking like swiss cheese with how many bullet holes you’d have in you.

You were tempted to start running, wanting to ask Nikolai to take you somewhere else, but he probably wouldn’t. Which, to be fair, you would be looking for a way to escape him, but still. You watched him reach into his cape, digging around before finally finding what he was looking for. You watched in shock as he pulled out a weapon, but not just any weapon.

He pulled out a minigun.

Where the fuck did he get a minigun?! You didn’t even wanna know.

You opened your mouth to say something about it, but quickly shut up when you finally saw the first soldier round the corner. They immediately stopped in their tracks once they saw the weapon Nikolai was holding. The soldier attempted to signal for them to stop because he had a massive weapon, but it was already too late. Nikolai grinned, and with no hesitation, he began firing at the soldier. You quickly averted your eyes, though you already saw the soldier's body go limp as dozens of bullets were unloaded into his body. Blood was splattered all over the walls, and despite the gunfire, several other soldiers rounded the corner. You covered your ears, the sound of the minigun making your head hurt much more than it already did. You could still hear what was happening, listening to the screaming and shouting of the soldiers, telling one another to get down and take cover. Tears were beginning to claw their way out of your eye as you listened to them die, the sound of blood spraying everywhere causing you to keep your eye tightly shut. You couldn’t bear to witness what he was doing. He noticed that the soldiers stopped rounding the corner once enough died, which wasn’t going to work for him. He chuckled to himself, his heart racing with excitement as he quickly rounded the corner, unloading the minigun onto the other soldiers.

They attempted to fire back, but against a weapon both as powerful and as fast as that, they didn’t stand a chance. Bullets flew past Nikolai, yet none managed to hit. A wide grin was spread across his face, with both his clothes and his face getting blood on them. He fired at every single soldier, no injuries in sight as he finished off the last one. He didn’t even have to reload the entire time. Nikolai looked down, scoffing faintly as he realized how much blood had gotten on him, staining his white clothes. He knew that’d never come out. Shrugging it off, he wiped the blood off his face and put away the minigun for further use, walking back over to where you were. He smiled to himself when he saw your trembling pathetic form, enjoying how terrified you were. “You can open your eyes now, dear assistant! The issue was already taken care of.” He said with a voice all too cheerful for the situation. You wanted to ignore his voice, wanting to run away and cry in the corner like a little kid, but you didn’t. You hesitantly removed your hands from your ears and opened your eye, looking directly at him and trying to ignore the scene around you. However, that was basically impossible, considering the gory splatters surrounding the two of you. The walls looked like they were painted crimson, dozens of dead bodies laying on the floor. You could see glimpses of the soldiers' faces through their broken helmets, their eyes all wide and glaring. It felt like they were looking directly at you.

You felt the urge to vomit at the scene, covering your mouth as you gagged. He noticed how disgusted you were and chuckled, not bothered by it in the slightest. “Oh, don’t give me that. I’d recommend not throwing up, considering we won’t be eating for a while!” He spoke, before turning around. “Now, let’s go. I’ve finished my errand, and I believe our dear princess needs saving!” His tone was too happy for the things he just committed, the lives he took without mercy. You were utterly horrified and repulsed, your body trembling as you didn’t even move. You were focusing on not spewing everywhere, not even wanting to move forward. In the back of your mind, one thought played over and over.

Was this really worth it?

Was all of this worth fighting for?

Probably not. I mean, the things you’ve seen in the span of a minute or so wouldn’t be seen by anyone in their lifetime. You wanted to lay down and just sob, tears slowly rolling down your face as you tried not to think about everyone who lost their life to him. They had families, they had people who wanted to see them when they got home. But that didn’t matter to Nikolai. No, that didn’t matter to any of them. He was truly the definition of insanity. Every person you met in this damned universe was crazy. You didn’t know how Nikolai could claim to be completely sane and feel remorse after the actions he just committed. He was far from being stable. If all of this was to be considered free, you’d rather stay caged.

Nikolai noticed you weren’t following after a couple steps, sighing faintly. “I didn’t want to have to do this, but you left me no choice…” He commented, waiting to see if that threat would cause you to move. When you didn’t come over, he quickly shoved his hand in his cape, his hand outstretched to where you were as he grabbed your leg. You let out a small yelp of surprise, the portal's size increasing as he dragged you through it, putting you directly in front of him. “No need to be lazy. Slacking off isn’t very nice, after all I’ve done!” He said, grabbing your arm and yanking you off the floor with enough force to hurt, dragging you away from the scene. Blood stained your shoes as he dragged you through all the puddles on the ground, completely ignoring the gore as he hummed a small tune to himself.

If this was just the beginning, you weren’t even sure what the end would look like.

A big part of you hoped you’d die before you saw it.

- - -

It was another boring day in Meursault.

Dazai and Fyodor had gone through almost every single game the two could think of. It was extremely underwhelming, considering they both could match each other each time. Neither one lost, neither one won. It was a drag.

“You’d think they’d give us something to do in here,” Dazai said with a dramatic sigh. “I’m one ‘Happy Group Counseling Hour’ away from considering suffocation.” Fyodor gave a dry chuckle in response, though he felt no real amusement by his comment. The two were completely and utterly bored, and even Fyodor could admit he was sick of being in here. “You of all people would have wanted some sort of break, no?” Fyodor questioned, to which Dazai shrugged. “Maybe, maybe not. I thought time off from work would be nice, but here? Hell no.” He replied, slumped over his bed with a small frown.

Everything seemed to be relatively normal, until Dazai froze.

His eyes widened faintly, his expression going from bored and neutral to slight shock.

He wasn’t getting the messages anymore.

The vague presence of the messages Ango communicated with were gone. They stopped abruptly, with the last one a simple message.

‘Sorry’.

Ango was dead. There was no other explanation for the abrupt stop, no other possible reasoning behind his final message. Somebody had killed Ango. He had a good guess as to who would do something like this, but that was the least of his worries. It didn’t matter who killed him, it mattered that he was gone. His only communication to the outside world was completely shattered, meaning he had no idea what would happen next. Sure, he could do his best to predict whatever Fyodor’s new plan was, but that didn’t mean this was good. If his only hope to truly know what was happening with the agency was gone, what did that mean for everybody else? He wouldn’t know who was alive and who was dead.

Fyodor picked up on his expression, a small smile spreading across his face. He instantly knew what was wrong. Nikolai had done exactly what he asked, and he could feel a sick sense of joy from knowing Dazai was panicking internally. He wished he could see that foolish expression plastered on his face every time he saw him. Each part of his plan was falling into place, and soon, the puzzle would be finished. He had the upper hand still, there was no doubt about that. “Something wrong, Dazai?” He questioned, his tone conveying how smug he felt. He wouldn’t get too cocky, no. However, he still wanted to mess with Dazai a little. Getting into his head was entertaining, after all. Dazai didn’t respond for a few moments, staring off blankly. He snapped back to reality when he realized he should respond. He needed to play it off. He couldn’t let Fyodor know it affected him, even if Fyodor already knew. He wasn’t about to lose twice.

“Just wondering how long it’ll be until he arrives,” Dazai replied after a moment, his tone as casual as usual. It was all a mask to cover up how he really felt, which Fyodor knew all too well. He never got to see the panic set in for Dazai before whenever he outsmarted him before, so being able to witness it now was truly a reward for all his work. “Hm. Patience, I’m sure he’ll be here soon. He’s not one to break promises like this easily.” Fyodor paused for a moment, before his small smirk widened faintly.

“And I can assure you that you’ll be rather surprised who he’s with.”

- - -

You barely felt alive right now. You weren’t really sure what was going on, or how long you had been here. Nikolai was basically dragging your stumbling body throughout the facility, the two of you making your way to your original destination. Guard after guard would be slaughtered like pigs, their bodies falling to the floor, mutilated and murdered in horrific ways by Nikolai. After a while of seeing this, you barely gave it a second glance. It’d be harder to move past it if you paid enough attention to it, so you simply ignored it and continued walking. He’d make occasional comments or jokes, clearly having a much better time than you were. However, you barely gave any response. Maybe a hum or two, but nothing more than that.

While it took a while to arrive, you eventually made it to a different part of the facility. It looked similar to an isolation area in a prison, with doors lined up down a hallway, all requiring some sort of keycard access. “Hmm… which first? Any guesses?” Nikolai asked with a curious expression as he turned to you, acting as if he wasn’t already aware where the room was. A small frown was etched on your face as you looked up at him, finally freeing your arm from his grasp. “You already know where it is, don’t you…? Why don’t we just go there now? What if more guards come?” You asked, trying not to be rude to him considering he could kill you within a second, despite the fact you wanted to be anything but neutral towards him. He pouted, not happy with your answer. “Oh, you’re no fun! Guessing games are all about chance, luck! I could even give you a little prize if you guessed correctly. Ooh, or within the first three tries!” He offered, but you hesitantly shook your head. He let out a defeated sigh, sulking as he reluctantly began making his way down the hallway to the correct door.

After a couple seconds of walking, the two of you arrived at a door with the label ‘003’ on it. “Here we are! Look, you can even see him through the window!” He said, gesturing to the slot in the door. He pressed his face directly against it, looking inside with an all too gleeful expression. “C’mon, take a look! See how sad and miserable he is! Oh, the tragedy…” Nikolai spoke dramatically, pulling you over and picking you up suddenly, holding you to the little window. You peeked inside, looking at the surroundings before noticing him. The room was extremely bare bones, with nothing but a bed, a sink, and a toilet inside. Sigma laid on the bed with his back facing the door, not able to hear the two of you through the soundproof walls. Judging by the position he was in, he was anything but happy to be there. Nikolai suddenly dropped you after you finished looking, causing a small yelp to escape your lips as you stumbled to regain balance. “Hmm… Now, what should I use this time to help our little princess break free?” He mused out loud, rummaging through his cape, seemingly searching for something to use. After a few moments, he exclaimed ‘AHA!’ and suddenly pulled out a very large axe. You flinched, taking a few steps away from him. You didn’t want to be near him when he had any weapon, but at least the minigun would kill you faster. “Jeez, don’t look so scared! I’m good with an axe. Watch this…” He trailed off, causing you to take a couple more steps away, just for good measure. You watched as he suddenly wound up and swung at the glass of the door, breaking it with ease. You heard Sigma scream at the sound of the glass shattering, and you prayed the guards still thought you were on the other side of the facility. You slowly approached Nikolai, peeking in through the now broken window to see none other than Sigma, looking absolutely horrified.

“Wh.. What… The hell?” He stammered, his chest rising up and down with each breath, clearly startled. Nikolai grinned, giving an innocent wave despite what he just did. “Hiiii! We’re here to break you out!” He called out, giggling faintly. Sigma didn’t respond for a moment, his eyes wide as he stared at Nikolai. “W-We? Who’s…” He trailed off as he glanced at you, realizing you had been captured by him. He looked even more horrified now, shooting up from his bed and walking over to the door. “You… Why? Why did you drag her into this? I thought-” He stammered, but Nikolai cut him off before he could speak. “Oh, don’t act like that! I know, I know, you’re jealous I have a new assistant! She follows orders much better than you ever did. But, worry not! I don’t mind having two assistants! The more, the merrier!” He exclaimed, clearly excited to have two people working under him. Sigma looked the complete opposite of thrilled, his expression similar to yours. “Well, we can’t dwell on the past too much. I believe the two of you will become great friends! Now, are you going to sulk all day in your sad pathetic little cell, or are you going to come with us?” Nikolai offered, his glee never fading from his face. He was having too much fun with this.

“...Fine.” Sigma grumbled, agreeing reluctantly. He had way too many questions on his mind, but he knew Nikolai would never give him the satisfaction of an answer. Not to mention the fact he couldn’t really ask any of them in front of you. “Great!” Nikolai exclaimed, though after a moment of thought, his expression became more curious. “I’ve never actually been in this facility before. Do you think the guards will be alerted if the keycard slot is destroyed?” He asked, turning to look at you. Before you could give any further response, he shrugged, his grin returning. “Only one way to find out, I suppose!”

You took another step back as Nikolai raised the axe once more, swinging it at the keycard slot, damaging it. He swung several more times until it fell off the wall, revealing the broken wiring. As soon as it fell to the ground, the door to Sigma’s cell opened, and Nikolai quickly put away the axe. “There you are! They didn’t torture you or anything, did they?” He cooed, walking into Sigma’s cell and pinching his cheeks with his hand, pulling and pushing them together as he ‘doted’ on him. Sigma raised his arms and pushed Nikolai away from him. “Get your damn hands off me. And no, they didn’t.” He grumbled, clearly not in a good mood. Not only was he taken to a military base for Nikolai and Fyodor’s little plan, but the one person he wanted to be safe was in their hands. “Ooooh, someone’s angry! After all I’ve gone through to break you out, you push me away like I’m nothing?!” Nikolai exclaims without a care in the world, acting completely oblivious to the fact that the three of you are in a military base and should probably be escaping instead of chattering loudly. “You really think I’d be thanking you…?” Sigma asked, frowning.

“Well, you should! Do you know how many poor souls had to be murdered for your safety?”

“I didn’t ask you to do that!”

“Oh, so you’d rather sulk in here until they come back? Until they torture you to extract information? I don’t think you’d want your fingernails ripped off. Not very pleasant.”

“That’s not-...” Sigma groaned, trailing off. He was already tired of this interaction; tired of being in Nikolai’s presence. He rubbed his face for a moment before turning his attention to you, his expression momentarily changing before he forced it to harden. You could’ve sworn he looked concerned for a moment, like he genuinely was worried about you. There were so many things he wanted to say, but he bit his tongue and held them back. He couldn’t say anything in front of Nikolai. Especially not here.

“No response, hm? Seems like I’m right…” Nikolai added with a grin, clearly trying to rile Sigma up more than he already was. Just as Sigma was about to reply, you cut both of them off. “Can we just… leave already? The guards are gonna find us any minute now.” Your tone was slightly frustrated, which the two of them easily picked up on. Nikolai’s joy didn’t fade, a small giggle leaving his lips at seeing your tired expression turn into one of annoyance. “Oh, yes, of course! Our dear Sigma seems quite cranky, so I simply had to put him in his place!” He suddenly grabbed Sigma’s shoulders, shoving him towards you with an iron grip. “Why don’t you apologize to your fellow assistant? It’s quite rude to keep us waiting, after all!” Sigma attempted to get out of Nikolai’s grip, though he wouldn’t budge. You understood that struggle too well.

Sigma sighed quietly, his expression softening into something else when he looked at you. It was a struggle to remain so composed around these maniacs, though seeing someone even more vulnerable than him just made it harder. He could see the tear stains on your cheeks, the slight tremble in your hands that you attempted to hide, the blood staining your clothes. Seeing you missing a part of yourself didn’t help either. He could only imagine what you’d been through, though this was far from the place to talk about it. “...Sorry.” He muttered, his body stiff as Nikolai let him go. He’d give you a proper apology for everything another time. “Good! Now, why don’t we run along now? I’ll explain everything on the way there!” Nikolai said with a grin, skipping out of the broken cell, leaving the two of you alone for a brief moment. You looked up at Sigma, your body about as tense as his. He glanced back at you, his frown lessening. “He didn’t hurt you, did he?” He asked quietly, keeping his tone low enough so Nikolai couldn’t easily hear. You were a little surprised by the question; it was probably the first time in a while someone asked you how you were doing. You thought over it for a second before shaking your head. “Not physically.” You replied quietly, to which he nodded. He wanted to say something else, to apologize for ever agreeing to this to begin with, to tell you he didn’t even know you’d be here, but he was cut off by Nikolai popping his head in the doorway.

“AHEM! I said, "LET'S GET GOING.” Nikolai blurted out loudly, clearing his throat. Sigma and you glanced at each other, the two of you fighting the urge to roll your eyes. You both muttered that you were coming, your expression less frustrated than his. The two of you followed him out of the cell, walking down the hallway behind him while he twirled a revolver in his hands, something he grabbed from his cape after he left the cell. He skipped like he was some sort of child in a playground, and to him, this place probably was just that; a place to play. The silence between the three of you was tense, though neither of them made any effort to break it. Nikolai’s joy radiated off of him in waves, though Sigma’s body language was far from happy. He was lost in thought, though it was impossible to read him and tell what he was thinking about. His poker face was better than most, though that was a given with his profession.

“So…” You started, nervously trying to break the silence. You didn’t like it in the slightest. If the silence droned on for too long, your mind began wandering to everything you had seen today. And that was the last thing you wanted to think about. “What exactly is your plan, Nikolai?” You asked, to which Nikolai eagerly turned around. He looked like he had been dying to hear someone ask that. “What curiosity! See, this is why you’re my favorite assistant,” He replied, glancing at Sigma when he said that before turning his gaze back to you. “Well, if you must know… We’re going to the heliport in this facility! There, we’ll get some low-life soldier to fly us out of here. You already know where we’re going after that, don’t you?” He asked, looking directly at you as he walked backwards. Your mind wandered to Meursault, your heart sinking at just the thought of being there. This place was already hell itself, and you certainly didn’t want to know what would happen when you arrived there. Not to mention…

You’d finally be meeting Fyodor.

You weren’t even sure how you’d feel when you saw him. The man who orchestrated everything. The man who somehow brought you here. You didn’t know if you’d cower behind Sigma and Dazai or sprint at him and wrap your hands around his throat until his eyes popped out of his sockets. Hell, you knew Nikolai would rip you apart before you could even touch him, but it was worth a try. Anything to make him feel a fraction of the suffering you felt here. Your emotions were so confusing, you couldn’t even tell what you felt anymore. You wanted to die. You wanted to be home. Everything was so contradictory, you couldn’t tell what was your true feelings and what was another passing thought in your mind.

You quickly snapped out of your thoughts at the sudden gunshot that rang through your ears, flinching at the loud noise. You focused your attention back on reality and saw another dead soldier on the ground, someone that Nikolai shot without even looking at. “O-Oh, yeah. Meursault.” You replied, stammering over your words due to the surprise. You didn’t even look at the soldier twice. It’d only be more upsetting if you did. “Good! Glad someone remembers!” He exclaimed, before turning around and continuing his joyous skip towards the heliport, killing any soldiers that attempted to stop the three of you. No matter how many came at him, he cleared them like they were ants he was stomping on. The discomfort you and Sigma felt was obvious, though the two of you just remained silent and let him continue his rampage. It was either that or you’d all get captured, which was less than ideal.

It seemed like an eternity before the three of you arrived at the heliport. There were many guards that surrounded each vehicle, clearly on full alert due to the alarms that blared. However, that didn’t stop Nikolai from disarming and rounding up all of them. He had them each lined up, around twelve of them on their knees with their arms behind their heads and their eyes trained on the ground, their weapons in a pile behind Nikolai. Some of them were trembling, though that didn’t matter to Nikolai. All that mattered was fulfilling the plan he was informed of. “Soooo, how many of you want to live? C’mon, don’t be shy! I’ll let you raise your hands for this!” He called out. After a few moments, each soldier hesitantly raised their shaking hands, indicating they didn’t want to be killed. Nikolai giggled, finding the desperation in their movements amusing despite their hesitant answers. “Good, good,” He replied, before continuing. “Nooow, how many of you were trained to fly a helicopter! Don’t worry, I won’t kill you if you haven’t!” It was a lie, though not one he’d expose to the soldiers yet. Both you and Sigma stood back, watching the scene unfold before you.

“Is he actually going to let them live if they haven’t…?” You whispered quietly to Sigma.

He remained silent for a few moments, not sure if he wanted to answer. After a couple seconds of thinking over it, he knew there was no point in lying. You’d find out soon enough, and then would be mad if he lied. He simply shook his head in response.

As if on cue, you heard a couple gunshots get fired, followed by the sound of bodies dropping and whimpers. You looked back over and saw most of them dead, with only three alive. You should’ve known he was lying. You needed to be smarter than that if you were to even survive the journey to Meursault. “Well, it seems like you three will be the contestants! Not that I have much equipment here…” He trailed off, sighing before he continued. “But, don’t worry! I’ll make this interesting. Oh dear assistants!” He called out, turning to the two of you. He reached into his cape, pulling out some thick rope before holding it out to the two of you. “Why don’t you both make yourselves useful and tie them up? The game I have in mind wouldn’t be fun if they cheated!”

Sigma stepped forward and grabbed some rope, to which Nikolai then turned to you and held the rest out, shaking it faintly. “C’mon, don’t be shy!” Your hand was shaking faintly as you reached out and took the rope. You knew you shouldn’t. You knew this would only end poorly for the poor soldiers, and their deaths would be partly on you. But you knew he’d do something much worse to them if you didn’t comply. You’d look weak and pathetic to them if you couldn’t do a simple task like tying someone’s wrists, and the last thing you needed was to look weaker than you already did. You walked over to one of the soldiers, hesitantly grabbing their wrists and pulling them behind their back, beginning to tie a knot around them tightly.

“Please… I-I have a family…”

The soldier’s words caught you off guard, your eye widening in surprise. The words he spoke almost made you drop the rope entirely, and you paused your actions. “A young girl, no older than you… Please… Don’t do this…” He begged, his voice breaking with each word. Despite the fact his face was covered with a helmet, you could practically hear the tears streaming down his face underneath. You were still, your body frozen.

What were you supposed to do?

What could you even do?

If you stopped, Sigma or Nikolai would just tie him up anyway. Or worse, Nikolai would kill him on the spot. No matter your action, the outcome would be the same. You were powerless.

Why?

Why did he have to open his mouth?

You didn’t even realize you were crying until you watched a teardrop land on the rope you were holding, your hands trembling as you forced yourself to speak. “I…- I’m sorry… I can’t…-” You stammered, your voice crumbling as another tear fell down your cheek. You wanted to scream, run away and apologize over and over again. You couldn’t help the overwhelming guilt that threatened to consume you completely, your heart sinking to your stomach. Before you could say anything else, you heard the sound of a gun being cocked. You looked up, your pulse racing as you saw Nikolai point the gun at the soldier’s head. “Let’s not upset my assistant now! She’s new, you see? Why don’t you let Sigma finish up?” He said, though it was obvious he wasn’t asking. He yanked you up before you could react, the rope falling out of your hands as he dragged you to the side. You watched with tears in your eye as Sigma began tying the soldier up, who continued to beg for his life.

You couldn’t stop thinking about what he said.

“A young girl, no older than you.”

You watched in silence as Nikolai kept a firm grasp on your arm, Sigma tying the ropes with ease. Despite his stern expression, Sigma glanced at you several times. He could see the tremble in your body, though he didn’t comment on it despite his concerns. He finished tying him up and stepped back, Nikolai’s grip on you finally releasing as he twirled the gun in his hand once more. He walked around the three soldiers, making sure their ropes were secure enough before grinning. “Excellent! Now, onto our game…” He trailed off, before tossing the revolver he held into the center of the three guards. They all watched in confusion and horror, not understanding why he suddenly gave up his weapon. “Today, our lucky game is…” He paused for dramatic effect before exclaiming, “RUSSIAN ROULETTE!”
The fear in the soldier’s intensified at the name of the game, one of them beginning to cry louder while the other two trembled and twitched. “I’m sure you all know the rules! I’ll be honest, I’m not exactly sure how many bullets are left in there. I’ve reloaded it quite a few times, and alternated guns, so…” He shrugged, before his grin returned. “We’ll see! Now, I’ll spin the gun, and whoever it lands on, I’ll fire at your head! Last one standing gets to fly our escape helicopter, hooray!” He cheered, clapping his hands together with glee. He crouched down, reaching and spinning the gun before beginning to sing a song. You quickly recognized it as ‘Pop Goes the Weasel’, though… it didn’t sound quite right.

“All around the circle…

The gun spun round and round…

The gun finally landed on someone…

Pop goes the soldier!”

He chuckled to himself when it finally landed on the one on the left. It was a woman presumably, who began frantically screaming once the gun landed on her. “Oh, relax! It may not even hurt if you do get shot!” He said casually, reaching down and grabbing the gun before aiming it directly at her head. You shut your eye, your heart racing in your chest as you heard the click.

Yet, no bullet was fired.

You opened your eyes, looking at Nikolai’s disappointed expression that the gun hadn’t fired anything. “Seems you live another round! Let’s spin again, shall we?” He said, his frown replaced with a wide smile as he placed it down and spun it once more, singing the same tune.

“All around the circle…

The gun spun round and round…

The gun finally landed on someone…

Pop goes the soldier!”

The gun landed on someone different this time.

It landed on the very man who begged you for his life.

Your heart raced with anxiety as you watched Nikolai pick up the gun, your vision feeling like it was running in slow motion. You closed your eye once more as he raised the gun to the soldier’s skull, trying to drown out his screams. Once again, the gun clicked…

And it fired.

You heard blood curdling screams, followed by a body hitting the ground. The man who begged for his life, the man who had a family, a daughter at home, was dead.

You didn’t dare open your eye.

The scent of copper stung at your nose worse than before as you shook, the familiar stench of death filling the air once more. You flinched as you suddenly felt a hand on your shoulder, your eye opening from shock, expecting it to be Nikolai. You were surprised when you looked up and saw none other than Sigma, his expression sympathetic and concerned as he looked down at you. He didn’t say anything, though the look in his eyes spoke volumes. “You… You don’t have to look.” He said quietly. He didn’t want you to suffer more than you already had. You wanted to sob, bury your face in his shoulder and never open your eye again. “Oh, don’t be so scared! Every other soldier I’ve killed probably had a family too!” Nikolai called out, pretending not to understand your fear. Sigma’s sympathetic expression turned into one of annoyance. “She doesn’t have to look if she doesn’t want to. You’ve put her through enough.” He replied defiantly, keeping his grip on your shoulder.

“It’s… It’s fine, Sigma,” You replied quietly, forcing your head to turn back to the scene, ignoring the bile that piled in your throat at the sight. “I can handle it.”

It was a lie, one that everyone in the room could sense. Yet, you couldn’t help but tell it to yourself over and over. You could handle it. You had to. You couldn’t be weak.

Everyone in the agency was counting on you. Even Dazai believed in you.

You couldn’t be weak.

The frown on Sigma’s face increased, but he didn’t let go of your shoulder. “See? She’s no scaredy-cat!” Nikolai said with pride, clearly happy you weren’t cowering. “Looks like you both made it to the final two… Not that there was much competition. Now, let’s spin again!” He placed the gun down once more, spinning it as he sang. The tune was different this time.

“The first victim finally down…

The gun was spinning faster…

The jester’s laughter echoed around…

Pop goes the soldier!”

It landed on the soldier to the left.

He picked up the gun, pointing it at his head and firing.

No bullet was fired.

He sighed, though a part of him was happy. His game was going on longer.

“Again, again!” He sounded almost like a child, though he was far from innocent. He placed the gun down again, spinning it once more.

“The final two staring down…

Their hearts beating louder…

The bullet is ready to come out…

Pop goes the soldier!”

It landed on the soldier to the right.

He picked up the gun, pointing it at her head and firing.

The bullet shot out and lodged itself inside her brain, not giving her enough time to scream. Her body collapsed on the ground, the game finally concluding. Nikolai laughed to himself for a few moments, ignoring you and Sigma as he turned his attention to the remaining soldier. “Look at you! What a survivor, huh? You made it to the end, and now, you can fly our helicopter! Congratulations!” He held the gun tightly as he pointed it at the remaining soldier, gesturing for him to get on his feet. Once he complied, Nikolai walked behind the man, keeping the gun pointed at him. “Onwards! We’ll be flying in no-time!” He said, his tone happy as he forced the soldier to begin walking to one of the helicopters, with you and Sigma following behind.

Sigma eventually let go of your shoulder as you made it to the helicopter. Nikolai kept the soldier moving until they were inside, and he gestured for you and Sigma to follow. Sigma helped you up as the two of you got situated in the back, shutting the door behind you. “Y’know, I rarely get to fly in a helicopter! I’m quite excited, aren’t you both happy too?” Nikolai asked, turning to look at you both. You sat on one of the seats, with Sigma on the other. Your body was still trembling, though it wasn’t shaking as badly as before. The two of you didn’t say anything, to which Nikolai let out a dramatic sigh at the silence. “At least pretend to have some enthusiasm… I’m sure this is your first time riding one, isn’t it?” He asked, looking at you. You barely gave him a glance, simply nodding your head. “Well, you’re in for a treat!” He replied, turning back to the soldier as the helicopter began to propel. You could hear the noise of a large door opening, and you glanced out the front window to see the massive entrance of the heliport opening up. The helicopter began to fly out, eventually escaping the facility and ascending into the air. You clutched the armrest of your seat, making sure your seatbelt was buckled as you began to fly. You could hear Nikolai talking to the soldier, most likely telling him where to go, though you barely registered it.

You couldn’t register much in the current state you were in.

You could feel Sigma’s gaze on you, his expression worried and thoughtful all at once. You ignored it, keeping your gaze locked on the little view of the outside you had. Your mind echoed with racing thoughts, the image of the soldier’s dead bodies remaining burned in your mind.

- - -

You weren’t sure how much time had passed.

Your eye were starting to feel more and more droopy, the exhaustion of everything slowly catching up to you as the adrenaline wore off. You had worn yourself off with your paranoia and anxiety, your body no longer shaking. You eventually felt your eyelid shut, no longer able to fight the urge to stay awake.
Your slumber only lasted for a good couple minutes before you were jolted awake by a loud noise.

The helicopter began shaking, its course suddenly much more unsteady as gunshots were fired at the vehicle. It hadn’t completely crashed or lost its balance yet, but it wouldn’t be long at this rate.

“What the hell was that?!” Sigma yelled, panic etching its way into his voice. Nikolai didn’t respond for a moment, keeping his gun pointed at the soldier as he moved over to the window of the helicopter, attempting to look down and see what was happening. The helicopter wasn’t extremely high in the air, currently flying over much rockier and mountainous areas with large forests. It took Nikolai a good few moments before he could even spot what was attacking them, and a frown formed on his face when he finally noticed what it was.

“W-What is it..?” You asked, your voice trembling faintly. Nikolai grumbled under his breath, looking genuinely annoyed for the first time since you had seen him. He turned to the two of you, not immediately answering your question.

“Did any of you bring weapons?”

“No… Why? What’s going on?” Sigma asked, demanding an answer.

“Well… We may have run into a tiny problem! A fork in our plan, if you will!”

“What is it?! Just spit it out, damnit!”

“Alright, Alright! It’s the Hunting Dogs!”

Chapter Text

“The…” Sigma trailed off, panic and annoyance forming on his face. “The Hunting Dogs. Are you sure it's them?” He asked, hoping that maybe he just couldn’t see from high up. Maybe it wasn’t them.

“Who else wears red uniforms and has a twelve year old girl on their team?! Of course it’s them, I’m not senile!” He yelled back. You hadn’t seen Nikolai’s composure slip like this before, though he quickly recollected himself before it could break further. Nikolai popped his head out of the helicopter window, looking down at them once more. They were driving some sort of military vehicle, and Jouno was looking out of the roof of it. He aimed his pistol before he shot down at them. He watched the bullet go straight towards Jouno’s head, before it phased directly through his skull due to Jouno’s ability.

Damnit.

He quickly entered the helicopter once more, not wanting to risk getting shot. “This could be an… issue,” He said, his tone relatively casual now. He was covering up his concerns with the situation, beginning to talk to himself. “We can’t shoot the blind guy, and that little girl can deflect bullets with a knife…” He seemed like he was trying to form a plan in his head, considering Fyodor didn’t account for this. At least, he didn’t tell him what to do if this happened.

“Would you quit your monologue and- wait,” Sigma paused, thinking over Nikolai’s words for a moment. “You only mentioned Teruko and Jouno. Are there only two?” He asked, to which Nikolai nodded. “Yep. Seems like the others are busy with Fukuchi’s little speech!” Sigma looked like he wanted to wrap his hands around Nikolai’s throat and strangle him till he turned blue.

“Did you not think to mention that as soon as you saw them?!”

“You would’ve figured it out on your own anyway! I’m not going to hold your hand throughout our journey, Sigma.”

“I don’t-”

Before Sigma could even finish his sentence, another bullet was fired. This time, it pierced the glass of the helicopter and lodged itself directly in the skull of the soldier. He let out a scream, his body falling to the floor and twitching as blood began to pool around his head. Nikolai and Sigma looked at each other, then you, then back at one another.

“Sooo… Sigma, you ever learned to operate a helicopter?”

Sigma didn’t even say another word to him, just letting out a sigh before rushing over and climbing in the front seat. You actually had no clue if he knew how to operate one or not, but you sure as hell couldn’t. At least he wasn’t asking you to operate any sort of vehicle.

What the hell were you going to do?

You were stuck with a member of the Insane Clown Posse and a biological three year old on a helicopter that was already damaged with two members of an elite military group trying to kill you. You were now technically considered a terrorist, even if the public wasn’t aware of your existence yet, and you had absolutely no combat skills or any fighting knowledge. In other words, these were probably the last breaths you were going to take.

Before you could start saying your prayers, Nikolai’s face began to light up. “Do not worry, my dear assistants! I made a promise to my best friend that I'd escort you both as safely as possible, and I intend to keep that promise to him! Wouldn’t want to arrive at Meursault with only your limbs as evidence you existed, right?” He chuckled to himself, though it became more obvious he was trying to cover up the fact he had little idea on what to do. It’s not like he didn’t have a plethora of weapons and torture devices to use, but the issue was the fact they’d probably evade them all.

“Well start thinking of something! I can’t fly this thing forever, especially with the damage done!” Sigma yelled, continuing to try and navigate through the air without crashing. It was honestly a miracle you guys were still in the air at this point.

“I’m thinking, I’m thinking! Sheesh, you don’t have to yell!”

“You’re going to get us all killed if you just stand there!”

Were they really arguing in a time like this?!

You tried to mentally calculate the possibilities of what could happen in your head. While Teruko’s ability could be rendered useless due to the fact you three were in the air and she couldn’t touch you, it didn’t mean she couldn’t alter her own age. Jouno’s ability was better for stealth, but he could still use his enhanced senses to defeat you.

Was there really no way out of this?

- - -

Jouno smirked to himself as he watched the helicopter become more unsteady. Considering he shot at a vulnerable spot, it couldn’t be too much longer until they crashed. He felt an excitement run through his veins at finally being able to catch them. He’d leave most of the torture to Teruko, but the mystery of you was something he wanted to uncover. As far as records went, you had absolutely nothing on you. You could’ve been a case similar to Sigma, or maybe you were something completely different. Either way, he was itching to figure it out.

He turned to look down at the driver of the car, glancing at Teruko briefly. “Go faster. We need to shoot them down before they try anything else.” He commanded, to which the driver nodded and began going faster. He looked back at Teruko, holding his hand out. “Hand me the sniper again,” Jouno asked, though it wasn’t a request. It was a command. “I need to make sure they won’t make it past us.”

Teruko scoffed faintly, not immediately complying with his request. She didn’t particularly like taking orders from anyone that wasn’t Fukuchi. “Why can’t I get a shot in?” She asked, a small frown playing at her lips. His smile faltered briefly, but he maintained his cool persona. “You can have your fun torturing and slashing all you want when they’re captured. Let me take the next shot.”

She grumbled under her breath, muttering curses as she handed him the sniper. He didn’t thank her, instead, he leaned the gun on the edge of the military truck they were driving and aimed directly at the damaged part of the helicopter. He made sure it was aligned perfectly, already calculating the bullet's path in his head. It wouldn’t miss.
However, just before he could fire, the vehicle suddenly swerved, causing his aim to go off balance.

His finger fired on accident, wasting a bullet as it dug itself into the dirt, firing some debris back at him. His composure slipped, a curse leaving his lips as he moved out of position. He wanted to yell at the driver and ask what caused him to swerve out of the way, though he picked up on the reason very quickly.

His heightened senses detected an object had been thrown off the helicopter, something he didn’t immediately notice due to his focus on firing at the helicopter.

It was a bomb.

“Duck, Teruko!” Jouno shouted, letting go of the sniper to cover his ears. Teruko barely had any time as the bomb went off, causing a loud explosion. The truck almost went off balance, barely able to get away from the exploding dirt and grass, along with the flame that began to spread from tree to tree. He couldn’t fully register the Jester’s expression in his head due to their distance, but he could sense the smugness that radiated off of him.

That cheeky little bastard.

“Why didn’t you warn me sooner?!” Teruko shouted, no longer covering her ears and glaring directly at Jouno, her voice and body language conveying she was pissed off. Jouno completely ignored her yelling and insults being thrown as he aimed the sniper once more, firing at the injured part of the helicopter and lodging the bullet right where he had shot before, weakening it further. Just before he could fire once more, he felt a hand snatch the sniper away from him.

“You’ve had your fun, not to mention that you wasted one of our bullets on dirt. My turn!” Teruko said with a cocky grin, holding the sniper and aiming it directly at Nikolai’s head. “You can’t just snatch a gun from me! Why are you even aiming for him?!” He retorted, attempting to snatch it back. However, Teruko quickly began to change her age in order to have more physical strength, keeping an iron grip on the gun. “Because, if he’s dead and gone, we’ll have no issue capturing the other two! Forget the torture with him!” She replied, still adjusting her aim. Jouno finally got his grip back on the sniper and yanked it back, scoffing at her. “He’s the most valuable person to get information from, you idiot! Focus on destabilizing the helicopter!”

“There won’t be any information to gather if the damn helicopter crashes! Give me that!”

“You’re too young to be handling guns like these anyway. Stick to your little hunting whip.”

“Excuse you?! You shouldn’t even be handling guns if you don’t open your eyes! I’ll skin you alive!”

- - -

Nikolai moved to look outside the window, staring down at the bickering soldiers. They seemed to be distracted, at least for the moment. Good, good. He felt a thrill rushing through his veins at the sight of the fire that had begun to spread from each tree due to the bomb, the damage he had caused making him feel even happier. He looked back inside the helicopter, a small grin forming on his face. “It seems they’re completely incompatible as teammates! How delightful!” He expressed, laughing to himself with glee. His nervousness had faded, his demeanor back to its usual joyous one. “No need to start celebrating, considering we’ll be plummeting soon!” Sigma yelled, the anxiety clear in his tone. “Please, tell me you have some sort of plan for getting us out of this vehicle…” You spoke, your voice shaking faintly.

You felt completely useless in this situation, like a spectator in your own life. The worst part of it all was your feelings were completely true; you were absolutely useless in this situation. You had nothing you could bring to the table, and your life was in the hands of these sickos. “Relax, relax! We’re approaching a city, aren’t we? Their little truck won’t be able to drive forever on that terrain. Seems like they thought they’d finish the job a lot faster than they did! What a terrible plan… Oh, Fukuchi needs to try harder, really.” Nikolai chuckled, finding the whole situation amusing despite how close they were to death. “That doesn’t answer her question!” Sigma yelled back, getting more and more tense with each moment that passed. He couldn’t keep this damn thing flying forever. “Yes, yes, I have a plan. Their path ends soon, and since I haven’t gotten to use them yet…” He trailed off, a manic grin spreading on his face as he reached into his cape and tugged, not yet pulling it out. He wanted to leave the two of you in suspense.

“...I’ll use a couple grenades and cause them to crash! It was their mistake using some random driver!”

“But that doesn’t explain how we’re going to get off the helicopter before it crashes…” You muttered. At this point, you’ve heard and seen so many crazy things, you couldn’t stop to question the fact he keeps grenades in his cape. You were about to possibly die anyway, so what was the point in questioning the actions of the insane?

“Oh, don’t you worry your little head about that! I have a plan for that, but you’ll see when the time comes. Worry no more, my dear!” He assured you, reaching into his cape and pulling out a grenade. It wasn’t a normal one by any means, having different patterns painted on with black and white. You weren’t sure what the blast radius was or if it’d kill the Hunting Dogs, but you weren’t going to ask. He then ripped off the safety pin before tossing it out of the helicopter, making sure it’d land somewhere to cause them enough trouble to be thrown off their tracks. You covered your ears quickly, a loud explosion echoing throughout the sky as the grenade went off. The explosion wasn’t typical either, with glittery smoke emitting from the blasted grenade. You could hear a ringing in your ears, followed by the maniacal laughter of Nikolai as he pulled out more grenades, ripping the pin off and tossing them down like they were water balloons. “Dance, dance, my little hunting dogs! Dance until you can’t feel the ground beneath your feet!” He called out with a grin, looking down at the wreckage as he clapped his hands in glee. Watching them struggle like little ants who had water poured on their home was something he truly enjoyed. He was practically glad things didn’t go as planned, as seeing the most feared military group struggle after they underestimated him was worth it. So much for sending the most cocky members of their little group. He quickly reached into his cape, pulling a final grenade out.

This would be the finishing act.

- - -

“Goddamnit, he just keeps throwing them!” Jouno yelled, knowing they didn’t have much time left on this truck before it’d explode. It was bound to happen, he could sense that Nikolai had much more up his sleeve. The driver couldn’t maintain this forever, and hearing Nikolai’s cocky laughter as their helicopter faltered made Jouno even angrier. He couldn’t aim his gun properly with all the terrain damage, so they were now rendered sitting ducks. “If only Fukuchi had chosen Tecchou to accompany me instead of you! You’re utterly useless!” Teruko shouted back, clearly as displeased as he was. “Oh, you think I was happy being sent here with you?” He retorted, his focus slowly shifting from the battle to Teruko’s insults. If there was one thing his composure was weak to, it’d be someone like Teruko. Why did the boss think it’d be a good idea to send them together?!
“You should be! I’m completely capable, I’ll have you know!”

“Your ability is rendered useless when you’re not in close combat, and not to mention the fact you took a sniper from me. I don’t wanna hear you call yourself capable again after this!”

Before Teruko could get another word in, they heard a familiar sound of a safety pin being ripped from a grenade.
They glanced at each other, mentally preparing themselves as they watched another one fall directly from the helicopter. Jouno quickly realized the path it was beginning to take, and grabbed Teruko’s arm roughly. Her eyes widened faintly as he yanked her from her seat, grabbing ahold of her and jumping out of the truck. The terrain underneath them was rocky and plummeted, but it was their only option if they wanted to live. He could smell the smoke coming from the trees and grass, the flames of the explosions sure to catch up to them if they weren’t fast. He grit his teeth as they began rolling down the steep terrain, the loud explosion of the grenade being heard as they finally hit shallow dirt. He was momentarily stunned, still gripping Teruko’s arm tightly as he coughed, spitting out some blood that landed on the dirt.

Fuck.

Their truck had exploded with all their guns, and the driver was surely dead. Forest fires were beginning to spread throughout the dense greenery, and it wouldn’t be long before other law enforcement would show up. They had made a mockery of the Hunting Dogs.

And they would pay greatly for it.

“Teruko…” Jouno spat out, sitting up and looking at her disheveled form. She had several cuts and scratches, just like he did, but they were mostly fine. They hadn’t rolled down too steep of terrain, though it was less than ideal. He moved over to her, shaking her slightly. She looked up at him, groaning from being disoriented. “Are you hurt?” He asked, gritting his teeth faintly as he held back the blood he desperately wanted to cough up. He couldn’t afford to be injured and look weak, especially around another member of the Hunting Dogs. She wiped some blood off her face, the cut on her cheek looking deeper than the others. He attempted to reach out and inspect the injury, but she smacked his hand away before he could.

“Are you serious?! Of course I’m hurt! Not only am I hurt, but I’m pissed!” She yelled, standing up and putting her hands on her hips, ignoring the soreness in her body. She was beyond pissed; she was livid. “Don’t give me your fake sympathy! Our injuries don’t matter. What matters is the fact we just let them get away!” She said, pointing to the helicopter that was getting further and further out of reach. It was faltering and beginning to smoke, but it was still in the air. Her chest was heaving with each breath, but her eyes quickly widened as a new reality dawned on her.
She had failed a mission Fukuchi entrusted her with.
Teruko felt her heart sink at that realization.

“Oh… Shit.” She muttered, her anger slowly fading and being replaced by fear. She had let him down. All over some stupid terrorists she had underestimated. After seeing you in the Sky Casino, how weak and frail you were, she thought this would be easy. “Fukuchi’s gonna kill us.” She whispered, slowly falling back to her knees. Jouno frowned faintly, the realization of failing their mission slowly sinking into his mind as well.

They had let terrorists get away.

What now?

- - -

“Haha, oh, look at it all!” Nikolai exclaimed, grinning as he peeked his head out of the helicopter once more. They were no longer near the mountainous ranges, but now were floating over a city. Hiratsuka, he assumed? Either way, it didn’t matter! The destruction… the damage… It was beautiful.

And no Hunting Dogs in sight, to top it all off.

“We’ve finally gotten them! Oh, I say, Fyodor will be quite impressed when he hears! I can already see it now, the smile on his face, the fondness in his eyes… Oh, and the-”

He cut himself off as the helicopter jerked, the smoke coming out of it becoming more obvious. He grit his teeth, quickly remembering that the helicopter was about to crash. “Ah, right,” He muttered, reaching into his cape and pulling out three different items, which each looked like a backpack. “Come here, my dear!” Nikolai called out, holding out a hand to you. “Wouldn’t want to get our cargo injured, now would we?” He said, though the urgency in his eyes was obvious. You didn’t waste any time as you unbuckled the seatbelt, hopping out of your seat and quickly making your way over to him. He began to put the backpack on you, to which you quickly realized it was a parachute. He was humming some sort of tune as he put it on you, making sure it was nice and secure.

“Now, whenever we jump out, just make sure to pull this little string, dear assistant!” He said, gesturing to the string on the side of the parachute. Your heart was racing in your chest as you nodded, sweat coating your palms as you realized you’d be jumping out of the helicopter. You were terrified, however, you knew you had no other choice. It was either that, or you’d go down and crash. “Ohhh Sigmaaa! Come here! No need to pilot this silly thing any longer!” Nikolai called out, acting awfully casual for the situation. Sigma hesitated, but quickly put it on autopilot and sat up. He grabbed a backpack, putting it on himself. “So, to deploy it, you just pull this-”

“I got the idea, Nikolai.”

“Awww, so grown up! Well, what are we waiting for? Let’s blow this popsicle stand, as they say!”

Without warning, you feel Nikolai’s hands on your back as he suddenly pushes you out of the helicopter. A yelp leaves your lips as you begin plummeting, your heart sinking. The realization of how close to death you truly were hit you like a ton of bricks, and your shaky hands quickly reached and grabbed the string of the parachute, pulling it with a hard tug. A breath of relief escaped you as you felt it deploy, your plummet suddenly coming to a stop as you began descending down ‘calmly’. You heard the sound of Nikolai laughing and another parachute being deployed, followed by another one. You couldn’t look up and see them above you, but the cheering noises Nikolai made were an obvious sign they were fine and coming with you.

“Try to steer and land on the sidewalk, assistants! We wouldn’t want to land on a skyscraper, especially with…” He trailed off, pausing for a moment. “The issue that we’re about to face.”

“What issue, Nikolai?” Sigma called out, glancing down at his parachute. Sigma noticed it had some sort of bird design on it. Typical.

“Oh, you know… The helicopter crash aftermath.” He replied nonchalantly, like he was discussing the traffic.

“Oh… Right.” Sigma replied. He already knew it’d crash and cause a lot of issues, but there wasn’t much he could do about it at this point. It was either them or him and you… and Nikolai, he supposed.
You felt a pit forming in your stomach at Nikolai’s words, the idea that the helicopter would be crashing and hurting innocent people making your throat close up. You couldn’t stand the idea of people getting caught in the crossfire, people who had nothing to do with Fyodor’s sick plan. You couldn’t help but feel like all of this was your fault. Maybe if you fought back more, all of those people wouldn’t have died. All of those soldiers wouldn’t have been mutilated. All of these civilians wouldn’t be murdered.

If only someone else was dragged to this hellhole, you’d still be perfectly fine with your parents.

“Ooh, ooh, it’s finally happening! Watch, assistants! This is a once in a lifetime sight!” Nikolai exclaimed, pointing rapidly to the crashing helicopter.

You hesitated, but at the same time, it felt like you deserved this. Like this was your punishment for everything you had done. You slowly peaked out from underneath your parachute, your eye widening in surprise.

It was plummeting right into a massive building.

You weren’t sure how you managed to tune it out before, but the cries and screams of people below were no longer falling on deaf ears. Cries of help and panicked screams were clear as day now, and you could do nothing except float down below. It felt like you were trapped in a loop of torture, forced to watch the consequences of what happens when you save yourself.

If you continued to live, everyone else around you would die.

You squeezed your eye as the helicopter finally collided with the building, doing your best to cover your ears as it crashed. Despite your efforts, you could hear the damage no matter how hard you tried to block it out. The glass shattering and the loud collapsing of the concrete was audible through your hands, the panic amongst everyone feeling blaring in your skull. You couldn’t stop the tears that formed in your eye for what felt like the hundredth time, feeling more pathetic than ever before.

You barely registered the fact you were getting closer and closer to landing, your mind a swirling mess of negativity as your feet finally touched the ground, your legs collapsing beneath you as you fell over on the concrete. You didn’t bother attempting to get back up, hiding underneath your parachute like a kid afraid of the rain. You were at least thankful the crash was far enough away that you wouldn’t get crushed by debris, though you almost wished it’d kill you.

Nikolai and Sigma landed shortly after you, and while Nikolai dusted his pants off and let out a sigh of relief, Sigma quickly ran over to you and took off his own parachute, lifting yours up and finding you crying and curled up underneath it. A small frown formed on his face, and he quickly helped you to your feet. He wanted to ask if you were okay, but he already knew the answer to that. He wasn’t sure how to comfort you. He was never good at consoling himself, let alone someone else. After hesitating for a moment, he slowly wrapped an arm around you, holding you close. Surprise filled your being for a few moments, before you melted into him and hugged him back, your tears staining his shirt.

You couldn’t remember the last time somebody hugged you.

“Awww, how sweet!” Nikolai cooed, smiling as he watched the two of you embrace. “My little assistants are getting along! I’m so proud of you for opening up, Sigma! Group hug!” He called out, and without wasting another second he ran up and hugged the two of you. Sigma felt his annoyance rising, and it didn’t make you feel any better that the man who was behind all of this was trying to act nice towards you. Sigma quickly shoved him off, letting go of you and turning towards Nikolai. Just before he opened his mouth, Nikolai cut him off before he could speak.

“Ooooh, look over there! Looks like we’re making a splash!” He said cheerfully, pointing behind the two of you. You wiped the tears from your eye, hesitantly turning around to see police cars and news trucks beginning to surround you. Sigma’s expression turned into one of shock, and you quickly felt your heart rate pick up. Sigma grabbed your wrist, pulling you over to where Nikolai stood and shoved you behind him, attempting to shield you from them in any way he could. “Where do we go?!” Sigma whisper-shouted under his breath, to which Nikolai simply giggled. “I’ve already thought about this, trust me! Now, follow me, you two!” He didn’t waste any more time, grabbing the two of you and running off to go find what he was looking for.

It didn’t take long until he found what he needed; a car with keys inside. Only issue was it had someone else occupying it, attempting to hide in their car. He quickly grabbed his trusty pistol from his cape, pointing it directly at the man cowering inside. “Open up, please! I won’t shoot if you do, pinky promise!” He said, his grin widening as the driver slowly opened the door with shaking hands. He quickly grabbed the man's collar, yanking him out of the car before shooting him in the skull. You winced slightly, not even looking at the man’s dead body as he turned to you two. Police sirens were blaring in the distance, the sounds of soldier’s speaking into megaphones to clear the streets were blaring in your ears.

“What’s a little chaos without a little chase, right?”

Chapter Text

“Do you even know how to drive..? Or have a license?” You asked quietly, willing the tears to fade from your eyes. Judging by what you knew about him, it’d be a miracle if he even knew how to ride a bike without training wheels.

“I’m a free bird! Free birds don’t need driver's licenses! After all, have you ever seen someone stop a bird and ask it if it has a license to fly?” He asked with a grin. You hesitantly shook your head, and you could practically hear Sigma’s eyes rolling as he asked you the question.

“Exactly! Now, we don’t have much time! Hurry up, dear assistants! Oh, and Sigma?” He said, turning to face Sigma.

“Yeah…?” He asked hesitantly.

“Don’t sit in the front.”

Sigma looked a little confused, but he didn’t want to go against whatever Nikolai said. Not to mention the fact he didn’t want to be near Nikolai, especially with whatever plan he had in mind. Nikolai then ushered the two of you quickly, making sure you were both in your seats before he grabbed the keys from the dead man, turning them into the car. The vehicle roared to life, and Nikolai immediately stepped on the gas, zooming out of the parking spot. You already had your seatbelt on, but you were convinced that if you didn’t, you would have flown out of the car with how fast he had gone.

“Are you trying to escape or kill us?!” Sigma yelled from the back, gripping the grab handle attached to the ceiling of the car for dear life. Nikolai began swerving through the street, the familiar sounds of police sirens chasing after you becoming much more apparent.

Great. You were in a police chase now.

You would’ve been surprised by these events a week ago, but now? You weren’t exactly shocked, but more so terrified for what was bound to happen. The worst case scenario was that Nikolai would crash and get you all killed, or worse, you’d become captives of the military. You’d probably be tortured by the Hunting Dogs until you died, and you definitely didn’t want your final moments to be in their hands.

Your palms were sweating as you sat frozen and tense in your seat. Your heart was racing a million miles an hour as you watched Nikolai drive, ignoring every light and any driver who made the mistake of coming near him. There were quite a few people on the road due to the chaos of the helicopter crash, and it was honestly a miracle he hadn’t crashed the car yet.

You just wondered how long that luck would last.

- - -

“Pandemonium tonight in Hiratsuka as we come to you live; three terrorists have crashed a helicopter into a large building in the town square.” The news reporter sat in the studio, staring solemnly at the camera as he continued. The screen in the top corner showed cameras and flying drones, observing the situation at hand. “Injuries and casualties are still unknown as our rescue team does the best they can to find survivors, meanwhile, the three terrorists are currently being chased by both Hiratsuka’s police force and the military. The three perpetrators have been identified as ability user Nikolai Gogol, Sky Casino owner Sigma, and an unknown teenage girl. Despite the confusing trio, please do not underestimate the danger the city is currently in. Many have attempted to evacuate without realizing they were still roaming the streets, which we strongly advise against. The roads are not currently safe for travel. Please stay safe inside your homes while authorities deal with the issue at hand.”

He paused, taking in a sharp breath before continuing.

“We are currently unsure on their motives, though intel from the military believes that they’re after something much farther than Hiratsuka, or Japan itself. We will keep everyone updated on the situation as we are informed. Please, stay safe.”

- - -

“Have you ever even been behind the wheel of a car before?!” Sigma shouted from the back seat, his hand gripping the grab handle so tight that his fingers grew sore. “Oh, plenty of times! Fyodor always trusted me to be his driver!” Nikolai reassured him, swerving into a different lane when he saw a police car coming from the opposite side.

“There’s no point in lying! Fyodor never mentioned you driving him once!”

“It’s not nice to distract the driver, Sigma!” He paused, his grin widening. “Though, I was lying. Fyodor said that a turnip could steer better than I could.”

Good lord, why didn’t you guys just surrender?

Before their arguing could continue any longer, several gunshots began to ring past. Both you and Sigma quickly ducked, though Nikolai barely gave a reaction. The only change in his expression was a small frown that graced his lips. “At this rate, they’ll shoot the tires out… Hm…” He mused out loud, before his face lit up. It seemed his plan could finally be put to the test. He glanced over at you, the look in his eyes causing goosebumps to form on your skin.

Whatever he had planned, it wasn’t going to be good.

“So… You’re around 17, right? 18? 19?” He guessed, though he knew how old you were.

“...I’m 16.”

“Great! You ever learn how to drive?”

What?

“Don’t even finish that sentence.” Sigma retorted before you could reply, already knowing where Nikolai’s mind was wandering to.

“What? She’s a teenager! They usually drive to sneak out and do god knows what!” Nikolai argued, taking a sharp right, causing the three of you to jerk faintly.

“She is not drivi-”

“So! You ever wanted to learn how to drive? I’m sure driving away from both the police and military is a great start! Gives you something to tell the grandkids!” He said, before muttering under his breath, “If you make it that long, that is.”

“With your driving, she’s never gonna make it out of this car alive!”

“Oh, so you agree she should drive? Someone needs to kill them, and it clearly won’t be you!”

“That’s not even what I-”

Another couple gunshots.

One of them barely missed the tires, with the others breaking the glass of the backseat. Luckily, none of them managed to cut Sigma, but it didn’t mean that the broken glass wasn’t dangerous. They were more vulnerable now. Nikolai knew he needed to act fast, and for once, he had to be self-aware. His love for arguing may actually end in his demise if he continued, after all.

“Just unbuckle your seatbelt and come to my seat! I’ll get rid of the little rats on our trail, and you can drive! It’s not so hard, just put your foot on the gas and use the fun wheel!”

Your life was turning out more like GTA with every second you lived it.

Before you could even retort or reject his idea, you watched as he unbuckled his seatbelt and opened the car window, leaning his head out and pulling out another damn grenade from his cape. Panicking, you quickly undid your own seatbelt and climbed into the driver’s seat before you ended up crashing. It was cramped and uncomfortable with him so close, but you didn’t have much of a choice.

How…

How were you supposed to do this?

You had taken driving lessons before, though you were always too nervous to do anything more than drive in parking lots or neighborhoods. I mean, you had been on the street once or twice, but… nothing really compared to this. Your parents always encouraged you to do more, but you’d freeze anytime you tried. You had the temptation to speed up and crash into the wall and kill all of you, but…

You couldn’t leave the agency behind like that.

Not after what they had done for you.

Not after Dazai said he believed in you.

You’d just have to try.

You put your foot on the gas pedal, pressing down on it hesitantly. You felt the car moving underneath you, as if it were attaching itself to you like second skin. You quickly pressed down harder, gripping the wheel like it was a lifeline as you began driving quickly. You tried to find a good balance that wouldn’t cause a crash while still keeping ahead of the police, though that challenge was quickly presenting itself as a difficult one. Your driving was unsteady, and you could practically feel Sigma’s panicked breathing down your neck as you clutched the wheel tighter.

Their lives were in your hands now.

Sure, you could absolutely eliminate the three of you and drive straight into a wall. Honestly? That idea was much more tempting than anything else at the moment. Yet, a little voice in the back of your head was screaming at you to continue. Pushing your broken body forward until you’d fall apart under the pressure completely. What would happen if you died? You hadn’t even had the time to stop and think of Fyodor’s plan, so you had absolutely no clue if he wanted that or not. A selfish part of you didn’t want to leave, foolishly believing you had even an ounce of control over the situation. But as you sat in this dingy car, driving away from the SAT and police alike, you diminished that thought.

You had no control over what was happening.

Might as well strap in and enjoy the ride, right? After all, you couldn’t let everyone who was counting on you to live down. That’d just be cruel.

You couldn’t end up like him, after all.

Your foot pressed harder on the gas pedal as you heard the earth-shaking noise of an explosion behind you, the sound of screaming and Nikolai’s laughter filling your ears and drowning out the ringing as you continued to drive. The sirens almost sounded like background noise now, as if it was nothing but a mere daily occurrence. It was much more difficult to drive like this, considering it was impossible to see out of the side view mirror due to Nikolai blocking most of your vision, nor could you look out the right side window. You were also driving on a different side of the road than normal, and were on a different side of the car. All these facts combined made it ten times more difficult to function in the car, and the fact that Nikolai’s ass was way too close to your face for your own comfort.

You saw a large shadow looming close to the car as you glanced to your left, your eye narrowing faintly as you attempted to gauge what it was. When it registered what was falling out of the sky, you quickly slammed on the gas and swerved in the other direction. You luckily managed to escape the range of the object, though that didn’t stop both you and Sigma from yelling as a car fell from the blast and crashed directly onto the ground. A loud splat could be heard as the officers' corpses were launched from the car and collapsed on the ground, gore splattered amongst the street. You didn’t dare pry your eyes away from the road as you continued driving. You were on god knows what street, doing your best to navigate the turns and twists of Hiratsuka without crashing into some little shop or launching Nikolai out of the car.

“ENOUGH WITH THE DAMN GRENADES, NIKOLAI!” Sigma shouted from inside the back seat, clinging onto the grab handle and his seatbelt for dear life. He should’ve just stayed in the damn facility, at least torture would’ve been better than this. Nikolai’s laughter could be heard from outside the car as he shoved his hand inside his cape, using his ability and his gun to blast the brains out of the drivers that approached them. “Sorry, sorry! I suppose we’ve had enough explosions for the day. It’s starting to get boring…” He trailed off with a sigh. You wanted to yell at both of them to shut up so you could focus on driving, but you knew that’d only derail your focus further. It was getting a bit harder to see now that the smoke and ash from the rubble of the building you had crashed into was spreading throughout the city, the air feeling dirtier as the seconds went on. You didn’t exactly know which direction the destroyed building was, but you used your gut instincts to avoid going anywhere near it.
Most of the original cars and people on your trail were dead, had crashed, or were destroyed by the grenade, so there weren't as many behind you now. You took another turn and continued on, not letting that fact slow you down. You didn’t flinch as much now with every person that died. Maybe that should have scared you.

But you didn’t have time to dwell on that.

You weren’t sure how much longer it had been until the familiar sound of propellers spinning rapidly hovered above you, quickly realizing that helicopters were now swooping in above you. “What the hell are we gonna do?! They’re starting to surround us!” Sigma shouted from the back. “I.. I don’t know! Why would I have any clue?!” You yelled back, a pit forming in your gut. After all this effort, after all this time, were you really going to lose? To get captured and most likely die or end up in the hands of the Hunting Dogs again? “Relax, relax!” Nikolai assured, though it was anything but reassuring. “We’ll end up fine, I’m sure of it! I can’t disappoint Fedya, after all!”

Before he could say or do anything further, you saw several objects fall from the helicopters, looking like tiny bombs. Panic set in your gut as you stepped on the brakes, attempting to stop without flinging Nikolai out of the car like a ragdoll. The three of you quickly realized they weren’t grenades or anything that’d cause an explosion but instead they were smoke grenades. You watched as thick clouds of smoke suddenly surrounded your vehicle, making it hard to see. You couldn’t remember what direction you were planning on taking now, and Nikolai pulled back into the car to not breathe the smoke. It was very uncomfortable with two people in the same car seat, but comfort was the least of your concerns right now.

You hear chaos and loud noises all around you, the sounds of orders being yelled and things being deployed filling your brain.

Was this it?

“Can’t we just do the escape plan now, Nikolai?!” Sigma asked, his eyes watering as the smoke irritated them. You could feel tears forming in your own eye, though you weren’t sure if you were crying or if it was from the smoke. “Sure, we could… But I want to see how this all plays out!” He replied, his own watery eyes not deterring him from being his usual self.

“Are you out of your mind?! If she gets injured–”

“Oh, you worry too much! I know how Fyodor feels about her getting injured, I won’t let anything happen to our precious cargo!”

“That’s not what I– Okay…” Sigma relented with a sigh, a frown etched on his face. He just hoped Nikolai was telling the truth. He couldn’t afford to argue right now, and he knew bad things were definitely about to happen when the smoke cleared.

You wiped the tears pooling in your eye as the smoke slowly began to dissipate, revealing a horrifying scene. Barely twenty feet away from you, you were now completely surrounded by SAT and police cars, with at least two helicopters hovering above you.

You were completely and utterly trapped.

Your jaw practically dropped to the bottom of the car, and even Nikolai looked surprised at how many had arrived. Though, it wasn’t really shocking in the slightest, considering what you did. Didn’t mean that seeing it for yourself wasn’t horrifying however. Soldiers and police surrounded you, shields and guns raised and pointed. For whatever reason, they weren’t shooting yet. You watched one raise up a megaphone and begin shouting, though you tuned out whatever he said. Something about surrendering to be captured, as expected.

“All of this just for little old us, huh? I’m honestly flattered!” Nikolai said with a small giggle, though his movements suggested some panic. “Assistant, dear,” He began, glancing at you. “You can drive in circles, can’t you? Rapid ones, preferably?”

Where was this going this time?

“Uh… Wouldn’t they shoot us?” You muttered, not even sure if any of this was worth it anymore. You guys seemed completely trapped with no way out.

Oh how wrong you were.

“No, not at all! You see,” He talked down to you, his tone sickly sweet and condescending. You could tell Sigma was getting annoyed by it, yet he continued to listen along with you. “They won’t shoot us. I’m pretty sure they were given special commands to take us to Meursault if captured… Since, y’know, abilities!” He gave little jazz hands. “Now, what do you say we take this car for a spin with our old rapid-fire friend?”

You thought for a moment about who this ‘rapid-fire’ friend could be before it finally dawned on you.

He was referring to the minigun.

“What is your rapid-fire friend?!” Sigma asked, looking more concerned as you put your hands on the wheel once more. You just hoped you wouldn’t puke your guts out from getting dizzy. You could hear Nikolai rummaging around through his cape, eager to have some more fun. “It’s the minigun he used to kill soldiers in the base we broke you free from…” You said quietly, not making it a big deal. Sigma’s expression faltered, but before he could protest Nikolai’s cartoonish and frankly stupid idea, Nikolai had already whipped out his minigun.

“Now, let the real show begin! Roll back the curtains, dear assistant!”

You took a deep breath in before grabbing the gear shift and spinning the wheel, accelerating as you began to spin in rapid circles. Nikolai immediately started firing, grinning ear to ear while the soldiers were rapidly shot at. Those who had shields quickly ducked behind them, though their structure didn’t last long enough to stop the bullets that sprayed everywhere and anywhere they could reach. He didn’t just stop at the people on the ground, aiming up at the helicopters to cause as much damage to them as possible. You could quickly feel your head begin to spin, the recent surgery that removed your eye combined with the overall feeling of spinning was beginning to disorient you, though you didn’t stop. Smoke was emitting as tire streaks stained the ground beneath you, evidence of your effort to continue the rotation. Poor Sigma was holding on for dear life in the back, trying to signal for you to quit.

But you didn’t.

As bad as you felt ignoring Sigma’s requests, you had to prevail.

He was counting on you, wasn’t he?

Dazai’s words echoed throughout your skull as you prevailed.

“I can assure you, you’re much more useful to this agency than you believe.”

“I believe you are a lot stronger than you give yourself credit for.”

You clung to those words like a desperate child attempting to find light in a dark cave. You blindly believed the words he told you. Drinking right out of the palm of his hand like an ignorant fool.

But wasn’t that better than completely losing hope?

“Ahhhh, it’s so good to let off steam! Why don’t we try getting away now? I’m sure most of them are dead anyway!” Nikolai called out, shoving the minigun back in his cape and rummaging around for something else. You quickly obeyed his orders, feeling almost pathetic. You were following every order like a dog, yet you couldn’t stop yourself. You quickly seized the spinning, staying still for a few moments. Your vision was spinning, the world moving as if the earth had suddenly picked up speed. It felt like everything was breezing past you, as if nothing was truly there. The only thing that snapped you out of your thoughts was Nikolai’s voice telling you to be quick. You slowly began to feel more sick as you began driving again, rolling in between two cars that looked similar to swiss cheese due to all the bullets in them. You continued driving, the streets momentarily quiet until the familiar sound of helicopters hovering returned.

Nikolai came back in from the window, cramping you in the seat once more and seeming completely unbothered by it. “Time for the final phase of my delightful plan, dear assistants! We’ll be making our grand exit soon! For now, just keep that pedal to the metal!” He said with a smile, giving no other explanation or context for what he’d do. You continued driving, the world slowly beginning to spin less and less, though the bile that threatened to spill out of your throat didn’t seem to fade just yet.

However, you quickly ran into a bigger problem; the fact that you were coming across a dead end.

You could see it far in the distance, there wasn’t much more road left. The other exits were blocked by cars with soldiers and police lined up, with no way to drive past them. Panic began to set in for who knows how many times today as you felt the sweat from your palms drench the steering wheel. “What are we going to do?! We can’t go anywhere else!” You yelled, glancing briefly at Nikolai, his demeanor not at all shaken by this. “Shh, don’t worry! You’ll see!”

“God, finally. Took you long en–” Sigma attempted to complain, though quickly let out a yelp as the floor gave out beneath him. Nikolai had used his ability, meaning he was teleported to who knows where. Your foot unintentionally pressed harder on the gas, propelling you faster towards your possible doom. “Where did he go, Nikolai?!” You questioned with a worried tone, glancing behind you to see a hole in the floor of the car. “Why don’t you go find out, hm? I got it from here!” He replied, and before you could say anything else, the floor underneath you gave out as well. You shrieked, flailing your arms as you suddenly landed on the floor… somewhere.

Disoriented, your head was once again spinning as you slowly stood up, clutching the bandages that covered your right eye socket. You glanced around, only to realize you were on a helicopter with Sigma and two very shocked pilots. “Y-You… You two!” One stammered, momentarily forgetting what was going on around him, solely focusing on the intruders in their vehicle. “Oh God, where is he?!” He yelled, referring to Nikolai. He knew full well what would happen if he were to arrive.

Sigma looked less disoriented than you, letting out a small sigh before reaching into his pocket and pulling out his own gun. Your eye widened in surprise as you took a small step away from him, watching as he pointed it to the two pilots. “Continue flying.” He commanded, his voice more stern than before. It seemed he knew about this part of the plan, and you weren’t sure if that realization scared you or not. He seemed like a more comforting figure out of the Decay of Angels, though you knew you shouldn’t forget…

He was still one of their members.

The nervous pilots nodded, continuing to fly the helicopter until the familiar landing of another person startled them once more. You turned around to see Nikolai quickly jumping from the floor and dusting himself off. “Phew! Good thing everything went smoothly! Fyodor wouldn’t have been very happy if I had messed up…” He muttered, rubbing the back of his neck with a grin. “You call that smooth?! We crashed into a building!” Sigma retorted, keeping his gun pointed at the pilots as he glared at Nikolai. This seemed like the fiftieth pointless argument they have had since you met both of them, and you started to wonder if this is all they did. Made you question how anyone in the Decay of Angels even tolerated one another…

“Whatever! I don’t need to hear it, especially considering I-”

It was both of you.

“-was the one to rescue you! Now be a good assistant like your co-worker and shoot the pilots!” Nikolai replied, not leaving any room for argument. Sigma grumbled to himself, hesitating for a moment before shooting both the pilots, watching as their bodies fell to the ground.

This time, you didn’t look away as they fell.

You watched as Nikolai walked over and grabbed them both by the ankles, opening the helicopter door just enough to launch them out with a wolfish grin. He closed the door once the bodies were taken care of, walking over to Sigma as he sat down at the pilot's chair, putting their course in and setting it to autopilot.

“How… How did you manage to get out of the car?” You asked, breaking the silence. Nikolai turned back towards you, flashing you his usual smile. “Oh, it was no big deal! I accelerated the car and teleported out at the last second, causing it to crash!” He explained like it was nothing, waving his hand. You weren’t even sure how to respond, giving an awkward thumbs up before glancing around the helicopter. You quickly made your way to the back of the helicopter where passenger chairs were, collapsing on one of them with a soft sigh.

You were utterly exhausted.

You couldn’t recall exactly the last time you had slept, though you assumed it was after your surgery. You could feel your eyelids getting heavier and heavier, barely registering the fact Sigma had walked back with you and sat down next to you, looking about as tired as you did.

No words were exchanged between you as you allowed sleep to claim you, your head slowly falling on his shoulder as you knocked out. He flinched faintly at the contact, not expecting to have your head resting on his shoulder. Despite his initial shock, he didn’t move away, simply allowing you this moment of peace.

You truly did remind him of himself sometimes.

- - -

“Oh, you sly dog, you!” Nikolai exclaimed over the phone that he had stolen from one of the dead pilots. Fukuchi was on the other end of the line, rolling his eyes at Nikolai’s words despite the fact he couldn’t see him. “It was just part of the plan. No need to praise me.” Fukuchi grumbled, taking a long sip of whatever drink he had chosen, he couldn’t quite remember. “Still! Sending your least compatible members after us? What an idea! You’re quite heartless for using Teruko like that!”

“Wouldn’t call it that. Simply knowing what to use to my advantage.” Fukuchi brushed it off with a small shrug. “The airport phase will begin soon. You remember what happens, right?”

“Oh, of course I do! I’d never forget something Fedya told me, especially if it were this important! Plus, I have the help of my dear assistants, after all.”

“Oh yeah? How’s the… uh…”

“The girl?”

“Yeah, her. How’s she been? Y’know, holding up, I guess.”

“Hm, and why do you care?”

“Wouldn’t say care. More of a simple curiosity.”

“Oh, she’s held up great! She handled all the things I threw at her fine! She seemed a bit shaken up at the base, but… I’m sure she’ll adjust just fine. To tell you the truth… She’s a much better assistant than Sigma ever was…” Nikolai mumbled into the speaker, though didn’t bother truly concealing his voice.

“I can hear you, you know.” Sigma grumbled, though he kept his voice quieter so as to not disturb your sleep.

“Oh, right! Would you like to say hi to Fukuchi?” Nikolai asked, not waiting for an answer as he shoved the phone in Sigma’s face, forcing him to say something.

“Oh… Um… Hi, Fukuchi.” Sigma muttered, slightly flustered.

“...Hello, Sigma.” Fukuchi replied.

“...”

“...”

“Great chat between you two!” Nikolai exclaimed, taking the phone away from Sigma and breaking the awkward silence. “Well, would love to keep calling and chatting, but we’re on our way to Europe, after all! Might as well look at the nice views!” Nikolai said cheerfully, hanging up on Fukuchi before he could even say goodbye. Walking to look out the helicopter window, he grinned as he turned to look at Sigma again.

“The trees really do look beautiful from this height! You should come take a look!” He said, gesturing for Sigma to come over.

“...No, thanks. I wouldn’t want to wake her up.”

“Aw, lame…”

And as you continued to drift into a deep sleep, you silently thanked whatever was in the sky that you were allowed this moment of rest. This moment of peace amongst the chaos.

Though knowing your life, it wouldn’t last long.

Chapter Text

Your dress could be red with how much blood had poured out onto it.

The clouds weren’t completely dark, though a noticeable gloominess hung heavy in the air as you stood in the breezy field of red spider lilies. Glancing down, you saw the sprouts growing more and more out of the scars on your arms. They were no longer tiny stems with small buds, but they were slowly beginning to grow into flowers. You grimaced faintly at the sight, the feeling of something foreign emerging from you made your skin crawl. You wanted to rip them out, yet you couldn’t. It’d just make things worse if you did. Even if you felt the urge to claw them out one by one until you were in a pile of your own gore, you held back.

Like always, his presence never strayed far.

You turned around to face him, ignoring the dark brown stain that tainted your white dress. Your heart raced faster in your chest as you made eye contact with him, his back not turned towards you this time. He looked at you with an eerily blank expression, his eyes slightly narrowed as your gaze met with his. A faint frown graced his lips, like he was disappointed. He wasted no time speaking, opening his mouth to talk to you once more.
“You’ve been quite.. active since we’ve last spoken, haven’t you?”

You felt confusion bubbling inside you for a brief moment. Active? Did he mean all the stuff with Nikolai and Sigma? I mean, active felt like a bit of an understatement. You crashed a helicopter into a major building, evaded military personnel as well as the Hunting Dogs, broke a fugitive out of a military base, and became a terrorist. That was a lot more than active, but you weren’t about to correct him. “I… I guess..?” You muttered, your eye wandering from his figure to glance around at the atmosphere around you. You realized that you hadn’t particularly tried to wander past this area. You weren’t too sure what would happen, but you had nothing better to do. You didn’t want to stay near him, that’s for sure.

Just as you turned and took a couple steps away from him, you heard him say something that stopped you dead in your tracks.

“A daughter your age that soldier had, wasn’t it?”

Your eye widened, a sick feeling forming in your gut as you slowly turned around to face him again, your expression becoming more mortified. Why was he bringing that up?

“I’m sure he wasn’t the only one,” He stated in an almost casual manner, his disappointed expression changing into one of amusement as he saw the despair in your eye. “I’m sure every body you added to the pile had a family of their own. Almost comedic, is it not?”

“How… How is that comedic?” You asked, attempting to keep your voice steady and failing.

“It’s simple,” He began, smirking faintly. “You’re trying so hard to fix this world and return to your own kin, yet you eliminate so many others with families just like yours.”

He paused, before his smile widened into something even more unsettling.

“Are you sure what you’re doing is worth the struggle?”

Was he seriously telling you to give up?

“I…” You stammered for a moment, attempting to come up with some sort of reply. Something that would make you feel better. Yet nothing came to mind. “I… I don’t have to listen to you…” You replied, your voice faltering as you turned away from him and began walking in the opposite direction of him.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you. This world only goes so far,” He chided, though he made no attempt to truly stop you. You ignored his warning, not wanting to deal with his manipulation any further. You didn’t want to be reminded of the people who had died because of Nikolai. You didn’t want to be reminded of everything you had witnessed. If you could block it out, maybe you’d just forget.

It was easier to move on if you forgot.

You felt the flowers crunch underneath your feet as you continued walking, grimacing at the feeling. You didn’t notice any immediate changes in your surroundings, the field still having its seemingly endless flowers. The sky remained the same gloomy shade of light gray, not faltering as you continued.

You could feel his looming presence fade away as you continued, though the further you went, the more changes you began to notice. The faint breeze that used to wisp past you and the flowers had vanished, leaving the field in an eerie sense of quiet. The flowers beneath you seemed to turn darker and darker shades of red as you continued with your journey, with Fyodor’s words echoing inside your head.

“This world only goes so far.”

Unfortunately, it didn’t seem like he was lying.

A chill ran down your spine as you continued walking, the atmosphere suddenly much colder and heavier than it was before. You felt a pit forming in your stomach, the hairs on your neck standing up as the sky suddenly seemed much darker than usual. The lilies were no longer bright and colorful, but dark and wilted. An indescribable fog began to form around you, making it harder to see what was in front of you.

It didn’t take much longer for the figures to appear.

They were completely still, their frames tall and their silhouette’s pitch black. Your heart sank as they came into view, the anxiety you felt only heightening. There were only two of them, but that didn’t mean they didn’t terrify you.

These people…

They weren’t Fyodor.

And somehow, that was even scarier.

The familiarity of this place had faded, the thick fog enveloping everything. Despite your urge to run back and return to what you knew, it felt like you couldn’t control your legs anymore. Your feet wouldn’t cooperate with what your brain was telling them, making you panic more. You didn’t say anything, your throat closing up as you approached them.

Despite how close you were now, you were barely able to make out the figures. You were maybe ten feet away now, and the only thing you could tell was that their backs were facing you. They looked to be two adult men, though you couldn’t fully see. Your feet refused to listen to you anymore, not stopping the approach.

“H… Hello…?”

Stupid.

Why the hell did you say anything?

The figures didn’t move at first, however, your body finally froze. You watched as the two figures slowly turned their heads towards you, your eye widening in horror as you finally made out who they were.

Their skin was eerily pale, almost glowing white through the fog. They stood on a ledge of sorts, as there were no more visible flowers in front of them. They moved their heads in sync, their eyes wide and bloodshot. Blood stained their bodies, their mouths slightly agape, yet not a single sound emitted from them. Their mouths didn’t look human anymore, with no visible teeth and only a black void inside them.

The two figures standing mere feet away from you were none other than the pale and bloodied figures of Mori and Ango.

“Rise and shineeee! C’mon, wake up, dear assistant!”

Your eye opened wide, your body flinching at the sudden feeling of breath fanning over your face. Your eye took a moment to adjust to everything, before you quickly yelped at the sight in front of you. Standing barely inches away from your face was none other than Nikolai, grinning a bit too widely for your liking. He quickly backed away and began laughing after noticing your fearful reaction, clearly finding it funny. “Finally! I thought you’d never wake up!” He chuckled, stepping away to look out of the windows of the helicopter once more.

Your breathing was a little heavier than before as you tried to recover from that incident, sitting up and glancing around. You noticed the fact Sigma was still next to you. In fact, it seemed he hadn’t moved from his spot in the slightest. You were slightly surprised, considering you were pretty sure you were sleeping on his shoulder for who knows how long. Sigma looks down at you with vague concern, his eyes slightly narrowed. “You seemed pretty distressed when you were sleeping,” He commented, trying to sound more casual than you actually felt. “Everything alright?”

“Oh… Yeah, don’t worry about it.” You assured him, attempting to flash him a smile, which ended up looking half-hearted. He could tell you were lying, but before he could decide if he wanted to call you out on it or not, Nikolai’s booming voice interrupted, much to his annoyance. “Quite funny, nobody has attempted to truly chase us or track us down yet! Do my assistants know what that means?” He asks, smiling as he turned to face the two of you, pointing his finger, expecting an answer. You thought over it for a moment, before both you and Sigma spoke.

“The vampire outbreak started…?”
“The vampires are spreading.”

“Correct! You two truly deserve gold stars! We make a great trio, don’tcha think?” He asked with a grin, not bothering to wait for an answer as he continued speaking. “We’re quite close to our final destination, passengers! Soon, the games will begin!” He giggled with glee, going on a rant about how excited he was to test out his game. You weren’t exactly sure if it’d be the same or something else, but you didn’t exactly pay attention.

“Do you know what game he means?” Sigma asked, leaning faintly to whisper to you.

“Probably the poison one…”

“The poison one?”

Oh, right. They probably didn’t tell him much.

“Yeah. They inject themselves with lethal poison and if they don’t escape in thirty minutes and obtain the antidote from Nikolai, they die.”

“...Of course that’s the rules. Never could those maniacs have a normal game…”

“Whatcha guys talking about? C’monnn, I wanna know!” Nikolai suddenly interrupted the two of you whispering, pulling out his staff from his cape and leaning eagerly on it, looking at both of you with a smile.

“Uh…” You trailed off, attempting to find some sort of excuse.

“Nothing you need to worry about.” Sigma replied, refusing to give him any satisfaction of knowing the conversation you two were previously having. Nikolai’s smile faded into a pout, the frown contorting his features. “You shouldn’t keep secrets from your ringleader… Oh, woe is me, I truly have no friends here!” He whined, dramatically clutching his chest like he had been wounded. Sigma rolled his eyes, and you just stared blankly at him. Despite the awkward silence, he didn’t stop. “Only Fyodor is my true friend! You lot can be so cruel…” He complained, turning his back to the two of you with a huff.

“...He’s insane…” Sigma mumbled.

“News to nobody.” You whispered back.

“Hey! I can hear, you know!” Nikolai retorted, glaring at the two of you. Of course, he didn’t really care. But that didn’t mean it wasn’t fun to pretend he did.

“We know, Nikolai.” Sigma said bluntly.

“How harsh! Not very assistant-like to gossip while your dear ringleader has his back turned!”

“Maybe you should keep your focus on the fact we’re close to the landing dock.”

“Well maybe YOU should- oh. We are?” Nikolai turned around and looked out the window, gasping with glee. “We ARE!”

Oh great. We were.

You felt your heart start to beat faster as the realization set in that you were going to be in Meursault. Sure, you were in a military base not that long ago, but this? This was different. This was like a military base on crack.

Not to mention…

He’d be there.

You’d be face to face with Fyodor for the first time.

You weren’t even sure how you’d react. Would you start screaming? Would you attempt to strangle him? Would you hide like a coward? Who knows! You certainly didn’t! Every fiber of your being was screaming for you to run away, to hide from facing him. Hell, you’d probably just freeze up in fear making eye contact with him. But, you had no choice now.

It was far too late to go back.

“Alright, my dear assistants!” Nikolai announced, breaking you from your thoughts. “We’re going to be landing very shortly! Considering this is a highly secure prison, remember! Do not take any of their weapons. They may look fun, but trust me, we have plenty of weapons at home!” He said, gesturing to his cape. “The weapons are verified biometrically, and alarms will be set off if taken by the wrong user! Also, this goes to you,” He said, making eye contact with you. You felt a little nervous at the sudden attention, but you waited for his next words.

“Try to be on your best behavior for Fyodor! He’s done so much to accommodate you, it’d only be fair if you treated him nicely! Plus, I want him to think highly of my new assistant.” He said, grinning.
Accommodate you? Seriously?

He’s done so much to accommodate you? What a joke.

“Sure…” You mumbled, barely giving him a response. “Great! Now, whenever we land, they’ll come over and ask for verification and our purpose. I’d say you should be the one to distract them, Sigma! I can take it from there.” Nikolai explained, putting the pressure on Sigma to make sure the guards were distracted long enough for Nikolai to kill them. Sigma looked a little annoyed that he had to be the one to distract them, but he didn’t give much of a protest. Nikolai gave a nod of approval at Sigma’s compliance, before gesturing for him to come towards him. He hesitated for a brief moment, glancing at you before he sat up and walked towards Nikolai. “Since we’re going to be talking to these guards… I wouldn’t want any suspicion being raised due to our outfits. Put these on!” Nikolai said, suddenly pulling out some clothes from his cape. They looked to be similar to the outfits that the other Meursault prisoners wore.

Sigma glanced up, slightly confused. “What exactly is the plan with me wearing these?” He questioned, taking them from Nikolai’s hands and examining them. “Oh! It’s quite simple, really. Just pretend you’re a prisoner or something, and I’ll be the one bringing you here!” Nikolai reassured him, shoving him to the side so he could put on his own disguise. Almost as if it were magic, Nikolai spun around and pulled his cape over himself, transforming within seconds into a suitable outfit for a guard. You weren’t even sure where or how he got such an outfit, and you weren’t going to question it. Sigma seemed to be as confused as you, grumbling to himself as he changed as quickly as he could into the prisoner uniform.

“W.. Wait, what am I supposed to do exactly?” You asked, tilting your head slightly in confusion. Judging by the fact he had no outfit for you, it seemed thankfully you didn’t have a major part in the plan. For once. “Oh, don’t worry, dear assistant! You’re just supposed to hide back here while we take care of it! Let the adults worry about it.” He said condescendingly, setting his cape to the side before walking over and patting your head like you would a little kid. You frowned faintly at the contact, but ultimately said nothing. Not much you could do about it anyway.

“But don’t feel blue! I assure you, you’ve played a major part in our journey so far. You’re still the star of the show, after all!” He reassured, waving his hand as if he thought you were upset about not being involved in the plan. If anything, you were glad. It was a small break, but a break regardless. They’d be fine without you messing up their plan anyway. “Why would she be upset about missing out?” Sigma questioned, finally slipping on the prison uniform. “Well, I would! I always like being involved, especially when it comes to such fun as this!” He exclaimed, grinning as he spun to look at Sigma. “Yeah. We know.” He muttered in reply.

The helicopter was coming close to the destination.

“She sells sea shells by the sea shore… She sells sea shells by the sea shore…” Nikolai said quietly to himself, attempting to make his voice sound different in order to enhance his disguise. With each sentence he spoke, his voice got a little deeper. It was almost unsettling watching him change so quickly, as if it were second nature to him. “Is that really needed?” Sigma asked, glancing outside the helicopter window to see how close they were before looking back at Nikolai. “Obviously! I’m sure you wouldn’t understand, seeing as you’re not a master of disguise, but the voice plays a big part in convincing someone! We can’t have my voice slipping up in such a dire time!” He scoffed, as if it were the most obvious thing ever. “You’ll just ruin your voice if you keep yelling at him…” You muttered, not really expecting him to hear it. He turned to you, opening his mouth to speak before sighing dramatically. “You’re right. I suppose that’s why I keep you around… And so Fyodor won’t get mad, of course.”

After Nikolai finished his vocal exercises, he skipped over to look out the window, grinning as he saw they were about to land. He turned to Sigma and clasped his hands together, smiling. “Help me land this thing, dear assistant! Something tells me they’d shoot us down if I tried to land it…” He trailed off, giggling to himself as he imagined that scenario. Sigma didn’t comment on it, simply taking over and landing the helicopter properly.

Your heart sank as you watched about twenty guards exit some sort of high tech door on the landing dock, each of them armed with weapons. You quickly slumped in your seat, getting on the ground and attempting to hide underneath the helicopter seats. You didn’t want to be the reason the plan fumbled, even if the floor of the helicopter was dirty and dusty. These guys were way more trained than what you had dealt with at the military base, that much was obvious from just a quick glance at them. Their actions were much more controlled, considering they didn’t have a real reason to have any fear.

They didn’t know who was on the helicopter, after all.

“Now, don’t forget, stay hidden!” Nikolai whisper-shouted at you, giving you a wink before quickly turning back as the helicopter made its descent. You couldn’t hear or see much, but that just meant you were hidden well. You could make out some voices, though they weren’t very audible. You could tell by the tones that Nikolai and the guards were speaking, and it didn’t seem to be going very well.

“Good evening,” Nikolai greeted calmly, using the voice he had practiced earlier. His movements were calm, eerily calm, as if he were a completely different person. “Purpose?” The head guard asked, not bothering to sugar coat or mess with formalities. “New prisoner, arrested for-”

“You realize that we don’t drop off prisoners like this, correct?” The guard questioned, the sounds of the other guards raising their guns could be heard. Nikolai felt an unfamiliar heat rising in his body, an emotion he wasn’t used to; embarrassment. Sigma looked at him like he was the stupidest man alive, which in the moment, he might as well be. Oh well, a little slip up never hurt anyone!

“Oh, silly me!” He laughed, slowly dropping the voice he had attempted to put on. He was about to say something else, but before he could, Sigma pulled out his gun and shot the guard right in the chest. He stumbled back, gasping as the other guards began to fire. They ducked out of the way as soon as Sigma fired the bullet, with Nikolai snatching his cape off the control panel of the helicopter along with his gun, shoving his hand through the cape. He used his ability, quickly creating a portal and sticking his hand through it to shoot some of the guards in the back of the head. Only a few collapsed, but the others were quickly rushing to the helicopter to enter and kill them. You could hear the commotion from where you were hiding much clearer now, your heart racing in your chest with fear as you covered your mouth with your hand. You couldn’t panic, especially considering if they did fail, the guards would come and shoot you next. No questions asked.

Just as the first guard entered the helicopter and raised their gun at Nikolai, he suddenly collapsed on the ground with a hard thud. You glanced from where you hid, confused. Neither Sigma nor Nikolai had shot them…

So who did?

Before you could even ponder the question further, more guards began getting shot. You could hear commotion and yelling, confusion clear in the guards voices as they were gunned down. Eventually, it fell silent, yet a few guards remained standing, completely silent.

Nikolai grinned, clapping his hands and cheering. “Bravo, bravo! You four truly are splendid actors! Wow, if I didn’t know any better, I’d say you guys should become my new assistants!” He said with glee, turning his body to face you once more. “You can come out now, dear! It’s all over!”

You hesitantly began to climb out from your hiding spot, dusting yourself off and standing up. You saw Nikolai and Sigma both looking at you, along with several bodies on the floor. Blood was pouring from their wounds, and you quickly looked back at the two in order to not acknowledge the disgusting scene below. “What… Happened, exactly? I couldn’t see anything from the ground.” You asked, tilting your head faintly in confusion. “Oh, simple! Had a little help from inside. Guards, take off your helmets!” Nikolai commanded with a snap, grinning. You watched as they complied, revealing their real form underneath. Their skin was inhumanly pale, their eyes red and glazed over. Long fangs poked out from their lips, and they looked soulless. It was obvious now, they had help from the vampire guards. You nodded faintly in response, sighing slightly. “Can we get off the helicopter now…? Y’know, in case more come back?” You asked, to which Nikolai enthusiastically nodded. “Of course! Lead the way, guards!” He chimed, marching eagerly behind them as they began walking towards a door.

You and Sigma glanced at each other, the silence radiating between you two. There wasn’t much to say at this point. He glanced down at the dead body separating you two, before offering his hand so you could step over it. Your fingers trembled faintly as you hesitantly took it, letting him help you around the corpses before you two stepped off the helicopter. You let go of his hand, though you stayed close to him as you followed Nikolai. He turned around after a moment, momentarily stopping to yell at you and Sigma. “Let’s not dilly-dally! Fyodor is waiting for us!... Oh, and Dazai too, I guess.”

- - -

The journey there was about as unpleasant as the journey you had taken to arrive.

The vampire guards were quick to defend you three, shooting at any figure that even walked past. In difficulty terms, it was pretty easy, but seeing all the guards get taken down like nothing was unsettling. The inhuman movements the vampire guards made, the lack of control they had over their own actions made your gut wrench with guilt. Even if you felt more and more desensitized to every body you saw fall, it didn’t make seeing life leave them any easier. You could see the discomfort on Sigma as well, though it seemed he was doing a much better job at hiding it than you were. As usual, Nikolai couldn’t care less. He skipped down the halls while whistling, twirling his staff with joy. “Oh, I just can’t wait! Fyodor’s going to be so pleased with me when he sees you don’t even have a single scratch on you! Well… Besides the whole ‘losing-your-eye-bit’!” Nikolai exclaimed giddily, turning to you with a smile. You frowned at his words, not liking how lightly he dealt with the topic of you losing your eye. You opened your mouth to retort, to say ANYTHING, but he cut you off when you arrived outside a door.

“Well, here we are! We’ll be bringing Fyodor and Dazai here, as it’s right underneath the… the…” He trailed off, trying to remember the name of where they were being detained. You couldn’t tell if he was being serious or was just acting like a jigsaw version of Dora the Explorer, but you and Sigma answered regardless.

“The Infinite Dice Room…?”
“The Infinite Dice Room.”

Nikolai clasped his hands together happily before dramatically wiping a ‘tear’ from his eye. “Oh, you guys have gotten along so well! This is the second time you’ve spoken in sync! How proud I am…” He trailed off, dramatically fake crying. “Let’s just get this over with, Nikolai.” Sigma urged, bluntly hinting at the fact he was getting impatient. Nikolai quickly stopped his fake crying, nodding with agreement. “Yes, yes, you’re right! Can’t keep my best friend waiting much longer!” Nikolai said with a smile, already imagining the expressions Fyodor would make, the praise he’d give him whenever he saw that you were here and alive. You and Sigma glanced at one another as he daydreamed, both of you telepathically speaking to one another.

This guy was a nut job.

Nikolai snapped out of it after a moment, pushing the doors open with a dramatic gesture, skipping inside and twirling as he took in the surroundings, taking a deep breath. You and Sigma followed, along with the vampire guards. Nikolai turned around once he saw they were about to close the door, letting out a huff. “Now, now, vampires! You’re not needed at this moment! Shoo, shoo!” He waved his hands, walking over and leading the vampires out of the room before shutting the door behind them. He turned back to the two of you, his smile turning into something more… sinister.

You felt unnerved at the expression on his face, but that was just the norm for him at this point. “Should we… get out the tray? For the items you wanted to present for your game?” Sigma asked, trying to focus on something other than that smile on his face. Nikolai shook his head, giggling to himself. “Oh, don’t worry! I have that all covered…” He trailed off, alluding to something more… complex. You and Sigma glanced at each other with confusion.

What was he hiding?

“Now! Why don’t I show our ability-lacking friend the magic that’s about to happen?” Nikolai said, glancing at you and winking. “With my magic, I’m about to make two of our dear friends appear!”

- - -

“Pass the salt, won’t you?”

Fyodor glanced blankly at the salt on his table, slowly reaching and picking it up. With a deadpan expression, he tossed it towards Dazai. They both watched in silence as it slammed and shattered against the transparent golden wall, the glass falling on the floor along with the particles of salt. They say nothing after the exchange for a few moments, any amusement they had being trapped with each other long gone.

“You have an egg, right?”

Dazai looks down at his plate of food, picking up the egg and tossing it towards Fyodor. Once again, the egg slams and splatters against their prison wall, slowly sliding down the wall to the ground. Neither of them laugh, neither of them crack a single smile. Not even an exhale through their noses.

They simply stare.

After a silent five seconds, Dazai suddenly lets out a whine and throws his head back, feeling restless. “God, I’m so bored! Nobody should have to be in your presence for so long!” He groaned, teetering in his chair before looking back at Fyodor.

“Is it almost time yet?” He asks, sounding like an impatient child in a car ride asking their mother if they had arrived at their destination.

“Patience, Dazai.” Fyodor replies, his voice as calm and monotone as ever. Before Fyodor could respond with anything else, he felt the ground underneath him suddenly give out. He falls through the floor, disappearing completely from Dazai’s sight. Dazai looks slightly surprised for a few moments, before a small smirk forms on his face.

“Seems they’ve finished taking their sweet time.” He mutters to himself, a small gasp leaving his lips as the ground beneath him vanishes. He falls through, the metal flooring underneath him falling with him and bouncing on the ground. He lands directly on his tailbone, letting out a yelp of pain as he falls back slightly.

It takes him a moment to adjust to the bright lights of the room, but he quickly stands back up and glances around. The scenery is just what he expected, but a small frown plays on his lips when he sees none other than you standing there. You don’t look particularly worse than the last time he saw you, but the light in your eyes looks dimmer. Your body shakes faintly, and you seem to stand close to Sigma. He had a feeling you would’ve been brought here, but he was hoping that wouldn’t be the case. That he’d be wrong, and they managed to keep you safe.

But that’d be too easy, wouldn’t it?

Of course it would be.

- - -

“Please clap, my dear assistants! The magic trick has worked, and our friends have finally joined our party!” Nikolai said, waving his staff around. You hesitantly raised your hands and slowly clapped, though Sigma made no move to applaud his work. You felt your heart racing in your chest as you glanced at Dazai and Fyodor, your eyes darting back and forth between them.

This wasn’t happening.

You had tried your damned hardest to mentally prepare yourself for what you knew was coming. You knew you’d be face to face with him, and there was nothing you could do about that anymore. You lost your free will the moment you entered this world, and you knew that. Yet, his presence alone made your hands shake and your fingers tremble.

Fyodor hadn’t taken his eyes off you since he fell.

He flashed you a faint smile, one that made your blood run cold. The undeniable joy in his gaze as he saw you was something that made you feel sick to your stomach. You had only been seeing him in your dreams, in that field with the red spider lilies.

But here?

He was something else entirely.

You found yourself taking a step away from him, though he made no moves to get closer to you. You stood closer to Sigma, and he quickly picked up on your discomfort. He knew he couldn’t comment on it, let alone offer any sort of protection, so he simply let you stand close. He just hoped his presence alone was enough to make you feel at least a little safer.

Fyodor opened his mouth to speak, but Nikolai grabbed his hands and got right in his face before he could. “Oh, my best friend! How I’ve missed you!” He exclaimed, his eyes lighting up as a giddy smile crossed his face. He looked almost manic, finally being in the presence of the one friend he had in this world. Fyodor’s gaze practically looked through Nikolai, not very focused on the man standing inches away from him.

There were much more interesting people in the room, after all.

Nikolai picks up on the fact Fyodor isn’t paying much attention to him, and quickly regains composure as he moves out of the way to reveal you. “Oh, I see you’ve noticed my new assistant! A little broken, but she’s quite a helper! And as you can see, she’s mostly intact! Quite impressive, all things considered!” He said, gesturing to you with a smile. He turned to look at you, waving his hand in a ‘come hither’ motion. “Don’t be rude now! Why don’t you say hello?”

You looked at Nikolai and Fyodor, your eye wide with discomfort. You made no move to come closer to either of them, though Nikolai didn’t seem to be annoyed. He laughed, finding it funny how scared you looked. Like a little deer caught in headlights, or a frightened baby bird being pulled from its nest. “Oh, ignore her! I’m sure you know that she’s quite shy.” He said with a small chuckle, though you found it far from funny. Fyodor smirked faintly, letting his hands fall from Nikolai’s grasp and taking a few steps forward, towering over you. You swore your heart was about to beat out of your chest with how close he was, every nerve in your body telling you to run. You couldn’t be near this man for another second. Your throat felt like it would close up, your hands shaking as your legs felt like jelly.

He looked down at you for a few moments, not yet saying anything and maintaining the awkward silence. After a few moments, he finally spoke.

“It’s good to see you after all this wait. I take it Nikolai has been treating you well? Anything for my esteemed guest, after all.” He said, a small chuckle leaving his lips.

“...Fine…” You muttered, barely able to get the words out.

“Oh, give me some credit! I’ve kept her relatively uninjured! Especially considering the Hunting Dogs crashed our helicopter, and we had to–”
“It’s a shame our first meeting has to be here,” Fyodor mused, completely ignoring Nikolai. It seemed he was busier with a new person. “I suppose unfortunate circumstances lead to much better outcomes though, no?”

Nikolai’s face held a brief glimpse of annoyance as Fyodor blatantly cut him off, but he quickly recovered. After all, there was a show to get on the road! “Well, I’m sure you two can become great friends at another time! After all, I haven’t even begun to introduce my game!” Nikolai exclaimed, finally taking Fyodor’s attention away from you.

You felt relieved as Fyodor finally looked away from you, the weight of his stare being lifted off your shoulders. But even as he looked away, you couldn’t fully shake the feeling of him watching you. It was almost like he had eyes on you constantly just by being near him. Nikolai also managed to capture the attention of Sigma and Dazai, everyone's eyes now on the jester.

Perfect.

“Now, I’m sure everyone in this room is familiar with my game by now, correct?” He asked, pointing his staff at everyone before twirling and leaning on it. Nobody replied, but it was obvious the answer was yes. You knew it well enough. I mean, you were just on that arc a couple days ago whenever you were watching it. Injecting the poison… escaping to the helicopter… it was all rather simple for someone as complex as Nikolai and Fyodor.

But you should’ve known better than that.

“Well, we’ll be scrapping that!” He exclaimed with a giggle, looking extremely pleased as he took in the reactions. Fyodor was the only one who seemed unphased, meanwhile, you, Sigma, and Dazai looked all horrified in your own ways. Dazai’s eyes widened for just a moment before he recovered. Meanwhile, you and Sigma glanced at one another, your eye as big as saucers and his mouth slightly agape in surprise.

One of the only things you could remember. One of the only things you could help with…

Of course they’d change it. Of course.

It was a reminder; a painful one that always loomed in your mind. How powerless you were in this world. Just when you thought that you had your feet on the ground, they’d trip you and laugh all over again.
And the day you wouldn’t get back up would be more of a release than a tragedy.
“You’re– You didn’t warn us about this!” Sigma exclaimed, frustration crossing his expression. He didn’t want to claim the title of Nikolai’s ‘assistant’, but he thought the two of you would at least know what he had planned. Nikolai grinned, laughing at Sigma’s anger. “Plans change, my dear Sigma! You can’t waltz throughout life expecting everything to go to your whims. That’s quite selfish, isn’t it?”

“You… What’s the game then…?” You asked, trying to keep your voice from trembling. You wanted to scream in frustration, to yell in anger and just cry until you collapsed, but you couldn’t. You’d shown too much weakness, and now, you were around Fyodor. You couldn’t afford to be weak anymore, no matter how pathetic you felt.

“Well, I’m glad you asked!” He replied, grinning. “Actually, I haven’t worked out a proper title for it…” Nikolai trailed off with a nervous giggle. “But, if I’d have to compare it to anything…”

“I’d call it a ‘Prison Manhunt!”

Chapter Text

“Prison… Manhunt?” You questioned. The title sounded anything but good, and you couldn’t stop your heart from racing in your chest. It felt like everything you thought you knew was simply being turned upside-down just to mess with you, as if nothing you saw in Bungo Stray Dogs truly mattered. You were strapped along for the ride, regardless of your knowledge on what was happening.

And you knew that was their plan from the start. You were helpless, just how they wanted it.

“Why yes! It’s all in the name!” He replied, smirking to himself. “I was originally stumped as to how I could improve my plan, but I decided to go with something more… classic. It’s similar to hide and seek, if you will! Not that Sigma would understand, but I’m sure you three have played hide and seek as children!” Nikolai exclaimed, glancing behind him at Sigma and smirking at his annoyed reaction. He liked seeing the anger in his eyes when he brought up the more personal aspects of his life.

“Now,” Nikolai clapped his hands in order to gain everyone’s attention. “I’m sure you’re all dying to hear about the rules! Allow me to explain… Sigma, whiteboard!” He called out, turning to Sigma. He glanced around in confusion for a few moments before looking back at Nikolai. “...What whiteboard??” Sigma questioned, confused. Nikolai groaned, feigning annoyance as he gestured to the left of him. “Must I do everything? You’re an assistant for a reason!” He called out. Both you and Sigma turned to see a portal opening up, along with Nikolai’s hand pushing a typical school whiteboard out of it. Sigma huffed, glancing back at Nikolai, who was grinning. “You’re acting like you didn’t keep us in the dark about this.”

“Well, adaptability is key! Not being flexible in life won’t get you very far!”

“What’s up with your life lessons today? Trying to impress Fyodor with your wisdom?”

Nikolai gasped dramatically, pretending to be wounded by Sigma’s accusation. “How dare you?! My wit comes naturally! If you can’t keep up, that’s not my issue!”

Dazai chuckled faintly at the scene displayed in front of him, glancing at Fyodor, who looked less amused. “You have some fun friends, Dostoevsky.” He said, taking some amusement in the arguing. It was a nice distraction from all the difficulties he was about to face. “Don’t I?” Fyodor replied, a small smile forming on his face. “I’m quite excited to see how this will play out. I can almost picture the despair on your face as you meet your demise, Dazai.” He replied, closing his eyes briefly as he pictured the look of horror he would be able to see whenever he beat Dazai. Outsmarting him was a game he’d soon grow tired of, so he had to enjoy it while he was still entertained. “Ouch. So cocky for a ‘selfless man of God’.”

“AHEM!” Nikolai cleared his throat, glaring at Fyodor and Dazai, once again redirecting their focus to him. “Ignoring one of my assistant's incompetence…” He trailed off, looking directly at Sigma before looking back at Dazai and Fyodor. “Let me explain how this game will work! Now, Sigma, could you grab the whiteboard?” He asked, batting his eyelashes at Sigma. He let out a sigh, before walking and wheeling the whiteboard over to Nikolai. Nikolai pulled out a dry-erase marker from his cape, undoing the cap before he began to illustrate.

“Now, for our manhunt…” He trailed off, drawing two stick-figures of Dazai and Fyodor. They weren’t very well drawn, but you supposed you couldn’t critique. Your drawing skills were around the same level as his. “The two of you will be participating in the ultimate game of hide and seek! One of you will be a seeker, while the other will be the hider. So,” He turned around, looking at the both of them with a grin. “Why don’t we flip a coin to see who gets what? Fyodor, which side would you like to be? Heads or tails?” He asks, pulling an American quarter. Both you and Sigma glanced at it, a little confused as to why he had American money. “Where did you get that from?” You questioned, curious. “Oh, well, I’m glad you asked! You see, collecting coins has always been a bit of a passion of mine. There’s something so freeing about visiting other places and collecting their currency, seeing the differences in—”

“Tails.”

Nikolai turned back to Fyodor, noticing his slightly unamused and rather blank expression. He quickly ceased his rambling, nodding. “Of course, of course! I take it you’re fine with being heads, Dazai?” He asked, though deep down, he couldn’t care less if Dazai wanted tails. “Fine by me.”

“Great! Now… Watch the magic happen!” He declared, opening a portal above and flipping the coin, tossing it into his cape and watching as it fell out of the portal and onto the ground, teetering for a moment before falling. He glanced down, before declaring what it landed on.

“It seems it’s landed on heads! As per the rules…” He trailed off, pointing his staff towards Dazai. “What role would you prefer? Seeker, or hider?” Nikolai offered, eagerly awaiting his response. Dazai pretended to think over it, as if he hadn’t already made up his mind the second he heard the two options.

But he already knew who he wanted to be.

“Seeker.”

“Excellent choice! It seems Fyodor will be our prey, and Dazai will be our hunter!” Nikolai exclaimed, doing a small twirl. Fyodor’s expression didn’t change much whenever Dazai picked his role, seemingly unbothered by being the hider. “Better hide well, demon. I’m pretty good when it comes to seeking.” Dazai said with a smirk, to which Fyodor let out a humorless chuckle. “We’ll let fate decide who wins.”

“Well, fate or not, the winner will be clear once the time commences!” Nikolai said with glee, drawing the number ‘44’ on the whiteboard. “Dazai, you’ll have 44 minutes to find Fyodor. You may ask yourself the burning question of… ‘What happens when the time runs out?’ Well, I’m happy to answer! I’ll do the honors of injecting both of you with a lethal injection. I’ll be carrying the antidote, and once either Dazai finds Fyodor or Fyodor manages to hide for the entire time limit, the winner will be given the antidote! Sounds fun, right?”

“And how are we tracking them to know who finds who?” Sigma asked, confused.

“Well, don’t you worry your pretty head about that! I’ve got it covered with these…” He built suspense as he reached into his cape, rummaging around until he pulled out two… collars? They had a keyhole on them with some sort of device on the front, and judging by the looks of it, they seemed pretty tight.

“...Tracking devices! Implemented straight in the collars, these will lock on as soon as they’re attached. But just to make sure neither of you cheat… I’ll be putting them on both of you myself! Step right up, Fyodor!” He called out cheerfully, looking a little too excited to put a collar on Fyodor. He simply gave a small nod, looking disinterested as he walked over and lifted his hair for Nikolai. A grin spread across his face as he took in Fyodor’s features, leaning closer as he wrapped the collar around his neck. “I could easily snap your neck, you know. Killing you like this would be so easy…” He muttered, giggling to himself as he attached the device, clamping it together with a click. “Don’t get carried away.” Fyodor replied, causing Nikolai to let out a sigh. “So cold…”

“Hey, you two lovebirds, you’re making me feel like a third wheel. In front of your assistants too, really?” Dazai teased, crossing his arms underneath his chest with a smirk. Fyodor gave an ‘annoyed’ glare at Dazai, while Nikolai scoffed at the comment. “I’m just doing my diligent duty of helping my best friend put on the tracking device that will let me find him and kill him! Is that so wrong?” He scoffed.

Were these people taking none of this seriously?

Here you and Sigma were, stuck with an obsessive jester and two manipulative masterminds, yet Dazai was the one complaining about being the third wheel? Really?

Once Nikolai finished attaching the collar on Fyodor, he pushed him away before gesturing for Dazai to come over so he could do the same to him. As Dazai approached, you took the time to whisper with Sigma. “I’m… not crazy, right? Has Fyodor been watching me most of this time?” You asked, avoiding looking at Fyodor as you whispered to him. Sigma subtly glanced at him before replying to you. “...Yeah. I saw it too.”

“It feels like he’s intimidating me on purpose…”

“Try to ignore it. He wouldn’t… He wouldn’t do anything—”

“What are you two whispering about?! It’s rude to keep secrets!” Nikolai shouted, causing both of you to jump in surprise. It wasn’t the first time he had interrupted your conversation, and it certainly wouldn’t be the last.

“Nothing!”
“Nothing.”

Nikolai narrowed his eyes at you two, but ultimately brushed it off as he finished putting the tracking device on Dazai, shoving him aside just like he did to Fyodor. “Now, before I give both of you your lethal injection that could ultimately lead to your death, why don’t I explain more about how the tracking devices work, hmmmm?”

He turned back to the whiteboard, drawing the word ‘Hider’ over Fyodor’s stickfigure and the word ‘Seeker’ over Dazai. He illustrated the collars around their necks, before drawing what looked like two radios. “Now, how the tracking devices work… I am able to track the signal the device outputs via these radios!” He reached into his cape, pulling out two radios and holding them up for them to see, along with you and Sigma. “I’ll be keeping one on me so I can track your signals at all times. And don’t worry, it’ll tell me if you remove it. Since I can track signals, I’ll know when the seeker finds the hider. You may be questioning why I have two, but don’t worry, I won’t keep you in the dark!”

“I have two because… I will be hiding one of them somewhere around the facility! Don’t forget, there’s about four different floors to this facility. They don’t mess around when it comes to the security here! You can find Fyodor on your own fair and square, but if you want a better chance at winning, I’d recommend looking for this little device!”

“Now… The layout of this place,” He began drawing a small map of the facility, pointing to places as he spoke. “Top authorities are watching and waiting around the ground floor, ready to shoot anyone infiltrating! The corridors in each floor have tens of ‘cells’ that divide the areas. Passwords are needed in order to pass through, and they change every six hours! If one wrong password is input, it’ll never open again! Fun, right?” He giggled, before continuing his explanation. “The gate and wall are surprisingly thick, with a density of 120cm! They’re also made of ability absorbing metal, which is almost impossible to break through. If a suspect is detected, the gates will automatically lock and the room will flood! Buuuut, it’s not just normal water! It’s formulated ‘heavy water’, meaning you can’t swim in it. In addition, it’s very harmful to the human body, so you’ll die if you drink too much. Not to mention the tricky elevator system… Palm prints, voice prints, retina and biometric verification are all needed! These are sent to the central control panel, which need to be verified before the elevator can operate!”

He took a deep inhale, mentally preparing himself as he continued to speak.

“Are you stuffed? Don’t worry, there’s more! Heavily armored security patrols every floor, and they don’t play! They’ll shoot without warning, not to mention that their weapons are also verified biometrically… Meaning, an alarm is triggered if you forcefully obtain them.”

Once he finished his explanation of the layout, he twirled the marker in his hands and grinned. “What a magnificent structure, huh? But, don’t be scared! I have some items that’ll help you in your journey! Ohhh assistant, please hand our two players these keycards!” He called out, turning to you this time. He pulled out two keycards from his cape, handing them to you with a smile. You took both of them, silently walking over to Dazai and handing him one, before hesitantly handing Fyodor the other one. He smiled at you coldly, saying a small ‘thank you’ as he examined it. You quickly walked away from him and made your way next to Sigma, not wanting to be in his presence for very long. It made you uncomfortable just looking at him, let alone standing next to him.

“Now, these keycards will help you navigate the facility in order for you, Fyodor, to find an optimal hiding spot, and you, Dazai, to track him down! It wouldn’t be completely fair to send you out with nothing and expect you to find somewhere good to hide! But… That’s not all I’m giving you! Tray please, Sigma!”

“...There’s no tray.”

Nikolai turned around and smiled at him, though his eyes said ‘I want to strangle you until your face becomes blue and you’re sobbing’. “At least look around before you speak.” Nikolai replied, gesturing to the tray of items behind him. Sigma’s eyes widened in surprise as he saw the tray that seemingly appeared from nowhere, letting out a frustrated sigh. You wanted to crack a smile at his frustration, but your mind was currently occupied.

How the hell was Dazai going to win this?

I mean… You had to have faith, but you really didn’t. Fyodor didn’t seem phased in the slightest when the game was suggested, though maybe that was just a trick. Then again… He could’ve known from the start about the new game. Or did he? Your mind couldn’t even begin to wrap around the mystery known as Fyodor, so you usually didn’t even try. But, you were now face to face with him, and it was impossible to ignore.

You quickly snapped out of it as Sigma pulled over the tray, which had four different items on it. Glancing over them, you saw what looked to be another type of radio, presumably coin bombs, a walkie-talkie, and a broken lockpick. “Now, each of these items have an important role in helping you out! First off, we have… the satellite radio! Now, I know it may seem silly, considering this radio only works on the top floor… and its only purpose is for contact with the outside world. But don’t let that make you overlook its use! This is a grand tool for if you live, and something I will not be offering to you after the game. It can contact anyone if it has a good signal, meaning it’s crucial to your escape once the game commences… And if you live.”

“Next, we have… coin bombs! These are good for distracting both guards and your opponent! Set them off to distract guards, or make your opponent lose your tracks! Or, if they find you and you decide you want to go out together ‘Romeo-and-Juliet-style’, just blow yourselves up!”

“Third is… the walkie-talkie! This is stolen from one of the many guards that were killed by our arrival, and is linked to the channel in which every guard communicates on! Here, you can possibly figure out where your opponent is based on the disturbances they’re reporting, or figure out where the guards are currently located by listening in!”

“Last but not least… the lockpick! Now, it may be broken, but I’m providing you with the good side! If used properly, you’ll be able to pick the lock of your collar and detach it! While this is only really good for the hider, it’s an extremely useful tool! If the seeker were to follow the tracks of the collar and come to find that it wasn’t attached to the hider, they’d be practically toast!”

“Well, since Dazai got to pick his role… Fyodor, why don’t you come pick your item?” He called out, waving Fyodor over. He took a few steps forward, now standing in front of the tray. His eyes narrowed in concentration as he looked over each item, before reaching out and grabbing the satellite radio. Nikolai nodded with glee as Fyodor walked back to where he was standing, examining it in his hands. “Good choice! Though, I must say, I’m surprised you didn’t pick the lockpick… Oh well!” He shrugged, before pointing at Dazai. “Now, step right up! Come pick out your item, Dazai!”

Dazai walked up and glanced at the items, his eyes not straying. However, the look in his eyes was distant. It was obvious he wasn’t thinking of any of the items that were listed in front of him as choices. He had a better option in mind.

You braced yourself, knowing what was coming next. He’d pick Sigma so Sigma wouldn’t be killed, and you’d be stuck with Nikolai. Your heart clenched as you thought about what Nikolai could do to you, how he could torture you when you two were alone. You didn’t want to think about that, but it was an impending reality you knew you couldn’t ignore. Dazai looked up, grinning as he suddenly raised his hand. You braced yourself, glancing at the ground as you mentally prepared yourself for what he’d do.

Yet, surprise washed over you when you suddenly heard Dazai call your name.

You looked back up, confusion written all over your face as you saw Dazai pointing at none other than you. He noticed your confusion and chuckled, finding it amusing. Sigma looked about as surprised as you were, though Nikolai looked hesitant at the idea. “Well, you can’t just steal away my favorite assistant! How will I go back to only having one? They need company, after all! Do you want Sigma to be lonely?” He asked, trying to guilt trip Dazai into picking something else. But, he seemed persistent with the idea. “Sigma’s three years old now, I’m sure he can handle himself just fine. Plus, I think she seems like a good seeker, right?” Dazai questioned, looking back at you. “Uhh… Yeah…!” You agreed, though it wasn’t very confident. You were never very fond of hide and seek as a kid. You were bad at picking hiding spaces, and always got jumpscared whenever someone snuck up on you. Not to mention the fact you were even worse at finding people.

“Exactly. See? She wants to get out and explore! They say if you care about something, you should let it go. Why not be a good samaritan for once, eh?” He suggested, trying to coax Nikolai into agreeing. He thought over it before shaking his head. “I’m afraid I can’t allow it. After all, what kind of ringmaster would I be if I simply let my assistants run off with other people. And it wouldn’t be fair to Fyodor! Two on one isn’t exactly a balanced game—”

“I’m fine with it.”

The four of you glanced at Fyodor as he spoke. “Makes it more of a challenge, wouldn’t you say? I’d hate to get bored during your game after feeling so dull being locked up.” Fyodor explained, biting the skin on his finger as he spoke. Nikolai thought over his explanation before sighing. “Finnneeee… I suppose I can let her go with you.” He turned to you, a dramatic look on his face. “It’s… It’s been a beautiful journey together…” He said, pretending to hold back tears. “Ever since I saved you from the Sky Casino, I knew you’d be the perfect assistant. You haven’t let me down once, and— Oh, God!” He cried out, running over and wrapping his arms around you, pretending to cry. You tensed when he touched you, not expecting the gesture. You felt embarrassment rise in your body at his actions, hesitantly patting him on the back. Fyodor and Dazai looked amused at his gesture, while Sigma just looked annoyed.

“Alright, that’s enough.” Sigma declared, grabbing Nikolai’s shoulder and prying him off you. “Oh, the humanity! Hold me back, Sigma! I can’t bear to let her go!” He wailed while Sigma gripped his shoulders, giving you a chance to escape. You quickly made your way next to Dazai, not wanting to be next to Nikolai any longer than needed.

Even if you were nervous about being with Dazai, with all the risks that came with this… You’d finally have a chance to be away from him.

Nikolai quickly stopped his fake crying act and immediately spun around, smiling ear to ear. “Well, that almost settles it! Now, after I inject you with the serum, I’ll be teleporting Fyodor away onto a random floor, giving him a three minute head start. After that, I’ll teleport the two of you on a random floor, and you’ll begin the journey of either tracking down the device, or simply trying to find Fyodor yourself! Considering the unbalanced rules, Fyodor will need all the help he can get, after all. Sound good?”

The three of you nodded. “Delightful!” Nikolai exclaimed as he reached towards the tray, shoving the unused items back into his cape before pulling out two syringes. He first approached Fyodor, lifting his sleeve before injecting him. He then walked over and did the same to Dazai, making sure he injected the same spot and pushed all the way down, leaving no drop of fluid in the chamber. Throughout the process, Fyodor and Dazai giggled to themselves, imagining each other dying in horrific and bloody ways.

These people really were crazy.

“Annnd… Done!” Nikolai exclaimed, jumping backwards as he tossed the empty syringes away. “I hope you’re all prepared…”

“Now, let ‘Nikolai’s Prison Manhunt’... Commence!”

With a snap of his fingers, the floor underneath Fyodor gave away. His eyes widened briefly as he fell through, disappearing completely. You glanced over, seeing the empty circle where the floor used to be.

He was gone.

Nikolai turned to you and Dazai, putting one of his hands on his hip. “Me and Sigma will remain in a control room, though I won’t say where! Rest assured, I will not influence or infiltrate the game in any way! We’ll be having some fun of our own… Won’t we, Sigma?” He asked, giggling as he glanced at him. Sigma’s expression looked weary, and he didn’t reply verbally. It was obvious he was less than thrilled to be stuck with Nikolai alone of all people. You felt a little disappointed you had to leave Sigma behind, but you couldn’t do anything about it.

You just hoped he wouldn’t ‘die’ like he did in the real Bungo Stray Dogs.

After three minutes passed, you yelped as the floor gave out beneath you. You felt dizzy, your head spinning as you suddenly landed on the ground somewhere else. You almost fell directly on your face, bracing yourself for impact, only to be caught by your shirt. Dazai pulled you up, standing up himself as he glanced around. Neither of you two recognized the hallway, but that was the least of your worries.

The games had officially begun.

“Sooo…” Nikolai began, turning around to face Sigma. “You know how to play UNO?

- - -

“Why… Why did you pick me exactly?” You asked as you stood up properly, watching as Dazai looked around the hallway in awe. He hadn’t been out of his cramped cell in what felt like an eternity, so being able to roam free was a blessing. He ignored you completely, skipping down the hall with no regard for his life. “H-Hey! Wait!” You stammered, quickly following after him. “You can’t just skip down the hall… You have to take this seriously!”

He suddenly stopped, saying your name before turning around. “Can you tell what I’m thinking right now?” He asked, smiling faintly as he looked down at you. “Uh… No?” You said, not sure what you were supposed to make of that question. Why was he asking you that in a time like this? You were wasting valuable time by fooling around! He didn’t seem bothered by your lack of a response, turning around fully before inhaling and exhaling deeply. “Ahh, it feels so good to be freed from that boring cell! I was starting to lose it, being trapped with Fyodor of all people. All the Happy Group Counseling Hours… Eugh.” He shuddered, before suddenly reaching out and grabbing your hands. “C’mon, dance with me! Enjoy our freedom!”

You yelped when he suddenly reached out and tried to twirl you around, quickly freeing yourself from his grasp and taking a step back, feeling a bit annoyed. You didn’t want to be useless for once. You had been given the one opportunity to help and make a difference in this place, and here he was, trying to have the same damn dance break that he did with Sigma! “This isn’t time for dancing! We’re losing time here!” You replied, trying to ignore his disappointed expression. You wanted to regain some sort of control you had lost over the course of being with Nikolai. You felt so meek when you were around him, a feeling you never wanted to experience ever again. Dazai let out a small sigh, knowing you were right. “You have a point… After all, I don’t plan on playing this game by Nikolai’s rules.” He replied, straightening up before his expression turned more serious. “We can’t let that injection kill Fyodor.”

You thought over it for a moment before you nodded, the realization hitting you. Since Nikolai injected Fyodor with the serum… Fyodor would become Nikolai if he were to die from the poison. Your mind raced with questions. Did Nikolai know about Fyodor’s ability? If so, why would he agree to inject Fyodor personally? You couldn’t let Fyodor die by the injection, not unless you wanted to deal with the death of Nikolai. As much as you wanted him dead, he had valuable information with him. “Yeah… You’re right. But how are we going to kill Fyodor without Nikolai noticing? He probably wouldn’t let us mess with the rules of his game, after all…”

Dazai thought over it for a moment before grinning, not revealing anything. “Oh, don’t worry, I have a plan.” He replied simply, not indulging you any further. You stared at him blankly for a moment, before sighing.

Why did you even bother staying alive up to this point if Dazai wouldn’t tell you anything?

“Will you at least answer my previous question? Why did you pick me, and not Sigma?” You repeated, hoping you’d get an answer this time. Dazai remained silent for a moment, before finally replying. “...I had to guarantee your safety, both from Fyodor and Nikolai. Even if Fyodor didn’t pick you, you’d end up in Nikolai’s hands. It was between saving you and Sigma. I had to pick you, even if that means risking Sigma’s life.”

You felt a frown play at your lips, the painful reminder of the danger Sigma was in stinging more than you wished it did. You should’ve warned him before you were teleported away about Nikolai and his intentions, but once again, you were powerless.

At least, that’s what it felt like.

“Right…” You muttered quietly. Dazai could sense the tension in you and was quick to break it, his seriousness fading as his stomach suddenly growled. “Ugh, right. Nikolai broke us out at the worst time, you know? Didn’t even get to finish our dinner.”

“Weren’t you just complaining about the fact you were stuck for so long?”

“Yeah, but that’s different! Y’know, I’m craving something sweet. Why don’t we head to the break room and get some snacks?”

“That’s the last thing we should be doing! You injected yourself with poison, and we probably only have around forty minutes left in order to…” You trailed off, groaning with frustration as you saw Dazai begin to walk away, quickly catching up to him. “You know how many guards will be around here?! Don’t forget the fact you don’t have that ability user to stop time anymore! We can’t just… go wherever.”
Dazai’s expression hardened at the mention of the ability user, the reminder of the reason why he didn’t have that anymore causing him to press his lips into a thin line briefly. You realized what you had said, quickly muttering an apology. It wasn’t explicitly stated between you two, but the knowledge of what happened was there.

Ango was dead.

His communication with the outside world was severed.

His one ticket to stopping time was gone.

He quickly willed his expression to return back to normal, his usual smirk forming on his face once more. “You worry too much. Plus, I’m sure one little snack won’t be the death of me…”

He began walking away again, until the ground suddenly began to shake underneath the two of you. You gasped, almost losing your balance before he grabbed your arm. He looked less panicked than you did, his expression more stern but not very worried. Then again, what was he ever worried about? You felt your mind race with the possibilities of what was shaking the hallway. “Wh– What the hell is that..?!” You said, listening to the commotion that was coming from above you. You could hear guards screaming, along with the sound of gore. Dazai glanced up, a small exhale coming out of his nose.

“Didn’t expect him to be this early…”

Huh?

“Him… Who’s…?” You trailed off, your eyes widening with horror.

No…

No.

He seriously didn’t bring him.

“You… Is that Chuuya?”

- - -

“You…!! DAMNIT, I KNOW YOU’RE CHEATING!”

Sigma was practically seething with anger as he glared at Nikolai, sitting on his knees across from him. They were now sitting in an unnamed control room, with around twelve different guards' bodies piled up outside. Sigma had insisted he didn’t want them in the room, so Nikolai reluctantly moved them, complaining every step of the way.

“Whatttt? What are you talking about?? Why would I cheat at UNO of all things?” Nikolai asked, putting on his best innocent expression to cover up the fact he had been shoving cards in his cape and taking +4’s and +2’s in return. Not to mention the fact he had also been secretly putting up his normal cards to make it look like he had less. He found it hilarious to see Sigma fuming over such a simple card game. He supposed he had struck a nerve, considering he was the owner of a casino, yet was losing to a simple jester.

“Oh, don’t play stupid. I know you. There’s no way in HELL you’ve placed over twelve +2’s, considering only eight of them come in a deck! I have over THIRTY CARDS, NIKOLAI.” He expressed angrily, raising his voice. “Coincidence, coincidence!” He said, waving his hand to dismiss Sigma’s anger. Sigma grit his teeth together in frustration, tugging at his hair as he watched Nikolai place down five skips.

“I wasn’t born yesterday, Nikolai! Nobody just has five skips as their last couple of cards!”

“You were born three years ago though. Should I really trust the judgement of a three year old?”

“We both know I’m not some ‘child’!”

“Noo, but you’re throwing a tantrum like one! C’mon, you have to have a good card in those thirty-four cards somewhere, hm?”

“...We’re playing something you can’t cheat at next.”

Chapter Text

“Whattt? Chuuya?” Dazai asked, feigning ignorance. You felt a surge of emotions run through you, your mouth wide open with surprise. He seriously brought one of the only people who could stop Fyodor if he managed to get back to Yokohama with him. You stayed silent for a few moments, blinking in shock before you managed to speak again. You weren’t even considering how awkward it’d be seeing him again, considering the last time you met he had kidnapped you and watched you get your eye stabbed. You were just worrying about the chance of Fyodor managing to overtake Bram’s body again. If that happened…

Well, it’s not like you really knew. The last chapter you read barely gave much information, and it’s not like you could access it here.

“You… You can’t be serious,” You stammered. “You know what happened in the manga, right? Fyodor gets killed by a vampire, turns into Bram because—”

“Yes, yes, I know. His ability, Crime and Punishment, makes it so he transforms into the person who kills him. You really think I’d do all this without a reason?”

“How did you even get him here?!”

“Eh, long story,” He paused, noticing your horrified expression and sighing. “Alright, I’ll try to shorten it for ya.”

- - -

“Was this necessary, jackass?” Chuuya asked, glaring daggers at Dazai. He stood towering over him, for once, his arms crossed underneath his chest as he leaned down. “I should be asking you that,” Dazai grumbled, struggling against the ropes Chuuya had used to restrain him. “I’m in a rush, you know.”

“Was killing my men needed? Are you here to say something, or are you here to piss me off?” He asked, ignoring Dazai’s complaints completely. “No need to be so uptight, Chuuya. Why don’t you untie me, and I can explain my reasoning for coming here?”

“Thought you said you were in a rush. If you needed to be somewhere, you’d just tell me.”

“Well, where’s the fun in that? Not to mention… I have a bit of a bone to pick with you.”

Chuuya’s frown deepened, knowing exactly what he was talking about. He shifted uncomfortably, leaning on the other foot. “Look, Mori was going off the rails with that shit. I kept trying to tell him to cut it out, but he wouldn’t listen. I didn’t know he’d…” Chuuya trailed off, sighing. “...Do that. Not that it matters anymore, I guess, considering his… death.”

Dazai’s eyes darkened for a moment before he regained composure. “Doesn’t exactly make up for any of that, does it?” He said, his tone more serious than before. “I’d chew you out more for it, but I’m in a time crunch. Just untie me, won’t you? Least you can do.” Dazai requested, not as playful as before. Chuuya muttered something inaudible under his breath before bending down, untying the ropes that confined Dazai and standing back up. “There. Now hurry up and explain yourself.”

“I’ve underestimated Fyodor as a threat.” He admitted, causing Chuuya to look slightly surprised. It was rare for Dazai to ever admit a fault in his wits, let alone for him to admit it to Chuuya. He almost wanted to laugh in his face if he didn’t know this was a more serious situation. “I’m going to the horse races, where one of the Hunting Dogs members will be waiting to arrest me. I’ll be put in the same prison as Fyodor, which originally wasn’t an issue.”

“What’s the issue then? Why come to me?”

“The issue is the fact he knows how I get my communication. I can’t guarantee Ango’s safety anymore.”

“Then just do your communication bullshit and tell him that.”

“He’s well aware of the dangers Fyodor poses. That’s not the point of why I came here. I have an offer for you.”

“What exactly is your ‘offer’? You realize the shit we’re in, now with Mori gone? You realize the Port Mafia is now in shambles because of this?”

Dazai wanted to argue with him, but he couldn’t. He had very little time to strike this offer up, and even less time to convince Chuuya to go along with it. “Just listen to me for one second. I want you to come to Meursault and help take down Fyodor.”

Chuuya paused for a moment, not expecting him to offer that. “Kill Fyodor? Sounds simple enough. Should’ve just said so.”

Dazai sighed. “It’s not that simple. Dostoevsky’s ability takes over the person he’s killed by. If you were to kill him, he’d just take over your body.”

“That… That’s his ability? Course it is… What a rat bastard.” He scoffed. “So, what? You need to kill him, and you want my help with that?”

“It’s not just me who can kill him. That girl… She’s not affected by abilities.” Dazai explained. Chuuya let out a chuckle, as if he couldn’t believe Dazai was even putting an ounce of faith in her. “You… You think that girl could have the chance of killing Fyodor?”

“No.”

“Then why even—”

“Don’t be stupid, Chuuya. If she knows what happens in our world, she’s valuable. We need her alive, and Fyodor knows that.”

“If Fyodor knows that, why kill Mori? Why kill the man who was unintentionally helping his plan by hurting her?”

“Because he clearly wants her alive too. Nikolai left a note when he threw Mori’s body, didn’t he?” Dazai questioned, watching as Chuuya’s eyes widened faintly in surprise. “How the hell did you…?” He knew he shouldn’t be surprised with Dazai’s knowledge, but it still managed to catch him off guard sometimes. “Yes, he did. It talked about how he had no ‘role’ and was interfering with something bigger.”

“Exactly. Mori was in the way of whatever Fyodor wanted, and they got rid of him. Fyodor needs her alive as much as we do.”

Chuuya went silent for a moment, biting the inside of his cheek in concentration. “Now, enough chatter. I need to go.” Dazai turned to leave, but not before glancing over his shoulder at Chuuya. “Now, will you help me by coming to break me out of Meursault or not?”

“...”

“...”

“...Fine.”

- - -

“So you just… convinced him to come help us? Before you went to the track?” You asked, trying to wrap your head around Dazai’s explanation. He gave a nod, grinning. You didn’t look as pleased, all things considered. “It’s pretty hard for me of all people to convince Chuuya to do anything without blackmail, so count us lucky.” He said, acting like he was expecting some sort of praise for doing this. “Lucky?? Me surviving any of this was lucky. Chuuya being here is…” You trailed off, sighing. Complaining wasn’t going to get you anywhere, considering he was already here. “Shouldn’t we go… meet him? It’d be better than sitting around.” You offered, glancing around to try and find some way to get to the floor above. You weren’t even sure which floor Nikolai teleported you both to, nor did you have any idea how to get anywhere. While you may have had the keycard needed to get places, you knew it wouldn’t help you everywhere.

“Hmm… Nah. Make him work for it. It’ll be fine.” He replied, acting completely unbothered by the situation. You were slowly beginning to understand how people like Kunikida and Chuuya constantly lashed out on Dazai.

You seriously stayed alive for this guy?

“We’re running on the clock here…” You reminded him, but it seemed he couldn’t care less. He simply shrugged before sitting down on the floor, leaning against the wall as he waited for Chuuya. You frowned, glancing up when the ceiling began shaking more and more. “What is he even doing up there…?” You muttered, to which Dazai glanced up. “Who knows. Look, he’ll be here in five…”

Some sort of cracking sound could be heard, as if the ceiling were giving out.

“Four…”

Silence.

“Three…”

A loud bashing sound was heard before the ceiling suddenly gave out, a hole forming where it crumbled. A figure came floating from the rubble, being none other than Chuuya Nakahara.

Dazai’s expression went from relaxed to ticked off within an instant, standing up abruptly and strutting over to Chuuya. “You ruined my count! Could you have not waited another two seconds before crashing down?!”

Chuuya dusted himself off before glancing up at Dazai, his expression a mix of confusion and annoyance. “Your count…? Oh, were you seriously counting down the seconds till I’d arrive? Cocky bastard… Why would I wait? You seemed to be in a hurry when you came to me out of nowhere…” He trailed off, glancing away from Dazai to look at you. His anger faded from his face, his expression becoming more blank.

“...Oh.” He muttered. He leaned and whispered something to Dazai, though it seemed Dazai had no plan on keeping what he said secret. “What’s that? You’re mad you didn’t tell me she’d be here?” He said loudly, glancing at you to make sure you heard it. You stood there awkwardly, wanting nothing more than to curl up into a ball and die.

Chuuya instantly smacked Dazai in the back of the head, earning a whine from him. They began bickering and arguing about who knows what, with Chuuya grabbing Dazai’s collar and lifting him slightly off the ground. And all you could do was stand there in complete silence.

Dazai was seriously going to die at this rate.

“Uh… Chuuya…?” You called out, attempting to break up the fight as you walked over to them. He momentarily snapped out of his rage, looking back at you. He was surprised you wanted to even talk to him, but he didn’t say that out loud. “Huh? What’s the matter?” He asked, letting go of Dazai’s shirt collar. Dazai stumbled faintly when he landed on the ground before quickly regaining balance, crossing his arms and letting out a huff. “Did… Dazai tell you about the game Nikolai would have him and Fyodor participate in?” You questioned. Chuuya’s eyebrow raised faintly, confusion evident in his face. “No… What game? What did he agree to?”

Well, if he wasn’t angry at him before, he was definitely about to be angry now.

You hesitated briefly before explaining the rules of the game to him, watching as his face morphed with a plethora of emotions. By the end of your explanation, his jaw was tight and his eyes were narrowed. He slowly turned his head to Dazai, looking pissed. “You suicidal maniac…” He muttered, before launching himself at him. Chuuya grabbed his shoulders, shaking him violently as if it’d get his point in his head. “Why would you agree to that?! Do you understand how STUPID that is?! You didn’t even think to mention that!?!” He shouted. It was almost ironic how he was yelling at Dazai for playing with his life, yet here he was, not doing anything to help find Fyodor or the radar. Dazai protested, trying to explain how he didn’t have much of a choice and he was confident he’d win anyway, though it fell on deaf ears.

This was getting ridiculous.

Here this 5’3 man was, shaking someone who was 5’11, and Dazai was just… letting it happen. This felt almost like a worse version of being with Nikolai and Sigma, but at least your life wasn’t exactly on the line in this situation. It was Dazai’s.

“We really don’t have much time left. We should probably try to decide if we want to find the radar, or attempt to track Fyodor ourselves…” You reminded, putting your hand on Chuuya’s shoulder in a gentle attempt to get him to stop. He seemed to listen, letting go of Dazai and taking a couple steps back with a scoff. “Well, that’s a no-brainer. We should obviously go after the radar so we can track him easily.” Chuuya said, his words making it obvious he didn’t want anyone disagreeing.

Dazai groaned almost immediately, his disagreement obvious just by the look on his face. “It’d take half the time to find the radar. He can’t be that good of a hider… Though, he has had possibly hundreds of years to practice.” He muttered, sighing. “Even if it’d take a while, our keycard is a big help when it comes to finding everything. If we got the radar, it wouldn’t take us that long to find him after. Especially since we have Chuuya to help us.” You mentioned. Dazai didn’t look very pleased that you were taking Chuuya’s side, but you barely registered that fact in your head. You just wanted to defeat Fyodor. You weren’t naive, you knew that this was probably far from over, but…

You had to try.

- - -

Fyodor took a deep breath as he stepped out onto the landing dock, enjoying the fresh air. It had been a while since he could breathe properly, especially after Dazai was added to the prison. The vampire guards he brought didn’t stray far from him, standing and waiting in case anyone else came out. While Dazai was one of his only sources of entertainment, he was also quite a bother at times. Fyodor saw him more as a child, someone who believed he was truly on the same level and could beat him, with the help of that girl and Chuuya.

Oh, how wrong they were.

He glanced down at the satellite radio in his hand, a small smile spreading across his face. It felt almost too easy, really. Either way, this outcome was something he could work with. While the ideal target was taking over Bram’s body, he didn’t mind the prospect Nikolai had offered. He was so blind by his bloodlust and his urge to prove his free will that he barely registered the mistake he made by personally injecting Fyodor. Though, considering he never told Nikolai the extent of his ability, he supposed he wasn’t fully to blame. He had told Nikolai what he wanted to hear, offering the deal of being able to kill him while feeding him just enough information to satisfy his curiosity with his affairs.

Nikolai could be a boring subject, sure. Predictable, in a way. Always trying to break the mold, always wanting to prove he’s something more than he truly is. All he wants to do is spread his wings and be free…

Pathetic, in a way. But admirable.

It was hard for any ability user to impress Fyodor, but he had to admit, the ability users of this era were proving to be quite fascinating. It surprised him that Dazai managed to keep up with him in some ways, considering how young he was. Commendable, but not enough to beat him. As he stared blankly at the radio, his mind wandered back to that girl.

Poor thing.

Tainted by the other ability users, believing she needed to stop him. It was a shame she couldn’t see his side clearly, but it wasn’t a surprise by any means. That show… It painted his actions in such a bad light. Of course people would despise him if they saw that. It barely grazed the surface of what he really wanted, his true intentions. Yet, it was only that. Mere television. It was almost disappointing that after her encounter with Mori and the Port Mafia, she still doesn’t seem to think about the cause he had.

But it didn’t matter.

She’d understand soon enough.

He sighed, sitting down on the heavy concrete and stretching his legs. He knew this was the last place they’d check. He’d have a moment of peace before he had to make his little ‘call’. He knew Nikolai didn’t teleport them to the same floor, meaning it’d be impossible for them to get up here in time, even with Chuuya on their team. With a small smile on his face, he pulled out the satellite radio once more, making sure to request connection to the right channel.

With just a little convincing, his goal would be all his.

- - -

“A transmission…? Now? Seriously?” Fukuchi grumbled, rubbing his head as he glanced down at his radio. It took a few seconds for it to fully click in his head who it was. When he remembered, his eyes widened faintly and he quickly answered the transmission request.

No way it was actually him.

“Commander and Captain of the Hunting Dogs, this is a private channel. Who am I speaking with?”

“I’m quite hurt you couldn’t recognize me, Fukuchi.”

A huff left Fukuchi’s lips as he recognized the voice, knowing it was none other than his fellow Decay of Angels member, Fyodor. “Y’know, I didn’t believe you when you said you’d find a way to contact me in Meursault.” He said with a dry chuckle, caught off guard by the fact Fyodor truly managed to do it. “Really? You doubted me that much?” Fyodor questioned, though he already knew the answer. He could tell just by Fukuchi’s expression when he told him that he thought he was insane. “No matter that. Suppose I owe you whatever you wanted from me. Make it quick.”

“I need you to get Bram.”

Fukuchi’s eyes widened faintly at such a request, not expecting Fyodor to want that of all things. This is most likely his first communication with the outside world, and he seriously had a request about the vampires of all things? “I don’t have him. Someone stole him.” He said gruffly, a little annoyed that he was being reminded of his previous failures. It didn’t help that it was coming from Dostoevsky of all people, arguably his least favorite in the Decay of Angels. Though that jester came to a close second.

“...You lost the vampire that’s trapped in the coffin with no legs?” Fyodor questioned, making Fukuchi grit his teeth. He didn’t have time for this nonsense. “Shut it. Just tell me what you need with Bram. He couldn’t have gotten far, but I don’t have time to go on a wild goose chase just to find him.” Fukuchi was losing his patience, along with time itself. “No matter. I know where he is.”

“How would you…”

“On the airport tower. One of the little vampires is using them as bait to lure someone out.”

“Lure who exactly? Me?”

“No. Atsushi Nakajima.”

Fukuchi frowned. How did Fyodor know this?

“Why are you telling me this? Why do you need me to get Bram? I’m sure you remember when I told you about—”

“I need you to use Bram to kill me.”

Fukuchi went silent. Why would Fyodor need Bram to kill him? His mind immediately went to Fyodor’s ability, but he knew nothing about that. Maybe Fyodor’s ability was something to do with the future, being able to see what would happen, the polar opposite of his sword. He didn’t have time to pry or question him on that, as much as he wanted to.

Fyodor sensed his confusion and quickly followed up. “The guards are close on my trail. It was a miracle from God that I even managed to get a satellite radio from one of them. They don’t plan on simply killing me, oh no. They’ll torture me for information on the Decay of Angels, on everything I know about what’s going on in Yokohama,”

A lie.

“I have vampire guards with me, but they only listen to those orders you gave it to protect Nikolai and I, you see. You have it in your heart to spare a man of such pain, don’t you?”

“...If what you’re saying is true, I suppose I can try. But Fukuzawa and Ranpo—”

“Ranpo will attempt to trap you in Poe’s book. You must stop him before he does. Simple as that.”

“You really do know everything, don’t you…”

“And if I may request one more thing?”

“Fine.”

“Take out the sword once you kill me. I’m sure your ability can help you yank it out. The force you can use is more than enough to pull it out of him.”

…Was this guy insane?

“You realize that’ll lose my control over him, right? How the hell do you even know any of this stuff?”

“We don’t have time to explain, Fukuchi.”

“Damnit, it can’t be that long of an explanation. I’m not going to help you blindly.”

Fyodor let out an exasperated sigh, pretending to be annoyed. He lowered his voice as if he were sharing an important secret.

“Listen, Fukuchi. I haven’t told you, but my ability… It allows me to observe five different possible outcomes of one situation. If you don’t end my life, I’ll be forced to give information to the Meursault guards. Your true plan of world peace will never be achieved after the information they’ve learned from me. If you don’t take the sword out of Bram, it will be ripped out of him by the one who has taken him. He will come for you, and he will stop your plans of world peace. If you do not listen to me, your plan is foiled regardless.”

Another lie.

Fukuchi felt a realization hit him, the reason Fyodor could predict everything. Of course, it was a surprise he couldn’t realize it sooner. Fyodor always knew more than he let on, always allowing others to believe what they wanted before getting what he needed. Even if Fukuchi had only briefly mentioned his true intentions once, it wasn’t surprising anymore that Fyodor knew.

He didn’t have the time to question it further.

He didn’t have time to realize he was one of the many puppets under Fyodor’s masterful control.

“...I suppose… I have no choice. I will listen.”

Fukuchi squinted his eyes faintly as he looked up, noticing two figures approaching in the distance. He’d have to defeat Ranpo and Fukuzawa quickly, if he wanted to retrieve Bram.

If he wanted to bring peace to the world.

Fyodor pretended as if the guards were close to finding him, abruptly disconnecting himself from the radio channel and setting it down with a content sigh. It was so easy to convince someone in their time of blind need, when they desperately needed a figure to lean on. He would be that figure for Fukuchi.

And he’d watch the despair in his eyes whenever Fukuchi realized how wrong he was.

Fyodor abruptly stood up, stretching one last time before turning around, gesturing for the vampire guards to follow him.

It was time to find a proper hiding spot for them all, now wasn’t it?

- - -

“You know, you look a lot like me when I was younger. With those bandages on your eye and everything.” Dazai commented, his arms behind his head as the three of you walked together towards the elevator. After what felt like an eternity of arguing, you managed to get them to agree to find the radar. You felt a frown form on your face at his words. “That’s… Not the compliment you think it is.” You muttered.

“You really think she’d want to be compared to you?” Chuuya questioned with a scoff, considering it the most ridiculous thing in the world. “You’re lucky she’s not yelling at you or running away screaming.” He commented, causing Dazai to roll his eyes. “What’s wrong with being compared to me?! I’m a handsome guy! Oh, and I’m sure it’s not just her who thinks so…” He trailed off, a wide grin spreading across his face as he turned to look at you. “I’ve been meaning to ask… What do the fans of the show think of me? I bet I’m the most popular, right?” He asked, winking.

Well…

He wasn’t… wrong? He was the most popular, all things considered. For all the wrong reasons.

You glanced at Chuuya silently, looking between the two. You could decide to be evil and relay everything you remember of the Bungo Stray Dogs fandom, all the crazy TikTok nicknames, the fanfics, the mpreg art…

Yeah, no. You weren’t mentioning that to them.

Dazai noticed the fact you began staring off into space silently and quickly picked up on the memo, his grin fading. “Yeesh, really that bad?... Am I at least popular though?” He questioned, wanting that answered. You silently nodded, quickly zoning back in. His smile quickly returned, and he raised his fist in celebration. “Wait, wait, is Dazai more popular than me?” Chuuya interrupted. You were kinda thankful Chuuya was completely ignoring the fact that he watched a man stab your eye, considering you didn’t want to address it either. It was less awkward that way.

“Uh… Well…” You trailed off, trying to think which was more popular. Definitely Dazai, but considering all the Soukoku shippers… Chuuya shared a great deal of that popularity. “I’m not really sure. You two are pretty popular… especially together…” You muttered the last part under your breath.

“What was that?”
“Huh? What was that last part?”

“Nothing!” You quickly replied, regretting even making that joke. Sure, it made you chuckle internally, but you really should’ve kept your mouth shut.

Dazai bothered you about what you had said until you reached the elevator. The three of you stood outside it in silence, each of you pondering what you’d wanna do.

“So? Where to?” Dazai asked, as if he didn’t already have an idea where it’d be in his head.

Chuuya glanced over at you, hesitating briefly to address you before speaking. “You… You already know what happens right?”

“Yeah… Well, sort of. But since they changed the game from the original show, I’m not sure where he hid the radar.” You admitted sheepishly, muttering a small apology for not knowing. Chuuya simply shrugged it off.

“Guess we’re going in blind then.”

Chapter Text

“Are… we sure we should be taking the elevator?” You questioned, glancing at it with an uneasy expression. Considering the explanation Nikolai gave regarding how it worked, there wasn’t a way to truly use it without triggering its security system. “Don’t be so uptight! I’m sure there’s a way around the security system.” Dazai reassured, turning back to Chuuya with a smirk. “You passed by the security room on your way here, didn’t y—”

“Yes, Dazai. I killed everyone in the security room.”

Dazai’s expression lit up, and he reached and pat Chuuya’s head like you would a child. “Good Chuuya!” He praised, knowing full well it would get underneath his skin. Chuuya grit his teeth in annoyance, quickly reaching up and gripping his wrist tightly, yanking it off his head. “Don’t touch my hat, asshole.” He grumbled, though Dazai only let out a lighthearted chuckle, not bothered by his anger in the slightest. You thought over their words for a moment, before your eyes narrowed at the realization you had.

“Doesn’t that mean nobody can verify us…? So we can’t use the elevator?” You questioned, to which Dazai shook his head. “Nah, Chuuya’s got that all covered. The people who run this place didn’t particularly think to build the elevator out of ability-canceling metal. Funny, really. He’s like our personal liftman!” He exclaimed, clearly finding the idea of him as an elevator operator funny. Chuuya didn’t seem to agree, muttering something under his breath before begrudgingly walking up to the elevator and touching the door, prying them open with his gravity manipulation. The sound of the metal bending made you internally cringe, but the two of them didn’t seem bothered in the slightest. He walked inside casually, Dazai and you following behind. You quickly made your way to the back of the elevator, while Dazai walked over to the control panel. “Help me up, would you, Chuuya?” He asked, batting his eyelashes at him as if that’d convince him to help. Chuuya let out a small huff, putting his hand on Dazai’s arm and hoisting him upwards. However, he didn’t make much of an attempt to be gentle, causing Dazai to hit his head on the ceiling.

He let out a grunt of pain, glaring down at Chuuya with annoyance. “What was that for?!” He complained, but Chuuya didn’t give him much of an answer. “Just stick to what you were gonna do.” He replied back, making Dazai roll his eyes in the process. He grumbled comments under his breath as he pried back the control panel, checking to make sure the elevator wasn’t trapped. “Looks clear. I’d keep the doors open in case closing them triggers the security system.” Dazai commented as Chuuya let go of him, causing him to fall to the ground with a thud. “Got it. Don’t think those doors would close anyway…” He muttered, walking to the side of the elevator and touching the wall.

The elevator began slowly ascending, your hand gripping the handle on the side as you stared blankly at the doors. You couldn’t help but feel a sense of unease crawl up your back as you continued your ascension to the next floor, the feeling of something bad about to happen settling deep within your gut. You glanced over at Dazai and Chuuya, noticing how you weren’t the only one. Their expressions were serious now, Chuuya’s jaw clenched with tension and Dazai’s eyes narrowed faintly in concentration.
Bang!

Without warning, the elevator doors suddenly slammed shut, a small gap in between the doors from when Chuuya pried them open. The elevator shook slightly before Chuuya could stabilize it, causing your balance to momentarily shift. You quickly gripped the railing tighter, the alarm in the elevator beginning to blast loudly.

“Unauthorized movement detected in elevator. Commencing security sequence.”
“You have to be fucking kidding me…” Chuuya muttered, though they didn’t look very panicked, their expressions similar to someone who stepped on gum rather than someone who’s about to drown painfully. Meanwhile, your eyes were as big as saucers, your heart beginning to race in your chest as you looked around frantically. “That means it’s gonna flood, right?! What do we do?!” You asked, your voice raising slightly with your panic. Dazai sighed, annoyed by the inconvenience the flood presented. Before he could say anything, you began to feel the sensation of water start to pool at your feet. One glance up showed that water was dispensing from the ceiling, which you quickly moved out of the way of before it got on you. “It can’t flood entirely if the hole in the door stays there.” Chuuya commented casually, gesturing to the hole he made in the elevator door. “Yeah, but the fire—” You tried to finish your sentence, but Chuuya cut you off.

“The fire?”

“Oh, yeah, the fire.” Dazai seemingly remembered, though knowing him, he didn’t forget.

“What FIRE?”

“Don’t worry about it, it won’t trigger yet.” Dazai said with a wave of his hand, dismissing his concerns. “Just help me up again.”

Chuuya rolled his eyes as he helped Dazai up to the control panel again, moving with more urgency now that the elevator was flooding. The water was past your ankles now, and the panic that began to set in wasn’t helping. You could feel your hands shaking, watching nervously as Dazai messed with the wiring inside the elevator. Since Chuuya wasn’t moving it anymore, it had come to a halt in the middle of who knows where. The water continued to rise, and it was getting harder to move around properly. You knew the higher the water got, the closer you three were to death.

You were really starting to regret not jumping out of the helicopter earlier and killing yourself.

Why did you even watch Bungo Stray Dogs in the first damn place?!

Dazai continued to rummage around in the wiring, looking for something specific. “We don’t have all day, asshole!” Chuuya yelled, continuing to hold Dazai up as he searched. “Relax… I got this!” He replied, raising his gun and taking a second to point it at a wire, firing his shot.

You felt your heart sink as you watched the elevator's lights shut off, the three of you now shrouded in darkness.

- - -

“What’s with the scary face?” Fukuchi asked, standing over the unconscious bodies of Kunikida and Tanizaki. They lied in hospital beds, the machine connected to the two of them the only thing keeping them alive. Fukuzawa glared at Fukuchi, an anger he hadn’t felt in a while brewing to the surface. “It’s not like I’m doing this for pleasure.”

Before Ranpo could even move his hand to reach into his pocket to pull out Poe’s book, the one thing they had going for them, he felt a sharp pain spike through his hand. A gasp left his lips as his eyes opened, only to look down and see a gash in his palm. Before he could react to the pain, Fukuchi rushed over and hit him directly in the spine, causing him to hunch over in agony. Fukuzawa tensed as he saw Fukuchi grab Ranpo’s coat, yanking him away from him and holding him by the fabric. Fukuchi remained silent for a moment as he stared at Fukuzawa.

“As much as I’d like to linger and fight, I have important business to attend to.”

Fukuzawa drew his sword quickly, recognizing that look in Fukuchi’s eyes. Wherever he had to be, he couldn’t let him go there. He couldn’t allow him to destroy the world, he couldn’t allow Fyodor to reign—

Before he could even strike, Fukuzawa felt the familiar sting of a sword slash his back.

He let out a choked gasp as he stumbled forward, falling to his knees. Blood gushed from his wound as he looked at Ranpo’s body, now carelessly left on the floor. His vision blurred slightly as his eyes wandered back to Kunikida and Tanizaki, now a mere afterthought of his old friend as Fukuchi began walking away from him, leaving Fukuzawa to collapse to the floor. Fukuchi said nothing to him, not checking whether he lived or died from the blow.

He could feel the familiar ache in his heart with every step he took away from Fukuzawa, but he couldn’t go back. He had to achieve his goal of saving humanity, even if it meant losing every bit of his in the process. He had spilt too much blood, killed too many people to get where he was. He needed to do this. He wanted to do this.

Even if it cost both his life and the only people he ever truly cared about.

His face was blank as he pulled out the same communication device Fyodor had contacted him with, pressing a button as he began talking into the speaker.

“Chairman, I assume you’ve looked over what I’ve sent you?”

The Chairman on the other line glanced over the papers rapidly, his eyes darting from each word with horror. His breathing was erratic, his fingers clenching around his own hair as he stared. “Ridiculous, Ridiculous…” He murmured over and over, finally speaking up to respond to his commander. “Why…? Why, Lord Fukuchi?!”

Fukuchi felt nothing as he stared at the walkie-talkie. “I won’t repeat it for you again. Release ‘One Order’, or the vampires will invade the entire world.”

“Why..?! This… This can’t be true. I brought myself to this position beside you because I admired you! This is all just another elaborate plan to save the world… i-isn’t it?!” He yelled through the device, as if he was asking the world more than himself.

“...So foolish you are. But a comforting foolishness, the naivety that children have to their parents. Even if the vampires consume the heavens themselves, I will keep you safe, Chairman.” He replied blankly, not saying another word as he turned off the device.

With one spared glance at Fukuzawa, he turned the other direction, making haste towards the airport tower. It all made sense now, that figure he could only vaguely see on top of the tower. It was impressive that Bram managed to get so far, though he supposed Bram wasn’t truly alone.

That little girl…

It only made sense it would be someone innocent. Someone who couldn’t possibly wrap their heads around what he was trying to do.

It didn’t take him much time to read the tower, staring up at Bram and Aya as she frantically tried to pull the sword out of him. It was almost comedic the way she panicked, though he didn’t gain amusement from it. He wasn’t doing this for himself, after all. He knew Bram could sense he was there, judging by the way his eyes were glued downwards. He knew all too well of his fate.

All Fukuchi had to do was deliver it to him.

- - -

“Girl.” Bram called out suddenly, his voice as dull as it usually was. Aya snapped out of her panicked state at his words, turning back from the window to look at him. She was still as far away from the ledge as possible, not wanting to risk slipping off. “Y… Yes? What is it? Look, I really think we can get you free if I go through—” She tried to say, being interrupted once more by Bram.

“Hide. He’s coming back to retrieve me.”

Her eyes widened faintly at his words, thinking over them for a moment before it clicked who it was.

Fukuchi…

Her heart began racing in her chest as she quickly ran to Bram, no longer caring about slipping off. He stared at her with confusion, not expecting her to come over to him. His lips remained in a slight frown. “What are you doing? He’ll slaughter you like a lamb if he sees you.” He asked, feeling a vague amount of concern rise in him. “I’m not letting you get caught by him again! If he gets his hands on you, then…” She trailed off before shaking her head, not even wanting to think of the negatives in this scenario. She needed to stay positive, she needed to keep her head held high if she wanted to succeed.

She grabbed Bram’s upper half and held him tightly, quickly taking a few steps back from the airport tower’s ledge. “There has to be a way down that isn’t… that.” She muttered, glancing down at the edge of the tower. “At least consider our options indoors. It’s not good to—”

He could barely get a word in before a horrid creaking sound began to fill the air.
The ground beneath the two of them began to rumble, causing Aya to almost lose her balance before she managed to catch herself.

“W-What the hell was that?!” She yelled, clutching Bram tighter, as if that’d bring some form of comfort to her. Clinging onto him like he was the only stable thing left. Bram looked down, noticing that the tower was shaking now. It didn’t take long for him to put everything together, his eyes widening in realization.

“He’s cutting the tower down.”

- - -

The three of you stood in complete silence as Dazai fired another shot at the wiring.

The lights had been fried from his gunfire, and it was almost impossible to see anything.

Silence.

.

.

.

“Authorized personnel detected. Terminating security sequence.”

You swore you had never felt so much relief in your life, watching as the water slowly began evaporating from the floor. You were practically about to fall to your knees and thank whatever you believed in that the elevator hadn’t killed the three of you. You didn’t know how Dazai ended up doing it, but that was the last thing you wanted to question. You were alive; that’s what mattered.

“Lucky us.” Chuuya said, letting out a small sigh as he suddenly let go of Dazai, causing him to fall with a bang. “Hey! I just saved our lives, and this is the thanks I get from you?!” He asked with a scoff as he stood up, brushing off his prison uniform. “Did you really expect me to thank you for shooting a few wires in an elevator? We would’ve been fine anyway, since the hole in the doors would’ve drained the water.”

“What about the fire?” Dazai asked, even if he knew there was a way to survive. It was more about being right and above Chuuya than being… factually correct.

“Use your brain, dumbass. We just could’ve—”

“Can we PLEASE get out of the elevator before it thinks we’re not real personnel?” You interrupted, raising your voice slightly.

Dazai and Chuuya were momentarily caught off guard by your words, your relief turning into frustration with their bickering. They were like oil and water most of the time, and the worst part was they didn’t particularly consider the lives of other people when they were arguing. Dazai cleared his throat, chuckling. “Wow, didn’t know you had it in you to yell like that.” He teased, finding your annoyance a bit amusing. “Alright, elevator boy, take us away to the next floor!” Dazai called out to Chuuya, watching with satisfaction as he rolled his eyes with annoyance before putting his hand against the elevator once more, causing the elevator to rise.

Your mind was racing as it continued to ascend, your heart beating faster in your chest. It was silly, and you had barely raised your voice, but you had never spoken to Dazai like that before. Or Chuuya. It felt a little satisfying, considering how annoying the two of them had been this entire time. Not to mention the memories of your kidnapping with Chuuya and Mori were still fresh in your mind. While he seemed to at least regret what happened, he never really mentioned it. He seemed to be avoiding it more than acknowledging it. You felt a small bit of anger rise in you at that fact, but you didn’t want to dwell on it further.

The sound of the elevator doors being opened interrupted you from your thoughts, glancing up to see a different floor. Two different guards who stood outside the elevator looked shocked to see the three of you, quickly raising their guns to fire. Chuuya made quick work of them, simply reaching out and touching them both with his hands, flinging them backwards into a wall at full force. They were probably dead on impact, but that wasn’t really your main concern right now.

Time was running out.
Those 44 minutes they gave you were going by quick, especially considering the fact you guys had been stuck in the elevator. You still had no clue where the sonar device was, and for all you could have known, Fyodor may have already snatched it up and hid somewhere impossible to find. You could feel the panic setting in more and more as you walked behind Dazai and Chuuya, who were slaughtering every guard in sight. You wiped some blood off your cheek you didn’t even know was there, ignoring the dead bodies piling up as you continued, your mind filled with worries.

“Where do you think Nikolai could’ve hidden the key…?” You muttered, more to yourself than to either of them. Chuuya scoffed slightly at your words. “Knowing that sick bastard, he could’ve hid it in a body or somethin’.” He replied, to which Dazai chuckled. “Ooh, maybe he sent us on some sort of hunt to find it, like leaving us clues!” He exclaimed, waving his hands in an erratic gesture. “You’re the only man I know that would be excited over a treasure hunt that you’d die if you failed…”

The three of you continued to walk, searching through room after room. Chuuya was getting more and more aggravated as time continued to pass, no sign of any tracking device. You were beginning to panic more and more, the reality of Dazai’s untimely demise weighing more and more on you.

What were you to do if he died?

It’s not like you could navigate this world by yourself. He was the closest person there was to stopping Fyodor, and he already failed once. Failure twice? Well, that could mean the end of the world as we know it. That’d eliminate one of the two people who could eliminate Fyodor with little consequence, leaving you alone.

He couldn’t leave you alone.
Sure, there’d probably be a way Atsushi could kill Fyodor. He was the protagonist for a reason, after all. But that didn’t mean you weren’t extremely concerned for how it could play out. Despite your knowledge of Bungo Stray Dogs, you didn’t know who could live or who could die.

After this was over, you were at the mercy of Fyodor. Just like everyone else.

You weren’t special.

The longer you continued to think about it, the deeper your thoughts ran. You could feel a pit beginning to form in your stomach at the idea, the fact that despite going through all this suffering for the sake of the world, it wouldn’t matter in the end. Fyodor could still find a way to cause a war, killing ability users like livestock because he thinks they’re impure. Murdering countless innocent people just for the sake of what he believed to be ‘right’.

Before you could spiral any further, the burning gazes of Chuuya and Dazai snapped you out of your daze.

“...Did you say something?” You asked, nervously chuckling.

“We were about to ask if you preferred going to the control room or the—”
“We’re TOTALLY lost and have no idea where we’re going! Yay!”

Chuuya frowned at Dazai’s words, giving him a harsh glare before focusing back on you. “We aren’t lost. We just want your input. Should we go to the control room, or try to search another floor?”

You were slightly caught off guard that they wanted your input of all things, considering you were used to Nikolai dragging you wherever and you’d figure out the rest later. You hesitated for a moment, thinking over both options before speaking.

“I think… We should go to the control room. We might be able to see where the other guards are… Or if we’re lucky, see Fyodor.”

Chuuya nodded after you spoke, seemingly agreeing with your words. Dazai gave a thumbs up casually, before turning away and continuing to walk. You and Chuuya followed, eventually making your way to the control room.

“You got your keycard, Dazai?”

“What keycard?”

You and Chuuya blankly stared at him for a moment, the look on your faces almost identical to one another.

“Kidding! You two really look the same when you’re mad at me. Never turn out like Chuuya,” Dazai said to you, reaching into his pocket and pulling out the keycard. “You’ll get wrinkles when you’re twenty with all the frowning you’d do.”

“I don’t have wrinkles!” Chuuya snapped back with a huff, watching as Dazai chuckled before scanning the keycard and watching as the door opened. Dazai was the first to look in, his facial expression morphing into one of surprise as he took in the control room. “What? Something wrong?” Chuuya asked, shoving Dazai out of the way to get a glimpse for himself. He went silent, staring for a moment before grimacing slightly.

“What? What’s wrong?” You asked, concern evident in your tone. You knew that there should be guards in there, and they’d all be attempting to kill the three of you by now. Chuuya remained silent for a moment before looking at Dazai. “Should she really come in here?” He asked him, trying to be subtle about it. However, Dazai made it anything but subtle. He brushed it off with a wave of his hand. “It’ll be fine. Considering she’s been with Nikolai longer than any of us have, she’s probably seen it all.” He replied, stepping out of the way for you to see the room. Chuuya hesitated, but stepped aside, allowing you full access to whatever was in there.

You were much more nervous now, not sure what you were about to see when you looked in there. You could’ve turned down their offer, told them you didn’t want to see whatever was in there or at least ask what it was. But you couldn’t be a coward. You had to see for yourself. You took a deep breath before taking a look inside the control room, your eye widening in shock at what you saw.

Every guard in the room was dead, all of their bodies scattered throughout the room messily. In the center of the control room was another guard, except it didn’t have a shirt on. His head was cut clean off, blood staining his shirtless body. It was obvious by the way some of the blood hadn’t dried that it was still relatively fresh. Random uno cards were scattered around the room, along with remnants of the guards. The guard in the center had a large slit in his stomach that seemed to be stitched up, though it was done poorly. A scalpel sat next to him, along with a message carved into his chest, stating something that made your heart sink.

“Dig through me!”

You stared at the gruesome scene with a horrified expression, with Chuuya and Dazai slowly making their way past you to examine the room closely. Blood stained the soles of Dazai’s feet, leaving bloody footprints around the room. “He really is doing some jigsaw shit…” Chuuya mumbled, his gaze lingering on the dead guard in the center. “Did he… Did he seriously leave the tracker inside the dead body?” You asked, not really wanting an answer. “Seems like it. Left a scalpel for us to cut the stitches with and everything.” He replied.

Even Dazai seemed unnerved with the situation, staring at the center guard before turning to the two of you. His expression was more serious than before, most likely because the time was running out.

“Suppose we should get it out then, shouldn’t we?”

- - -

“W-What do you mean he’s CUTTING the tower down?! How can he even do that?!” Aya yelled, desperately trying to keep balance as the airport tower continued to shake. “His ability. I should’ve informed you of it sooner,” Bram stated, a hint of regret lingering in his tone. “He can increase the power of whatever weapon he holds by a hundredfold. Quickly, get indoors. The impact won’t be as severe.”

“How am I supposed to survive a fall like that?!”

Bram remained silent, a small frown playing at his lips. He gave no response, considering he wasn’t sure himself.

Aya let out a huff of annoyance, quickly attempting to scramble around into the hole in the window, only to stumble once more. She yelped as the tower began to give out, the slim stem that was once holding it up now damaged and on its last limb. Before she could even utter another word, it finally gave out. Aya screamed as the tower began collapsing, clutching onto Bram as tight as she could as tears formed in her eyes.

Was this it?

Was she really… not a warrior of justice?

Were all her efforts truly for nothing?

She closed her eyes, burying her face into Bram’s hair as she felt her body begin to fall. She didn’t want to watch her own demise. She could almost feel the disappointment of her father falling heavy on her shoulders, how angry he would be for her failing. Aya imagined the sensation of the beatings her father used to give her for her mistakes, the burning sensation of his strikes. It wouldn’t matter soon.

She wouldn’t live much longer to imagine it.

A sharp gasp escaped her lips as she felt herself suddenly being caught, the sensation of something cold wrapping around her and cradling her fall. She slowly opened her eyes and looked around, only to see herself entangled in Akutagawa’s ability.

“Y-You…?” She stammered, confused as she tried to wipe the tears from her eyes. “But… How? Why?”

“I wanted to get a good look at the traitor amongst us. I never thought I’d almost be bested by a little girl.”

Her heart leaped into her throat as she glanced at where the voice came from, only to see the very man she stole Bram from. Ochi Fukuchi stood there, Bram now clutched in his grasp, his expression stern. Bram could do nothing now that he was in his hands once more, though his expression seemed almost pained. He couldn’t stand seeing Aya so horrified. “You!” She yelled, attempting to struggle from Akutagawa’s grasp. However, Akutagawa kept a tight hold on her, not letting her free in the slightest. “Give him back!” Tears were forming in her eyes once more, and Fukuchi almost scoffed at the pathetic display.

“Be lenient with her punishment,” Bram said, attempting to keep his voice steady. “She is only a child. She doesn’t understand the matters at play.” Aya felt frustrated at his words. How could he say she didn’t understand? Everybody told her she never understood anything. Her father, her friends, Kunikida, and now Bram. “Normally, I’d execute someone for managing to sneak past me like this…” Fukuchi stated, before letting out a small huff. “But I suppose keeping you alive will teach you a valuable lesson. Akutagawa, discard of her. Take her somewhere she can’t interfere.”

And just as he uttered those words, Akutagawa wasted no time obeying them. He turned away without a peep, carrying Aya along with him. She struggled and thrashed, trying her hardest to get back to bram. Yelling out curses at Fukuchi did nothing, and even as she called out Bram’s name, all he could do was watch.

He was powerless. All over again, Bram was powerless. He couldn’t save his daughter.

Now, he couldn’t save Aya.

Fukuchi remained silent as he reached into his pocket and pulled out his walkie-talkie, pressing a button to communicate with the chairman, his voice booming through the speakers. “The One Order should be delivered to my location. I expect nothing but perfection for this task. Do you hear me?”

“...Yes, Lord Fukuchi.”

Chapter Text

“You’re not making me do that, right?” You asked quickly, hoping they’d say no. You knew for a fact Nikolai would laugh it off and make you grab the scalpel and start slicing and digging away, but luckily, you weren’t with Nikolai anymore. Not to mention the fact you believed Sigma would probably stand up for you in some regard (hopefully). Dazai laughed and shook his head, waving his hand dismissively. “Ah, don’t look so scared! We’d never make you dig through a body like that.” He said, though he seemed awfully casual about saying that. “Be lucky you didn’t ask him that question seven years ago…” Chuuya muttered under his breath, causing Dazai to snap his head and glare for a moment before turning back to you. He didn’t particularly care what he used to do, he was just glaring at Chuuya for calling him out on his bullshit. Plus, you already knew enough about what Dazai had to do in the Port Mafia. You didn’t wanna learn further.

“I’m not doing it either. This sick shit reminds me of something Mori would pull.” He stated, causing some unpleasant memories to surface of what Mori did to you and how you lost your eye. He quickly noticed your discomfort and realized what he said, muttering an awkward apology to you. You gave a small nod, accepting it. Hey, at least he apologized. You could think of at least ten people in this universe that wouldn’t even give a second thought to that comment. “Fine, fine! I’ll do it. I’m sure I remember something that old man taught me…” Dazai said with a huff, trying to recall all the times Mori lectured Dazai on something medical. All he ended up remembering was the times he either slept through it or whined until he stopped. Or played a game on his old device. Or just straight up leaving to do something else. The list went on.

“Eh, screw it,” Dazai shrugged, grabbing the scalpel and crouching down in front of the body, casually cutting open the stitches. Once they were all sliced, he frowned as he stared at the open chest cavity looking back at him. “Ugh, I’m gonna get my uniform all bloody.” He grumbled, before turning to Chuuya with a smile, though it was obvious he was about to ask him for a favor. “Chuuya, would you hold my shirt—”

“No. You’re not taking your shirt off in front of us. I’d rather go blind. Not to mention we don’t need two shirtless people in one room.” Chuuya said bluntly, gesturing to the corpse as you nodded in agreement. Personally, you were not a Dazai fangirl who would go crazy if you saw a glimpse of him underneath his clothes.

“There’s people who’d kill to see that! Consider yourselves lucky. It’s just bandages anyway…” He grumbled, but he really didn’t seem all that bothered. As if he suddenly remembered he was on a time limit, he quickly rolled up his sleeve and shoved his hand inside the corpse, beginning to dig around. You grimaced at the sound of the corpse being searched, squirming slightly in discomfort as the noise replayed in your head. Covering your ears didn’t do much good, and just before you felt like you couldn’t take it anymore and were about to puke, he pulled his hand out.

“Look at that! He wasn’t lying for once!” Dazai exclaimed, holding the tracking device in his hand, which was also covered in dark red blood and some guts. You gagged, quickly turning away and covering your mouth in case you actually ended up throwing up. He noticed your hunched over form, chuckling to himself as he grabbed some torn clothes from one of the guards and wiping the blood off his arm and device the best he could. “No need to vomit, it’s all gone, see?” He said cheerfully, to which you hesitantly turned around. He was lying, of course, considering there were still streaks of blood drying on his hand and the tracking device. You slowly lowered your hand from your mouth, slightly relieved there at least wasn’t any more guts on him.

“Can we stop worrying about gore and start looking for Fyodor?” Chuuya interjected with a grumble, clearly frustrated with Dazai’s lack of care for his life. “Ohhh, yeah, probably should.” Dazai replied casually, only frustrating him further. You couldn’t think of a single person besides Fyodor himself that would act so normal about the fact he was about to possibly die, and Fyodor had a good reason for that. Dazai turned on the tracking device, quickly figuring out how it worked and pinpointing his exact location. He looked confused for a moment, surprised at how easy of a hiding spot it was. “Huh. Seems like he’s in some sort of storage closet on the fourth floor.” He said, more to himself than to either of you.

“Storage closet?” Both you and Chuuya said, each of you having your own opinions on the matter. You were with Dazai, confused why he didn’t pick a more private spot than a damn closet. Meanwhile, Chuuya was annoyed that it was such an easy place. “Of course that cocky asshole would hide somewhere so simple.” He sighed, making his way towards the exit before turning to the two of you.

“Well? We going or not?”

- - -

Fukuchi gazed down at the box in his hand, Bram still tightly held by his other arm. The One Order now sat in his palm, the one thing that would make it so his goal was achievable. The one thing that could end this once and for all.

All he had to do now was give the command.

World peace would finally be his. No…

World peace would finally be theirs.

His mind flashed to him and Fukuzawa, back to simpler times when it was just the two of them. A small, almost imperceivable smile formed on his face before he squashed it. He couldn’t allow himself happiness until the war was won. He couldn’t linger on the past when the future would be so much better.

All he had to do first was kill Fyodor.

“Sorry, Bram.” He said, his tone dull but holding hints of sincerity. He didn’t really like apologizing if he didn’t mean it. “I’ll ask one last favor before I free you. I’m sure you can recall Fyodor Dostoevsky,” Fukuchi paused, inhaling deeply as he continued. “Take care of him for me. If he wasn’t lying, your vampires should be with him.”

Bram wanted to lash out in anger at Fukuchi, demand for Aya to be brought back to him so he could guarantee his safety, but he didn’t. He lost the ability to truly flare up in rage years ago. He said nothing as he closed his eyes, getting a sense of where Fyodor was. Somewhere, locked far away. He felt nothing as he commanded his vampires, allowing his kind to maul the anemic man. He made sure it was slow and painful, almost a way to take out his anger that no matter how much it boiled inside him, it wouldn’t fully come out. It wouldn’t matter anyway. His thoughts were always melancholy, but after being introduced to Aya only to have her ripped away from him, he felt as if everything was more empty than before.

His eyes quickly opened wide as he felt an indescribable pain in his lower half, glancing down to see himself now on the ground, with Fukuchi standing above him. He had made a dent in the handle of the holy sword with Shintō Ame-no-Gozen, and without a word, he yanked it out of him. Bram let out a pained scream as the force ripped it out quickly, his vision blurring as the last thing he saw was Fukuchi staring down at him, his expression resembling the indifference he felt before he had met Aya. An indifference Bram never hoped to feel again.

He had no idea what was going to happen, or why Fukuchi even dared to pull the sword from his body, but he had a feeling he wouldn’t be here for much longer.

‘I’m sorry, Aya.’

Fukuchi looked back at the one order, not even wanting to concern himself with Bram. Fyodor’s words may have lingered in his mind, but he truly doubted Bram would have any strength to take him on after being awakened for mere seconds. He wasn’t even sure if Bram’s body could survive that.

However, he couldn’t think about that for much longer. He had a job to do.

Raising the receiver of The One Order to his lips, he opened his mouth to speak into it, only to let out a choked gasp.

Behind him stood none other than Fukuzawa, white knuckles clutching his own sword tightly as blood gushed from the open wound in his back. He paid his wound no mind as he dug the sword deep into Fukuchi’s flesh, clenching his jaw and twisting the sword before pulling it out sharply, positioning to strike again. Fukuchi,uncharacteristically caught off guard, quickly turned around in an attempt to swing at the assailant, only to have his sword knocked from his grip and seized from him by Fukuzawa. Shintō Ame-no-Gozen was now in Fukuzawa’s grasp, and Fukuchi could do nothing but stumble and attempt to snatch it back. “Fukuzawa…!” he yelled, regaining his footing, “You don’t understand what you’re doing. The mistake you’re making…–”

“Silence,” Fukuzawa commanded, cutting him off with a slightly pained but determined look in his eyes. “It’s better if you don’t talk,” he finishes, brandishing his sword.
Fukuchi didn’t listen, grabbing a dagger from his belt and quickly jamming it inside Fukuzawa’s shoulder before he could react, causing a strangled breath to leave his lips. He pulled the dagger out, rearing back for another strike before being stopped by the intense burning sensation spreading throughout his body.

Fukuzawa acted quickly when Fukuchi pulled out his dagger from his bleeding flesh, stabbing him with Shintō Ame-no-Gozen straight in the chest. His eyes widened, seeing the pained expression on Fukuchi’s face, but he could do nothing but push the blade deeper in hopes it would finally stop him. Fukuzawa watched as his old friend's expression, once so full of life, became more dull. Realizing what he just did, he pulled the blade out in an instant, watching as Fukuchi’s form swayed before collapsing backwards, the one order falling from his hand, hitting the ground with an audible clack. Dropping the swords, he reaches forward to catch the falling body, before something in the corner of his eye catches his attention.

There was a man standing behind him. He jumped back, grabbing Shintō Ame-no-Gozen as he did.

In the heat of their own battle for control over The One Order and Shintō Ame-no-Gozen, they had failed to realize the transformation taking place behind them.

“What… What are you-?” Fukuzawa barely managed to say, looking at the figure in front of him in pure horror, knowing this meant Dazai and the kid somehow failed.

That wasn’t Bram anymore.

The figure caught Fukuchi with ease, holding him and looking down at his pained face with a smirk. “Careful, Princess,” Fyodor said mockingly, looking down at Fukuchi with a smug expression. “Wouldn’t want you getting hurt from a simple fall.”

How…

How did he do it?

- - -

“Let me go! I said let me go, you… you…” Aya stammeres, attempting to think of an insult as she thrashes heavily in Akutagawa’s grasp. The turned vampire said nothing as he continued to carry her, bringing her where he pleased. Aya panicked, thinking of all the possibilities that could happen now that Bram was no longer with her. Her struggles were useless, and she was beginning to grow tired. No matter how she bargained with Akutagawa or attempted to flee, it was useless. She began to sink into herself, terrified and exhausted when Akutagawa came to a sudden halt, causing her to jerk slightly in his grasp.

“H-Huh? What is it, you stupid… um… Vampire?!” She stammered, fighting the urge to cling onto him from the surprise of being jerked around by the sudden stop. He remained completely silent, standing still for a brief moment as if he had received another command. Without a word, he immediately turned around and began rushing to where they had come from. Aya yelped and began to struggle even harder, trying to use this as an opportunity to break free, but it was no use.

It didn’t take them long to arrive at the area where they had just been mere moments ago, but as Aya looked at the scene in front of her, she immediately stilled, staring wide eyed in horror.

Fukuchi was now on the ground, blood gushing from various wounds on his body. Fukuzawa was a couple feet away from him, his eyes wide as he stared at a different figure in front of him. An unknown man was holding a sword that Aya recognized as the one inside Bram, smiling faintly at Fukuzawa, who held Fukuchi’s old sword. Aya couldn’t tell who the man holding the Holy Sword was, however, she noticed one thing…

He was wearing Bram’s clothes.

Bram was nowhere to be seen, though there were two different people she didn’t recognize that were eagerly running over. One was a short red-haired girl, maybe a year older than Aya was. The other was seemingly a member of the detective agency who wore glasses and had black hair, yelling something she couldn’t understand. “What… What happened here?” She muttered, looking concerned as she saw the injuries that littered Fukuzawa. Her heart raced in her chest as she saw the unknown man in Bram’s clothes glance over at her, his smile widening faintly in a way that unsettled her greatly.

Who was he?

Fukuzawa turned slightly to gaze at Aya, looking horrified that she was here. He turned back to the unknown man, anger forming in his eyes. “Why… Why?! Fukuchi, what did you tell Bram to do?!” He yelled, demanding answers as he tried to take a step closer to his friend’s body.

“I’d advise you not to move,” Fyodor said calmly, holding the sword that once was inside Bram over his body. “I won’t hesitate to kill him.”

“Do not… pay him any mind…” Fukuchi managed to stammer out, not having the strength to answer Fukuzawa. He could barely think straight with all the blood he was losing, saying the first thing that he thought of. “Strike… him at once!” Fukuzawa gave a curt nod, quickly raising the time-bending sword, only to have it snatched away from him in an instant. Fyodor smirked, amused at how foolish it was of Fukuzawa to think he had even a chance at beating him. “I wouldn’t if I were you.” He replied smoothly, now holding the time-bending sword.

Ranpo and Teruko had now arrived on the scene, with Ranpo still clutching his injured hand. Ranpo shouted at Fukuzawa, trying to tell him not to let Fyodor stab Fukuchi’s body with the sword. However…

It was far too late for that warning.

Fyodor hummed a pleasant but unsettling tune as he twirled the time-bending sword in one of his hands, holding the holy sword in his other. He grinned as he plunged them both deep into Fukuchi’s body, watching as a bright light began to cast over everything.

Fukuzawa couldn’t stop him. Ranpo couldn’t stop him. Teruko couldn’t stop him.

Nobody would halt the plan he had for this world.

The plan he had for her.

- - -

The door to the storage closet was wide open now.

You, Dazai, and Chuuya stood motionless, staring blankly at the scene in front of you.

A lifeless body that was wearing the collar connecting to the tracking device laid in the center of it, with several of the vampire guards feasting on the corpse. The body’s face was almost unrecognizable, but it was obvious the features were no longer Fyodor’s. The outfit it wore was the same as the prison uniforms in Meursault, which only meant one thing.

Fyodor had died.

He had done it.

He had beaten all of you.

“No…” You mutter, pure desperation and fear coating your voice. “No.. please.. this can’t be happening…” You choke out, feeling a familiar watering in your eye as you stared at the gruesome scene in front of you; the gore the last thing you were worried about. Fyodor had somehow managed to get away from everyone. He was in Yokohama now, no doubt creating Ame-no-Gozen, his plan finally being able to come to life.

He would eradicate every ability user there, while you were stuck in Europe. Useless.

Chuuya and Dazai didn’t say anything for a moment, considering they were just as surprised as you were. “Well… I’ll be damned.” Chuuya said quietly, speechless. Dazai didn’t say anything himself, simply staring at the vampires as they feasted on the corpse of… whoever Dostoevsky was last. You knew he had a satellite radio, but how the hell did he manage to communicate to get killed by the vampires? He couldn’t control them himself, could he? Your mind raced with questions, but before you could even ask any of them or think them over, a sudden bang made you jump.

The three of you glanced over to see none other than Nikolai and Sigma. Nikolai had created some sort of hole in the wall with his ability, looking happy to see someone won his game. Sigma seemed relieved to know it was you guys that won and not Fyodor, though their mood seemed to sullen slightly when they saw the state of ‘Fyodor’.

Every ounce of joy seemed to fade from Nikolai’s face as he saw the corpse being fed on, clearly not expecting that Fyodor would die. He stared in pure horror before quickly springing into action, shooing away the vampires, kicking them and hitting them with his staff till they finally scattered away from the body. He crouched down next to the corpse of ‘Fyodor’, reaching out and holding its hand in both a sweet and creepy gesture.
“Of course…” Nikolai muttered, his voice softer than usual. It was unsettling to see him act like this, considering how much time you had spent with him where he was a cheerful maniac. He remained silent for a few moments before his eyes went wide with realization, his grip on his hand tightening. “Of course you’d do something like this. I should have never offered that radio to you,” He began, his grip getting tighter and tighter on the corpse, squishing the mauled flesh and getting blood on his gloves. “I should have never let you wr—”

“The antidote Nikolai…” Sigma said quietly, gently shaking Nikolai’s shoulder in order to snap him out from his angered daze. Nikolai didn’t say anything in reply, hesitating before he let go of the hand and turned to the side, grabbing the briefcase he had dropped at the sight of the corpse. He opened it up silently, proposing it to Dazai. Normally, Dazai would be gloating or making some stupid comment for winning the game. However, this was anything but a win. He took the antidote and syringe without a word, opening the bottle and sucking up some of the liquid before rolling up his sleeve. He injected himself with the needle, pushing it through the bandages and into his skin, the antidote flowing through his veins.

It was an extremely awkward silence, nobody daring to break it. Dazai and Chuuya were both clearly trying to think of a solution to the problem, while Nikolai brewed in anger at the fact he had been betrayed, once again holding the hand of the corpse and using it more as a stress ball than anything else. Sigma, who was still in the dark about everything, watched everyone with unease. And you?

You were on the verge of tears.

You couldn’t believe Fyodor had actually won. He had managed to beat everyone, even with the fact you were here. Not that you particularly thought you could do anything, but you would’ve thought that with your knowledge, they could’ve come up with a plan to stop him. That either you or Dazai could’ve killed him here and ended all the pain that would follow before it even began.

But no. You were useless to stop anything. Just like usual.

“Why… are you guys not… celebrating?” Sigma asked quietly, breaking the awkward silence with his confusion. “I thought… I thought you guys would be happy Fyodor died.”

You all silently looked towards him, the realization that he didn’t know Fyodor’s ability dawning on the three of you. You opened your mouth to speak, though you couldn’t find the words. How were you supposed to explain that the entire world was now possibly doomed? That every ability user on this planet could be eradicated because of this stupid game?

“Don’t you see what’s in front of us, Sigma?!” Nikolai snapped, his head turning around sharply to look up at him. It was the first time you ever saw Nikolai look so… angry. It was an uncomfortable feeling. “We’ve been lied to! Tricked! Deceived!” He shouted, punctuating each word with a slam of his fist against the corpse, bashing the dead body and disfiguring it further. Nikolai’s teeth were grinding together, his anger surprising considering how obvious it should’ve been that Fyodor was anything but trustworthy.

“Why the hell did you believe anything that guy said anyway?” Chuuya asked bluntly, frustrated with the fact Nikolai started this game in the first place. “You believed the guy who never told you his ability and tricks almost everyone?”

Nikolai slowly turned towards Chuuya, his expression eerily blank all of the sudden. “You just don’t get it. That’s fine! Birds trapped in cages shouldn’t squawk at the others who are free, should they?” He asked, cocking his head slightly as a smile formed on his face. However, you could tell it was from anything but happiness. It was forced beyond belief. “He was…” Nikolai trailed off, going silent as he seemed to realize what a fool he was making of himself. He shook his head and suddenly shot upwards, dusting himself off. He spun his staff around before jamming it into the corpse, which made a disgusting squelch. “I think now’s the time for a quiz, isn’t it?” Nikolai pondered out loud, turning to you. He yanked the staff out of the corpse, the tip dripping with blood as he pointed it directly at you.

“Where is Fyodor now?”

You remained silent for a moment, clearly uncomfortable with the way he was acting now. Sure, Nikolai was always unhinged and psychotic, but this was just… unnerving. His facial expressions and behavior were changing so fast, you weren’t sure how to keep up with it. “Yokohama…” You replied quietly. He took a few steps forward, grinning madly at you. “Correct, correct! Such a smart cookie you are. Fyodor always had big plans for you, you know. You’re one of the luckier ones, after all!” He rambled, getting way too close for comfort. He reached his hand in his cape and created a portal next to your head, suddenly cupping your cheek with his hand and pulling your skin. You tried to swat it away, but his grip was painfully tight. “I always wondered what he saw in the people he brings,” He mused out loud, his voice going quieter. “All act the same to me. All stay trapped till the end.”

What the hell did he mean by that?

Before he could continue his mad rambles or you could question what that meant, Sigma’s arm reached out and yanked him backwards roughly. Nikolai stumbled and removed his arm from his cape, turning to Sigma with a faint hint of surprise on his face. “Quit that.” Sigma said firmly, keeping a grip on his arm. Nikolai laughed at his stern expression, finding it more humorous than worrying. “Oh, look at you! Acting so free! The assistant wants to be the leader now, huh?” He replied, chuckling to himself.

You, Chuuya, and Dazai watched as Nikolai and Sigma began arguing. It seemed Nikolai wasn’t openly grieving anymore, however, it was obvious he was still shaken up from Fyodor’s death. It appeared he was trying to act like his usual self, but it felt more like someone else making up an impression of him rather than anything else. Your mind and heart were still racing, the adrenaline of everything wearing off and leaving you feeling like you had died all over again. Every thought that raced through your head was about Fyodor and what the hell you were going to do, panic setting in more and more every second.

Your thoughts were broken by Dazai reaching down and grabbing the satellite radio from Fyodor’s corpse, picking it up and examining it before turning to you and Chuuya. “We need to contact someone. The radio only works on the roof as far as I know.” He stated, not adding anything more to his words as he turned away, expecting you and Chuuya to follow. The two of you glanced at each other before looking back at Sigma and Nikolai, who were still arguing about who knows what. It seemed the argument turned more into Nikolai purposely pissing off Sigma, though their shouting was becoming annoying. Chuuya simply shrugged and began following Dazai, not even bothering with stopping them. You, however, lingered for a moment. “Sigma!” You called out, causing them to stop arguing and turn to you. “We’re going to the roof to use the satellite radio. Come on.” You gestured for him to follow, to which he let out a sigh and nodded.

He didn’t give Nikolai a second glance and began walking out, leaving you and Nikolai alone in the room. The tension thickened as he went back down to kneeling next to the corpse, holding its hand once more, almost as a way to comfort himself. You stared at him in silence for a moment, hesitantly speaking up.

“What did you mean when you said… What you thought Fyodor saw in the people he ‘brought here’?”
You weren’t sure what answer you were expecting, especially since it was coming from Nikolai. He slowly looked up at you, his eyes narrowing for just a moment as he considered what he wanted to say.

How much did he really want to reveal?

It’s not like he knew everything, especially considering how Fyodor tricked him. However, Fyodor always had some sort of plan in mind for every decision he made. Nikolai knew now that Fyodor had told him just enough to believe his true friend wouldn’t betray him. Maybe Nikolai always knew it would happen. Maybe he just wanted to believe it wouldn’t; to live in the moment with him just a little longer.

After a few seconds of silence on his end, a smile spread across his face and he shook his head. “Don’t you worry your little head about it! Just a slip of the tongue. Why don’t you be a good assistant and go join the others?” He said, forcing the smile once more. You wanted to linger more, to interrogate him on what those words implied, but you knew it’d lead nowhere. It was probably for the best he was left alone anyway. You didn’t say anything, hesitantly nodding before turning and walking away, quickly trying to catch up with the others.

Nikolai observed you until you were out of sight, the forced smile that was once on his face slowly fading as his expression became blank. He looked back down at the corpse he was holding the hand of, squeezing it slightly tighter and moving it up towards his face. He allowed the hand to hold his cheek gently, maneuvering the fingers until they were wrapped around the skin of his face.
Just one last time, he told himself.

One last time.

- - -

You quickly caught up to Sigma, who was waiting for you nearby the door. You were slightly relieved you weren’t alone with Nikolai anymore, though the awkward silence that followed you two as you walked didn’t make anything any better. “What is Fyodor’s ability, exactly?” Sigma asked, looking down at you. It was obvious that Nikolai’s words didn’t explain anything to him and he was still extremely lost. You explained his ability as you two walked there, eventually ending up at the entrance to the rooftop by the time you were done. Sigma’s face was pensive, much more tense than before now that he knew the stakes of what could happen.

He hesitated before entering the room, turning to look down at you. He looked like he wanted to say something, an almost apologetic expression on his face. However, at the last second, he decided against it. He quickly turned back to the door and pushed it open, revealing the figures of Dazai and Chuuya standing on the roof. Dazai was wandering around while trying to get a good signal to connect to somewhere in Yokohama, while Chuuya watched with his arms crossed underneath his chest.

“Come on, come on…” Dazai mumbled, desperately attempting to contact a radio. It seems he connected with different people several times, but he’d immediately switch the channels afterwards, clearly trying to connect with someone specific. “Let me try, I’m better at this stuff than you are.” Chuuya commented, holding his hand out as if he expected Dazai to hand him the radio. “Not a chance.”

Chuuya scoffed at Dazai’s refusal, turning his attention back to the two of you. He cleared his throat, not really sure what to say. “Any news on the jigsaw freak?” Chuuya asked you, clearly referring to Nikolai. “He’s just… I guess he needs a minute.” You replied, giving a vague answer considering you weren’t really sure. You felt a little stupid for only asking one question and leaving, but it seemed pretty damn obvious that he didn’t wanna talk. “Figures.” He muttered in reply, turning his attention back to Dazai.

“Damnit, I said let me see—” Chuuya tried to speak, but cut himself off whenever he heard the crackling over the radio.

“Hello? Hello?!” A panicked voice came in through the radio, one you couldn’t recognize for a moment due to how harsh the static was. Dazai seemed to immediately pick up who it was, replying immediately. “Ranpo, what’s happening in Yokohama?” He asked, his voice more serious than before. You were surprised it was Ranpo that came through the radio, though also relieved. It meant he wasn’t dead yet. You and Sigma quickly walked over to where Dazai stood, with Chuuya joining in as well. “Ame-no-Gozen has already been summoned. We weren’t able to stop Fyodor,” Ranpo reported, his tone clearly regretful.

“Where are you now? What’s happened besides that?” Dazai questioned, clearly wanting every detail he could get. “One of the Hunting Dogs members was killed by it. I… I ran away.” He admitted, his tone hiding the shame he felt for running. There wasn’t anything else he could truly do. “You need to get help. Contact the Port Mafia, the Guild, whatever. I’m sure you know as well as I do how dire this situation is.”

“I’m going to the Port Mafia’s quarters right now. Yokohama is already panicking after… the blades.” Ranpo paused, almost as if a realization was dawning on him. “You need to get back to Yokohama as soon as you can.”

“How… How are we supposed to get back?” You asked, worried that Ranpo might not have an answer for you, even if that was a silly worry. If he didn’t have an answer for that, then you might as well lay down your life here and now. He remained silent, the only sound coming through the speaker was muffled panting. It was clear he was running quickly to get to his destination, his breaths sharp. “Meursault has ways of transporting prisoners quickly. They always knock them out cold before taking them through these…” He paused, trying to find a better way to explain with the short time he had. “In short, they have teleportation bases around the world. It’s how they transport prisoners quickly. It works even on people who can cancel abilities. It’s how Dazai got there so quickly. If you can find their base of operations somewhere in Meursault—”

The speaker began to static up once more, cutting off whatever words he was saying. It faded after a few moments, revealing the rest of his sentence. “—Then you can get here.”

“Where are Kyouka and Lucy?”

“They’re trapped in Lucy’s ability, buried under rubble. I have a plan to get them out.”

Dazai chuckled slightly. “Glad to hear it. We’ll try our best to figure out… more about Meursault. Stay safe, Ranpo.”

Ranpo tried to say something else, but the line suddenly disconnected. You looked around at everyone, worry and curiosity clear in your expression, slightly surprised about the information Ranpo gave you.

“There’s… teleportation devices in Meursault?” You asked with surprise, not really sure what you expected. Of course there had to be something, considering Dazai was able to get to Europe so quickly. The only real question now was…

Where were they?

“I’ve heard rumors circulating about them. Some of the prisoners talked about them when I was there with Fedya,” Dazai explained casually, as if revealing this information now suddenly made up for the fact he didn’t say anything before. Chuuya quickly swatted Dazai in the back of the neck with an annoyed expression, causing Dazai to wince. “You didn’t think to tell us that, oh I don’t know, AS SOON AS WE GOT HERE?” Chuuya shouted, clearly wanting to yell at Dazai more before Sigma stopped him. “Why don’t we just focus on trying to find them now. Yelling at each other won’t get us anywhere…” He suggested, causing Chuuya to look over at Sigma with an almost offended glare.

“The three year old has a point,” Dazai replied, to which Sigma immediately began lecturing him about how he wasn’t a child. Dazai didn’t listen to a word he said, simply raising his finger and pressing it to Sigma’s lips to silence him. “Shhh…” He hushed, clearly enjoying Sigma’s angry reactions. “Can we just try and take this seriously…” You grumbled, once again getting frustrated. The world was about to end, and they were seriously acting like a bunch of arguing children?

“Right, right,” Dazai said with a sigh, quickly turning around and beginning to walk back inside of Meursault. “Let’s get our other friend before we go searching. I have an idea where it could be.”

The three of you all looked at one another before following, your pace much faster than the others. You weren’t sure why you were the most concerned about a world that wasn’t even technically yours, but you were. Now that you were here, you had to at least try.

You would help them. You couldn’t be a burden.

Not even for a second.

Chapter Text

Ranpo panted loudly, regretting all that time he spent lounging around in the detective agency eating sweets. He wanted to be more subtle about his attempt to find the Port Mafia, but he couldn’t conceal his breathing.

Yokohama was in a panicked state, to say the very least.

Buildings had been cut completely in half due to the large fans that extended from Ame-no-Gozen’s head, the destruction obvious just by taking a glance around the area. Rubble scattered the streets, with corpses of airport staff and civilians alike covering the ground. It was a horrific scene, though Ranpo could do nothing but push onward as he ran towards the Port Mafia Headquarters.

He knew what he had to do, and he’d help the rest of the agency at any costs.

- - -

“Evacuate faster! We have no time to linger!” Koyo commanded sternly, watching as the Port Mafia members scattered to collect important documents and items before quickly being ushered into different cars, with more important members being escorted underground to secret bunkers. She let out a frustrated sigh as her gaze wandered to the destruction and chaos that surrounded them, trying to block it out of her mind as she focused on the evacuation itself.

“Boss, the sector that was working on a deal in Hiratsuka hasn’t responded. What should we do?” Hirotsu asked, his voice collected despite the situation. Koyo’s frown only deepened at his words, her mind quickly working to make a decision. “We can’t focus on those outside of Yokohama right now,” She said, her tone sharp even as she hesitated with her wording; something she didn’t do often. “Our priority should be evacuating everyone here. We’re lucky enough that our members here survived.” It was obvious by her tone that there was no room for argument, with Hirotsu giving a curt nod in reply. He turned away from her, ready to continue helping the evacuation. Turning around, he notices a figure running towards them.

He was shorter than a typical person, though it was obvious he was an adult. Hirotsu assumed it was a running civilian, but as the figure got closer, he quickly recognized it as a member of the agency. The former math teacher? No, he was tall and blonde. The farm boy? No, he was also blonde… Lord, he really needed to get some real glasses and stop wearing his monocle. The figure eventually got close enough for Hirotsu to recognize him as the genius, Ranpo. He was waving his arms frantically and shouting something he couldn’t quite hear. He turned back to Koyo, who was much too focused on the evacuation to see him, or so Hirotsu thought.

“Boss, one of the agency’s members is approachi—”

“I know.”

Without another word, she activated her ability before Ranpo could reach them. Golden Demon was shimmering, even in the hazy air, her sword drawn and ready to strike if he was here on ill-will. She wasn’t one to trust easily, and even if she knew they didn’t kill Mori, she didn’t want to take any chances when the Port Mafia was vulnerable. Ranpo quickly stopped before Golden Demon was released, already knowing she would be weary of him. His expression wasn’t his usual light-hearted smile, but rather a more serious frown that didn’t suit him. His chest was rising and falling quickly, the fact he had been running for who knows how long was obvious. He knew she would be hesitant to listen to him, however, he knew something she didn’t.

“I know where Kyouka is.”

Koyo’s eyes widened in surprise, not expecting his words. It made sense; he was the brains of the Armed Detective Agency in a way. Her heart ached at the thought of Kyouka, scared and alone, with nobody to help her. Sure, she could handle herself fine, but even just the idea of her struggling without Koyo’s help worried her sick. Koyo allowed Golden Demon to slowly fade away, turning around to face the detective. Her expression was as cold as it was before, but there was a glimpse of worry in her gaze. She wanted to keep her composure during this, however, the thought of Kyouka in danger overrode her sense of keeping up appearances. “Where is she? Is she safe?” She demanded answers, keeping her tone steady despite her concerns.

“For now. She’s stuck with one of the former Guild members, Lucy Montgomery. They’re trapped in Lucy’s ability with no way out due to the rubble that’s formed.”

Koyo’s heart practically sank at the mention of her being trapped.

Her expression hardened, eyes narrowing as she took a step towards Ranpo. Hirotsu knew that look all too well, and he knew he’d have to step in if Ranpo didn’t give an answer that satisfied her. “The Guild…” She scoffed, disdain in her voice. “Where is this… ability located? Do not try and lie to me, boy. I will know.” She commanded, leaning downwards slightly as a way to intimidate him. Despite her attempt, he seemed more annoyed at the fact she was calling him ‘boy’ rather than being scared of her. “We’re the same age! Jeez…” He grumbled, not immediately giving her an answer. Her patience was wearing thin at the lack of clarity, her anger rising as she stared down at him. “Answer me. Or so help me, I will strike you down with Golden Demon until you cannot bear to stand—”

“I’ll take you where she is. But in return, you have to promise you’ll help the agency defeat Fyodor.” He replied, becoming more serious once more. Koyo nodded, agreeing without any hesitation. Ranpo turned his attention to Hirotsu, who was standing behind her. “We’ll need you too. Your ability can help us remove the rubble that surrounds them.” Hirotsu gave a nod, determined, “Understood. We should leave quickly.” He paused, “Who will oversee the evacuation? We can’t leave them completely unattended.”

Koyo hummed faintly at his words before she let out a sigh. “Normally, I’d have Akutagawa or Chuuya take over, but…” She trailed off, not bothering to acknowledge what everyone knew. Chuuya was off at Meursault, while Akutagawa was nowhere to be seen. “I suppose I’ll have some of the other officers oversee everything. I’m sure they can handle themselves.” Koyo stated, even if she wasn’t fully confident in her words. Regardless of her worries, they had no time to figure out a new plan. If Kyouka was in danger, she’d do anything in her power to save her. She quickly turned around and yelled for her commanding officers to come over to her, giving them the command before shooing them away.

“Follow me.” Ranpo said, gesturing with a tilt of his head for them to join him. As much as Koyo didn’t want to travel on foot, she knew it was necessary. Before they had the chance to leave and go after Kyouka and Lucy, a loud voice called for Koyo. It took Hirotsu and Koyo a few moments to recognize the voice, but they mentally grimaced when they remembered who it was. Before Ranpo could even turn around to see who it was, he spoke again. “Need a plus-one? I could help!” He shouted, a mad grin on his face. They all slowly turned around to see none other than Kajii, smiling wildly as he took in everyone, who all seemed less than happy to see him. “Oooh, they got the genius running their errands now, don’t they?” He commented, referring to Ranpo. “Seems like you could use some extra help freeing Koko and… the American one. What’s her name again? Lumi? Lily? Am I getting close?”

“It’s Lucy.” Hirotsu replied calmly, seemingly the only one who wanted to dignify him with a response. Koyo and Ranpo remained silent, staring at him blankly. Koyo’s face had a small frown on it, while Ranpo was mentally calculating if bringing him would cause any harm. “Ahh, right, right, Lucy! Anywho, I think you’d need a guy with a talent for lemon-shaped explosives to help. What’s a little harm in bringing little old me along?” He asked innocently, though it was clear he didn’t seem to have great intentions. He wasn’t bothered by all the destruction happening around him in the slightest.

“Should we let him come with us, boss?” Hirotsu asked, turning to Koyo. Despite the fact he was willing to deal with him, it was obvious by the look on his face that he didn’t seem very excited by the idea. “He may bring more harm than good to our mission…” He whispered, trying to be subtle. Kajii overheard it easily, scoffing slightly at his words. “Hey! I can be helpful! I’ll hold off on the experiments for now… Considering I may not have as many test subjects if this ‘thing’ succeeds.” He grumbled, referring to Ame-no-Gozen. Koyo’s expression was similar to Hirotsu’s, though she begrudgingly gave in. “I suppose he needs someone to look after him. His usual babysitter isn’t here to take care of him, after all…” She replied with a sigh, referring to none other than Gin. She had been sent to Hiratsuka for one of their weapon deals, though she still hadn’t communicated if she or her team were alright. It seemed the helicopter crash caused by the Jester was affecting much more than the civilians… But there was no time to dwell on that now.

With a sharp inhale, she looked back at Kajii before speaking. “Come along now, Kajii,” She commanded, not bothering to ask if Ranpo was alright with him tagging along. She didn’t need his permission for anything, especially now that she had become the Port Mafia boss. “But please, be more discreet than…” She paused, trying to find the right words. After a moment, she decided to just be blunt. “...Than whatever you’re doing right now.” She finished, before making a sharp turn away from him and following Ranpo, who had begun to lead them away. “Science isn’t known for its subtlety, but I’ll give it a shot!” He answered, quickly following behind them with an enthusiastic walk.

- - -

Kyouka and Lucy sat in Anne’s room in complete silence, with Anne floating around Lucy in an attempt to comfort her. “Thanks, Anne,” Lucy said softly with a small smile, though it was obvious she wasn’t actually happy. Her smile slowly faded as she thought more and more about their situation.
About how trapped they truly were.

“Do… you think they’re okay?” Lucy asked, turning her head slightly to look at Kyouka. She knew the answer to that; of course they weren’t. Lucy wasn’t even sure who she was referring to when she asked. The Detective Agency? The other members of the Guild? That mysterious girl? She was worried about all of them. Her mind wandered back to that girl, memories popping up in her head of how she fell off the Sky Casino.

What were they going to do now?

“I don’t know,” Kyouka answered honestly, her voice quiet and almost uncertain. “We’d be able to help this if we weren’t trapped behind that rubble.” She stated, both of their eyes wandering back to the closed door.

Silence filled the room again; the only sound that was audible was the noises Anne made as she flew around the room, the stress that Kyouka and Lucy were carrying weighing heavily on her as well. “Would anyone that you’ve trapped in here be able to help us?” Kyouka inquired, glancing back at her. It was a foolish question, she knew that, but she couldn’t help but ask. Lucy frowned slightly at the idea, her mind flickering back to all the people she had to trap in there. She quickly cleared those thoughts, not wanting to linger on the guilt she felt, especially for Nathaniel. Shaking her head, Lucy sighed before she responded. “No. All of them would be more focused on trying to kill me rather than their own escape… Or helping us.”

They sat in silence for a few moments, both of them contemplating their options, before the sound of static caught them off guard. Looking down, they noticed the radio device they had been left with was buzzing, meaning someone was trying to connect with them. Kyouka quickly reached to pick it up, surprised a signal could even go through. She hesitated for just a moment before pressing the button and talking through the speaker.

“Hello? Who is this?”

The words that came through the other line were hard to hear, but they were able to tell who it was.

“Kyouka? Lucy? Can you understand me?” Ranpo asked, his voice having a sense of urgency behind it.

“Yes, yes! We can hear you!” Lucy exclaimed, leaning over to talk into the speaker as Kyouka held it. “What’s going on?! Where are you?” She demanded, though it wasn’t in an aggressive way, being more out of concern for what was going on rather than anything else. “Yokohama is in the process of being destroyed. We need your help, along with Kyouka’s. We’re outside the rubble you’re both trapped behind, we just need you to trust us, okay?”

“Us? Who else is with you?” Kyouka questioned, slightly weary of who he decided to team up with.

“Koyo, Hirotsu, and Kajii.”

Kyouka frowned slightly at the mention of the other Port Mafia members, especially with Koyo being mentioned. It’s not like she despised her or anything, but she wasn’t prepared to face her again. Lucy turned to Kyouka with a confused look, her eyebrow slightly raised in thought. “Who are any of those people…? They’re Port Mafia members, right?” Lucy asked, to which Kyouka nodded. “Koyo’s the new boss, Hirotsu is one of their higher ranking members, and Kaji is…” She trailed off, thinking of a way to describe him. “...The lemon bomb man.”

“Oh! Oh…” Lucy muttered with realization, quickly recalling him as the man who attacked Nathaniel and Margaret. “Why would they want to help us?”

“The world’s going to hell. I suppose they’re trying to do anything in their power to stop that, even if that means assisting us.” Kyouka replied rationally, to which Lucy grumbled. “How are we supposed to know they won’t kill us and Ranpo afterwards…”

Before Kyouka could respond to her, a loud rumble sounded off. Their attention became fixated on the door that led to the outside world, along with the rubble that blocked them from escaping. Dust and debris came fluttering into the door, making it clear that something was outside and attempting to break them free.

They both shot up from where they were sitting, rushing over to the exit as Kyouka spoke into the speaker of the radio. “Is that you, Ranpo?” She asked, relieved when he responded and said it was. “I was starting to think we’d be trapped in here forever. The air can get so stuffy after a while…” Lucy stated with a small sigh.

Outside their room, Koyo, Hirotsu, and Kajii were working to get rid of the rubble from the fallen building. Kajii laughed manically as he threw lemon-shaped bomb after bomb towards the destruction, destroying the bigger pieces in order to make it easier to move… Though, if anything, it was only creating a bigger mess. Koyo eventually got fed up with his antics, letting out a frustrated sigh and using Golden Demon to pick him up like you would a child. “HEY! What’s wrong?! I’m not causing any harm!” Kajii protested, letting out a scoff as he was put off to the side like a kid in time out. “You’ve done enough, Kajii. Let us handle the rest.” She stated, not giving him a chance to protest as she gestured for Hirotsu to finish the job.

Hirotsu gave a curt nod, taking both of his gloves off and shoving them in his pocket before reaching out and touching a large piece of rubble, which quickly shot backwards and off somewhere else, almost hitting Ranpo in the process. He let out a startled yelp, almost dropping the radio in his haste to dodge the massive object. “Watch where you’re throwing things! You still need me to help you guys! Old man…” He muttered the last part under his breath, though Hirotsu clearly heard it. He didn’t acknowledge his last comment, simply replying with an apology before continuing to throw the rubble back. Koyo used Golden Demon to pick up and toss the smaller bits, not wanting to stand by idly while her employee did all the work.

It didn’t take much longer till most of the destruction was clear. Just as the last piece was thrown back, a door appeared with Kyouka and Lucy peering out of it cautiously. They both seemed thankful that they were okay, quickly rushing out of Anne’s room and surrounding Ranpo. “Are you okay? You didn’t get hurt, did you?” Lucy asked while Kyouka examined him despite Ranpo’s protests. Eventually concluding he was physically fine, she gave a small nod and stepped back. Her face didn’t change much, but it was clear she was happy he was alright.

“Kyouka…”

Koyo’s voice rang in her ears as Kyouka turned around, seeing the softer expression on the new Port Mafia leader's face. It wasn’t the first time she had seen Koyo look at her like that, but it still caught her off guard each time.

“Koyo.” Kyouka acknowledged, her cold exterior still present. The others remained silent, almost as if they could sense the sensitivity of the conversation taking place.

Koyo remained silent as she approached her, taking her arm in her hands as she examined it. She exhaled with relief as she saw that no scars or wounds were being covered, taking a small step back from her once she was satisfied. “How have they been treating you? The Agency, I mean.” She knew it wasn’t the time or place to be asking such questions, but she couldn’t help herself. She needed to know that Kyouka was happy.

Especially if this would be their last time ever speaking.

“Good,” Kyouka responded bluntly. “I’m happy with everyone there.”

Koyo felt a pang of hurt at the idea that she was happier there than with the Port Mafia, but she already knew the answer to that. Of course she was happier with them than she was with her.

She wanted to open her mouth to say something else, but Ranpo’s voice cut her off before she could say anything.

“We need to hurry if we want to get to Fyodor in time.” He said, clearly urging them to hurry up. Koyo wanted to snap at him, to tell him to give her at least a moment, yet she couldn’t. She stood frozen, watching as everyone drifted away towards Ranpo. Leaving her behind.

“Boss?” Hirotsu’s voice broke the silence, causing her to snap back into reality and look at him. Clearing her throat, she simply shook her head as a signal for him not to say anything. He gave a polite nod and simply turned away, leaving her to follow behind. Her eyes stayed focused ahead of her as she walked, but they constantly drifted downwards towards her.

She forced them to remain ahead, no matter how often they wandered to her with concern.

She couldn’t get distracted anymore.

- - -

“What a lovely surprise!” Nikolai exclaimed as the four of you entered the storage closet. The mangled corpse of ‘Fyodor’ still laid in the middle of the room, along with the corpses of the guards who used to be vampires. Now that Bram’s ability had faded, they had transformed back into their normal forms, to which Nikolai then slaughtered them. Not really surprising, considering it was him. He was no longer holding the corpse's hand to his face, seemingly back to his usual persona. However, there was a look in his eye that you couldn’t quite explain; almost as if he had come up with some sort of plan… Just waiting to enact it.

Sigma was the first one to speak up, considering nobody else really wanted to talk to him. Not that Sigma did either, he was just used to dealing with his shenanigans. “We’re going to try and find a way back to Yokohama.” He stated, not yet offering for Nikolai to come along with them. Before he could say anything else, Chuuya took a step forward, his eyes narrowed and trained on Nikolai. “You got any handcuffs in that dimension of yours?” He asked abruptly, causing all of you to look at him with confusion.

“Why, yes! I do, actually! What’s it to you?” Nikolai questioned, batting his eyelashes with his usual smirk. Chuuya scoffed at his enthusiastic response, though he knew he shouldn’t expect anything less from him. “Just need it for… a thing.” Chuuya stated, not even bothering to come up with a proper reason. Nikolai knew this was reason for suspicion, already knowing what idea he had in mind, but he didn’t particularly care. He whistled as he reached into his cape, rummaging around for a few seconds before pulling out a pair of handcuffs. You weren’t even sure you wanted to know why he had handcuffs and judging by Sigma’s expression, he was thinking the same thing.

“Sooo… Why do you have handcuffs anyway?” Dazai asked, a small smirk forming on his face. “You got a special reason? Or a special woman? Or man—”

Nikolai laughed, cutting him off from questioning further. “Oh, you think so lowly of me! No, no. They were for my police disguise when I shot a man in the skull.” He replied bluntly, causing Dazai to chuckle. How Nikolai could go from mourning his only true friend to weirdly flirting with Dazai was beyond any of you.

Chuuya briskly took the handcuffs from Nikolai, not even hesitating as he suddenly grabbed Nikolai roughly by the shoulder and spun him around, shoving him face first against the shelves in the storage closet. He manhandled him until Nikolai’s hands were handcuffed in front of him, making it much harder to reach into his cape and use his ability. Nikolai let out a startled yelp at the contact, attempting to struggle free to no avail. “Struggle any more and I’ll crack your skull open.” Chuuya stated, his tone threatening. It was blatant he wasn’t kidding around anymore, not when the fate of the world was at stake. You and Sigma were surprised, but you did nothing to intervene. Nikolai deserved it anyway, you both knew that. Dazai let out a chuckle as he saw the scene unfold in front of him. He knew better than to interfere with Chuuya when he was like this; plus, he enjoyed the show.

“Cryptic bastard,” Chuuya spat out, clearly frustrated. “You know more than you’re letting on, and it’s really starting to piss me off. Why don’t you tell all of us right here and now what exactly you know about Fyodor’s plan?” He commanded, pulling him back from the wall only to slam him against it once more, causing Nikolai to wince. Chuuya wasn’t using his ability yet, but he would if he needed to.

“Woah, woah—” Nikolai stammered, letting out a huff as he was slammed against the wall again. “No need for such violence, you brute! I’ll tell you what you wanna hear if you stop banging me against the wall! I’ll get a concussion at this rate…” He complained, letting out a huff. For a murderous psychopath, it seemed he didn’t really like being banged against a wall. Chuuya glanced back at the three of you, silently asking if he should continue or not.

“We should hear him out. He’ll say something useful… probably...” You said.
“He deserves it. Keep going.” Sigma stated, wanting to see him suffer a little more.
“If Chuuya keeps going, we’ll never get a proper answer. Just let the man speak!” Dazai argued, though he didn’t really care himself.

Chuuya scoffed at Dazai’s words. “I’m fine at interrogating— Whatever. Start talking, and tell us what you know about Fyodor’s plans and…” He trailed off, glancing at you. “And how she got here.”

Nikolai let out a sigh as Chuuya pried him off the wall, allowing him some room to breathe and speak freely while still keeping a tight grip on him. He took a deep breath, looking around at the four of you before he began.

“All Fyodor had told me was his ability activated in his death. He never said what it did, and anytime I tried to ask or get him to tell me, he never did,” Nikolai explained. “I put the pieces together when I saw the vampires eating him and the radio in his hand, and she only confirmed what happened when she said he was in Yokohama.” He said, pointing to you.

He really didn’t know anything about Fyodor’s ability… Surprising. You knew it was foolish to trust his words after everything he had done, but you could sense some sincerity in his tone. Maybe, just maybe, he wasn’t lying.

He hesitated for just a brief moment before continuing. “It was obvious Fyodor wasn’t trustworthy, but…” He stopped speaking and simply shook his head, not wanting to elaborate further. “The game was supposed to be an opportunity for me. I was… outsmarted.” He muttered the last part under his breath, almost annoyed at the fact he had been outplayed at his own game. He supposed it was better that it was Fyodor than anyone else.

“What are Fyodor’s plans with the reality altering book?” Dazai questioned, his tone more serious than before. “His goal may be to eradicate every ability user, yes, but is there anything else he told you?”

Nikolai shook his head. “He never elaborated much on his plan, nor when it came to the book. I’m unsure how many pages he has. Although…” He paused, seemingly recalling something important. “I did catch him writing on one.”

You felt surprised at his words, your eye widening faintly. “What was it about? Did you see what it said?” You questioned, shocked that he was even telling you this much, even if his life was on the line if he didn’t. Nikolai never seemed like the type to spill information without a reason.

“Well…”

- - -

Nikolai popped his head in through a portal, his eyes locking onto Fyodor’s hunched over form. Jeez, his posture was horrible.

He sat at a desk in one of his hideouts, scribbling something out on a piece of paper. One hand was raised to his mouth as he bit at his fingers, while the other hand busied itself with the words on the page. Judging by how he sat, it was obvious whatever he was writing was important.

“I know you’re there, Nikolai.” Fyodor called out, though his tone wasn’t annoyed. It had no fondness in it, but it was more gentle than usual. Nikolai let out a small laugh, removing his head from his cape and closing the portal before opening the door to his room, waltzing in like he owned the place. He closed the door behind him and stood there casually, though curiosity was evident in his expression. “Caught me!” He said with a chuckle, watching as Fyodor turned around to look at him. “I’m surprised you’re still here. We have a meeting with Fukuchi, Bram, and Sigma soon, don’t we? You’re usually on time for things.” Nikolai commented, fiddling with his cape as he looked at Fyodor. His gaze always made Nikolai fidget slightly, though he wasn’t sure why. “Come here, would you?” Fyodor commanded, not answering his question.

Nikolai was confused at his request, sauntering over as he attempted to peer over Fyodor’s shoulder to get a glimpse of the page. Fyodor’s hand covered most of his writing, making it hard for him to see anything on the paper. He was slightly frustrated that he was covering up the page, but didn’t express his annoyance. “What’s with the page?” Nikolai questions, curious. Too curious.

“Something important to my plan,” Fyodor stated, his tone casual and almost nonchalant now as he explained it. His hand moved slightly, allowing Nikolai to view some of the writing. The page didn’t seem like normal paper, and Nikolai quickly realized it had something to do with the book. “You remember what I told you before, don’t you?”

“Yes… Is it really that time?” Nikolai questioned, to which Fyodor nodded.

“I’m sure she’s ready.”

Nikolai attempted to peer more at the page, only able to get a glimpse of a name that he didn’t recognize before Fyodor covered it once more. He seemed to be in thought for a moment before looking back at Nikolai, a faint smile on his face. “We should go for tea before the meeting. I’m sure Sigma would want us to bring him a pastry as well.”

“Wouldn’t Fukuchi get mad if we’re late? He always lectures me whenever I’m not on time.” He grumbled; almost childishly. He hated when that old man tried to act all high and mighty; still trapped in his foolish idea of ‘world peace’ and whatnot.

“I’m sure he’ll be too hungover to notice,” Fyodor stated calmly while shaking his head, though his tone was slightly smug. He didn’t particularly take joy in seeing Fukuchi’s alcoholism, but more so found it amusing that he was a leader with such a problem. Some things never changed, no matter how many years he had lived. Every high ranking leader always battled some addiction, always had some sort of issue they tried to hide.

Nikolai let out a small chuckle at Fyodor’s comment. “Guess you’re right. I’ll bring some bread too. You think a pigeon will eat from my hand today?”

“You can certainly try.”

- - -

“That’s it, huh?” Chuuya questions, almost as if he was disappointed. You, on the other hand, were practically baffled. You weren’t entirely sure whether to trust the information he gave or not, but all signs pointed to the fact he was telling the truth.

Why?

Why wouldn’t he just lie?

Your mind was spinning, trying to make sense of everything you had just absorbed. Of course, it made sense you came into this world via the reality altering book. That was the only possible way, wasn’t it? But… What if that page wasn’t the one that brought you in here? That implied something entirely different; the possibility that Fyodor had written something else about you. What could he have possibly done?

What did that mean for you?

You could feel your heart racing in your chest, a sinking feeling filling your gut as you stared blankly at the ground. The familiar panic of everything that was happening around you began to settle in, only to be broken by the contact of someone’s hand on your shoulder. You glanced up to see none other than Sigma, offering the little bit of comfort he could. His expression was uneasy, but he could tell you were clearly distressed. He didn’t want to see you like that.

Especially considering you might’ve been cut from the same cloth. Rather, born from the same book.

“Do you know if that was the page she was brought here from?” Dazai questioned, watching as Chuuya reluctantly loosened his grip on Nikolai. “Nope! All I could see was her name, really.” He replied cheerfully, his usual persona back up and running. Dazai let out a small sigh, though he didn’t show his frustration on his face.

“You mentioned earlier…” You spoke up, trying to calm your racing heart as you met Nikolai’s unsettling gaze. “Something about me being ‘one of the lucky ones’... What did that mean? Has… Fyodor brought more people here before?” You asked hesitantly, not even sure you wanted an answer to the question. You didn’t want to know if others had suffered a similar fate to you.

“No. Not here, anyway.”

“What do you mean not here?”

“Do I have to spell it out?” Nikolai asked with a huff. He knew damn well he was being cryptic, but he didn’t want to truly give everything away. She’d find out one day anyway, why not let her have the fun of a mystery? “You’ll know when you’re older.”

You frowned at his response, opening your mouth to question further, but Chuuya cut you off before you could ask anything. “Would you quit being a vague asshole and give us an answer we can actually work with?” Chuuya asked, raising his hand to slam him against the wall again, to which Nikolai flinched and tried to squirm away from him, stammering out some excuse.

Just as Chuuya was about to injure Nikolai further, Dazai interrupted them. “I know you’d love to torture the jester over here some more, but we don’t have time for that. We can save it for when we get rid of Fyodor for good. Let’s go try and find a way to transport us back to Yokohama.”

Both you and Sigma nodded in agreement, not wanting to waste any more time. Chuuya let out a huff, reluctantly agreeing and prying Nikolai off the wall. “Alright, alright,” He gave in, though he kept a firm grip on Nikolai. The height difference between them made it look almost comical, even with the strength that Chuuya possessed. “Where are we going, exactly?”

Dazai gave a shrug, smiling faintly. It was almost baffling how he could switch from being so serious to acting like… Well, whatever that was. “Who knows! Why don’t we go find out?” He called out before turning around abruptly. The rest of you began to follow along, your unease displayed clear as day on your face.

Whatever Nikolai meant by what he said, one thing was obvious.

You weren’t the only one.

And you all had to put an end to this before he could get someone else.