Chapter Text
Puffs of white breath escaped his mouth in the biting morning air. The unusually cold morning stung his skin, and when he looked down at his hands, both resting on his knees as he tried to catch his breath, he noticed the were tinged with a red and violet hue, especially his knuckles. They looked like bruises, and he wasn't entirely sure if they were or just a product of the cold.
Whatever the case, he didn't care much right now.
He straightened his posture once his breathing steadied. Running was the worst—tedious and annoying. Physical activity was something he preferred to leave to his dog, but of course, he had no choice after the mission fell apart. Not entirely surprising, really—but that didn't make it any less irritating.
They weren't supposed to kill everyone, but what's done is done. At least, some of the members of the Corsairs were still alive, if not extremely injured. One of the survivors was a familiar man, one who's information was written on paper and had to be memorized days prior.
The man was dragging himself across the dirty, bloodied floor. Chuuya had really done a number on him, such a brute! Without hesitation, the redhead pressed a foot onto the man's back, stopping his crawl. Dazai crouched before him, casually pulling out his pistol and slid it into the man's mouth. Wide, panicked eyes stared back at him, terror etched into every feature of his face. The man whimpered through the searing pain of his legs, grotesquely bent in unnatural angles. Dazai tilted his head slightly, a serene smile gracing his face.
"Funny, isn't it?" Dazai said, his tone light, almost friendly. "I imagined the leaders of the Corsairs to have more dignity, but look at you now, crawling like a worm," he let out an amused chuckle. "Where's your pride now?"
The man babbled something in response, but the cold muzzle of the gun pressed into his mouth made it impossible to understand.
"Eh? Don't get me wrong, I don't care about your pride," Dazai answered back, though, as if he heard him clearly. The only thing I care about now is the manuscript. You know… the one you've been so keen on selling tonight."
The man whimpered once again, eyes bulging with desperation. Dazai merely pouted, letting out a soft, disappointed sigh.
"Did the cat get your tongue?"
"How the fuck do you expect him to answer when you've got a gun shoved into his mouth?" Chuuya's voice suddenly speaks up with a scoff. "You're practically choking the words out of him."
"But Chuuya! Look at him, he's so pathetic," he whined, moving the gun to the side and forcing the man's head to move along with it.
Chuuya rolled his eyes, tapping his foot that held the man to the ground. "You're also pathetic yet you expect a painless death! This guy also has information we want, he should be given common courtesies!" He smirked, his tone clearly mocking the guy just as much as he was scolding Dazai.
Dazai hummed, his pout only intensifying as he looked at Chuuya with a soft frown. "You're so mean, chibi!" he answered, shaking his head back and forth, his messy curls moving in tandem. He positioned a finger under his chin, expression becoming thoughtful. "Maybe I'm being too insensitive? Is this a communication problem?"
He tilted his head, ginger spilling over his right shoulder. "I am not mean, you're just impossible to stand. Really, I don't think anyone would ever willingly be around you." He sounded just as harsh as he would talking to anyone else, yet his eyes softened for a moment before his half-hearted glare sharpened into a real glare. "You don't actually give a fuck! Come on I want to go home, blood has soaked through to my skin. It's gross when it's not my blood!" He didn't whine in tone, but the sentiment was there.
"Whatever do you mean? I'm a delight!" he put his free hand on his chest dramatically, giving the other a false, offended look. "Fine, fine, no need to be so harsh! I promise you'll get the puppy bath you so desire."
"Really? Maybe you're delusional on top of being an over all nutcase." His smirk dropped, as his left leg came up to swing at Dazai's bandaged face. The brunette didn't even move from his spot when Chuuya's leg came swinging towards him, but it never met its destination. The pressure of his additional weight due to his attempt to use his ability against a man immune to abilities snapped him back to reality.
The sudden noise of bones cracking and the man's muffled yell against the barrel of the gun made Dazai blink in brief surprise.
He blinked down at the sudden noise, then back to Dazai, his leg hovering in the air for a moment. "Oops." Chuuya didn't sound very apologetic as he put both of his feet on the mans back, the red tint encasing him fading.
"What a brute, chibi!" he couldn't help but exclaim, watching as the muzzle of the gun started to become tinted with red, the man choking on his own blood. One of his ribs must've pierced something.
Chuuya stared at the lanky teen for a long moment before sighing. "It's your fault! You piss me off, this is why you should work alone no one should be put through this torture every damn day!" The gingers gloved hands waved around as though he could physically manifest some sort of barrier against the brunette.
Before Dazai could retort back, however, the phone inside his pocket started buzzing. He pulled it out, frowning in distaste when he noticed who was calling.
"What do you want?" he asked curtly, the tone of his voice becoming colder. Chuuya's expression went blank, yet he understood instinctively who it was on the other side of the phone, as his eyes asked him what he wants when they're in the middle of something important.
"Dazai-kun! Why so cold to me?" the older man whined childishly from the other side. "Didn't you like the sweets I brought for you, earlier this morning?"
Dazai sighed, annoyance starting to flare up in his chest, yet his expression remained neutral on the outside.
"Get to the point, will you?" he demanded, wanting to finish this awful call as quick as possible.
Mori let out a sad sigh. "Very well, if you insist…" the childish demeanor disappeared in the blink of an eye, finally dropping the act. "I've got a new mission for the both of you."
Dazai hummed. In short words, Mori needed them back in his office immediately. Whatever this new mission was, it seemed to be rather important.
"We'll be there," he answered before cutting the call. Chuuya's head tilted once again, his silent question remained, though now he was more curious as to why they were so abruptly called on.
"Well! We are needed elsewhere, chibi," was all he said in response to what was not asked out loud. Suddenly, he pulled the trigger of the gun, blowing the guy's head and killing him instantly.
Chuuya lunged for Dazai, but it was far too late. "What the fuck Dazai!" His voice reverberated through the now deathly still air, "We still needed that bastards information you-" he cut himself off, his fists clenched.
"What do you mean?" Dazai asked innocently. "We already have all the information we need!" He reached into one of the inner pockets of his black coat, taking out the manuscript and waving it in front of the redhead. Chuuya scoffed, his left leg going towards the bandaged teens head this time as he jumped over the cooling body.
Dazai laughed as he effortlessly side stepped the kick. He put the manuscript back inside the coat's inner pocket, and both continued to bicker on their way to Chuuya's motorcycle, their voices too unbothered compared to the gruesome scene they were leaving behind.
A distance away from the abandoned warehouse, now filled with cooling bodies, was Chuuya's motorcycle stationed. The ginger haired boy fiddled with the keys in his pocket, pulling them out as they got closer. He swung a leg over the bike, standing as he unlocked and started it. The rumbling of the engine scared off the settling crows in the area, a plume of black making towards the sky. Chuuya grabbed the single helmet between the handle bars, passing it to the taller boy.
Dazai stared at the motorcycle as if it had personally offended him. He never liked it, making him dizzy with all the swerving and movement in general. However, they had no other method of transportation at the moment, and as much as he dreaded to sit on it, there was no other choice. He grabbed the helmet with both hands, wondering how lethal it'd be if he let himself fall from the motorcycle while wearing it. Chuuya stared at the brunette for a moment to prompt him to settle behind him.
The freckled boy, kicked the stand up sitting down. Now it was simply waiting for Dazai to get around to actually putting the helmet on and securing himself against Chuuya properly. It was a game they played often, so much so he had gotten into the habit of holding the other boys hands in place with one of his own. Finally resigning himself to what he had to endure for the next few minutes, he put the helmet on and swung his leg over the bike. Without any hesitation, he hugged Chuuya from behind, gently enveloping the ginger's waist with his arms.
Chuuya revved the engine, his right hand gripping the doe eyed freak clinging to him back. They took off almost immediately the motorcycle tearing through the dirt. Without his helmet or his ability, the dust clouds suffocated him briefly, soon enough however, they ended up on a side road towards their base.
Dazai's hands were slightly trembling as he let go of Chuuya, he'll never end up liking motorcycle's ride. Both stepped off, and made their way into the building.
A single, dark colored eye stared at the world pass by outside the window besides him, staring as his reflection opened his mouth widely into a yawn. The rest of the day went by with a lot of movement. As soon as they arrived at the base that morning, they had to leave just as quickly. Their new mission was given in paper for them to read, and both skimmed over the paper, only to look at each other with wide eyes with very blatant distaste. Unfortunately, they couldn't go against Mori's orders, no matter how much they wanted to.
The next few hours were spent preparing for the trip ahead. Even though they didn't need to bring suitcases or anything of the sort, only with the clothes on their person, the process of getting out of Yokohama was no easy task. First and foremost, any citizen of Yokohama wishing to leave the country for traveling purposes had to send an application to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, a branch of the government, in short words. Luckily, Mori had that already handled before he gave them the mission, alongside other parts of the process, so they didn't have to waste any time doing that.
What they had to deal with, unfortunately, was the journey. The departure stations to get out of Yokohama were tedious to the extreme. They were strategically placed along the city's perimeters, right in the limits of the barrier, both to ensure that outsiders wouldn't stick their noses in or for citizens to try and get out by their own means. The station they were currently in was an imposing, labyrinthine structure that ensured the citizens safety, still within the barrier. Dazai and Chuuya, after hours waiting for their traveling permission to be approved, they finally were able to get into their train.
The first train, used to get out of Yokohama, operates in secret. Known as the Kisaragi train of Yokohama, it allows citizens to exit and re-enter the country whenever needed. It works under a hidden transit line, powered by an ability similar to the barrier that surrounds Yokohama. The train station itself is not listed on any public maps and is a nondescript facility located within the country.
The train ride was around six hours long, and once it reaches the main checkpoint, they had to board another train, only that to get there, one had to walk for quite a while. It was exhausting, and Dazai only wanted to drop dead right there. When they reached the second station and boarded the train, Dazai decided to take a nap while Chuuya kept watch. The second trip wasn't as long as the first one, but the third one was definitely the largest.
Here they were now, with the clock on his phone striking three in the morning as he lowered his gaze to check the hour. Chuuya's head was leaned against his left shoulder, deeply asleep as Dazai stared at the outside world with a half-lidded eye, looking at the few people inside the train with them through the reflection of the window. They were curious things—one man seemed to have gills in his neck, and at the end of the compartment, a woman whose skin seemed to be covered in wood-like growths, resembling tree bark. It honestly looked awful, was she okay, living like that? He can't help but wonder what it would happen if he were to throw a lit match at her.
After five long, excruciating hours of traveling, a feminine voice coming out of the intercom announced that they were arriving at their final destination. Turning his head to look at Chuuya's peaceful sleeping face, he started to poke his cheek repeatedly.
"Wake up, chibi! We're arriving at Mufasa," that was the name of the city, right?
Chuuya buried his face into Dazai's shoulder to try escaping the repeated poking. His eyebrows furrowed at the name, his fogged over brain registered. Like the lion king? Did these people worship Disney movies? He slowly moved away from Dazai stretching out his back before looking at Dazai with a puzzled look on his face. Well what the brunette would perceive as puzzled, he didn't look like he was feeling anything other than tired really.
Dazai stood up from his seat only to sit down again, as black spots started to dance in his vision. The strange, peculiar people who were sharing the train with them were already getting out at a leisure pace, and Dazai merely hummed a random tune as he waited for his vision to turn back to normal completely. The ginger cracked his neck, finally standing. He leaned against one of the poles as he waited for his partner to get up as well, the brunette looked exhausted, for a moment he felt bad. But it was brief, they already had a plan to keep shifts anyhow so it worked out.
"Come on, the quicker we leave the quicker you can sleep. Do you need me to carry you princess?" He teased waving his left hand at the trains open doors.
Dazai's only visible eye suddenly gleamed, standing up once again and letting out a quiet sigh of relief when he stretched his back, much like a cat would. As soon as he finished stretching, he let himself drape over Chuuya's figure.
"Would you really do that for me, slug?" he said with a smirk. "But we'll never get anywhere, with how slow you are!"
Chuuya glared over his shoulder at the overgrown mackerel now infecting him with his touch but ignored the taunting. It would be faster if Dazai used all of his energy to think. Unfortunately, the other teen was smart some of the time and it was useful. "Did you want to walk instead? I am happy to not have to carry your extra bandage weight if I don't have to."
The brunette let himself become more of a dead weight on top of Chuuya, refusing to lean away. His legs felt sore from being seated for so long, and he honestly rather be carried by an ugly ginger than to walk for the time being.
He hummed, seeming to be in deep thought.
"I might let you carry me, but only if you promise not to drop me," he let out a big yawn. "I mean, with those short legs, you might trip over a pebble."
Brunette locks were grabbed by gloved fingers and tugged hard before Chuuya actually picked Dazai up into a piggyback carry, his hands holding the lanky bastards overly thin thighs as he walked out of the train. "I make no such promises, I would drop you on purpose." It was a blanket-faced lie but he would never admit that, plus if it was safe to do so he would totally drop Dazai out a window! To bad he's suicidal so its not much of a threat.
"Well, if you drop me, can it be into a river?" he asked sleepily, hugging Chuuya's neck with his arms. The shorter teen took careful steps off the train platform, making sure he didn't move Dazai too much as he walked. He didn't dignify the suicide jabs with a response. Really, he was too tired for it, and sometimes it felt as though he was talking to a brick wall when the topic came up. Instead, he glanced around their surroundings. The place was much more vibrant than Yokohama would ever be for good reason. It was gaudy, and burned his eyes.
"Any plans for a place to stay or are you out of battery acid to run your faulty wiring?" Chuuya wondered aloud, scanning the frankly bizarre looking individuals walking around.
"Plans?" he murmured, stifling another yawn as his half-lidded eye roamed around the station. The vibrant colors were painful to look at. "I was thinking… maybe a bench, or under a nice, sturdy bridge… comfy, isn't it? Or maybe behind a dumpster, inside an alleyway." There weren't a lot of options for two, seemingly homeless teens. "Unless you have better ideas, but I doubt it…" His words trailed off, slowly starting to fall asleep.
Chuuya glanced around, decidedly unhappy with those choices. He felt more than saw as Dazai's head drooped down resting on the ginger heavily. Which meant he would be the one deciding their residence until further notice. Really, those options weren't awful, if the city wasn't neon at the ass crack of dawn. "I'll figure it out, don't worry about it shitty Dazai."
Dazai's body went completely slack, his arms falling loose from their grip around his neck. Chuuya sighed, but didn't actually mind much. His eye's darted around to find anything suitable, even a roof of some kind, when his eyes landed on the sign above the train station.
Welcome to Musutafu City!